CDC Recommends Booster Shots for Nursing Home Staff and Residents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made a recommendation for administering the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot to nursing home staff and residents that qualify. McKnight’s reports these boosters are expected to be administered soon.

Rochelle Walensky M.D., Director of CDC, made the recommendation of giving the booster shot to residents of nursing homes and seniors who are ages 65 and older. The shots should be administered six months after the completion of the first two shots. CDC has also recommended the booster shot for employees situated in a high-risk and institutional setting such as nursing homes.

Dr. Walensky stated, “I believe we can best serve the nation’s public health needs by providing booster doses for the elderly, those in long-term care facilities, people with underlying medical conditions, and for adults at high risk of disease from occupational and institutional exposures to COVID-19. This aligns with the FDA’s booster authorization and makes these groups eligible for a booster shot.”

David Gifford, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Health Care association expressed his support for this recommendation stating “long-term care facilities stand ready to help facilitate booster shots to those residents and staff who received the Pfizer vaccine earlier this year. Virtually all nursing homes and some assisted living communities already have steady access to COVID-19 vaccines through a long-term care pharmacy, and we anticipate the booster shot process will be fairly straightforward and the vaccines will be available quickly for these providers.”

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