NC conducting COVID-19 testing for all nursing home residents and staff in July, August

FILE – In this Friday, June 12, 2020 file photo, a nurse uses a swab to perform a coronavirus test in Salt Lake City. Months into the outbreak, no one really knows how well many of the screening tests work, and experts at top medical centers say it is time to do the studies to find out. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Posted: Jul 3, 2020 / 07:46 AM EDT

Updated: Jul 3, 2020 / 08:22 AM EDT

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)– Testing for COVID-19 will be made available to residents and staff in all North Carolina skilled nursing facilities, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday.

There are over 400 nursing homes in the state with around 36,000 residents and over 30,000 staff members, NCDHHS said.

Testing will begin in July and continue through August, a news release said.

“We are using every tool we have to respond to COVID-19,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “Building on North Carolina’s early and aggressive actions to protect residents who live in long-term care settings, DHHS will pay for proactive testing of staff and residents in all nursing homes to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

The testing initiative makes testing available to all nursing homes to conduct a baseline test of all residents and tests.

The testing is done in a partnership with Omnicare, a CVS Health company.