Thread by @KellyMDoran

🚨NYC Health Dept @nycHealthy released new guidance today on SARS-CoV-2 testing and symptoms. Brief thread of highlights—includes some directly relevant to #homelessness sector. www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/dow… (1/)

The background is that NYC DOHMH preciously recommended SARS-CoV-2 testing primarily only for those sick enough to be hospitalized, for several rational reasons related to local conditions & testing capacity (I have a now-ancient thread on it). (2/)

New guidance expands testing to 3 groups:
1) All people with #COVID19 symptoms
2) Close contacts of people with #COVID19
3) Congregate residential setting staff (includes shelters!)
(3/)

Here’s the specific text describing congregate residential settings: “Any person, with or without symptoms, who works in a congregate residential setting (such as a nursing home, shelter, or adult care facility).” (4/)

Importantly, they also expand the list of #COVID19 symptoms. We have seen enough in #NYC to know that #COVID19 is *not* just a disease of fever, cough, and shortness of breath. (5/)

List of “common” symptoms includes:
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Sore throat
• New loss of taste or smell
(6/)

But other symptoms include “gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.” They also describe the newly defined pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. (7/)

Implications for #homeless services: 1) all staff at shelters should be tested, 2) when screening for #COVID19 symptoms use an expanded list of possible symptoms. (8/)

My personal spin: other evidence suggests we should do universal testing of all in congregate shelters (staff and residents). We know many are asymptomatic so symptom screening alone not enough...but if you’re going to do it, use a *broad* list of symptoms. (9/)

Thanks @nycHealthy for these new guidance. (End)