Keep Individuals in Your Care Safe with Booster Doses and Life-saving Therapeutics
DHS asks that health care facilities across the state help spread the word about additional booster doses for adults, ages 50 and older, as well as life saving therapeutics which, can help keep individuals receiving care safe and healthy, especially at long term care facilities.
Booster Doses for 50 and Over Recommended
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) supports the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approvals that adults ages 50 and older may receive a second COVID-19 booster dose. Adults ages 50 and older who received an initial COVID-19 booster dose at least four months ago may now receive a second booster dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
The option of a second COVID-19 booster dose provides an excellent opportunity for many residents in long-term care settings such as residential care, assisted living, nursing homes, and continuing care retirement communities to receive additional protection from COVID-19.
It is important for adults in long-term care settings to receive this second booster considering many live closely together and have underlying medical conditions that make them more likely to be infected by the virus that causes COVID-19 and to become seriously ill from COVID-19. Staff working in facilities should receive an initial booster if they have not already.
Facilities in need of vaccination support should contact the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin at emartin@pswi.org to be matched with a local pharmacy. To request a vaccine clinic, fill out the DHS State COVID-19 Resource Matching Survey.
Life-saving Therapeutics Available
For individuals who test positive for COVID-19, DHS encourages facilities to coordinate with health providers, long term care pharmacies, and health systems access COVID-19 therapeutics for those under your care.
Oral antiviral pills can help prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death. At this time, the FDA has authorized two oral antiviral medications that reduce the chances of severe COVID-19 illness, hospitalization, and death for people with mild to moderate COVID-19.
Paxlovid and molnupiravir were authorized by the FDA in December 2021 for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease. They work by stopping the virus that causes COVID-19 from replicating in your body.
These medications are limited to people who are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. Both Paxlovid and molnupiravir must be administered as soon as possible and within the first five days of symptom onset in order to be effective. Ensure people in your care are promptly tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19.
Monoclonal antibody treatments are available through FDA EUA for the prevention and outpatient treatment of COVID-19. Monoclonal antibodies mimic your body’s immune response to help boost your body’s defense against COVID-19. Wisconsin currently receives allocations of bebtilovimab monoclonal antibody to treat patients diagnosed with mild to moderate COVID-19. Wisconsin also receives allocations of Evusheld, a monoclonal antibody treatment used for prevention of COVID-19 in people unlikely to produce an immune response to COVID-19 vaccination. If an individual is likely to get seriously ill from COVID-19, their health care provider may recommend one of these treatments authorized for use by the Food and Drug Administration.
Learn more about accessing a supply of these therapeutics for your community by emailing DHS Operations. Orders are accepted weekly via a survey to pharmacy partners across the state.
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