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Health Care: COVID-19

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  • COVID-19 Home
  • For Health Care Providers: Post-COVID Conditions
  • Infectious Respiratory Illness
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Health Care: COVID-19

  • Health Care Home
  • Reporting
  • Evaluating & Testing
  • Infection Prevention & Control
  • Long-term Care
  • Health Care Facilities & Systems
  • Vaccine
  • Therapeutic Options
  • Surgeries & Procedures
  • Clinical Recommendations for Underlying Medical Conditions
  • Mental Health & Resiliency Tools

Related Topics

  • COVID-19 Home
  • For Health Care Providers: Post-COVID Conditions
  • Infectious Respiratory Illness
  • COVID–19 Response Funding
Contact Info
Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Contact Info

Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division
651-201-5414
IDEPC Comment Form

Long-term Care Testing: COVID-19

Testing guidance, recommendations, and resources for long-term care (LTC) facilities.

On this page:
Overview and Guidance
Antigen Testing
Testing Resources
Employee Testing Posters

Overview and Guidance

Testing guidance and resources for long-term care (LTC) facilities.

Nursing facilities

Federally certified nursing facilities in Minnesota should refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) memo below for COVID-19 testing guidelines:

  • CDC: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Spread in Nursing Homes
  • CMS QSO-20-38-NH: Interim Final Rule (IFC), CMS-3401-IFC, Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency related to Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Testing Requirements (PDF)

Assisted living facilities

  • CDC: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
  • CDC: Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2
  • CDC: Additional Information for Community Congregate Living Settings (e.g., Group Homes, Assisted Living)

Antigen Testing

Long term care facilities in Minnesota should refer to CDC: SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Testing in Long Term Care Facilities.

Video: Reporting of Point-of-Care Antigen Tests by Long-term Care Facilities
Short video describing how to fill in the point-of-care antigen test reporting template.

Transcript: Reporting of Point-of-Care Antigen Tests by Long-term Care Facilities (PDF)

Testing Resources

Resources for facilities undergoing resident or staff testing.

Testing recently deceased residents suspected of having COVID-19

If a resident passes away in your facility, MDH recommends testing for COVID-19 if there are any confirmed cases in your facility or if the cause of death is not clearly due to causes besides COVID-19. A nasal pharyngeal swab needs to be collected from the deceased individual for testing prior to sending the body to the funeral home or medical examiner's office. The specimen can be sent to MDH for COVID-19 testing free of charge. Please refer to Evaluating and Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for appropriate forms and submission guidance and call MDH (1-877-676-5414) to report the death and suspicion of COVID-19.

Employee Testing Posters

Posters for long-term care facilities can download and print to promote employee testing.

  • Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
  • Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2
  • Additional Information for Community Congregate Living Settings (e.g., Group Homes, Assisted Living)
    • Reporting Results of COVID-19 Tests Performed Inside Your Long-term Care Facility (PDF)
      Updated 4/22/22
    • How to Report COVID-19 Test Results Using a Spreadsheet (PDF)
      Updated 12/9/21
      • MDH COVID-19 Lab Results Reporting File Template QSA (Excel)
        for Quidel Sofia Antigen testing equipment
      • MDH COVID-19 Lab Results Reporting File Template BVA (Excel)
        for BD Veritor Antigen testing equipment
      • MDH COVID-19 Lab Results Reporting File Template ABN (Excel)
        for Abbott BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card
      • MDH COVID-19 Test Results General Spreadsheet (Excel)
        For reporting any type of test not listed above.
    • Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care: COVID-19 Testing Notice (PDF)
      Letter sent May 14, 2020
      5/29/20
    • What to Do While You Wait for a COVID-19 Test Result (PDF)
    • Long-term Care (LTC) Emergency Preparedness
      Tools developed to assist LTC facilities with emergency preparedness planning, including a response plan to support COVID-19 testing template and guidance document.
    • Get Tested for COVID-19 (PDF)
    • Get Tested for COVID-19 - add facility logo (PDF)
      Download and open in Adobe Acrobat to insert your facility's logo.
Tags
  • coronavirus
Last Updated: 12/09/2022

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