Early floor swabs predict COVID outbreaks in LTC homes.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that sampling floors for the COVID-19 virus can help detect an outbreak in long-term care homes days before it happens. Researchers partnered with 10 LTC homes in Ontario and sampled floor surfaces weekly at several communal spots inside each facility. At least five days leading up to an outbreak at most of the LTC homes, researchers found more than 10 per cent of the collected swabs tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The next step is to get more funding and implement this tool at long-term care homes as a pilot project.