There is a 30% difference in COVID-19 vaccination coverage between LTC physicians and facility aides, CDC reports. And rates among aides are lowest in zip codes where vulnerability to poor health outcomes is highest.
In a simulated meeting with infected and uninfected participants, properly placed portable air cleaners with HEPA air filters slashed virus transmission. Adding masks was even more effective — cutting exposure by 90%, CDC researchers say.
Fully 40% of healthcare workers who test positive for COVID-19 show no symptoms, and about half of those who test positive are nurses, according investigators.
Where staff members call home is a “large and significant predictor” of which facilities in a given county will experience a COVID-19 outbreak, a Harvard study finds.
Tracking de-identified smartphone movement between nursing homes confirms that shared staff is a likely source of COVID-19 transmission, investigators say.
Frontline providers with access to “adequate” personal protective equipment are three times more likely to test positive for the coronavirus than the general public. The rate rises to fivefold among workers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, say researchers.
Screening healthcare and nursing home workers regularly would reduce their contribution to transmission by about 25%, say researchers.
Care providers are asked to complete a short eligibility assessment before ordering the FDA-authorized test kit. Self-swabs are mailed back for testing.
At least 72 facilities in 22 states have infections, along with 55 deaths as of Friday.
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