After more than a decade of gradual losses, nursing home employment began a free fall in April as the novel coronavirus spread across the country. And it hasn't recovered.
After more than a decade of gradual losses, nursing home employment began a free fall in April as the novel coronavirus spread across the country. And it hasn't recovered.
Correction: January 16, 2021 This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the role of Walgreens in vaccinating West Virginia's long-term care facilities.
Frustrations Boil at Pace of Vaccinations at Long-Term Care Facilities
The Trump administration raised hopes of a speedy process for nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Patience is wearing thin.
CVS has pledged to make at least initial vaccination visits by Jan. 25 to all the nursing homes it is working with.Credit.John Taggart for The New York Times
Jan. 16, 2021
In mid-December, a top Trump administration official floated an enticing possibility: All nursing home residents in the United States could be vaccinated against the coronavirus by Christmas. “It’s really a remarkable, remarkable prospect,” Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, declared.
Charles “Chip” Shearrow
Charles “Chip” Shearrow jumped into action early on in the pandemic. A professor of advanced manufacturing at Harrisburg University, he wanted to help front-line workers in long-term care facilities protect themselves from COVID-19.
Using 3-D printing technology at Harrisburg, Shearrow helped produce nearly 2,400 face shields free of charge for front-line workers. He passed away due to complications with COVID-19 on Jan. 12.
“I’ve been there every day of the week including weekends and including holidays,” Shearrow told Fox43 in April. He was helped in the lab by his wife and his son. Together, printing, cutting and hole punching, they could produce about 12 medical-grade shields per day. “We’re just trying to take care of everybody.”