COVID infections are on the rise in Missouri’s long-term care facilities. A few things to remember…
Follow CDC Guidance:
Skilled Nursing Facilities: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-recommendations.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fhcp%2Flong-term-care.html
- Place a patient with suspected (e.g., those with runny nose, cough, sneeze) or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in a single-person room. The door should be kept closed (if safe to do so). Ideally, the patient should have a dedicated bathroom. If cohorting, only patients with the same respiratory pathogen should be housed in the same room.
Residential Care and Assisted Living may follow community guidance – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html?CDC_AA_refVal=h
Report Positive Cases
Facilities performing their own COVID-19 testing (antigen testing) must report positive results through one of the following portals:
- Missouri Disease Reporting Online Portal (MODROP)
- In bulk via HL7 or CSV file using the DHSS- Electronic Lab Reporting process
- National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) or the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Informatics Messaging Services (AIMS) Platform.
Facilities using an external laboratory (PCR testing) must enter positive case information into MODROP.
The Missouri Disease Reporting Online Portal (MODROP). MODROP can be accessed directly from https://modrop.health.mo.gov/ or by using the existing ECD-1 link at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/case-reporting.php and selecting the MODROP button.
NOTE: The recommended browser for use of MODROP is Google Chrome. Other browsers may cause issues with MODROP.
Facilities will need to register for a MODROP account the first time they use the new portal. MODROP allows reporting of only COVID-19 cases. Reports of other reportable conditions may be faxed to 573-751-6417.
If you have any questions or encounter any issues utilizing MODROP or for questions about HL7 or CSV reporting, please reach out to the EpiTrax Help Desk via e-mail at epitrax@health.mo.gov.
Please see the FAQ and thank you for your efforts to provide complete and accurate COVID-19 data to public health.
The ICAR Team Can Help!
QIPMO has formed an Infection Control and Assessment and Response (ICAR) team with a primary goal to assist Missouri Long-Term Care Facilities navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious diseases.
Members of the ICAR Team are available for voluntary, no cost visits (virtual and/or in-person) to any residential care, assisted living, and skilled nursing facility in Missouri. These visits are intended to consultative and collaborative in nature with a non-regulatory focus to evaluate inflection control practices. Visits will consist of:
- completion of a standardized assessment of infection control processes, focusing on highly-transmittable infectious diseases
- observations of infection control practices
- preliminary feedback with supplemental educational resources
See flyer for full details.