In addition to helping seniors find services or appropriate housing following discharge from skilled nursing, or when staying at home is no longer possible, Oasis Senior Advisors wants to support our caregivers in as many ways as possible. One of our referral partners, Immersus Health, notified us of their distribution of the COVID-19 rapid antibody test “CoronaCheck” and we want to make sure you are aware of the availability of this product and how you can obtain it if it suits your needs. Please feel free to forward this email and information on to anyone in your organization who would benefit from the product and be in a decision-making position to decide if it is right for your clinical context. Oasis does not receive any remuneration from the sale of this product, we are offering this information as a resource to you in our shared concern for the elders we serve.

We share Immersus’ view that by testing and re-testing, LTC facilities will be able to relax some of their procedures, raise their standards of care and keep patients (and staff) safer. You may even be able to show that their facility is clear of the virus, and start rebuilding trust with prospective residents and their families again. Testing must be affordable, and available... and that will benefit all of us in the long run!

Here are the details.

• ·        Name of test: "Coronacheck" from 20:20BioResponse in Rockville MD. It is FDA approved.
• ·        Type of test: Rapid antibody testing, which uses a drop of blood to look for the body's own immune response to the virus, as an indicator of exposure.  The CoronaCheck is one of these finger-prick antibody tests, with results in about 15 minutes, so it makes an economical frequent screening tool for multiple staff and patients. 
• ·        Immersus Health Company is the appointed distributor for the Long Term Care market segment.
• ·        Intended use: They are designed to be used in healthcare facilities or by healthcare professionals like home health agencies, Nursing Homes etc to administer the finger-prick antibody testing to multiple staff and patients, with results in 15 minutes.
• ·        Order amounts: These are bulk order testing kits (40 tests per box, with two canisters of buffer diluent.)
• ·        Questions or pricing information:  Contact james.hadland@immersushealth.com, or Brian Pavlin: brian.pavlin@immersushealth.com, or call the Immersus Health main number 855-994-4325 for pricing, availability, and answer any questions.
• ·        Delivery schedule: varies according quantity needed and orders are being handled on a first come first serve basis. Most orders will be shipped within a few days of ordering.
• ·        LTC and Hospice application: Facilities, communities and home care agencies (hospice, skilled and custodial) are interested in serology tests like the rapid corona test kits, as a way to screen patients and plan individualized care and appropriate precautions.
• -        Broad brush covid-19 precautions such as distancing and PPE’s go against the usual approach to LT care, which is typically very hands on, and includes high levels of touching, high levels of hugging, allowing family members and pets to visit any time etc. Being able to rule out risk would allow facilities to relax precautions. Appropriate triage may be possible through rapid antibody screening. This will allow restructuring of care plans and procedures.
• -        Most staff are healthy, but team-mate safety from covid-19 is a concern. Being able to monitor whether care staff have contracted covid-19, have never had the disease, are currently infectious or have the igG antibodies from a previous infection and can therefore safely work, will help to prevent further contamination spread and maintain staff and patient safety. Previous exposure and igG antibody levels may indicate some level of immunologic defense. Pharyngeal testing, while it identifies any presence of the virus nucleic acid itself, is not easy, and is painful to administer.
• -        Serology (igM/igG antibody) testing using kits like the CoronaCheck, is a more acceptable process for the patient, but has to be weighed in the balance together with symptom screening, since some end of life patients may possibly have an altered immune response that could affect the test result, since igG levels may not reach the test sensitivity threshold. Staff should also be assessed for symptoms in conjunction with testing to make a full determination.
• -        Testing is the only way to understand what is really happening, and may be a useful tool to inventory staff exposure. Rapid tests could be utilized as part of a combined process to evaluate patients.

We sincerely hope this is a help for many of you! Katherine & Jeffrey Robinson - Oasis Senior Advisors/Cincinnati