The U.S. Administration for Community Living has awarded a $50 million funding to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), the voice for everyone’s right to age well, to launch a national effort to ensuring that older folks and people with disabilities obtain the most recent COVID and flu vaccines.
The funding, which is the largest in NCOA’s history, comes at a critical time when older folks and people with disabilities must contend with the COVID threat and the winter flu season, when masks and social withdrawal are significantly less common. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, older individuals make up 70 to 85% of seasonal flu-related mortality and account for approximately nine out of ten deaths from COVID today.
“There’s no time to waste in ensuring everyone gets these lifesaving vaccines”, “We are enlisting our national network of senior centers and community-based organizations to make it as easy as possible for older adults and people with disabilities to get their shots and protect their health.”
Ramsey Alwin, NCOA president and CEO
According to research, older persons are taking the COVID immunisation at a slower rate. Only 44% of people have received the second recommended booster, according to the CDC, even though 71% received the first one. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation research, 43% of those 65 and older indicated they were “not sure” or said “no” when asked if the booster dose was appropriate for them.
To enable them to conduct targeted outreach, host vaccine clinics, and provide services many older adults need to get immunised, like transportation and help making appointments, hundreds of diverse community-based organizations will receive funding and technical support from NCOA as part of the grant. The competitive grant opportunity’s full details are available at https://www.ncoa.org/page/covid-19-and-influenza-vaccine-uptake-initiative.
A national awareness campaign will also be launched by NCOA to inform senior citizens about immunizations and clear up misconceptions. Targeted populations with cultural sensitivity will include LGBTQ+ persons, people of color, those living at home or in rural areas, and people who are homebound.
“Our local partners in the aging network are trusted messengers in their communities”, “We will work in partnership with them to ensure all have access to these important vaccines.”
Ramsey Alwin, NCOA president and CEO
