Feb. 22nd COVID-19 Update
New COVID-19-related updates for providers of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services continue to be shared on a regular basis by both state and federal authorities. The latest developments are described below.
As a reminder, LeadingAge NY continues to convene weekly webinars on Mondays at 11 a.m. to address emerging questions on COVID-19. A recording of our most recent webinar, held on Tues., Feb. 22nd due to Presidents’ Day, is available here, and a list of the items shared by LeadingAge NY staff in the webinar chat can be accessed here. If you have questions for next week’s update or would like the access information, please contact Jeff Diamond.
Cross-Sector Updates
DOH Announces Three-Month Delay in Enforcement of Booster Mandate
Late on Fri., Feb. 18th, the Department of Health (DOH) issued a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) announcing that they will not enforce the State’s COVID-19 vaccine booster requirement that was scheduled to go into effect on Feb. 21st given that the rates of worker booster uptake are insufficient at this time. DOH encourages covered entities, including nursing homes, adult care facilities (ACFs), home care, and hospice, to continue to offer the booster, and the requirement to be fully vaccinated remains in effect. DOH will reassess the situation in three months.
State Updates General Vaccination Guidance
General COVID-19 vaccination guidance documents for populations aged 5 to 11 and 12+ were issued by DOH last week. DOH also posted updated health care personnel (HCP) checklists for those providing vaccinations as well as new consent and screening checklists for those being vaccinated. Click here for more information.
Nursing Home Updates
State Issues DAL on Hospice Care in Nursing Homes
Last week, DOH issued a DAL clarifying that hospice providers working under a hospice agency pursuant to Article 40 who are providing contracted services in a nursing home are not considered visitors per the Department’s Jan. 12th Health Advisory on Nursing Home Staff and Visitation Requirements. The Advisory had omitted identification of hospice personnel as exempt from the testing requirements of the Advisory. Click here for more information.
CDC Releases Updated Guidance on Use of Antigen Testing in LTC Settings
On Feb. 18th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance on the use of antigen testing in long term care (LTC) settings. The updates seek to streamline the guidance by linking to previously updated guidance on how testing is used in determining work restrictions and mitigating staffing shortages among HCP. The guidance also clarifies when and how to conduct confirmatory testing following the use of antigen tests in LTC.
Community Transmission Rates
While the county-level community transmission rates have improved noticeably in recent weeks, as of Feb. 22nd, all of New York State’s counties remain in the “high” or “substantial” transmission rate categories. This means that staff who are not vaccinated should be subject to routine testing twice weekly per revised Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) QSO-20-38-NH and accompanying State guidance. A document showing the most recent seven-day county transmission rates calculated by the CDC for each county in New York State is available here. Individual county data detail is here.
The most recent data shows that transmission rates have dropped sufficiently in 10 counties/boroughs to categorize them as having “substantial” instead of “high” transmission rates. Most are downstate, along with Monroe and Orleans counties.
Nursing Home Booster Rates Now on Care Compare
Starting in February, CMS began posting individual nursing home COVID-19 booster rates on the federal nursing home comparison site Care Compare. The rates are based on COVID-19 vaccination data reported by providers through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) each week. Both staff and resident rates are displayed, along with statewide and national benchmarks. The current resident rates show that 75.3 percent of nursing home residents in New York State have received a booster, while the national rate is 69.2 percent. Similarly, the 36 percent staff rate in New York exceeds the national rate of 34 percent.
The figures are updated every two weeks, with the data lagged by a week and a half. The next update is due March 3rd, which will capture boosters reported through Feb. 20th. We thank members who have brought issues with the reporting dynamics to our attention and invite members to contact us if they encounter problems or concerns with the reported data. The Feb. 9th announcement from CMS is available here.