On May 8th, the CDC updated recommendations to coincide with the ending of the public health emergency on May 11, 2023. This LeadingAge article provides details. The Community Transmission rates metric for SARS-CoV-2 data will sunset and has been removed from the guidance. This metric influenced the use of source control (or masking) in all healthcare settings as well as admission testing in nursing homes. The updates in the Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic include:
- Admission testing in nursing homes will be at the discretion of the facility, as it already is for other healthcare settings.
- Facilities will be encouraged to look beyond SARS-CoV-2 and make broader masking decisions based on facility-and-patient-level characteristics and local metrics that could reflect increasing respiratory virus transmission in the community.
