Nursing Homes: Updated COVID-19 Testing Guidelines from the CDC

The CDC recently updated its COVID-19 testing guidelines for nursing home residents and personnel. The updates include:

Reorganized recommendations to address:

  • Viral testing of healthcare personnel (HCP)
  • Viral testing of residents
  • Viral testing in response to an outbreak

Changed “baseline” testing to “initial” testing, although these terms are interchangeable

Added the following recommendations:

  • Testing the same individual more than once in a 24-hour period is not recommended.
  • Clinicians are encouraged to consider testing symptomatic residents for other causes of respiratory illness, for example influenza, in addition to testing for SARS-CoV-2.

Click here to access the updated guidelines from the CDC.