Lessons From Mass-Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Long-Term Care Facilities for the Elderly in San Francisco
Janice K. Louie, Hyman Scott, Amie DuBois, Natalya Sturtz, Wendy Lu, Juliet Stoltey, Godfred Masinde, Stephanie E. Cohen, Darpun Sachdev, Susan Philip, Naveena Bobba, Tomás Aragón, Allen-Contreras Robin, Alonso Sabrina, Copeland Nicole, Corona Adam, Lee George, Lemen Kaylene, Melissa Ongpin, Watson Lisa, Zarate Sheilah
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 can cause significant mortality in the elderly in long-term care facilities (LTCF). We describe 4 LTCF outbreaks where mass testing identified a high proportion of asymptomatic infections (4%-41% in healthcare workers and 20%-75% in residents), indicating that symptom-based screening alone is insufficient for monitoring for COVID-19 transmission.
Topics & Concepts
Long-term careCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)OutbreakAsymptomaticMedicineTransmission (telecommunications)GerontologyDiseaseHealth careSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)VirologyNursingInfectious disease (medical specialty)Internal medicineComputer scienceEconomicsTelecommunicationsEconomic growthGeriatric Care and Nursing HomesSARS-CoV-2 detection and testingCOVID-19 epidemiological studies