As winter sets in and Americans begin a season of travel, the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are embarking on a new concerted push to get more shots in arms to protect against COVID-19.
The Biden administration announced a six-week campaign to encourage Americans to receive an updated COVID-19 booster before the end of the year. In a press release, the administration stated that the push is most directed toward communities that have suffered the greatest losses due to the virus, including seniors.
“Over 70,000 locations are offering the updated COVID-19 vaccines, and HHS has taken steps this month to expand to even more locations, including mobile settings and sites in rural and remote areas, through more flexible ordering options for providers,” the campaign fact sheet reads.
As a part of the campaign, HHS announced two strategic investments totaling $475 million. Through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), community health center outreach will be expanded; through the Administration for Community Living, organizations serving aging and disabled populations will be funded.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also issued new guidance emphasizing the requirement that payers and providers ensure patients have access to the most recent COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. The guiding memo (PDF) implores payers to assess billing practices for both monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs and for nursing homes, in particular, to review all relevant guidance.
The collaborative efforts were announced Nov. 22 and reflect a governmental focus on avoiding a rise in winter infections.
“Community health centers save lives,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a press release. “We will continue to reach, vaccinate and protect our most vulnerable people across the country working together with community health centers and community-based organizations. We have seen COVID infections increase in prior winters, and it does not have to be that way this year. We now have updated COVID-19 vaccines to protect communities against the omicron strain. Our message is simple: Don’t wait. Get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this fall. It’s safe and effective.”
HHS announced a $350 million initiative for health centers supported by HRSA to increase vaccination rates in their served communities, especially underserved populations.
The HHS multimillion-dollar initiative will fund health centers’ efforts including mobile, drive-up, walk-up or community-based vaccination events. HRSA anticipates that an effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations will also aid in expanding the use of flu and childhood vaccines via combined vaccination events.
Health centers and those of the same ilk that received American Rescue Plan funding will be able to access the new funding pot.
HHS emphasized the strategic importance of health centers. These local providers administered 22 million COVID vaccines nationally in underserved communities, 70% of which were racial and ethnic minorities, according to the press release.
“As community-based organizations that have built deep relationships with their patients and neighborhoods, health centers are uniquely positioned to increase COVID-19 vaccinations,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson in the press release. “These funds will ensure that people who live in underserved communities have access to updated COVID-19 vaccines this winter through community-based vaccination events hosted by healthcare providers and organizations they trust.”
HRSA-funded community health centers reach nearly 1,400 throughout the country with 14,000 total sites of care, treating over 30 million patients annually.
Through the Administration for Community Living, HHS will also award $125 million in grants to national organizations helping local aging and disability networks.
Senior and community centers can use the grants to fund vaccination events, campaign to bolster confidence in the vaccine and provide supportive services such as transportation and at-home vaccinations. Prospective grantees must apply by Dec. 6.
Concurrently, CMS is directing its efforts toward ensuring that all providers and payers are getting both COVID-19 vaccines and treatment to their patients. In a Nov. 22 Quality, Safety & Oversight memo, CMS reminded providers that it requires nursing homes to educate residents and staff on the benefits and risks of the vaccine.
CMS was a part of an initial push to vaccinate those living in nursing homes that reached 87% of nursing home residents who received the initial series. “However, CMS is concerned that recent data shows that only about 44% of nursing home residents are up-to-date on their current recommended vaccines,” the center wrote in an online news alert.
By working with CMS’ Quality Improvement Organizations, vaccinations are being provided to residents in over 85% of the country’s skilled nursing facilities.
The memo also emphasized the importance of treatments including monoclonal antibodies and oral antiviral drugs. CMS is suggesting that every patient who tests positive for COVID-19 should be assessed for the potential use of therapies.
Paxlovid and Lagevrio were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration in December 2021, while direct ordering for the drugs was made available to long-term care pharmacies in March of this year.
“Facilities that are at risk of seeing an outbreak of COVID-19 may consider contacting their long-term care pharmacy to discuss ordering in advance an appropriate supply of oral antivirals to have on hand given the importance of expeditious treatment,” the CMS memo states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 data as of Nov. 25 show a slight upward trend in cases following a steady decrease since the summer. An all-time peak was recorded during the week of Jan. 19 of this year at 5.6 million cases. The country’s total number of cases is closing in on 100 million.