Mass Senior Care is very pleased to share that yesterday, DPH released updated guidance on the LTC Personnel COVID-19 vaccination requirement. DPH has modified the LTCF COVID-19 personnel vaccination requirement to align with CMS requirements which requires all long-term facility staff to have completed the COVID-19 vaccination primary series. However, personnel who are not yet up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccines must continue to be tested twice per week to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to residents or other personnel. Mass Senior Care strongly opposed the DPH requirement for all long-term facility staff to receive the bivalent booster and advocated that EOHHS align with the CMS vaccination requirement.
DPH also released guidance on the LTCF COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccine. As part of DPH’s efforts to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccine moving forward and increased access to influenza vaccine, the DPH’s Drug Control Program will automatically issue a Massachusetts Control Substance Registration (MCSR) to all skilled nursing facilities with licenses in good standing, allowing facilities to continue to procure, receive, and possess COVID-19 vaccines and to procure, receive, and possess influenza vaccine. In order to ensure proper vaccine storage, DPH will be providing each facility with a Berlinger DDL Fridge-tag 2L. The tag will be delivered to your facility by your pharmacy during a regularly scheduled delivery. The DDL monitors vaccine stability and will audibly alarm when the refrigerator temperature diverges from the recommended temperature parameters. The following link provides step-by-step print and video instruction on how to set up the DDL, how to upload the twice-a-day temperature log onto your electronic device, and what to do if the alarm is triggered. In addition, long-term care facilities should review detailed guidance provided by DPH on Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidance