Speedier COVID- 19 virus testing coming to nursing homes
Nursing homes across the U. S. will receive COVID- 19 testing equipment in a program being rolled out through October, allowing facilities to get results within 20 minutes and helping contain outbreaks of the disease among the most vulnerable populations, federal government officials said.
Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine on Thursday said the antigen testing equipment being distributed is faster and less expensive than the more commonly used PCR test, which is considered the gold standard in diagnosing the highly contagious disease.
“Things have improved significantly for antigen testing,” she said during a briefing. “The antigen tests are much less expensive than PCR tests, far less expensive.”
Antigen test results are also available within 20 minutes compared with the days or weeks that are sometimes needed to get results of a PCR test, which have to be done in a lab. PCR tests detect genetic material for the coronavirus; antigen tests detect specific proteins on the surface of the virus.
One hitch: Antigen tests have a higher chance of missing an active infection in the case of a negative result, but a positive result is considered highly reliable, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Doctors may recommend a followup PCR test after a negative antigen test if the patient has symptoms or has been in contact with an infected person.
Two kinds of testing machines are being distributed, the Quidel Sofia 2 Instrument and the Becton, Dickinson and Co. Veritor Plus System, with priority given to about 3,900 nursing homes that have reported three or more cases within the previous week.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ( CMS) will also provide enough test kits for the machines to cover all staff and residents at least once. Nursing homes will have to buy additional materials for later screenings.
Faster, less expensive testing will make it easier for nursing homes to meet universal testing requirements and to reopen to visitors, Dr. Levine said.
In counties with low COVID- 19 activity, defined as less than 5% positivity testing rate, nursing
homes can open to visitors if the facility has no new cases of the disease for 14 days.
Allegheny County’s COVID- 19 positivity rate is 3%, according to CMS. Counties with rates over 5% must conduct more frequent COVID- 19 staff and resident testing in nursing homes.
In addition, the state health department has created a new way for nursing home residents to get visitors by designating someone as a “compassionate companion” in instances where a patient has shown cognitive decline or other problems related to loneliness.
Most residents have not had in- person visitors since March.
Compassionate companions, who could be family members or others, must be tested for COVID- 19 within 14 days of the visit, be screened for the virus at the facility and wear a mask.
Some 127,000 Pennsylvanians live in long- term care facilities, and they are among the most vulnerable to complications of the coronavirus infection. In Allegheny County, 1,271 people living in long- term care facilities have been infected with COVID- 19 and 243 residents have died, according to the health department.
Faster, less expensive testing will make it easier for nursing homes to meet universal testing requirements and to reopen to visitors.