Michigan nursing homes required to provide COVID-19 vaccines to residents

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DETROIT (FOX 2) - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released on order Thursday requiring nursing homes to offer COVID-19 vaccines to residents.

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Nursing homes must offer on-site doses of Covid vaccines to residents who are not up-to-date as of Jan. 20, 2022, within 30 days of the effective date of the order. This order does not require nursing home residents to get vaccinated.

When residents cannot make their own decision about vaccines, nursing homes are required to contact the individual legally authorized to make medical decisions on behalf of the resident and make them aware of the availability of booster shots.

Nursing homes must document a resident’s consent or refusal of an offered COVID-19 vaccine.

"With the Omicron variant rapidly spreading across our state and cases of COVID-19 continuing to remain high, we want to make sure our most vulnerable Michiganders are protected from the virus," said Elizabeth Hertel, MDHHS director. "The COVID-19 vaccine is our best defense against the virus, and we want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get up to date."

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