Vaccine Rollout Q&A

Vaccine Rollout Q&A

According to information received during our weekly call with CHFS on Wednesday, December 9, Walgreens and CVS will reach out to communities who chose either of them as their preferred pharmacy for vaccination clinics.

 

For those who made different pharmacy selections, we're told those communities will be assigned to Walgreens or CVS. We will receive a list of these assignments once it is completed, and will share with our members at that time.

 

Consent forms will be coming out prior to the clinic dates, so be sure to begin completing these with residents or their responsible parties so that they're ready on your scheduled clinic date.

 

Vaccination Clinics Timeline:

The first vaccination clinics will be for skilled nursing facilities and are expected to begin on the following dates:

  • Pfizer vaccine clinics - December 21.
  • Moderna vaccine clinics - December 28.

Once the first round of SNF vaccination clinics conclude, AL, PC and IL vaccination clinics will begin. We have heard that the clinic dates are non-negotiable. We await an anticipated timeline for our members and will pass it along once we receive it.

 

The following are additional questions asked and answers received during our call:

 

Pharmacy Staff Precautions: Walgreens and CVS staff will have been COVID tested prior to their arrival and will be wearing the proper PPE for going into a senior living facility.

 

Will Positive COVID-19 Staff and Residents Receive the Vaccine? At this time, CHFS and KDPH are unsure whether positive COVID residents and/or staff will be vaccinated during the clinics and are awaiting CDC guidance about that.

 

What if a Resident is Hospitalized on Clinic Day? What if a Resident is Moving In On or After Clinic Day? We were advised that residents who are in the hospital on a vaccine clinic day should receive their vaccine from the hospital (someone will need to notify the hospital of this request). A new admit on or after a vaccination clinic day will be receive their first dose of the vaccine at the next clinic scheduled clinic.

 

When Do We Expect Everyone to be Fully Vaccinated? The goal is to have all current staff and residents fully vaccinated during the three day clinics.

 

Post Vaccination Precautions: Once the first dose of the vaccine is administered, those receiving it must still practice social distancing and continue to wear a mask. After the second dose, these precautions are still advised until the entire resident population is fully vaccinated. Vaccinated residents can still be COVID carriers, so those not vaccinated would still be at risk.

 

Testing Expectations: Bi-weekly COVID-19 testing (regardless of county color on the indicator map) will still take place, and, since the CARES Act money runs out on December 30, may include rotating PCR tests with antigen tests for a period of time. In addition, provider reimbursement for sampling activity will be discontinued after December 30.

 

Requesting Additional COVID-19 Tests: CHFS will hold training sessions on Monday, December 14 and Wednesday, December 16 regarding how to make requests for the number of tests needed between now and the end of February. Our hope is that once the vaccination clinics conclude, the need for surveillance testing will decrease or run out completely.

 

What if I don't want a Walgreens or CVS Vaccination Clinic at my facility? Facilities refusing to hold a CVS or Walgreens clinic will be responsible for vaccinating their own residents.

 

A timeline for the vaccination clinic rollout is forthcoming and will be shared with our members upon receipt.

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