Rules for antigen testing of patients to whom it is provided long-term inpatient care and clients of social services in facilities for persons with medical disabilities, seniors' homes and other similar facilities.
From 9 March 2021,The Ministry of Health orders mandatory antigen testing of clients at seniors’ homes and homes with a special regime, facilities for persons with medical disabilities and other similar facilities.
From March 9 2021, all persons at social service providers, at facilities for persons with medical disabilities, at seniors’ homes and homes with a special regime, protected housing and safe houses, and at social service providers providing alleviating services in the form of social services and social service providers providing nursing services, personal assistance and independent housing support are are ordered to conduct preventive tests to stipulate the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen using POC antigen screening tests every 5 days, performed by an employee who is a healthcare professional, or by a healthcare services provider with which it has concluded an agreement on the provision of healthcare services, among all the patients to whom the facility provides long-term inpatient care, or users of social services.
Testing is not performed for:
a) persons who have undergone laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 disease, who have been isolated due to the COVID-19 disease minimally in the scope pursuant to the valid extraordinary measure of the Ministry of Health concerning the ordering of isolation and quarantine, and do not show any symptoms of COVID-19 disease, and in whose case more than 90 days have not passed since the first RT-PCR test with a positive result, confirmed by the medical report,
b)persons who have a certificate issued by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic for vaccination against COVID-19, and at least 14 days have elapsed since the application of the second dose of vaccine in the case of a two-dose schedule according to the SPC the first dose of vaccine in the case of a single dose schedule according to the SPC has elapsed at least 14 days and the vaccinated person does not show any signs of COVID-19,
c) and among persons who took a RT-PCR test with a negative result in the past 5 day,
d) persons under 18 years of age,
e) persons in the terminal stage of the disease.
According to Art. II, all persons at social service providers pursuant to Art. I shall be ordered testing as per Art. I from 9 March, 2021.
According to Art. III., all persons at social service providers pursuant to Art. I shall be ordered to proceed as follows with the effect from 9 March 2021. If the result of the preventive examination of the POC by the antigenic test carried out in accordance with Art. I is:
- positive for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen and the person has clinical signs of COVID-19 disease, is considered to have ongoing COVID 19 disease, the provider isolates this person in accordance with Art. IV by the means of RT-PCR,
- positive for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen and the person has no clinical signs of COVID-19, the provider shall proceed according to Art. V and isolate the person by means of RT-PCR until the result of the confirmatory test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus is negative,
- negative for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen and the person has clinical signs of COVID-19, the provider shall proceed according to Art. V and isolate the person by means of RT-PCR until the result of the confirmatory test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus is negative.
According to Art IV., all healthcare service providers and Regional Authorities that were notified by a tested person pursuant to Art. I or Art. II of the fact specified in Art. IV are ordered, with effect from 9 March 2021, to order isolation of a tested person who tested positive in a POC antigen test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, who also has clinical symptoms of the COVID-19 disease; the extraordinary measure of the Ministry of Health concerning the ordering of isolation in the case of a positive RT-PCR test result for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus shall apply as appropriate for ordering and terminating isolation.
According to Art. V,. all healthcare service providers and Regional Authorities that were notified by a tested person pursuant to Art. I or Art. II of the fact specified in Art. IV are ordered, with effect from 9 March 2021, to order isolation of a tested person who does not have clinical symptoms of the COVID-19 disease, but who tested positive in a POC antigen test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen, and who subsequently tested positive in an RT-PCR confirmation test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, this being via the procedure pursuant to the extraordinary measure of the Ministry of Health concerning the ordering of isolation in the case of a positive RT-PCR test result for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
According to Art. VI., all healthcare and social service providers who perform preventive examinations to determine the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen using POC antigen tests pursuant to Art. I or Art. II are ordered to report, electronically and without undue delay, information about every POC antigen test result or subsequently performed RTPCR confirmation test pursuant to Art. I(b) to determine the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a tested person pursuant to Art. I, to the Information System of Infectious Diseases (ISIN) effective from 9 March 2021.