President Trump Calls for Testing of All Nursing Home Residents and Staff

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Jodi Boyne

President Trump yesterday called upon states to universally test all nursing home residents and staff within the next two weeks. The announcement, however, did not provide details or support for how states would complete this widespread testing. 

“We're really asking for every governor to focus, over the next two weeks, on testing 100% of the residents and workers, then setting up routine surveillance of all of the workers," said Dr. Deborah Birx, one of the senior health officials helping to guide the nation’s response to COVID-19.

LeadingAge national said the announcement leaves behind a cloud of questions including testing in non-nursing home settings, whether the tests will be rapid results and how the tests will be conducted on a frequency interval for surveillance.

“There is no clarity on how this help is coming—two months after the start of the pandemic that requires testing to limit its spread. We need test results in minutes, not days to contain the virus and to ensure that we do not lose staff while waiting for results. We also need ongoing testing, not just a Bandaid—especially since so many carrying the virus are asymptomatic,” said Katie Smith Sloan, President & CEO, LeadingAge.

Governor Tim Walz last week announced a 5-Point Battle Plan that included expanded testing. (See our story in this week’s Advantage.) MDH has said that the State is working on operationalizing this plan with implementation being about a week or so out. We continue to push MDH for updates on its testing strategy and plan and will share news with you as soon as we receive more details.