Colorado Halts Curative Testing For Nursing Homes, Prisons

Colorado public health officials halted Thursday the use of Curative coronavirus tests in residential care, correctional and homeless facilities after the Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced Jan. 12 that it was closely monitoring the Curative testing after federal health officials warned about the risk of false negative results for the tests.

Nearly 1,000 congregate facilities are affected by the decision. Around 70,000 tests per week were conducted during its contract with the state, which started in November, officials said.

Curative testing can still be used at some community testing sites, but should only be used on symptomatic people with anterior nares or nasopharyngeal swabs, not oral, officials said. If someone is asymptomatic, officials advise that they seek testing at a non-Curative site.

The state expects to transition away from Curative testing at community testing sites in the coming weeks. In the interim, people who got tested at a Curative site on or after Jan. 13 with an oral swab and received negative results should be retested using an anterior nares swab, officials said.

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“We are committed to providing all Coloradans with access to reliable tests,” said Sarah Tuneberg, testing and containment manager with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“It’s clear that with the FDA’s most recent guidance, we need to move away from using Curative testing at congregate facilities. We have a transition plan that will allow us to move quickly with minimal disruption to testing, which is a critical tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19. We remind Coloradans that testing, while critical, is just one tool in our toolbox. We all need to continue to follow public health protocols, like mask wearing, avoiding large gatherings, and physical distancing.”