Department of Health Announces Additional Partnership to Assist with COVID-19 Response in Nursing Homes

HARRISBURG – Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Thursday announced a partnership with Eurofins to assist with nursing home facility testing in the COVID-19 response.

“We are so pleased to have this level of collaboration and assistance from Eurofins,” Levine said. “COVID-19 is a particularly challenging situation for congregate settings, particularly our nursing home facilities.

“This partnership strengthens and increases access to ensure universal testing is completed in nursing homes, as required in the order issued last month.

“It will provide us the opportunity to better address outbreaks, and work to prevent future outbreaks, in nursing home facilities.

“These teams are assisting us in our response in the hardest-hit areas, as we work to protect the public health and safety of Pennsylvanians.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Community Economic and Development (DCED) are partnering with Eurofins to assist with testing specimens from skilled nursing facilities state-wide at no cost to facilities.

This partnership will further facility compliance with Levine’s universal testing order issued June 9, 2020.

“As Pennsylvania works diligently to combat the spread of COVID-19 across the commonwealth, it is critically important that we have a robust testing and tracing system in place,” said DCED Secretary Dennis Davin.

“We rely on our partners in the business community to bolster resources, and it’s the help of partners like Eurofins that will make our testing and tracing infrastructure stronger and more effective.”

Eurofins Central Laboratory, headquartered in Lancaster, Pa., and a member of Eurofins Scientific, a global leader in testing and laboratory services, has joined the COVID-19 Pennsylvania testing program after Levine ordered the testing of all nursing home residents and staff in the state, at least once by July 24.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Diarrhea
• Chills
• Repeating shaking with chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell

Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.