Identifiers Indicating Vaccination Status

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Kari Everson

The change in guidance allowing for increased flexibility with PPE, visitation, and testing based upon vaccination status prompted questions regarding how to quickly identify the vaccination status of residents, staff, and visitors. Many long-term care organizations discussed using bracelets, different name tags, stickers or other means of readily identifying an individual’s vaccination status.

LeadingAge Minnesota sought information and opinions from several sources. While settings cannot mandate these types of identifiers, staff, residents, and visitors can be offered the opportunity to opt-in and voluntarily disclosing their vaccination. Organizations can provide stickers or other interventions to show vaccination status readily. Employees, residents, and visitors may choose whether to use them. If the staff person monitoring for compliance observes a group together without masks and without physically distancing, they can look for those identifiers. If they do not see an identifier on everyone in the group, they would need to investigate further. The Minnesota Department of Health survey teams will likely ask organizations to provide a policy or other documentation on how they monitor for compliance to ensure the appropriate recommendations are followed based upon vaccination status.

In late April, CDC and CMS issued guidance that allows staff and residents NOT to wear masks in the following situations:

• Staff who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear facemasks in non-resident care areas such as breakrooms, conference rooms, etc. To do this, all staff present must be fully vaccinated.
• Fully vaccinated residents and fully vaccinated visitors may be together in their rooms/apartments without masking and without physically distancing.
• Fully vaccinated residents can gather for activities and meals without masking or physically distancing. If an unvaccinated resident is present, all residents must mask, and the unvaccinated resident should physically distance.

For questions, please contact Kari Everson, Director of Clinical Care / Nurse Consultant.