Policy Implementation

Policy Implementation

The new Omicron Covid-19 variant is spreading at an alarming rate. This high spreading rate may paralyze the current economic activities as more individuals fall ill. Therefore, sensitization on the need for covid-19 vaccine in the locality is critical. It is necessary to inform the locals about needing a third booster shot to increase their resistance to the new variant (NewsHour Productions LLC., 2021). The previous vaccinations have a significantly low efficacy in resisting the Omicron variant. However, they are pretty effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalizations. Therefore, unvaccinated individuals are at a higher risk of suffering from severe disease upon infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all individuals aged five years and above receive vaccines. Those 18 years and above should receive boosters two months after the first Jansen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Alternatively, they could receive the champions six months after completing the other vaccination series (CDC, 2021). Sensitization on such issues is critical because citizens can make better decisions with such information. Since they are likely to choose to protect themselves and their family members, however, that choice demands comprehensive and transparent information on the vaccines and the booster shots.

Secondly, the respective health agencies should continue sensitizing individuals about social distancing and other safety concerns. The citizens should be educated about the need to protect themselves by wearing masks in crowded areas and avoiding such regions whenever possible. The CDC recommends that individuals wear masks when among people. This recommendation is for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals (CDC, 2021). Such information is expected to increase the citizens’ social vigilance. These two aspects, which agree with CDC’s recommendations, should go a long way in reducing the infection rates in the locality.

 References

CDC. (2021). Omicron Variant: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/omicron-variant.html

NewsHour Productions LLC. (2021). How effective are COVID-19 vaccines against omicron? Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-effective-are-covid-19-vaccines-against-omicron

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Primary Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 300–500 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions with your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your concepts.

Policy Implementation

For this Discussion Board, please complete the following:

As a new healthcare leader, you have been tasked with developing policy for local lawmakers, politicians, and business owners about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for COVID-19. For this discussion, you will Explore the Covid Data Tracker and the Covid-19 Policy Tracker to understand better what your local policymakers are doing relative to national infection/virus rates and policy recommendations.

COVID Data Tracker
COVID-19 Policy Tracker
Focus your discussion on the following:

Based on the data related to infection rate trends (past/current) in your area and the current policy recommendations at the state/local level, discuss what you believe should be the top 2 healthcare policy concerns for lawmakers and healthcare leaders in your local area relative to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If state/local recommendations/policies differ from the CDC policy recommendations related to the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines (e.g., mask guidelines, quarantine, vaccination requirements in the workplace, etc.,) describe what steps you would take and what data you would use to convince local lawmakers to change the policies in the community.