PENNSYLVANIA

COVID-19 ANTIGEN TESTS:The Wolf Administration has begun distributing the third allotment of COVID-19 antigen test kits provided by the federal government to Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified institutions in Blair, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Tioga, Venango, and Wyoming counties.

Last week 92,520 tests were distributed to 55 facilities in Berks, Huntingdon, Union, and Westmoreland counties. Additional tests will be provided to healthcare providers in those counties in the coming weeks. Archived lists of distributions since week one can be found on the Department of Health’s Coronavirus Symptoms & Testing webpage under the Antigen Tests subhead.

The antigen test detects an antigen on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus while the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test detects viral RNA. Both PCR and antigen tests can detect active infection and are considered diagnostic. Antigen tests can be considered for symptomatic individuals (within the first five to seven days of symptom onset) and in asymptomatic individuals in settings where there is a high probability that the individual to be tested is positive, such as when they are a close contact of a case.

CLIA-certified sites include:

• All long-term care facilities;

• Higher-education institutions;

• Drug and alcohol and behavioral health treatment centers;

• State and county correctional facilities;

• Healthcare providers: ?Federally Qualified Health Centers;

• Urgent Care Centers;

• Pharmacies; and

• Primary Care doctors.

For more information about the CLIA certificate and antigen test card reporting, reference the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA) Health Advisory Network (HAN) Advisory: Guidance for Reporting Point of Care SARS-CoV-2 Test Results.

PLCB ENFORCEMENT: Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement Officers visited 288 licensed liquor establishments from Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1 to ensure businesses are abiding by COVID-19 mitigation requirements that include social distancing, masking, and other health and safety requirements of the liquor code.

Liquor Control Enforcement Officers issued 20 notices of violation and 43 warnings for failing to follow COVID-19 requirements. Compliance checks are unannounced and can occur anywhere in the commonwealth, although the focus is on areas experiencing higher coronavirus transmission rates.

Complaints regarding licensees not complying with COVID-19 mitigation mandates may be directed to the BLCE at 1-800-932-0602 or reported through the BLCE’s online complaint form.