The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living wrote a letter Jan. 5 urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to extend the public health emergency set to expire on Jan. 16, 2022, to ensure long-term and post-acute care providers can continue to offer efficient and effective care as the pandemic continues.
"Even after omicron, COVID-19 will continue to mutate as much of the world’s population and a good portion of the U.S. population remains unvaccinated," the letter read. "Vulnerable populations, such as those served in long term care facilities, will continue to be at serious risk with each new mutation, as spread in the general community is the biggest indicator of nursing home outbreaks."
The letter also urged officials to prioritize long-term care facilities for access to "urgently needed" resources, such as COVID-19 testing and treatments, and allocate a separate supply of COVID-19 treatments for long term care pharmacies.