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State officials say testing all nursing home employees will tell the state how many staff have COVID-19 but don’t show symptoms.
Justin Hicks/IPB NewsIndiana announced Wednesday it will test all nursing home staff for COVID-19 over the next month.
Family and Social Services Administration Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan Rusyniak has been the state’s point-person with nursing homes during the pandemic.
He says testing all nursing home employees will tell the state how many staff have COVID-19 – but don’t show symptoms.
READ MORE: Study Suggests 186,000 Hoosiers With COVID-19; Nearly Half Without Symptoms
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“And the data we collect from this … will better inform us on who in a nursing home needs to be tested and then, in the future, how frequently that needs to occur,” Rusyniak says.
Rusyniak says the widespread testing will be limited to nursing home staff, not residents.
“Right now – and we’ll continue to do so – we test residents in long-term care facilities when we know there’s outbreaks,” Rusyniak says.
Federal officials have told states they should be testing all long-term care staff and residents.
Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.
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