(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has updated testing requirements for long-term care facilities.
Under the revised epidemic order, fully vaccinated staff no longer have to be routinely tested.
"Getting the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself, your family and your community,” MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel said in a press release. "The increases we are seeing in Michiganders receiving their vaccine, including among long-term care patients and staff, is allowing us make this change to testing requirements in these facilities.”
Testing continues to be required under the following circumstances:
- Initial testing of all new or returning residents to a facility covered by this Order and newly hired staff when the individual is unvaccinated and has not been tested in the 72 hours prior to intake or start date.
- Testing any resident or staff member with symptoms of COVID-19 or suspected exposure to COVID-19, regardless of that individual’s vaccination status.
- Weekly testing of all residents and staff in facilities experiencing an outbreak (any facility-acquired positive cases among residents or staff) until 14 days after the last new positive case, regardless of vaccination.
- Weekly testing of all unvaccinated staff.
MDHHS says more than 289,000 doses of vaccine have been administered to long-term care patients and staff.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Visit our The Rebound Detroit, a place where we are working to help people impacted financially from the coronavirus. We have all the information on everything available to help you through this crisis and how to access it.