MDS Alert
Look to This Guidance on Facility-Wide Testing
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Question: We had a minor outbreak of COVID-19 in our facility but, fortunately, did not experience any deaths. Do we need to retest residents or staff who have previously had laboratory-confirmed-positive COVID-19 as part of facility-wide testing? New Jersey Subscriber Answer: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), residents and healthcare personnel who “had their initial positive viral test in the past 3 months and who are now asymptomatic do not need to be retested as part of facility-wide testing. Until more is known, testing should be considered again (e.g., in response to an exposure) 3 months after the date of onset of the prior infection.” If a resident or staff member had a positive test previously and recovered but is showing symptoms again, the person should be evaluated and perhaps tested again, if there’s no other obvious reason for the symptoms.
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