HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Tuesday that all 693 nursing homes in the commonwealth have completed testing all residents and staff for COVID-19 at least once, in accordance with Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine’s universal testing order issued June 8.
“This was an essential step to ensure that we further protect residents and staff within these vulnerable communities,” Levine said during a COVID-19 press briefing Tuesday. “We provided nursing home owners and operators with the resources they needed to complete this huge task and we are appreciative for their cooperation. Through our partnership with CVS Health and Eurofins we will continue to provide skilled nursing facilities with access to testing services at no cost.”
Universal testing requires each nursing home to test all staff and residents for COVID-19 at least once to better understand the scope of how COVID-19 has impacted these vulnerable communities across the state, Levine said.
The department’s goal with implementing this universal testing in nursing homes is to rapidly detect asymptomatic positive residents and staff, manage their care or appropriately exclude staff from work, and prevent further transmission of COVID-19 in these living settings, according to Levine.
By completing universal testing, Levine said, facilities are one step closer to achieving all prerequisites for their implementation plan to allow safe visitation, communal dining, activities and more based on the Department of Health’s Reopening Guidance for Nursing Homes.
In addition, the department has completed more than 98 percent of the infection control surveys CMS required to be completed by the end of July, Levine said. The remaining surveys will be completed in the next few days.
Personal care homes, assisted living residences and immediate care facilities, licensed by the Department of Human Services, are ordered by Secretary of Health Dr. Levine to complete universal testing for COVID-19 at least once by August 31.
All long-term care facility data is updated weekly each Tuesday. This long-term care facility data ordered by the Department of Health includes the number of cases, number of employee cases and number of deaths that have occurred at each facility. Facilities that are not reporting, or not reporting properly, have been assisted to ensure the data is being shared properly.
For facilities with fewer than five in any of the collected data points, the information is redacted to protect patient confidentiality at that facility. If a facility does not have any COVID-19 cases or deaths, it will still be shown on the Department of Health spreadsheet.
Pennsylvanians are reminded that mask-wearing is required when visiting businesses or in any setting outside the home where social distancing is difficult.
The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
- Clean surfaces frequently.
- Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
- If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Health
