Feb. 8, 2023
Dear Families,
I wish to share with everyone that the outbreaks here at Holy Family Home are now officially resolved as of today Feb. 8, 2023 as per the regional infection prevention and control and our medical director. This will mean all residents can resume regular activities off unit and restart the on unit group activities; as well, visitors can visit with their loved ones both on and off the unit.
I wish to thank the staff, residents and families for their diligent efforts to keep our residents safe from continued spread of the virus on the resident care units and to the home. With our new guidelines for visitation sent out to the families earlier this week we will be happy to see our residents have the pleasure of your company as you return to visiting in the home.
Just a reminder, we are not out of respiratory outbreak season yet, so please stay home if you are sick, or experiencing any new symptom for you and wash your hands.
Recently, I had some questions about the bivalent COVID vaccine eligibility for our residents. Many of our residents had received their bivalent COVID vaccine in the fall, but some of our residents were not eligible at that time for various reasons. At this time, there is no indication that an additional dose of a COVID vaccine will be recommended, but nursing may be connecting with some families if their loved one is eligible for the bivalent vaccine as they did not receive a dose in the fall. Below I am providing you with the guideline from Manitoba Health about who qualifies for bivalent vaccination.
At this point, the bivalent vaccines are only authorized as a booster dose. Individuals must complete their primary series of vaccine (usually two doses) before they can receive the bivalent vaccine. Manitoba Health recommends that individuals 12 years of age and older receive an Omicron containing fall booster dose.
Eligibility Criteria
Adults aged 18 years and older: For the primary series, it is recommended to get the same mRNA vaccine, if available. However, a combination of mRNA vaccines is both safe and effective, and either (Pfizer or Moderna) can be offered if:
- the same mRNA vaccine is not available,
- your previous dose was with a non-mRNA vaccine (e.g. AstraZeneca, Janssen), or
- the last dose is unknown.
If you have completed your primary series, all adults are eligible for a fall booster dose, regardless of the number of booster doses they have previously received.
It’s recommended to wait six months after the last dose of the primary series or your most recent booster before receiving a fall booster. However, the minimum interval is three months.
There are two types of booster doses available in Manitoba: bivalent and monovalent. NACI recommends the bivalent omicron-containing mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as the preferred booster products for people aged 12 and older.
Interval between Doses
It is recommended to wait six months from the last dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to receive a bivalent or monovalent booster dose. However, individuals who meet the eligibility criteria can receive a booster dose with a minimum of three months between doses.
Previous Infection
It is also recommended for individuals to wait 6 months since their last COVID-19 infection. At minimum, they need to be fully recovered before receiving a booster dose.
Please see the website for more details on eligibility:
https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/eligibility-criteria.html
For information on the vaccine please see the below website:
https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/vaccine/about.html
If you do have questions about your loved one or eligibility for a COVID vaccine, please reach out to your unit nurse, or resident care manager.
Thanks,
Stacey Morgan RNBN
Director of Care