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December 15, 2022
Dear Governor:
Thank you for your continued leadership on our nation’s COVID-19 pandemic response. We have made significant progress through this sustained effort, and there is more work we can do together. As expected, we are already seeing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increase in parts of the country following the Thanksgiving holiday. With the winter holidays fast approaching, it is essential that we step up our efforts to reduce hospitalizations and deaths, as well as disruptions and strain on our health care system. Working together, we can and are prepared to do this. I’m writing today to reiterate the federal government’s ongoing commitment to supporting your efforts, and to remind you of the existing available resources to help you manage the winter ahead.
If we act now, we can prevent a repeat of past winters. This starts with getting more Americans – particularly people who are 50 and older and other high-risk individuals, including people who live in congregate settings like long-term care facilities – their updated COVID-19 vaccine. These updated vaccines provide protection against the variants of the virus we are facing today. More than 40 million people have gotten their updated COVID-19 vaccine, but vaccination coverage varies dramatically from state to state. Nationwide, just over 13 percent of Americans, and only 36% of people over the age of 65, have gotten their updated shot. The Administration is working tirelessly to increase that number, and we need you to lead as well. We must also drive additional progress on access to and uptake of COVID-19 treatments, which will help reduce burden on our hospitals and save lives.
We have a responsibility to avoid the most serious repercussions of this virus; with the updated vaccines and treatments we now have, deaths are largely preventable. You can help to make sure that your residents remain safe by taking steps right now to increase access to COVID-19 prevention and treatment measures and to strongly encourage the use of them. To that end, I ask all states, counties, and communities to:
Some of the federal resources that remain available to you include:
We also encourage all jurisdictions to continue to set up innovative Test to Treat models to expand access to life-saving treatments, including through telehealth and mobile Test to Treat options. Over the course of 2022, Test to Treat has expanded beyond physical locations to also include streamlined services that take advantage of at-home antigen tests, telehealth clinical evaluation, and home delivery of oral antivirals.
- Enable skilled nursing facilities to administer COVID-19 vaccines via temporary flexibilities; and
- Provide $125 million in new funding to senior centers, area agencies on aging, centers for independent living and other community-based aging and disability organizations for vaccine clinics, in-home vaccinations, transportation and other supportive services to expand vaccinations for older adults and people with disabilities, particularly those living in underserved communities.
To protect people in skilled nursing facilities and other congregate settings, we encourage you to:
- Revive the nursing home “strike teams” states used in earlier stages of the pandemic in order to surge crucial supports for preventive and treatment efforts in these settings;
- Collaborate with partners to encourage emergency medical technicians and home health aides to deliver vaccines in skilled nursing facilities;
- Work with your state’s Quality Improvement Network – Quality Improvement Organization to set up vaccination clinics and provide other resources to nursing homes. Find yours at https://qioprogram.org/locate-your-qin-qio; and
- Reemphasize to your hospital systems the importance of vaccinating patients before they are discharged, especially if they will be admitted to a congregate setting.
Please continue to engage your ASPR Regional Emergency Coordinator and FEMA Regional Administrators on any of these requests.
Thank you, again, for your ongoing work on the COVID-19 response. We remain committed to supporting this critical effort and keeping our communities safe and healthy. Please reach out to me with any questions or follow-up.
Sincerely,
Xavier Becerra
1FEMA Public Assistance may offer reimbursement to SLTTs and eligible private nonprofit medical care providers for activities conducted at Test to Treat sites. While the medical care provider may be virtual, the individual seeking care must be located at the Test to Treat site in-person.
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