![]() All staff members were screened by RT-PCR at least once during March 29–April 10. Protocols for use of PPE, based on CDC guidance, § did not change during the outbreak. During the outbreak, an infection control nurse regularly reviewed and monitored the use of recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) with all SNF staff members. Although staff members could previously be assigned to daily shifts on different wards, beginning on March 28, each staff member was assigned to a single ward. Implementation of infection control procedures (i.e., hand hygiene, droplet and contact precautions for persons with fever or lower respiratory tract signs or symptoms), and strategies for case identification and containment were reviewed with SNF staff members. All three residents with a diagnosis of COVID-19 (patients A0.1, A0.2, and C0.1) were transferred to the affiliated acute care hospital for isolation and clinical management. ![]() On March 29, a resident from ward C (C0.1) in building 2 became symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR nasopharyngeal testing was positive on March 30, prompting testing of all building 2 residents on March 31. In response, during March 29–31, VAGLAHS staff members screened all building 1 (wards A and B) residents, regardless of symptoms, by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing of nasopharyngeal swabs. Nasopharyngeal swabs collected the day of fever onset were reported as positive for SARS-CoV-2 for both patients A0.1 and A0.2 on March 28. A second ward A patient (patient A0.2) developed fever and cough on March 27. On March 26, the index patient (patient A0.1 †) in ward A developed fever. On March 17, visitors were prohibited from entering any SNF building. Residents with fever or lower respiratory tract signs or symptoms were placed on droplet and contact precautions in single-person rooms. On March 11, all SNF admissions were suspended, and daily temperature and symptom screening began for all residents. ![]() To reduce the risk for introduction of SARS-CoV-2, on March 6, all VAGLAHS staff members and visitors were screened for symptoms of COVID-19 (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath), travel to countries that had CDC travel warnings for COVID-19, and any close contact with persons with known COVID-19 those with relevant symptoms or exposures were not allowed entry to any area of the facility. All data were abstracted from the VAGLAHS electronic health record system on which all records are maintained on inpatients, SNF residents, and outpatients. At the time of the outbreak, 99 (66%) beds were occupied >95% of residents were men aged 50–100 years. These wards admit residents who require intravenous antibiotics, complex wound care, other rehabilitation needs, routine dialysis, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy underlying conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease, are common. Buildings 1 and 2 do not share common areas, but residents might have indirect contact with outside persons while receiving medical services such as dialysis. ![]() VAGLAHS includes 150 long-term care beds in three SNF patient care areas, or wards SNF wards A and B are in building 1, and ward C is in building 2. ![]() The outbreak was successfully contained following implementation of this strategy. This report describes an outbreak of COVID-19 in an SNF, with case identification accomplished by implementing several rounds of RT-PCR testing, permitting rapid isolation of both symptomatic and asymptomatic residents with COVID-19. Among these residents, eight developed symptoms 1–5 days after specimen collection and were later classified as presymptomatic one of these patients died. Fourteen of the 19 residents with COVID-19 were asymptomatic at the time of testing. Nineteen of 99 (19%) residents and eight of 136 (6%) staff members had positive test results for SARS-CoV-2 during March 28–April 10 no further resident cases were identified on subsequent testing on April 13, April 22, and April 23. All SNF clinical and nonclinical staff members were also screened for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR during March 29–April 10. During March 29–April 23, all SNF residents, regardless of symptoms, underwent serial (approximately weekly) nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing, and positive results were communicated to the county health department. On March 28, 2020, two residents of a long-term care skilled nursing facility (SNF) at the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) had positive test results for SARS-CoV-2, the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing of nasopharyngeal specimens collected on March 26 and March 27. ![]()
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