Greetings!

We will not be holding a member call, today Friday, May 7. Going forward, we will only hold all member calls on an as-needed basis. (You may delete the call series in your calendar.)
 
We will continue to keep you updated on COVID-19 information via email. As always, please reach out if you have any questions or need assistance.
 
This message includes:
  • information about upcoming updates to the NHSN vaccine module and related training sessions;
  • a reminder to complete the VDH vaccine uptake survey if you have not already done so;
  • a link to the VDH toolkit on sustaining COVID-19 vaccines;
  • details on the expansion of outbreak reporting on the VDH dashboard; and
  • information on the extension of expiration dates for Abbott BinaxNow testing cards.

Sincerely,

April Payne, MBA, LNHA
Vice President of Quality Improvement | Director of VCAL
Virginia Health Care Association | Virginia Center for Assisted Living 
Upcoming Updates to Simplify
NHSN Vaccination Module
 
The CDC will be updating and simplifying the NHSN modules on weekly reporting of COVID-19 vaccination data next week. NHSN will host training sessions to explain the updates. 
 
As a reminder, there is a forthcoming CMS requirement that skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) report their COVID-19 vaccination data through NHSN. VHCA-VCAL encourages members to familiarize themselves with this reporting module to ensure early compliance. Read more about this in this article.
 
Registering for a Training Webinar
 
NHSN will host a live training webinar on Tuesday, May 11 at 3:30 pm and four rebroadcasts (at 3:30 pm on May 18, 20, 25, and 27) followed by live question and answer sessions on those dates. Click this registration link to select the session you want to attend.

The training is designed for facilities who are currently using these NHSN modules and facilities that are new to reporting these data. Participants in these listen-only webinars will have the opportunity to ask questions via the live chat function. Capacity is limited, so please register for one person using the registration link below. If several individuals at one facility would like to attend a webinar, it is recommended that they call in using only one phone line to maximize the number of participants.
 
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Please note that registration for each training is limited. The content for all webinars is the same, so facilities only need to register for one of the webinars.
 
These trainings will strengthen facilities’ understanding of reporting weekly data and will give facilities updated information on the following:
  • definition of eligible healthcare personnel;
  • medical contraindications and exclusions for COVID-19 vaccination; and
  • streamlined COVID-19 vaccine supply questions.
 
The training will also review reporting which is no longer required or requested:
  • counts of vaccine adverse events; and
  • history of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection​.
 
In addition to introducing these updates, the training will review how to tabulate weekly cumulative vaccinations. Cumulative vaccination data include the number of individuals who have ever received COVID-19 vaccination (at the facility or elsewhere) since it became available in December 2020.
 
The training will also be posted to the NHSN website. Facilities can also access these resources.
Vaccine Follow-Up Survey Open Until May 10

VDH is still accepting responses to its vaccine uptake follow-up survey through Monday, May 10.

VHCA-VCAL encourages all members to respond to the survey. VDH is collecting vaccine uptake information in all skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities to understand accurate uptake rates, reasons for vaccine hesitancy, and how VDH can help facilities address hesitancy issues.
Toolkit for Vaccine Access and Training Webinar
 
VDH has posted a new Toolkit for LTCFs to Sustain COVID-19 Vaccine Access and the recording from its related May 3 COVID-19 Vaccines for LTCFs webinar. You are encouraged to revert to their regular facility-pharmacy operations to acquire COVID-19 vaccines for residents and staff. The toolkit includes a series of recommendations to maintain needed access to the vaccine.
 
Questions about the toolkit can be directed to Craig Camidge or Mounika Bazar.
VDH to Expand Outbreak Reporting
 
Beginning May 7, 2021, VDH is expanding its public dashboard presentation criteria to also publicly report outbreaks with any positive diagnostic test, including antigen tests. This will include outbreaks that meet the COVID-19 outbreak definition with two or more positive antigen tests or outbreaks with one positive PCR test that also have one or more positive antigen tests or at least one other epidemiologically-linked person, matched by place and time, with no other more likely source of exposure. These are considered “suspect” outbreaks. 
 
The suspect outbreaks will only be added for outbreaks reported to VDH since January 1, 2021. The suspect outbreaks will be added in aggregate to the main outbreaks page and by facility name to the other outbreak pages where the confirmed outbreaks are currently listed. This will add an additional 112 outbreaks to the Outbreaks by Selected Exposure Settings dashboard and 12 to the Outbreaks in Virginia Colleges and Universities dashboard (Note: these numbers are based on April data and are subject to change).
 
VDH is prioritizing adjusting outbreak data for 2021 in order to share relevant and actionable data to the public now. VDH will clearly outline these changes on the dashboard descriptions in order to inform the public. 
Extension of Expiration Dates for
Abbott BinaxNow Testing Cards
 
Abbott has announced that with continued testing for product stability, its BinaxNow COVID-19 AG Cards may now have a longer than labeled product expiration date. Abbott has provided a list of card lots which qualify for this expiration extension.
 
The affected lots were originially dated with an expiration of six or nine months. The new information from Abbott includes the lot number, currently labled kit expiration, and the new kit expiration date. 
 
If you have further questions, please contact Abbott Technical Services at (800) 257-9525 or [email protected].
Upcoming Events

May 9-15, 2021

May 11, 13, 18 & 20, 2021

June 2-3, 9-10, 16-17, & 23-24
Quick Links
www.vhca.org | (804) 353-9101 | Calendar of Events