COVID vaccines lost some effectiveness in delta surge, ongoing CDC study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 25, 2021
The three federally sanctioned COVID vaccines have lost a “moderate” amount of effectiveness against SARS-CoV-19 ever since the delta gene variant became the predominant U.S. strain, the agency reports.
Clinical briefs for Wednesday, Aug. 25
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 25, 2021
Training not enough to reduce hospitalization, ED visits in end-of-life care … Breakthrough infections may be less transmissible, study in healthcare workers suggests … Wider vaccine approvals on the...
Pandemic persists in nursing homes with low vax rates; case counts rising, NIC analyst says
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 23, 2021
Half of the U.S. skilled nursing facilities with newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in early August had staff vaccination rates 12% below the national average, new data show. At the same time, overall per-resident...
Antibody shot cuts COVID-19 infection risk by 66 percent after exposure, drugmaker says
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 09, 2021
Regeneron’s REGEN-COV antibody cocktail significantly reduces the relative risk of infection after exposure to a close contact infected with SARS-CoV-2, new data show. Symptomatic illness is also shorter...
COVID-19 vaccine more effective in nursing home residents with past virus exposure: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 16, 2021
Nursing home residents who have had a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection have stronger responses to vaccination than those who have not been exposed to the virus, a real-life investigation finds.
Clinical briefs for Friday, July 2
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 02, 2021
Finalists for the 2021 McKnight’s Tech Awards named for Skilled Nursing, Senior Living and Home Care … Leaders expect more providers to follow suit after first Massachusetts operator enacts vaccine...
Providers want CMS to delay proposal for new HAI, hospitalization measure
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 11, 2021
LeadingAge is ‘concerned’ about a proposed measure tracking healthcare-associated infections requiring hospitalization.
Clinical briefs for Friday, June 4
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 04, 2021
Dental prostheses reduce weight loss risk by 37% in elders with tooth loss … Exercise helps lower dementia risk, even for those with family history: study … Infections may inflame brain, cause memory...
Nursing home residents face prolonged course of COVID, facility study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 02, 2021
Residents who develop COVID-19 may face weeks of illness, no matter how mild or severe their symptoms, according to geriatricians from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute, Indianapolis.
CMS: Lower COVID rates linked to higher nursing home quality ratings
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 02, 2021
Higher facility star ratings are tied to lower COVID transmission rates and fewer deaths, according to the agency’s chief medical officer and director of its Center for Clinical Standards and Quality.