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COVID-19 testing delays becoming a concern for nursing homes: survey

Fifty-six percent of nursing homes and assisted living communities report that lab processing was the top barrier for access to testing.

Doctor performing a nasal swab to test for MRSA super bug

A recent survey conducted by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living of its members shows that the amount of time it is taking labs to process COVID-19 tests of staff at nursing homes and assisted living communities is becoming a major concern for providers.

Fifty-six percent of nursing homes and assisted living communities report that lab processing was the top barrier for access to testing. This is the top issue now in access to testing, followed by the cost of the testing as the second major barrier.

Eighty-seven percent of nursing homes and assisted living communities report that obtaining test results back from the lab companies is taking two days or longer, and 63 percent of them report that it is taking two to four days — while nearly a quarter report getting the results in five days or more.

Studies Harvard Medical School and Brown University show that the level of infection in the community surrounding a nursing home is the top precursor to an outbreak at a facility, which can quickly turn deadly.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Alabama is continuing to rise. 14,705 Alabamians have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past two weeks and the percentage of positive tests has nearly doubled since May to 14 percent.

As the number of cases in the communities surrounding our nursing homes soar, the threat of bringing the coronavirus into the nursing homes continues to rise. These new survey results on testing are very concerning. The longer the amount of time to process tests of nursing home and assisted living residents and staff the more delayed the response and the increased likelihood of spread within the facility.

“The amount of time it is taking to receive testing results is hurting the ability of long term facilities to fight the virus,” said Mark Parkinson, the president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. “Regular testing of nursing home and assisted living staff is a vital step in controlling the spread of COVID-19, but is not effective without obtaining timely test results. For nursing homes and assisted living communities to protect residents and staff, we need on-site testing with reliable and rapid results. With a recent uptick in COVID-19 cases among the general population, we are concerned labs will get overwhelmed and receiving results for long term care residents and staff will take even longer to obtain.”

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As of Monday, there have been 2,627 residents of Alabama long-term care facilities who have tested positive for the novel strain of the coronavirus. Additionally, 1,696 employees of Alabama’s long-term care facilities have tested positive for the virus.

The elderly are especially susceptible to poor outcomes from COVID-19. At least 770, or 78 percent, of the COVID-19 deaths in Alabama have been among persons aged 65 and over; 167, or 17 percent, of Alabama’s COVID-19 deaths have been among ages 50 to 64.

Just 43, or 4 percent, of the dead are aged 25 to 49. Only two of Alabama’s COVID-19 deaths have been between the ages of 24 and 5. Two Alabama children less than age 5 have died from COVID-19.

America remains in the grip of the coronavirus global pandemic. At least 50,588 Americans tested positive on Monday, including 925 Alabamians. 132,979 Americans, including 984 Alabamians, have died in the global pandemic that began in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China late in 2019.

Alabama remains under a Safer at Home order through July 31. Citizens are advised to wash hands frequently, don’t hug or shake hands with anyone, avoid close contact with the sick even in your home, wear a mask or cloth face covering when out in public, practice social distancing, avoid crowds, and stay home whenever possible.

Brandon Moseley is a former reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter.

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