Message from Kevin Dressler

COVID-19 Vaccine

I have attached three documents regarding the rollout of a vaccine once it is available to the long-term care facilities. The first document is an overview of the strategy for the rollout along with a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document concerning the rollout. There is also a copy of an email regarding a meeting slated for Friday, December 4 at 3:00 pm to discuss the provider enrollment; a question and answer portion will be built into the presentation. EDHS and the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) are anticipating that the intermediate care facilities (ICFs) will be a part of Phase 1A, which is the initial part of the rollout of the vaccine distribution.

HAN 537– Testing and Management Strategies for Co-Circulating Flu and COVID Viruses

Please take the time to review and implement the testing and management strategies where possible to address the co-circulating flu and COVID viruses.

CDC Guidance on Quarantine

This link outlines new guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding people in quarantine and exposure to COVID-19. I anticipate that a HAN will be forthcoming to align with this guidance and want to get this out to everyone so that you can begin thinking about the changes and be prepared to implement them when the HAN is completed. This guidance reduces the number of days required for someone to quarantine from 14 days to 10 days if the person is not experiencing symptoms, is wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and is monitoring for symptoms for the full 14 days. There is also a strategy for a seven-day return with a negative test result that could be considered in extreme staffing situations. Again, this is the CDC’s guidance, and I fully suspect that we will be receiving further guidance from the Department of Health (DOH) in the form of a HAN. As a result, we should wait until the guidance from the DOH is received to implement these new procedures.