The Delta variant continues to be top of mind as we are learning more and more and understand that it is far more transmissible than previous variants. The good news is, the COVID-19 vaccine is still incredibly effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization, and we are seeing that first-hand in our communities as nearly all of our staff and residents are vaccinated. In the small number of positive cases we have seen over the past month, most residents and staff have remained asymptomatic or experienced mild illness.

We are proud to have taken a leadership position early on in making the vaccine a requirement of employment, as there is nothing more important we could do to keep our residents and team safe. We will be offering the COVID booster shot in our communities as soon as it is formally recommended (pending the FDA and CDC data reviews and recommendations coming soon). We are hoping to offer both COVID booster and flu shots to protect our communities at the same time.

We continue to seek expert leadership and guidance in navigating the evolving COVID landscape. Our team, under the direction of Senior Vice President of Clinical and Health Services Constance Schein, is in consistent communication with medical and public health authorities. Our Coronavirus Advisory Council, made up of leading doctors and researchers, continues to advise us and provide support.

We have continued to require screening and masks for all visitors entering the community, and beginning September 9^th, we will require that all visitors show proof of either vaccination or a negative COVID test. The California Department of Social Services, along with the California Department of Public Health, issued these new guidelines last week and we have decided to implement them in our communities across all three states to help ensure they are the safest places they can be.

We have not let up on our health and safety protocols through this journey and are continuing our practices that have helped to make our communities safe. Our teams remain committed to COVID safety and infection prevention protocols and keeping our residents healthy and happy is our number one priority.

If you have questions, we encourage you to visit trusted sources like the CDC website for more in-depth medical information.