Memo Text and Links
- Nursing homes without an active COVID-19 outbreak must test all staff.
- Individuals who have tested positive within eight weeks do not need to be retested if:
- They have completed isolation based on a time, test, or symptom-based strategy per CDC guidelines, and
- Have remained asymptomatic for COVID-19 symptoms.
In this second round of testing, MDH is coordinating free testing for all nursing homes through one of two laboratories; either the University of Maryland Medical School (UMB) Lab or CIAN Diagnostics Lab.
Nursing homes will be contacted by one of these two labs to offer testing and collect the information needed to order the tests. To support the ongoing testing efforts, all nursing homes should maintain rosters of their residents and staff and use these rosters in ordering COVID-19 tests from the labs. The labs will communicate any specifics needed for ordering directly to the nursing homes.
If you have lab related issues, you should call the lab. If you have public health questions or concerns, you should call your local health department.