The testing requirements from CMS now outline a routine testing policy that hinges on whether staff are up to date on their vaccination versus fully vaccinated. Facilities now must routinely test staff who are not up to date on their vaccines at a frequency that is based on county positivity rates. In addition, facilities must test staff and residents, regardless of vaccination status, who present signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or in an outbreak investigation. More information can be found in CMS’ testing memo.  

The visitation requirements from CMS have replaced “vaccinated” with “up-to-date with all recommended COVID-19 vaccine doses” and deleted “unvaccinated.” Visitor screening and quarantine requirements are now aligned with CDC recommendations and have been updated to reflect that visitors will now follow the same quarantine guidelines as residents and should not visit until they have met the criteria to discontinue isolation or quarantine.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the updates in the QSO memos align with CDC guidance from February 2, 2022. The focus of the memos is mostly moving from “fully vaccinated” to “up-to-date,” clarifying the visitor exclusion following COVID illness or exposure and clarifying that if testing within 90 days of COVID illness, an antigen should be used rather than PCR testing. The Department of Health has already aligned with those changes, although DOH continues to recommend somewhat broader testing to include all staff (not excluding those that are up to date with vaccinations).

Due to increased community transmission throughout Washington State, DOH continues to recommend that all healthcare personnel be included in routine testing, regardless of vaccination status. The Long-Term Care Facility Testing for Staff and Residents guidance provides insight on this recommendation. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days should be tested with new onset of symptoms or exposure. If testing resources are limited, prioritize testing unvaccinated staff, staff who have not recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, and staff who are not up to date on vaccines.

In a Dear Administrator letter dated March 9, 2022, all providers are informed of updated COVID-19 guidance from the Department of Health (DOH). The letter lists documents that have been updated from February 8 through March 1, 2022. The letter provides links to each updated document and bullet points highlighting what was updated. WHCA has provided notification of these updates over the past few weeks, but this letter puts them all into one document making them easier to track and locate.

You may have recently received a call or letter from Labor and Industries, offering free consultation services.  No fines or penalties will result from issues uncovered during a consultation. However, consultants will ask you to correct any serious issues and offer assistance. If you are interested in receiving free consultation services, you can find more information here. 

For more information about the national emphasis program, visit COVID-19 Focused Inspection Initiative in Healthcare | Occupational Safety and Health Administration and OSHA's Revised National Emphasis Program for COVID-19.

It is important to note that while the focus initiative ends on June 9, the NEP is slated to expire July 7 unless extended. If you have any questions regarding program materials, please contact Shamus Harmon, Loss Control Manager with ERNwest.

WHCA continues to post resources and information as it becomes available on our website. If you have questions or need additional information, please call the WHCA office at (800) 562-6170.