The COVID-19 Crisis: Guidance for Control of Cases within Long-Term Care Facilities
Jeannine LeCompte, Compliance Research Specialist
As the COVID-19 crisis extends its grip, all long-term care facilities (LTCs) have been urged to implement a number of measures when confronted with residents who have, or are suspected of having, an infection.
The latest guidelines for LTCs, issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), say that
– Residents with known or suspected COVID-19 do not need to be placed into an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR) but should ideally be placed in a private room with their own bathroom.
– Room sharing might be necessary if there are multiple residents with known or suspected COVID-19 in the facility. As roommates of symptomatic residents might already be exposed, it is generally not recommended to separate them in this scenario. Public health authorities can assist with decisions about resident placement.
– Facilities should notify the health department immediately and follow the Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with COVID-19 or Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings (see below).
If it is apparent that a resident requires a higher level of care or the facility cannot fully implement all recommended precautions, the resident should be transferred to another facility that is capable of implementation. Transport personnel and the receiving facility should be notified about the suspected diagnosis prior to transfer.
While awaiting transfer, symptomatic residents should wear a facemask (if tolerated) and be separated from others (e.g., kept in their room with the door closed).
Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be used by healthcare personnel when coming in contact with the resident.
Additional measures should include:
- Cancelling communal dining and all group activities, both internal and external
- Reminding residents to practice social distancing and perform frequent hand hygiene
- Creating a plan for cohorting residents with symptoms of respiratory infection, including dedicating healthcare personnel to work only on affected units
The Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with COVID-19 or Persons under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings can be found on the CDC website here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-control/control-recommendations.html.
