DOH, NYSOFA Issue Reminder on Importance of Respiratory Virus Immunization

Late last week, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) and NYS Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) released a notification reminder of the importance of the continuation of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, and influenza vaccination education across aging services organizations. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notification alerted health care providers to the urgent need to increase vaccination rates for all three viruses. The CDC is advising that low vaccine uptake, coupled with ongoing respiratory disease activity from these viruses, could lead to increasingly severe cases and increase the strain on the health care system.

In the notification, DOH and NYSOFA offer information and resources to assist organizations in their efforts to encourage older adults to obtain all three vaccines, as appropriate and in consultation with an individual’s doctor/health care provider.

DOH maintains several online resources that provide information about case counts, symptoms, prevention, diagnosis, and more at the links below.

• RSV Resources
• COVID-19 Resources
• Seasonal Influenza Resources

Contact: Carrie Mosley, cmosley@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 147