Facility-Wide Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Nursing Homes — Seven U.S. Jurisdictions, March–June 2020

Hatfield, Kelly M; Reddy, Sujan; Forsberg, Kaitlin; Korhonen, Lauren; Garner, Kelley; Gulley, Trent; James, Allison; Patil, Naveen; Bezold, Carla; Rehman, Najibah; Sievers, Marla; Schram, Benjamin; Miller, Tracy K.; Howell, Molly; Youngblood, Claire; Ruegner, Hannah; Radcliffe, Rachel; Nakashima, Allyn K.; Torre, M. Lombardo; Donohue, Kayla; Meddaugh, Paul; Staskus, Mallory; Attell, Brandon K.; Biedron, Caitlin; Boersma, Peter; Epstein, Lauren; Hughes, Dominic; Lyman, Meghan; Preston, Leigh Ellyn; Sánchez, Guillermo; Tanwar, Sukarma; Thompson, Nicola D.; Vallabhaneni, Snigdha; Vasquez, Amber; Jernigan, John A.

doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6932e5

Cited by 40 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Additional studies should examine whether timing of mass testing influences its effectiveness in facilitating outbreak containment. In a study involving five health department jurisdictions that conducted facility-wide testing in 88 nursing homes that had already identified at least one case, an estimated 1.3 additional cases were identified for each additional day between identification of the first case and completion of facility-wide testing, indicating that facility-wide testing early in an outbreak can be an effective mitigation strategy (10).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mass Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in 16 Prisons and Jails — Six Jurisdictions, United States, April–May 2020

Hagan¹,

Williams²,

Spaulding³

et al. 2020

MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep.

111

125

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mass Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in 16 Prisons and Jails — Six Jurisdictions, United States, April–May 2020

Hagan¹,

Williams²,

Spaulding³

et al. 2020

MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep.

111

125

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Multiple studies suggest that point prevalence surveys in nursing homes can identify asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, inform infection control practices, the need for isolation, and guide prioritization of local health department resources. [42][43][44][45] Unidentified cases are more commonly found in facilities that already have at least one known positive test. 45 Experienced nursing home clinicians and medical administrators advocate for frequent testing of staff.…”

Section: Public Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[42][43][44][45] Unidentified cases are more commonly found in facilities that already have at least one known positive test. 45 Experienced nursing home clinicians and medical administrators advocate for frequent testing of staff. 46 The American Health Care Association has published a detailed algorithm related to testing in the nursing home setting.…”

Section: Public Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID‐19 in Nursing Homes: Calming the Perfect Storm

Ouslander

Grabowski

2020

J American Geriatrics Society

265

269

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The pandemic of viral infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 that causes COVID-19 disease has put the nursing home industry in crisis. The combination of a vulnerable population that manifests nonspecific and atypical presentations of COVID-19, staffing shortages due to viral infection, inadequate resources for and availability of rapid, accurate testing and personal protective equipment, and lack of effective treatments for COVID-19 among nursing home residents have created a "perfect storm" in our countryʼs nursing homes. This perfect storm will continue as society begins to reopen, resulting in more infections among nursing home staff and clinicians who acquire the virus outside of work, remain asymptomatic, and unknowingly perpetuate the spread of the virus in their workplaces. Because of the elements of the perfect storm, nursing homes are like a tinderbox, and it only takes one person to start a fire that could cause many deaths in a single facility. Several public health interventions and health policy strategies, adequate resources, and focused clinical quality improvement initiatives can help calm the storm. The saddest part of this perfect storm is that many years of inaction on the part of policy makers contributed to its impact. We now have an opportunity to improve nursing homes to protect residents and their caregivers ahead of the next storm. It is time to reimagine how we pay for and regulate nursing home care to achieve this goal.

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“…Considering the data presented in other studies [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] conducted in nursing homes for elderly people, we would have expected a significantly higher number of cases, and consequently, a higher number of deaths.…”

Section: Integrationmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The combined effect of isolation measures, widespread testing of all residents, and the implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) activities that were all promptly put in place in the district resulted in an effective reduction in the spread of the virus inside its nursing homes [29,30,36].…”

Section: Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Phase Management of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in the Geographic Area of the Veneto Region, in One of the World’s Oldest Populations

Camerotto¹,

Sartorio²,

Mazzetto

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The first cases of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) were reported on 21 February in the small town of Vo’ near Padua in the Veneto region of Italy. This event led to 19,286 infected people in the region by 30 June 2020 (39.30 cases/10,000 inhabitants). Meanwhile, Rovigo Local Health Unit n. 5 (ULSS 5), bordering areas with high epidemic rates and having one of the world’s oldest populations, registered the lowest infection rates in the region (19.03 cases/10,000 inhabitants). The aim of this study was to describe timing and event management by ULSS 5 in preventing the propagation of infection within the timeframe spanning from 21 February to 30 June. Our analysis considered age, genetic clusters, sex, orography, the population density, pollution, and economic activities linked to the pandemic, according to the literature. The ULSS 5 Health Director General’s quick decision-making in the realm of public health, territorial assistance, and retirement homes were key to taking the right actions at the right time. Indeed, the number of isolated cases in the Veneto region was the highest among all the Italian regions at the beginning of the epidemic. Moreover, the implementation of molecular diagnostic tools, which were initially absent, enabled health care experts to make quick diagnoses. Quick decision-making, timely actions, and encouraging results were achieved thanks to a solid chain of command, despite a somewhat unclear legislative environment. In conclusion, we believe that the containment of the epidemic depends on the time factor, coupled with a strong sense of awareness and discretion in the Health Director General’s decision-making. Moreover, real-time communication with operating units and institutions goes hand in hand with the common goal of protecting public health.

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Facility-Wide Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Nursing Homes — Seven U.S. Jurisdictions, March–June 2020

Cited by 40 publications

References 8 publications

Mass Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in 16 Prisons and Jails — Six Jurisdictions, United States, April–May 2020

Mass Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in 16 Prisons and Jails — Six Jurisdictions, United States, April–May 2020

COVID‐19 in Nursing Homes: Calming the Perfect Storm

Early Phase Management of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic in the Geographic Area of the Veneto Region, in One of the World’s Oldest Populations

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