For healthcare and service providers

• The Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunization Section emails timely Health Advisories to those who subscribe to our Info-X Listserv. The listserv is a free service for King County health care providers. To be added to the list, visit this page.
  
  
• 2021 health care advisories and news
  
  
  • April 13, 2021
    Cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with thrombocytopenia after receipt of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
    
    
  • March 22, 2021
    Updated Reporting Criteria for SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOC) Surveillance in King County
    
    
  • February 24, 2021 (Updated)
    Reporting Criteria for SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) Surveillance in King County

• Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings, CDC
  Actions to consider as soon as you have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19.
  
  
• Guidance for solid waste and biomedical waste handling
  Guidance for health care facilities and solid waste handlers to differentiate waste streams that come into contact with COVID-19 patients in order to clearly identify which wastes are appropriate for the municipal waste streams and which wastes are identified as biomedical waste as defined in local, state, and federal regulations.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Prioritization and Distribution for COVID-19 in King County
  Public Health — Seattle & King County and King County Office of Emergency Management supports local government agencies; medical and care facilities; and other organizations within King County by procuring supplies, facilities, and personnel.
  
  
• Interim COVID-19 PPE and face covering guidance for behavioral health providers and clients
  This document provides personal protective equipment (PPE) and cloth face covering guidance specific for behavioral health clinicians and clients during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The following recommendations are based on CDC guidance for healthcare settings (updated 4/13/20) and include information on the Local Health Officer Directive on face coverings.
  
  
• Guidance for PPE conservation and alternatives when PPE is unavailable
  During times of severe personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, individual measures/alternatives combined with administrative and engineering controls should be considered to support maintenance of the healthcare system response to COVID-19.
  
  This guidance has been extracted from CDC's guidance on optimizing PPE supply and should not be used independently without reviewing the complete CDC guidance for context and recommendations.
  
  
• Face protection for housing and shelter staff working in close contact with people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection
  
  
• Frequently Asked Questions about PPE
  This FAQ offers resources for PPE use and information about how King County prioritizes requests for PPE.
  
  

COVID-19 Emergency Resource Requests

Public Health Seattle & King County (PHSKC) and King County Office of Emergency Management (KCOEM) supports local government agencies; medical and care facilities; and other organizations within King County by procuring supplies, facilities, and personnel.

There are currently no restrictions on who can be tested for COVID-19 and commercial testing is becoming more available. Healthcare providers should test all patients with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 regardless of their age or health status and individuals who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

• COVID-19 Testing Information for Healthcare Providers, Washington State Dept. of Health
• Evaluating and Testing Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019, CDC

Guidance for reporting and entering COVID-19 results

• Facilities administering point-of-care (POC) testing for COVID-19 must report all their COVID-19 testing results to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Please refer to guidance from DOH on reporting COVID-19 point-of-care test results.

• Overview of Washington State Request Process for COVID-19 Therapeutics (PDF) – Information for health care facilities interested in obtaining and administering monoclonal antibody therapy.
• CDC Recommendations for Healthcare Workers: Information on COVID-19 – A catalog of CDC guidance for management in healthcare settings. Topics include: General infection control, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and care for special populations.
• Public Health – Seattle & King County recommends mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare personnel. View Public Health's statement.

Healthcare facilities are considered critical infrastructure and operate with extensive and close contact between patients and healthcare personnel. Public Health and CDC recommend the following for healthcare personnel exposed to SARS-CoV-2 and without symptoms:

• Stay in quarantine for 14 days after last contact. This is the safest option.
  
• If this is not possible, stay in quarantine for 10 days after last contact.
  
• If the first two options are not possible, stay in quarantine for 7 full days beginning after last contact and if the staff member receives a negative test result. They must get tested no sooner than day 5 after their last contact. This option depends on availability of testing resources and may not be recommended in some settings.
  

If you are fully vaccinated, you may not need to quarantine.

Healthcare facilities should consider these alternatives to mitigate staffing and resource shortages. For facilities with critical need, asymptomatic exposed employees may continue to work under a working quarantine according to federal and state guidance as a last resort and only in limited circumstances, such as when stopping operations at a facility may cause serious harm or danger to public health or safety. Shortened or working quarantine options are not preferred as these options pose transmission risks to patients and other staff.

• For more information about work restrictions for healthcare settings, please refer to CDC’s guidance: Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Work Restrictions for Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure to COVID-19.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)

• COVID-19 Outbreak Among Three Affiliated Homeless Service Sites — King County, Washington, 2020
  On April 1, 2020, a COVID-19 outbreak was detected at three affiliated homeless shelters. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 immediately offered to all residents and staff members identified additional unrecognized COVID-19 cases. Enhanced surveillance and repeat testing identified and confirmed COVID-19 in 43 persons at these sites.
  
  
• Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Residents of a Long-Term Care Skilled Nursing Facility — King County, Washington, March 2020
  Symptom-based screening of SNF residents might fail to identify all SARS-CoV-2 infections. Asymptomatic and presymptomatic SNF residents might contribute to SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Once a facility has confirmed a COVID-19 case, all residents should be cared for using CDC-recommended personal protective equipment (PPE), with considerations for extended use or reuse of PPE as needed.
  
  
• COVID-19 in a Long-Term Care Facility — King County, Washington, February 27–March 9, 2020
  Long-term care facilities should take proactive steps to protect the health of residents and preserve the health care workforce by identifying and excluding potentially infected staff members, restricting visitation except in compassionate care situations, ensuring early recognition of potentially infected patients, and implementing appropriate infection control measures.

PubMed

See list of abstracts cowritten by Public Health - Seattle & King County staff.