FEDERAL NEWS
OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard for Healthcare Settings
Yes, the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health posted an emergency temporary standard for health care settings; it focuses on healthcare workers most likely to have contact with someone infected with COVID. It will be effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register and employers will have to comply with most requirements within two weeks. Here is a brief summary of the provisions of the rule from LeadingAge and here is a great summary from our partner, Stinson.
Decreases in COVID-19 Cases, Emergency Department Visits, Hospital Admissions, and Deaths Among Older Adults Following the Introduction of COVID-19 Vaccine
CDC released an MMWR on the decreases in COVID-19 cases, emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and deaths among older adults following the introduction of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States from September 6, 2020 – May 1, 2021. This report was released as an MMWR Early Release on June 8th. COVID-19 vaccination began in the United States in December 2020, and adults aged ≥65 years were prioritized in early phases. By May 1, 2021, 82%, 63%, and 42% of adults aged ≥65, 50–64, and 18–49 years, respectively, had received ≥1 vaccine dose. From November 29–December 12, 2020 to April 18–May 1, 2021, the rate ratios of COVID-19 incidence, emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and deaths among adults aged ≥65 years (≥70 years for hospitalizations) to adults aged 18–49 years declined 40%, 59%, 65%, and 66%, respectively. The greater decline in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in older adults, the age group with the highest vaccination rates, demonstrates the potential impact of increasing population-level vaccination coverage.
VACCINATION NEWS
Vaccination Reporting
CMS included the first round of vaccination data in today’s data update on the nursing home data site (data.cms.gov). The data reported is for reporting week Monday, May 24 – Sunday, May 30. We’re hearing that only about 28% of nursing homes have reported this data thus far. Recall that enforcement begins Monday, June 14, which means nursing homes must begin including vaccination and therapeutics data in weekly reporting by this Sunday, June 13 at 11:59pm. NHSN has provided several resources to assist providers in reporting this data, available here. Some to highlight: training video and slides, the Tables of Instructions and printable forms for data collection, Guidance to COVID-19 Data Entry Screens, Uploading Group Data, Data Tracking Worksheets and Reference Guide, and Line Lists of COVID-19 Vaccination Data.
Vaccination Reporting Spreadsheets
On the Friday call this morning, a participant strongly recommended use of the resident and health care personnel spreadsheets for reporting. There are a lot of resources listed on the NHSN website so we want to make sure and highlight the Data Tracking Worksheet for COVID-19 Vaccination for Residents and for Healthcare Personnel.
LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
Miss Today’s Webinar? Listen to the Recording for OSHA Updates
This week’s presenter was David McDonnell, OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist, who spoke about the COVID National Emphasis Program (NEP) and the new emergency rules released yesterday.
Here is the recording. Here are the handouts.
Make plans to join us each Friday at 10 AM. Register here.
RESOURCES
CDC Updated Their Information for Older Adults on COVID-19
CDC clarified and consolidated their information into the following sections: increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19; protect yourself and other from getting COVID-19; if you are sick or think you were exposed to COVID-19; visiting older adults in residential communities; and further resources.
THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM PARTNER
