McKnights Senior Living
Assisted living communities should follow infection prevention strategies based on COVID-19 hospital admission levels, according to updated guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC updated its guidance last week ahead of the expiration of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency. The updates, which also apply to group homes and other residential care settings where “staff provide non-skilled personal care similar to that provided by family members in the home,” were made to “reflect the high levels of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity” and the availability of treatments and prevention tools. The guidance also includes setting-specific considerations.
With the ending of the PHE, the CDC no longer will receive data necessary to publish community transmission levels for SARS-CoV-2, which were used to provide recommendations for the broader use of masking in healthcare facilities.
Instead, the agency now recommends that assisted living, group homes and other residential care settings — excluding nursing homes — follow community prevention strategies based on COVID-19 hospital admission levels to guide their prevention decisions. This guidance is similar to that provided to independent living, retirement communities and other non healthcare congregate settings.
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