VACCINE NEWS
Vaccine Guidance and Resources for People with Disabilities and Older Adults
As part of a shared commitment to President Biden’s National Strategy – PDF and Executive Order to ensure an equitable COVID-19 response, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at HHS have published several new resources to help states, vaccination providers, and others leading COVID-19 response activities improve access to vaccines for people with disabilities and older adults. These resources clarify legal requirements, illustrate some of the barriers to vaccine access faced by people with disabilities and older people, and provide strategies – and examples of how the aging and disability network can help employ them – to ensure accessibility. The Office for Civil Rights released new guidance – PDF outlining legal standards under the federal civil rights laws prohibiting disability discrimination and providing concrete examples of the application of the legal standards in the context of COVID-19 vaccine programs and how to implement them. OCR also issued a fact sheet – PDF setting out specific steps that those involved in the planning and distribution of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic may wish to consider to promote compliance with disability rights laws and provide access to vaccination programs for people with disabilities. Earlier COVID-19 guidance from OCR addressed civil rights protections prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin – PDF, and civil rights of persons with limited English proficiency – PDF.
Governor’s Weekly COVID-19 Stakeholder Update
Read the newsletter regarding vaccines in Kansas.
Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Overview
- 1,019,650 People Vaccinated with One Dose
- 1,617,994 Total Doses Reported as Administered
– First Dose: 1,019,650
– Second Dose: 598,344 - 1,937,790 Total Doses Distributed
– State Distributed: 1,626,480
– Federal LTC Program: 311,310 - 35.0% of Kansans Vaccinated with One Dose
Source: https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data
STATE NEWS
Looking for the Nursing Home Tab on the KDHE COVID Website?
KDHE recently updated their website, and the Nursing Home Positivity Rate section has moved to COVID-19 Metrics. View the page.
Kansas Pauses Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Administration
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announces that Kansas will pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine following an announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this morning. There are reports of six recipients in the United States who developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within about two weeks of vaccination. No known cases have been reported in Kansas to date. Read the entire release.
Kansas COVID-19 Cluster Summary
Statewide Active COVID-19 Clusters
- Clusters: 44
- Cases: 3,367
- Hospitalizations: 60
Kansas COVID-19: Case Rates
- Cases: 305,320
- Total Case Rate Per 1,000: 104.80
- Daily Cases Diagnosed: 119
Long-Term Care Facilities with Active Cluster Case Information
- Clusters: 7
- Cases: 111
- Hospitalizations: 11
Source: https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas
FEDERAL NEWS
N95 Use
CMS has been advised of states incorrectly interpreting guidance around the use of N95 respirators. We have heard reports of providers being cited for not wearing N95s or comparable respirators throughout the nursing home in the circumstance of an outbreak. CDC has clarified that guidance has not changed. N95s and other PPE are generally meant for use in providing care. While an individual may wear an N95 outside of care when employing extended use strategies, CDC does not intend for them to be used as source control masks, even in the event of an outbreak in the nursing home. If you are aware of providers who are being cited for not wearing N95s for general source control, please let us know so that we may share specific details with CMS.
Long-Term Care Facility Residents and COVID Vaccines
CDC updated their information for long-term care facility (LTCF) residents on how to get a COVID-19 vaccine:
If you have not already been vaccinated against COVID-19, you can: talk to the LTCF staff to determine if a vaccine can be made available to you on site and/or ask a family member or friend to help you schedule a vaccination appointment if a vaccine is not available on site. Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19, and depending on the kind of COVID-19 vaccine you get, you might need a second shot 3 or 4 weeks after your first shot. After getting vaccinated, some people have side effects; these are normal signs that your body is building protection against COVID-19. You will not need to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine and the CDC recommends all LTCF residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions
CDC updated their information on the temporary halt in residential evictions to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed a declaration determining that the evictions of tenants could be detrimental to public health control measures to slow the spread of SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
Weekly Webinar Update and Brief Pause
Jump on each week for information and updates about the coronavirus, Fridays at 10 AM. Register here.
Please note: After this Friday, we will pause our weekly webinars during our Virtual Spring Conference. We will resume again on May 7th.
Names are Rolling in Honoring the Individuals We Lost During the Pandemic
We are seeking the names of residents, staff and those you would like to recognize as loved ones that we lost this past year during the pandemic. We will be holding a moment of silence/prayer and honoring their lives during our upcoming Virtual Spring Conference on April 26th at 10:45 AM. Please send names to Dana Weaver at dana@leadingagekansas.org by Friday, April 23rd at 3 PM.
THANK YOU TO OUR SILVER PARTNER
