WRC Weekly COVID-19 Update

11/12/2020

We’re sharing our weekly update to keep WRC employees, residents, and families informed of changing regulations and policies at the national and state level, as well as within the WRC continuum. Thank you to all WRC essential workers!

Updates within WRC Continuum

• N95 Mask Fitting
  • Employees who have not yet been fitted for N-95 masks will have the opportunity do so on 11/16/2020 in the Wellness Center at Laurelbrooke Landing.
• Flu immunizations scheduled for all WRC residents and employees
  • Already completed at Laurelbrooke Personal Care and McKinley Health Center, Edgewood Heights, North Fork Heights, Ridgmont and The Village at Ridgmont, and The Laurels and Villages at Laurelbrooke Landing
  • 11/12 – Highland Oaks at Water Run and The Villas
  • 11/13 – Business Office
  • 11/17, 11/18 and 11/19 – Home Care, Home Health, and Hospice
• COVID status at each community (as of 11-12-2020, 9:00 AM)
  • Highland Oaks in Clarion, PA
    • 0 current resident cases, 0 current staff cases, 0 cumulative cases
  • Edgewood Heights in New Bethlehem, PA
    • 0 current resident cases, 0 current staff cases, 1 cumulative cases
  • Ridgmont in Ridgway, PA
    • 0 current resident cases, 0 current staff cases, 0 cumulative cases
  • Laurelbrooke Personal Care
    • 1 current resident cases, 0 current staff cases, 3 cumulative cases
  • McKinley Health Center
    • 1 current resident cases, 1 current staff cases, 3 cumulative cases
  • Please contact the community directly for more information about current and past COVID-19 cases, or the Director of Strategic Communication at 814-220-2142.

Updates from the PA Department of Health

• The PA DOH Updated Guidance for Patients being evaluated for COVID-19
  • This update provides instructions for patients waiting for their test results, instructions for patients with positive results, instructions for close contacts of patients diagnosed with COVID-19, and instructions for COVID-19 patients whom are healthcare providers. The update was release on November 11, 2020 and can be found here –  2020-PAHAN-535-11-11-UPD.
    • Healthcare providers who are evaluating patients for COVID-19 should instruct the patient to isolate. Patients should be asked to develop a list of people who were in close contact (defined as being within 6 feet for a period of 15 minutes or more depending upon the exposure) with them from the period 48 hours before symptom onset to the time at which the patient isolated.
    • All persons diagnosed with COVID-19 should self-isolate until at least 10 days have passed since symptom onset, and symptoms are improving, including being afebrile, for 24 hours without antipyretics.
    • These steps should be taken immediately. Do not wait for test results to come in.
    • Close contacts of laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases should be instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days from the last known exposure to the patient being evaluated for COVID-19.
    • Close contacts are recommended to be tested at least 2-3 days after their exposure.
    • A negative test result does not release a close contact from quarantine early. The full 14-day quarantine must be observed.

Other News and Resources

• FDA issued emergency use antibody therapy, available at no cost for Medicare beneficiaries
  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that starting November 10, Medicare beneficiaries can receive coverage of monoclonal antibodies to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with no cost-sharing during the public health emergency (PHE). CMS’ coverage of monoclonal antibody infusions applies to bamlanivimab, which received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• PFIZER AND BIONTECH ANNOUNCE VACCINE CANDIDATE
  • Vaccine candidate was found to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 in participants without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first interim efficacy analysis
  • Analysis evaluated 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in trial participants
  • Study enrolled 43,538 participants, with 42% having diverse backgrounds, and no serious safety concerns have been observed; Safety and additional efficacy data continue to be collected
  • Submission for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) planned for soon after the required safety milestone is achieved, which is currently expected to occur in the third week of November
  • Clinical trial to continue through to final analysis at 164 confirmed cases in order to collect further data and characterize the vaccine candidate’s performance against other study endpoints
• Walgreens and CVS to offer COVID Vaccines at no-cost to long-term care facilities
  • Long-term care facilities nationwide can opt in to a pharmacy partnership program that will provide and administer future COVID-19 vaccines to residents and staff with no out-of-pocket costs. WRC has partnered with Walgreens and will receive this benefit upon FDA approval of vaccine administration.
  • Participants can choose to work with Walgreens or CVS Health (which owns long-term care pharmacy business Omnicare) to arrange on-site management of the vaccination process when a drug or drugs become available, officials said in a press briefing.
  • Those eligible to participate in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program include skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.