COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Long Term Care Facilities

COVID-19 has been hard on everyone, but especially for those who live and work in long term care. The adoption of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines is a lifesaving turning point in the fight against this virus. It’s important that everyone get vaccinated and boosted so we can protect our nation’s seniors, our loved ones, our colleagues, and ourselves.

FDA Authorizes a 2nd Booster of Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine for Certain Individuals 

On March 29, 2022, following the FDA’s regulatory action the CDC updated its recommendations to allow certain immunocompromised individuals and people over the age of 50 who received an initial booster dose at least 4 months ago to be eligible for another mRNA booster to increase their protection against severe disease from COVID-19. Separately and in addition, based on newly published data, adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Janssen/J&J COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. These updated recommendations acknowledge the increased risk of severe disease in certain populations including those who are elderly or over the age of 50 with multiple underlying conditions, along with the currently available data on vaccine and booster effectiveness.   

  • A 2nd booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna may be administered to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. 

  • A 2nd booster dose of the Pfizer may be administered to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise. 

  • A 2nd booster dose of the Moderna may be administered to individuals 18 years of age and older with the same certain kinds of immunocompromise at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine 

 

 Mass Senior Care Encourages COVID-19 2nd Booster Shots for LTC Residents

With the approval by the FDA and CDC recommendations for a 2nd booster shot as outlined above, Mass Senior Care strongly encourages long term care facilities to prioritize booster shots for all residents. Eligible long term care residents should be prioritized and urged to receive a booster dose as soon as possible. Vaccinations and booster shots are the best way to protect our residents, staff and family members and it is critical that we continue to do all that we can to increase resident vaccination with a 2nd booster dose when eligible.  

DPH has a variety of booster shot resources available, including Booster Vaccination Planning and COVID-19 Booster FAQs. We encourage you to contact Mass Senior Care Association if you need additional assistance. DPH has identified resources to help vaccinate either through long-term care pharmacy partners, mobile vaccine providers or the Rapid Response Team (RRT). 

 

COVID-19 Vaccine Materials from Mass Senior Care

Mass Senior Care Association continues to work with our member long term care facilities to increase COVID-19 booster vaccination rates among residents and staff. Achieving a high rate of resident and staff booster vaccinations is critical to our fight against COVID-19 and ensuring the safety of our residents and the entire caregiving team. Mass Senior Care recognizes that the reasons for vaccine hesitancy are real and varied, and we are committed to doing all we can to provide accurate, timely information so people can make informed decisions. Please check back often as additional resources will be made available. 

COVID-19 Vaccine Video Available in Multiple Languages

As part of Mass Senior Care Association’s Arming Ourselves Against COVID-19 campaign, we continue to provide new educational materials regarding the COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy available in multiple languages to ensure trusted information is accessible to long term care staff, residents and their family members. Educational videos in Haitian Creole, Cantonese and Mandarin featuring Christine Pierre, MD and Robert Wu, MD are available for Mass Senior Care members to use to help communicate facts about the COVID-19 vaccine as well as highlight the importance of vaccination.

 

MSCA's Arming Ourselves Against COVID-19 Member Toolkit Includes:

Please check back often as additional resources will be made available. 

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Stop COVID-19: Vaccine education and outreach materials (Mass.gov)

 

The CDC also provides the following web resources to help inform and educate people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future. 

  • CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccination for people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.
  • People who are pregnant may receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
  • Evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing. These data suggest that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.
  • There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.
  • CDC recommendations align with those from professional medical organizations serving people who are pregnant, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine along with many other professional medical organizations.

 

SEARCH VACCINE LOCATION IN MASSACHUSETTS

Anyone over the age of 5 can get vaccinated. All individuals 18 years of age and older after completion of primary vaccination with any FDA-authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine can receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. The COVID-19 Vaccine is free. Search for a vaccine location in Massachusetts. 

 Additional Resources:



AHCA

 

CDC

 

We Can Do This, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

 

Mass.Gov



 

Questions? If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Mass Senior Care by emailing info@maseniorcare.org or calling 617.558.0202. Thank you.