HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Sept. 1 the completion of universal baseline testing at all long-term care facilities licensed by the state, including assisted living residences, personal care homes and private intermediate care facilities.
As of the Aug. 31 deadline, 1,363 facilities reported a total of 127,000 tests.
Health officials said the results of those tests revealed asymptomatic staff members are the main group bringing the virus into long-term care facilities, which account for a majority of COVID-19 deaths in Pennsylvania.
“It’s asymptomatic staff that bring it into the facility, through no fault of their own,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said at a press briefing. “By the testing and the retesting protocols we’re going to be monitoring that and working to prevent it.”
A program launched in late July helped facilities complete the testing. The Regional Response Health Collaborative Program (RRHC) provided clinical support, technical assistance and education to long-term care facilities, said Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller.
Universal basic testing in long-term care facilities doesn’t, however, necessarily put Pennsylvania ahead of other states; at least 32 have already ordered at least one round of testing for all long-term care residents and staff.
Seven states, including Pennsylvania’s neighbors New York and Maryland, have gone further by requiring ongoing universal testing. In May, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recommended that long-term care facilities test staff and residents weekly.
Pennsylvania also has the lowest overall per capita testing rate of any state, according to data from Johns Hopkins’ Coronavirus Resource Center, higher only than the territory of Puerto Rico.
Some lawmakers said they wanted to know why.
“We have a lot of labs located in the state, we have a lot of facilities in this state. There isn’t a reason we are dead last,” said State Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover). “That is solely on the administration not opening those chains to get testing done.”
The state is planning to expand COVID-19 testing, including retesting at long-term care facilities, with a roll out of rapid antigen testing later this year. The tests are being developed by Pennsylvania company OraSure Technologies, located in the Lehigh Valley.
“We do not have the ability to test every single person in Pennsylvania, that type of population-based testing,” Dr. Levine said. “But it's going to be those rapid antigen tests that allow further expansion of testing.”
Rapid COVID-19 tests could be particularly useful for schools, many of which are struggling with reopening amid spikes of positive cases.