‘Take flu out of the equation,’ get vaccinated during pandemic, public health officials advise
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Oct 02, 2020
Concerned about a dual outbreak of influenza and COVID-19 this winter, public health officials recommended Thursday that long-term care workers and residents — and others — “take flu out of the equation”...
Is it too soon to put the coronavirus in perspective?
By
John O'Connor
Mar 12, 2020
We need to give this emerging virus the respect and response it deserves. But let’s also try to keep things in perspective.
Big senior living stories of 2019
By
Lois A. Bowers
Dec 23, 2019
Here’s a look at some of the news that occupied many minds in senior living over the past year.
Affinity Living Group dominates on CDC Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll
By
Lois A. Bowers
Sep 23, 2019
Affinity Living Group accounts for 100 of the 130 long-term care facilities on the Influenza Vaccination Honor Roll of the Immunization Action Coalition, a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and...
Signature HealthCARE’s new flu vaccine policy will affect everyone in every facility
By
Lois A. Bowers
Aug 29, 2019
A new influenza vaccination policy announced Wednesday by Louisville, KY-based Signature HealthCARE will apply to all employees, residents, patients, volunteers, vendors and others in any of the organization’s...
Affinity Living Group mandates flu vaccines for company’s 4,000 employees
By
Lois A. Bowers
May 16, 2019
The organization said it is the first long-term care provider in North Carolina to provide mandatory employee vaccinations on this scale.
CDC: 2018–2019 flu season sets record for length
By
Lois A. Bowers
Apr 22, 2019
The 2018–2019 flu season isn’t over but already has set a record, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in its weekly flu report.
New flu vaccine could be medical breakthrough of the decade, NIH director says
By
Lois A. Bowers
Apr 04, 2019
Researchers have taken a potential step closer to what the director of the National Institutes of Health predicts will be one of the 10 medical breakthroughs of the next 10 years with the launch of the...
Severe outcomes reduced in those who receive flu vaccine but still become ill, study finds
By
Lois A. Bowers
Dec 03, 2018
The flu vaccine cannot prevent all cases of the respiratory illness, but it appears to reduce severe outcomes — intensive care unit admissions and death — among those who are vaccinated but still become...
FDA approves a new flu drug for first time in almost 20 years
By
Lois A. Bowers
Oct 30, 2018
The FDA’s approval of a new flu treatment preceded the release of independent study results indicating that only 41% of U.S. older adults have been vaccinated this year. Antiviral drugs are not a...