COVID-19 UPDATE #212
December 16, 2021
|
|
OPERATION EXPANDED TESTING NOW AVAILABLE |
|
Operation Expanded Testing is a no cost COVID-19 testing program federally funded by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD). The regional contractor PerkinElmer provides supplies of self-swab PCR tests and implementation support for routine testing in schools, underserved/vulnerable communities, and congregate settings. The program services includes delivery of test kits, processing of tests at their labs, and a built-in system for reporting test results.
To qualify for this program the HHS has defined high SVI as 0.5 or higher. The SVI of the region your organization is in can be ascertained by zooming in to your local county or zip code, or by typing your organization’s address into The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI): Interactive Map | CDC, hitting enter, and then left clicking on the map. A black box will pop up with the region’s SVI index. If it is 0.5 or higher, your institution is qualified.
|
|
ARGENTUM CALLS OUT BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FOR INDEFENSIBLY LOW COVID RELIEF PAYMENTS FOR SENIOR LIVING CAREGIVERS |
|
One day after HHS/HRSA said it is releasing $9 billion in Provider Relief Funds, a closer look at the methodology used to determine payments for assisted living providers is severely lacking.
Argentum said the way in which the Biden Administration is determining COVID relief payments for assisted living communities is unconscionable, amounting to a slap in the face to the millions of those who call senior living communities home and the caregivers who have risked their lives to protect residents throughout the long and enduring pandemic.
One day after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) said it is distributing $9 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 payments for healthcare providers harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, a closer look at the methodology for assessing payments for assisted living communities is grossly low.
“The Biden Administration has had ample opportunity and the resources provided by Congress to do the right thing and prioritize senior living for COVID relief dollars,” said James Balda, president and CEO of Argentum. “We strongly believe that the Administration is not listening to the needs of seniors, nor the results of national polls which show widespread support across party lines for supporting senior living with adequate COVID relief.”
A recent poll conducted by ReconMR (Reconnaissance Market Research) said 86% of those asked believe the Biden Administration should target COVID-19 relief funding for senior living communities.
“But, not only has HHS/HRSA not targeted relief for those caring for the aging and chronically ill who live in senior living communities, it is lowballing the payments that will be made, effectively using a methodology that pays out only 20% to account for the COVID-related losses for providers,” Balda said.
In total, Argentum estimates senior living caregivers will have lost $30 billion during the pandemic, incurring massive costs for extra staffing needs, supplies and equipment, reconfigured building space and infrastructure, and lost revenue from restricting new occupants from moving in.
Balda stressed that the pandemic is not over, pointing to a new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis showing that “breakthrough” hospitalizations involving COVID-19 among people who are fully vaccinated most often affect older adults and people with other chronic health conditions. The average age of residents in assisted living is 85.
“We are beyond the point of scratching our heads at how HHS/HRSA is treating our concerns and what appears to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the needs of the long-term care continuum throughout this crisis. We want corrections to what amount to egregious mistakes that will likely result in senior living communities having to close unless they receive equitable federal relief,” Balda said.
For months, Argentum has urged the Biden Administration to prioritize relief to assisted living providers through a coordinated campaign, “Don’t Leave Assisted Living Behind, Again” (see press release). The campaign underscores the continued disparities in relief and support that has been made available to senior living, and the need to rectify it moving forward, including with the Phase 4 PRF payments.
It began with a letter to President Biden, and subsequent letters have been sent to President Biden on November 3, and on November 22, Argentum sent a letter to President Biden, HHS Secretary Becerra, and HRSA Acting Administrator Espinosa.
Beyond the letters, the campaign includes billboards in key states, banners and yard signs displayed at communities throughout the country, geotargeted ads directed at policymakers in the White House, HHS, and Congress, grassroots and grasstops outreach, and media placements to get the attention of President Biden and congressional leaders. Read the Executive Summary of the Argentum poll results here. The raw data from the poll is available here.
|
|
OMICRON VARIANT COULD OVERWHELM THE UNITED STATES WITH COVID: BOOSTERS ARE THE ANSWER |
|
This message is from Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).
After 11 years with AHCA/NCAL, I hope my reputation is one of a calm optimist. It’s the way I strive to lead the organization. Unfortunately, I’m seeing some trends in the Omicron data that have led me to believe there is a reasonable chance that the United States will set new daily COVID-19 records in the next two to four weeks. It’s possible that COVID numbers will dramatically exceed what we saw last December. It’s for that reason that I’m sounding this alarm. You need to be ready.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prepare, but you need to act quickly. Before I get to those steps, I want to share what I’m seeing in the data that has led me to this concern. I’ve included that information below, as well as in this short video.
