The CDC has issued updates to its COVID-19 infection prevention guidance for health care personnel and guidance for managing exposed and infected health care personnel. It has also retired its nursing home-specific infection prevention guidance and incorporated guidance for nursing homes into the more general guidance. In addition, CMS has updated its nursing home visitation guidance and testing guidance to align with the CDC guidance.

This guidance is to assist health care facilities in mitigating health care personnel staffing shortages that might occur because of COVID-19.

Members are reminded that the CDC issued guidance on Feb. 2, 2022 recommending quarantine and testing of all new nursing home admissions and those who have left the facility for over 24 hours.

Training slides, notes now available.

The CDC streamlines nursing home COVID-19 reporting modules, although several new questions have been added.

The CDC revised the definition of "up to date" with COVID-19 vaccinations on its web page for the general public, which is referenced as the source of the "up to date" definition in the CMS nursing home testing guidance. Nursing homes are now required to conduct routine testing of staff over age 50 who are eligible for the second booster shot, but have not received it.