MICHIGAN, USA — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is ordering nursing homes to offer on-site booster shots to residents who are not up to date on the COVID-19 vaccine.
Nearly three-quarters of eligible nursing home residents have gotten a booster dose.
Nursing home facilities must comply with the order within 30 days. The order does not require nursing home residents to be vaccinated.
MDHHS director Elizabeth Hertel said Thursday that vaccinations are even more important because the rapidly spreading omicron variant can more readily evade people's immunity from vaccines and past infections.
“With the omicron variant rapidly spreading across our state and cases of COVID-19 continuing to remain high, we want to make sure our most vulnerable Michiganders are protected from the virus,” said Hertel. “The COVID-19 vaccine is our best defense against the virus, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get up to date.”
If nursing home residents are unable to make medical decisions on their own, nursing home staff are required to contact a legally authorized person to determine if the resident will receive a booster or vaccine. Residents' consent or refusal must be documented by staff, according to the MDHHS order.
Nursing home staff are also required to inform residents that the booster is available to them.
The announcement follows a report claiming that nursing home deaths caused by COVID-19 were underreported by the state. An audit found a nearly 30% difference between the state's reported deaths and the auditors' findings.
The MDHHS says they do not believe the report was accurate because they were relying on data that had different definitions.
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