An informed guide to the pandemic, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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 | | The New York Times |
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The vaccine reaches nursing homes |
It’s a watershed moment for nursing homes, which endured some of the worst carnage of the pandemic. At least 106,000 residents and staff members have died from the coronavirus, accounting for 38 percent of the country’s Covid-19 deaths. |
Experts say that nursing homes will be the most challenging front in the campaign to vaccinate Americans because facilities are short-staffed and shift work complicates the effort. CVS and Walgreens employees have the capacity to visit each location only two or three times. |
But the stickiest issue is perhaps consent. There’s no federal requirement for people to give consent before being vaccinated, but it’s standard practice. Many residents, like those with dementia, aren’t capable of giving it on their own, which is creating confusion about how to proceed and has delayed the rollout in some states. The pharmacies also need prior consent in order to know how many doses, which must be kept very cold, to bring with them. |
Some residents and staff members are balking at getting a vaccine, setting off heated debates in nursing homes about whether to line up for a shot. Skepticism is particularly high among certified nursing assistants who work in long-term care facilities. Although some older people fear the vaccine’s side effects or worry it’s not safe, officials are optimistic that most residents will agree to be vaccinated. One recent survey of 275 nursing homes found that about 80 percent of respondents said they were definitely willing to receive the vaccine. |
Harriet Krakowsky, a nursing home resident in New York City, needs no convincing. She told The Associated Press that she lost friends to the virus and had yet to meet two great-grandchildren who were born this year. |
“For the first time in six or seven months,” she said, “there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel.” |
A winter storm disrupts the pandemic response |
A fast-moving winter storm is barreling through the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, with forecasters predicting as much as two feet of snow in some areas. For those living in cities including New York City and Philadelphia, it could be one of the biggest snowstorms in years. |
Nursing homes from Philadelphia to Albany said they, too, were preparing for the storm, but called it a routine disruption. The Teresian House Center for the Elderly in Albany, which has dealt with coronavirus outbreaks since the spring, was preparing for up to 10 inches of snow. A spokesman, Paul Larrabee, told The Times, “In light of what we’ve gone through in the last 10 months, our emergency and crisis preparedness is probably as well calibrated as any time in our history.” |
The thought of losing snow days, maybe forever, sharply divided the Briefings team. My colleagues on the Coronavirus Schools Briefing, Amelia Nierenberg (pro-slushy snowballs) and Adam Pasick (a snow day Grinch) defended their views in today’s newsletter. |
What else we’re following |
I practice and teach acupressure for a living, so I’ve been pretty much out of work since March. I have lots of Zoom meetings and visits, but I really miss touching people. I also live alone. I visit with my daughter and my son-in-law (my “pod”) with a mask on and maintaining six feet of distance. I also really miss being touched. I’m getting a cat. — Deborah Valentine Smith, New Paltz, N.Y. |
Let us know how you’re dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
| Carole Landry contributed to today’s newsletter. |
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