Our Aegis Living communities celebrated New Year’s modestly this year while being mindful of the rise in COVID-19 cases across the country, due to the Omicron variant. At Aegis, after we had seen positive COVID cases down in the low single digits (out of 5,000 staff and residents) for many weeks, we have seen new cases arise in a number of communities over the past week. Fortunately, they are manifesting with mild (coldlike) symptoms or none at all and have not caused any hospitalizations.

We are continuing to stay close to the latest news and science, as well as consulting with the doctors on our Coronavirus Advisory Council and other experts. Our sincere hope is that the worst of Omicron will peak quickly. No matter what, it gives us considerable peace of mind that our residents and team are nearly 100% vaccinated and that recent lab studies, as well as emerging real-world data, have shown that the Pfizer and Moderna boosters provide significant protection against the Omicron variant. We are fortunate to have completed our resident booster clinics this fall. We are continuing with our indoor masking guidelines and social distancing recommendations, which are especially important in the face of this highly transmissible virus. We continue to adhere to our rigorous infection prevention protocols.

On Friday, in response to the current surge, the California Department of Social Services released a new Public Health Order concerning visitation to senior care facilities, which includes our communities. The order is effective January 7^th through February 7^th. Visitors coming for indoor visits inside our California communities will be required to be fully vaccinated and to have received a booster shot if eligible, as well as showing proof of a negative COVID test. Please see your General Manager with any questions about the details. Per the order, outdoor visits are allowed but also require a negative COVID test. We are grateful for our families’ support in collaborating with this order and helping to keep our senior residents and family members as safe as possible.

If you have any questions about the COVID booster or other COVID news and guidance, we encourage you to visit trusted sources like the CDC website.