Residents and staff continue to be vulnerable to COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, such as influenza. Rates of COVID-19 vaccination in adults at least 65 years of age, at highest risk for hospitalization or death from COVID-19, are lower than last winter. Flu and other respiratory diseases will continue to spread this winter after an early start at high levels. 

The California Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch, has updated their suite of materials to help you communicate to staff, residents, and families the importance and urgency of getting an updated (bivalent) COVID-19 booster and yearly flu vaccine. These updated resources are available in English and Spanish now, and updates to other translations will be available soon on the Resources for Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) page. You may choose to display these posters in the lobby, cafeteria, hallways, or other common areas:

• If You Work in a Health Care Setting, Boost Your Health with a COVID-19 Booster Dose! poster | Spanish
• Everyone Could Use a Boost poster for older adults | Spanish
• Everyone in Long-Term Care Needs Protection Against COVID-19 and Influenza  poster | Spanish

Key Talking Points for Staff and Residents

• Rates of cases, severe illness and hospitalizations increased as a result of Omicron variants. As Omicron variants keep emerging, the updated booster dose is an important tool to improve protection against currently circulating variants as well as prior strains.
• Many vaccines require a booster dose to ensure continued protection against severe disease. Protection from infection can decrease over time and the updated (bivalent) booster dose is a safe way to restore protection and reduce severe outcomes of COVID-19. 
• Together through vaccination (and treatments when necessary), residents and staff can prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to flu and COVID-19.
• Residents who become ill with flu or COVID-19, even those with minimal symptoms, are likely to benefit from treatments, to prevent their disease from becoming serious. Antiviral medications, given soon after symptom onset, have worked against all variants of COVID-19 to date.

Additional Resources

• LTCF COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit (CDPH)
• Bivalent COVID-19 Booster Dose FAQs for LTCFs (CDPH)
• Flu and COVID-19 Talking Points for LTCFs (CDPH)
• COVID-19 Treatments SNF Best Practices (CDPH)
• COVID-19 Treatments LTCF Best Practices (CDPH)