VACCINE NEWS
Nursing Home Mandate FAQs Updated
In light of last week’s White House announcement about additional vaccine mandates, the LeadingAge Nursing Home Mandate FAQ document has been updated. Check it out here. Remember that this document addresses questions related to nursing homes and the nursing home mandate. It does not answer questions about the White House announcement or additional mandates beyond how nursing homes may be impacted.
Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Overview
- 2,837,430 Total Doses Reported as Administered
– First Dose: 1,559,021
– Second Dose: 1,263,004
– Third Dose: 15,406 - 3,466,420 Total Doses Distributed
– State Distributed: 2,038,180 - 50.7% of Kansans Vaccinated with One Dose
- 45.3% of Kansas Completed COVID-19 Vaccine Series
Source: https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data
STATE NEWS
KDADS HOC Releases New Guidance for Training Programs on Clinicals for CNA/CMA
KDADS will allow 25 hours of clinical instruction for part two of the KS CNA course and 25 hours of clinical instruction for KS CMA course to be completed in a simulated lab environment. Read the Revised Guidance Dated 9/14/2021.
In addition, KDADS will allow hours worked as a CNA Trainee II to count for the 25 hours of hands-on training needed to complete the training course. These modifications are available only to approved course sponsors who cannot locate a clinical site and have exhausted all options. Not to be used for non-vaccinated students or students choosing not to go to specific clinical site. Read this Revised Guidance Dated 9/14/2021.
These temporary changes come on the heels of LeadingAge Kansas and Kansas Health Care Association requesting increased staffing and regulatory flexibility for long term care. The training programs above are the only thing KDADS can change without an emergency declaration. We continue to advocate with Legislative leaders and the Governor’s office during this crisis.
Kansas COVID-19 Cluster Summary
As of August 15th, there are 6 long-term care facilities with clusters and 3 are LeadingAge Kansas Members.
Statewide Active COVID-19 Clusters
Clusters: 208
Cases: 1,667
Hospitalizations: 42
Kansas COVID-19: Case Rates
Cases: 393,696
Total Case Rate Per 1,000: 135.14
Daily Cases Diagnosed: 967
Long-Term Care Facilities with Active Cluster Case Information
Clusters: 7
Cases: 61
Hospitalizations: 1
Source: https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas
FEDERAL NEWS
Nursing Home Visitation
With last week’s changes to outbreak testing procedures in nursing homes, we’ve received many questions about how visitation is impacted. We brought this up on our call with CMS today. The short answer: continue to follow the current guidance on visitation outlined in QSO-20-39-NH-REVISED. This means that indoor visitation should be suspended during the initial round of outbreak testing (including the first round of testing in individuals identified as “close contacts” and “higher risk exposures”) and may resume on unaffected units if the initial round of testing indicates that the outbreak is contained. Indoor visitation is restricted on the affected unit (i.e. the unit where the positive staff member works or the positive residents live). Outdoor visitation may continue uninterrupted, even during an outbreak.
CMS acknowledges that this may seem confusing now that outbreak testing follows the contact tracing protocol and states that they are reviewing the visitation guidance with CDC to determine if revisions can be made. Here’s what we’ve asked CMS to keep in mind as they consider revisions:
Because testing is now determined based on contact tracing, can visitation restrictions be determined based on contact tracing? In other words, indoor visitation can continue on “affected units” for those who have not been identified as having “close contact” exposure. Previously, CMS clarified that individuals on an affected unit could continue outdoor visitation during outbreak provided they had not been placed on transmission-based precautions due to being identified as having “close contact” exposure. Those who had been identified as “close contact” exposure and placed on TBP were permitted neither indoor nor outdoor visitation except in cases of compassionate care. Now that CDC has recommended fully vaccinated residents do not need to quarantine after close contact exposure, can fully vaccinated residents with close contact exposure continue indoor and outdoor visitation while undergoing outbreak testing?
It was further noted on this call that indoor visitation for unvaccinated residents continues to be determined based on nursing home-wide resident vaccination rates and county positivity rates. CMS confirmed that a nursing home can continue to refer to the county positivity rate in these circumstances and should reference the CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker to determine county positivity. CMS further reminds nursing homes that visitation cannot be restricted based on a visitor’s vaccination status.
NHSN Changes – Get your Level 3 Access NOW
We have been informed by CDC that changes are coming to NHSN that will require Level 3 access for reporting. While we have very little information about what these changes may be and whether they impact all required reporting or only some, we do know that these changes are scheduled to appear in NHSN on September 18th and are required beginning with the reporting week ending October 3rd. As we work with CDC to learn more and to advocate on your behalf to prevent any unnecessary burden and barriers to reporting, we urge providers to do the following:
- Attend the CDC webinar on September 23 that will review these changes. Register for the webinar here.
- Double-check that at least one person in your nursing home has SAMS Level 3 access and will be available to complete required reporting on the week ending October 3rd.
- Work now to upgrade enrollment for other NHSN users in your nursing home so that you have multiple people with SAMS Level 3 access in the event of illness, vacation, staff turn-over, etc. Remember, the SAMS Level 3 access is specific to the individual, not to your nursing home. When an individual with SAMS Level 3 access leaves your nursing home, the SAMS Level 3 access goes with him/her. To initiate the process for upgrading NHSN users to SAMS Level 3, email nhsn@cdc.gov with the subject line “Enhancing Data Security” then follow the instructions here. Information on how to add users to NHSN can be found here.
From HHS: Using Antibody Tests
This page provides a summary of guidance for clinicians and health care professionals on antibody tests. CDC has updated this page to include information about antibody tests and vaccination status. A positive antibody test indicates a person has antibodies for COVID-19 as a result of: past infection with SARS-CoV-2 or vaccination against COVID-19. Antibodies are a marker for protection and help prevent many infections; however, some people with antibodies may be re-infected (infected again after recovering from a past infection) or become infected after vaccination . In these cases, antibodies play an instrumental role in preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death. Healthcare professionals who use antibody tests must know the type of information different tests provide and how to interpret test results: if a person gets tested for antibodies after receiving a vaccine, they might test positive by some (but not all) antibody tests.
Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2
CDC updated their guidance for managing healthcare personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 to include to the following:
- Combine information from previously posted CDC guidance addressing when healthcare personnel (HCP) with SARS-CoV-2 infection could return to work and risk assessment and work restriction for HCP with higher-risk exposure to SARS-CoV-2
- Clarify the recommended intervals for testing asymptomatic HCP with a higher-risk exposure
LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS
Join Us Each Friday for the Latest on COVID
Join us each week to hear the latest on COVID and other important information for organization. Register here. Harmony Healthcare will be with us this Friday to talk about the Delta Variant.
RESOURCES
- Vaccine Mandates in Places with Low Rates of Vaccination: This panel of members who operate in areas that are not friendly to vaccine mandates discusses how they have navigated the issue successfully.
- Vaccines and Vaccinations: Legal and Operational Issues This webinar explores the legal and operational issues surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine LeadingAge members should be aware of.
- How Can We Address Vaccine Hesitancy? This QuickCast provides a deeper understanding of what influences vaccine hesitancy and provides concrete strategies for addressing the most common concerns around vaccination.
- Science Update: The COVID-19 Science Update summarizes new and emerging scientific data for public health professionals to meet the challenges of this fast-moving pandemic. This week’s update includes research on the impact of community masking on COVID-19, waning immunity of the BNT162b2 vaccine, and more.
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