Omicron surge keeping long-term care facilities on high alert

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FILE - Nursing location residents hold successful enactment to person a COVID-19 vaccine astatine Harlem Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, a nursing location facility, connected Friday, Jan. 15, 2021 successful Harlem vicinity of New York. A absorption connected the aged astatine the commencement of the nation's vaccination run helped support nursing homes that were ravaged astatine the tallness of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, but they are acold from successful the clear. New outbreaks, often traced to infected unit members, are inactive occurring successful semipermanent attraction centers crossed the country, causing continued havoc for visitation policies. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) (Yuki Iwamura)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Local semipermanent attraction facilities are keeping a adjacent oculus connected their residents pursuing a caller surge successful COVID-19 cases owed to the Omicron variant.

The United States Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Service, Xavier Becerra, warns that the Omicron variant is lightning accelerated and that nursing can’t spend different surge successful COVID-19 infections.

“Higher numbers of COVID-19 cases volition apt erstwhile again person a devastating interaction connected our loved ones who are populating successful these facilities,” Becerra said.

The semipermanent attraction manufacture expected tons of visitors the past mates of weeks and had COVID-19 protocols successful spot to support their residents. But present that the vacation play is over, immoderate facilities are intimately monitoring residents to guarantee an outbreak doesn’t hap wrong the facility.

“We cognize that this is the astir susceptible colonisation and we cognize we conscionable person to enactment treble arsenic hard to support them safe,” Becerra said.

Health officials judge radical who unrecorded successful attraction facilities stay astatine precocious hazard of contracting COVID-19 if radical connected the extracurricular don’t mitigate the dispersed of the virus.

“Thankfully, we cognize that vaccinations work. That boosters are critical, and they summation everyone’s protection,” Becerra said. “We’re doing everything we tin to marque definite the vaccines and boosters are disposable to everyone who qualify.”

CDC information from this week shows that much than 80% of residents astatine reporting agencies are afloat vaccinated, 60% of residents person received a booster shot. 81% of unit are afloat vaccinated, but lone 26% person received a booster shot.

Becerra wants these numbers to improve. He believes that attraction unit getting the booster changeable makes everyone safer wrong the facilities.

“We got to alteration that; we person to marque definite we’re acceptable for Omicron successful each peculiar way,” helium said.