STATE NEWS
CLIA Note
If you are using different antigen tests than you originally put on your CLIA waiver application, email kdhe.clia2@ks.gov.
View the Archived Public Hearing on HB 2524 to Regulate Staffing Agencies
Archived in the House Children and Seniors Committee 02/01/2022. Hearing starts at 29:12 mark.
KDHE COVID-10 Local Stakeholders Call
Slide deck from the February 3rd call. Q&A from the call. If you want to be added to the invitation for these weekly calls email Madison Bush madision.bush@ks.gov . Call Highlights:
- As of yesterday, in Kansas, we have experienced a total of 739,622 cases and 7,577 deaths statewide. (Including 29,784 new cases and 189 deaths since last week.) 7-day rolling average number of deaths 10 deaths per day.
- Every Kansas County is in red (high transmission rate) on the CDC Community Transmission Map. Currently 219 clusters, 4,264 cases, 77 hospitalizations and 69 deaths in Kansas LTC settings
- Science-based evidence for additional precautions to mitigate the spread of covid-19 regarding unvaccinated employees? https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/index.html
- Matrix of current antivirals and therapeutics https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2452/Medical-Countermeasures-Chart
- Therapeutics Locator https://covid-19-therapeutics-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com/ (enter Kansas in the search field)
FEDERAL NEWS
CDC Updates Nursing Home Recommendations
CDC has released the anticipated updates to nursing home recommendations. Read them here. Recommendations are impacted by CDC’s recent update to language around vaccination status. CDC has officially changed their vaccination language and considerations related to vaccination status to “up to date” to reflect individuals who have received all recommended COVID-19 vaccinations for which they are eligible. This impacts testing and quarantine following exposure. Asymptomatic residents who are not up to date must quarantine and submit to a series of 2 tests following admission, readmission, or “close contact” exposure. Asymptomatic residents who are up to date are not required to quarantine but must still submit to testing.
Staff Testing Requirements in Nursing Homes
The release of updated nursing home recommendations from CDC has thrown nursing home testing into a bit of upheaval. As you recall, CDC has officially changed their vaccination language and considerations related to vaccination status to “up to date” to reflect individuals who have received all recommended COVID-19 vaccinations for which they are eligible. With this language adopted into the updated nursing home recommendations, this means new recommendations around testing of staff. CDC now recommends routine screening testing based on community transmission rates for all staff who are not up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations. This conflicts with existing CMS requirements, which state that routine screening testing is to be completed on unvaccinated staff and staff who have completed a primary series (“fully vaccinated”) are exempt from routine screening testing. LeadingAge National confirmed with CMS that nursing homes should continue to follow the latest CMS guidance on testing requirements, available here. This means that, until further notice, nursing homes may continue to test only unvaccinated staff for routine screening testing and staff who have completed a primary vaccine series, regardless of whether they have received a recommended booster for which they are eligible, may be exempt from routine screening testing. It is likely that CMS will move to reconcile the differences between CDC recommendations and CMS requirements soon.
CDC Updates Recommendations for Duration of Isolation and Precautions
CDC has released updated recommendations for the duration of isolation and precautions in individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection. As before, symptomatic individuals who are not immunocompromised, regardless of vaccination status, continue isolation and precautions for 10-20 days after exposure depending on the severity of illness. For individuals who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, CDC now recommends a test-based strategy to determine the duration of isolation and precautions. Read more here.
Updated Visitation FAQs from CMS
Read additional Q&As at the end of this memo. Updates include new information on improving air flow and air quality during nursing home visitation and an announcement that nursing homes may apply for CMP funds to assist with improving air flow and air quality for visitation.
LEADINAGE KANSAS NOTE: We have initiated contact with KDADS and KDHE about implications of all of the above changes for Kansas.
VACCINE NEWS
Kansas Resident and Staff Vaccination Rates as of January 23rd
If questions, contact Brenda Davis bdavis@kfmc.org at KFMC. Check it out here.
LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
Joe Franco with LeadingAge National Joined Us for Our Weekly Webinar Today
Listen to the recording. Download the handouts.
If you haven’t registered for future calls, you can do so here.
RESOURCES
- Science-based evidence for additional precautions to mitigate the spread of covid-19 regarding unvaccinated employees? https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/index.html
- New MMWR report: – SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Hospitalization Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years, by Vaccination Status, Before and During SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Predominance. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7105e1.htm?s_cid=mm7105e1_w
- What Clinicians Need to Know About Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children – a CDC COCA Call. Thursday, February 10th at 1 PM Central. Link Here https://www.zoomgov.com/j/1606170121?pwd=TDFUL3dYZm01TVY3bWRSK3FtUS9OQT09
- Lots of good educational posters/graphics on vaccination and mask-wearing https://publichealthcollaborative.org/downloads