OMICRON IS INCREASING EXPONENTIALLY IN SOUTH AFRICA
Omicron was first identified in South Africa only a handful of weeks ago. The clinicians that saw it observed its very quick spread among people who had close contact with Omicron-positive patients. Very quick. Delta is a variant that had a rapid spread. Omicron appeared to be surpassing Delta and is four to five times more infectious than the Delta variant.
Unfortunately, the data from other countries now verify this clinical observation that the number of infections from Omicron is doubling every two to three days. This the chart of the spread of COVID in South Africa.
|
|
You can see on the right side of the chart an almost unbelievable increase in cases over a very short period of time. As recently as two weeks ago, there were less than 1,000 cases a day. Yesterday, South Africa reported almost 40,000 cases.
This spread is not limited to South Africa. Omicron has now been identified in almost 100 countries around the world. We can look at countries that started reporting Omicron a week or so ago and see the impact it has had on overall COVID numbers. Below is a chart of cases in the United Kingdom.
|
|
You can see the increase the UK has experienced. In all probability, the UK will start reporting record numbers of daily cases within the next several days, and Omicron will replace Delta as the most common variant causing infections. Sadly, Omicron is also in the United States, and we will soon see our numbers increase. |
|
We thought we had hit our daily high in case counts last December, but I worry this new variant may cause more cases compared to the December 2020 highs and perhaps even dramatically surpass them.
OMICRON IS NOT AS DEADLY AS DELTA BUT WILL STILL PRESENT MAJOR PROBLEMS
The really good news is that Omicron does not appear to be as deadly as Delta and the original COVID variants. However, this is from preliminary data among young adults. It’s still very early to make this a definitive statement, but the data is promising. But even if less virulent, it will cause an increase in hospitalizations and deaths. In South Africa, hospitalizations and deaths have increased but nowhere near the level that you would expect if the variant was as deadly as earlier strains. We don’t know what will happen when this variant infects the elderly and immunocompromised, many of the residents for whom we care in our facilities.
|
|
Nevertheless, this will still cause major problems in the United States and in our buildings:
- Even if the mortality rate is very low, because of the large number of our residents and staff that are likely to get Omicron, we may have a lot of hospitalizations and deaths.
- Even if the mortality rate is low, we will have significant numbers of staff that test positive and be unable to work. This is going to make our staffing problems even worse. We will have some time where large numbers of staff are testing positive.
BOOSTERS ARE THE ANSWER
We have both bad and good news about the vaccine effectiveness against Omicron. We now have evidence indicating that the normal two-dose regimen of Pfizer and Moderna and the single dose regimen of Johnson & Johnson does not stop Omicron. There is some protection for the immediate six months after the final dose, but after that, the effectiveness drops to about 30%. That is the bad news. The good news is that for people who receive a booster, the effectiveness increases to around 75% against getting COVID, and the protection from hospitalization and death is much higher than that.
The obvious conclusion from all of this is please focus on the booster shots. Right now, only 51% of residents and 22% of eligible staff have boosters. It’s time for you to ramp up your efforts to increase these numbers. We have resources that can help with this on our #GetVaccinated website.
Additionally, the CDC has created a webpage to help LTC providers access the booster dose. Providers should work with their LTC pharmacies to gain access to the booster dose. If you are having trouble accessing the vaccine, please contact your state or local health department’s immunization program. The appropriate contact for each immunization program can be found here. You may also contact COVID19@ahca.org with any questions or for additional assistance.
Booster shots are the answer.
THERE COULD BE A SILVER LINING TO THIS
It is possible that tens of millions of Americans will get Omicron, and because of vaccines and treatments we now have, very few will die. This may create the herd immunity that we have previously not been able to achieve. There are lots of ways this can go, but my glass half full attitude says we have to consider that maybe this is the beginning of the end of the entire pandemic. Or it might not be. Only time will tell. Either way, the path to get there includes getting vaccinated and getting the booster as soon as possible.
In the meantime, thanks for all you are doing every day. Hang in there, and we will continue to get through this.
|
|
LTC COVID VACCINE INCENTIVE PROGRAM READY TO LAUNCH IN KING COUNTY |
|
Care workers in adult family homes, assisted living , skilled nursing, and supported living facilities in King County are eligible to receive $150 in Safeway/Albertson’s gift cards when they are vaccinated against COVID-19. The goal of this incentive program is to ease the cost for caregivers who need to take time away from work or other responsibilities to be vaccinated, and to support their choice to vaccinate. Seattle & King County Public Health have provided a Q&A document and flyer to promote the program.
|
|
WHCA continues to post resources and information as it becomes available on our website. If you have questions or need additional information, please call the WHCA office at (800) 562-6170.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
