(WWJ) Michigan's health department is ordering all nursing homes in the state to offer on-site booster shots to residents who are not up to date on the COVID-19 vaccine.
The facilities must comply within 30 days, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday.
Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services said at this point three-quarters of eligible nursing home residents have gotten a booster dose.
She said vaccinations are even more important today because the rapidly spreading omicron variant can more readily evade people's immunity from vaccines and past infections.
“With the Omicron variant rapidly spreading across our state and cases of COVID-19 continuing to remain high, we want to make sure our most vulnerable Michiganders are protected from the virus,” said Hertel. “The COVID-19 vaccine is our best defense against the virus, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get up to date.”
The order does not require nursing home residents to be vaccinated, the state noted in a release.
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Along with providing on-site shots, nursing homes are encouraged to provide information about COVID-19 vaccines so that residents can make informed choices. Materials are available MDHHS’ Long-Term Care COVID-19 Plan website.
Under the order, nursing homes must document a resident’s consent or refusal to be vaccinated. For residents who are unable to make their own medical decisions, nursing homes must contact the person legally authorized to make medical decisions on behalf of the resident , let the person know that the shots are available, and document the person's consent or refusal.
Under previous executive directives signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the state of Michigan has prioritized booster doses for residents in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and adult foster care, and has been working to expedite delivery of third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to residents who have compromised immune systems.
This new order comes as state lawmakers are seeking to learn more about COVID deaths linked to nursing homes and other long term care facilities. A joint Oversight Committee met at the Capitol on Thursday to hear presentations from Hertel, as well as the Auditor General's Office.
The Auditor General's report indicates there were about 2,000 more deaths linked to nursing homes that weren't reported by the state. The governor and health director maintain, however, that they followed the appropriate COVID--19 guidelines for nursing homes set up by the federal government.
The latest information on COVID-19 in Michigan can be found at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus. To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDVaccine.
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