On Wednesday, December 2, the CDC updated their Guidelines to Reduce Quarantine for people who have been exposed to COVID-19.

WA State DOH, HAI Department has asked the CDC if they anticipate updating the guidance for a 14-day observation period for newly admitted LTCF residents (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/long-term-care.html) and the 14-day work exclusion for HCWs (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hcp.html) to align with the newly reduced quarantine time.   CDC responded by saying that – they are considering changes to the healthcare facility guidance, including LTCFs, but for now the currently posted guidance still stand as the official CDC recommendations.

We understand this is very confusing to have different quarantine periods.  The updated CDC guidance contains this statement “The variability of SARS-CoV-2 transmission observed to-date indicates that while a shorter quarantine  substantially reduces secondary transmission risk, there may be settings (e.g., with high contact rates) where even a  small risk of post-quarantine transmission could still result in substantial secondary clusters.”  We assume that LTC would qualify as an example of a setting with high contact rates and might not be a good setting for a reduced quarantine period.

For now, we would advise facilities to continue to consult with their local health jurisdictions and follow the CDC recommendations for healthcare, specifically this guidance:

• Newly admitted LTCF residents (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/long-term-care.html) and
• 14-day work exclusion for HCWs (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hcp.html)

Questions?

Contact:

Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN – Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
c: 425-231-4804