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On April 19, 2020, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) updated its COVID-19 Long-Term Care Facility Infection Control Guidance and Standard Operating Procedure. Item #3 of the updated Guidance regarding plans to cohort residents states the most ideal way to cohort residents is into three categories, as follows:
- Red residents are those who are confirmed COVID-19 positive. They should be placed in transmission-based precautions using droplet and contact isolation measures and cohorted in a COVID-19 wing, floor, or building.
- Yellow residents are those who are suspected to be COVID-19 positive (have had close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive individual or are showing symptoms), but whose testing is pending or has not been performed. They should be placed in transmission-based precautions using droplet and contact isolation measures and moved until confirmed testing occurs to the COVID-19 wing, floor, or building based on facility capacity.
- Green residents are those without symptoms and who are not suspected to have COVID-19. This category also includes residents who have recovered from COVID-19 and meet CDC criteria for removing transmission-based precautions. They do not need to be moved unless otherwise required, although health care personnel should follow all standard precautions, and masks should be worn during direct care.
If limitations are such that a long-term care facility cannot create three separate areas, the guidance states those who are presumed positive (high exposure and/or symptomatic) can be cohorted with confirmed positive residents until testing is completed.
If you have any questions, please contact Lori Davenport at ldavenport@ihca.org.