COVID-19 Guidance and Resources for Clinicians and Facilities
San Mateo County Health is working closely with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its potential impacts on the Bay Area.
Please note that these recommendations are intended for medical providers, congregate facilities, and schools in San Mateo County. Providers in other counties should contact their local health department for guidance.
General Resources
- Home Isolation and Quarantine Instructions for People with COVID-19 and Their Household or Close Contacts in English and Spanish
and - Return to School/Childcare/Work for Persons with Symptoms of COVID- 19 and No Known Exposure in the Prior 14 Days
- COVID-19 Release from Quarantine Guidance and Supplemental Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals
- CDC Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2
- CDPH COVID-19 Updates (Coronavirus Disease 2019) webpage
- CDC Coronavirus (COVID-19) webpage
COVID-19 Digests
- 04/16/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #51
- 04/09/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #50
- 04/02/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #49
- 03/26/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #48
- 03/19/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #47
- 03/12/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #46
- 03/05/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #45
- 02/26/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #44
- 02/19/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #43
- 02/11/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #42
- 02/05/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #41
- 01/28/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #40
- 01/21/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #39
- 01/13/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #38
- 01/07/21: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #37
- 12/31/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #36
- 12/24/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #35
- 12/18/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #34
- 12/10/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #33
- 12/2/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #32
- 11/25/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #31
- 11/18/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #30
- 11/11/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #29
- 11/4/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #28
- 10/30/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #27
- 10/21/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #26
- 10/16/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #25
- 10/7/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #24
- 9/30/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #23
- 9/24/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #22
- 9/16/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #21
- 9/8/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #20
- 9/3/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #19
- 8/25/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #18
- 8/18/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #17
- 8/13/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #16
- 8/4/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #15
- 7/30/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #14
- 7/21/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #13
- 7/14/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #12
- 7/10/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #11
- 7/3/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #10
- 6/25/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #9
- 6/18/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #8
- 6/9/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #7
- 6/3/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #6
- 5/26/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #5
- 5/19/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #4
- 5/13/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #3
- 5/6/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #2
- 4/30/20: COVID-19 Digest, Issue #1
Reporting Requirements for Clinicians and Laboratories
Healthcare providers MUST REPORT to the San Mateo County Communicable Disease Control Program within one day (24 hours):
- ALL positive COVID-19 diagnostic laboratory testing results
- ALL clinically diagnosed COVID-19 cases
- ALL patients younger than 21 years of age meeting MIS-C criteria
Please report via the CalREDIE Provider Portal or complete a COVID-19 Confidential Morbidity Report (CMR) found at www.smchealth.org/covid-19cmr and submit via fax to 650-573-2919 or secure email to SMCCDControl@smcgov.org. Attaching the laboratory report and relevant medical records to the CMR will help ensure the public health follow-up is able to move forward quickly.
Please note that this reporting requirement is separate from laboratory reporting requirements. Laboratories are required to report ALL COVID-19 laboratory results regardless of test type or result within 1 hour via CalREDIE Electronic Laboratory Report.
For additional information about communicable disease reporting visit http://smchealth.org/communicablediseasereporting.
Hospital/Emergency Department Discharge
In order to minimize the risk of secondary transmission, discharge of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 must be communicated to the San Mateo County COVID-19 Discharge Planners in a timely manner so that isolation precautions can be maintained. Alternative housing options and/or wrap-around services may be available for individuals who are known to have COVID-19, are suspected to have COVID-19, or are awaiting COVID-19 test results and who are unable to appropriately isolate or quarantine.
Please note that you may discharge patients when they are medically ready and that you do not need prior approval. However, you must notify the San Mateo County COVID-19 Discharge Planners every time a patient is released so that we may follow up in a timely manner and provide support to the discharged patient if needed.
Please be prepared to share the patient’s demographic information, ideal timeline for discharge, any anticipated barriers to maintaining appropriate isolation, and contact information for the treating medical provider and hospital discharge planner, if available. As always, please leave a call back number so that one of the COVID-19 Discharge Planners can reach you if additional information is necessary to help us address the needs of the patient who is being discharged.
If you anticipate issues with a discharge (i.e., the patient will not be able to safely isolate and would ideally be placed in a hotel), please let us know as soon as possible so that our COVID-19 Discharge Planners can explore options prior to discharge.
There are two ways for you to let us know that a patient is being discharged from the Emergency Department and/or inpatient services:
- Send the completed COVID-19 Discharge Planning Form via secure email to HLT_COVID19_Discharge_Planners@smcgov.org. Forms may be submitted at any time but are only processed between 8:00am and 6:30pm 7 days a week.
- Between 8:00am and 5:00pm 7 days a week, call the 650-573-2346 “warm line.” Please leave a detailed message which will be routed to the COVID-19 Discharge Planners for follow-up.
Additional Information and Resources:
- Health Alert: Updated COVID-19 Hospital/Emergency Department Discharge Notification
- COVID-19 Discharge Planning Form
- COVID-19 Hospital Discharge Criteria and Flow Chart
- Home Isolation and Quarantine Instructions for People with COVID-19 and Their Household or Close Contacts in English and Spanish
Healthcare Facilities and Clinicians
Facilities may establish their own protocols. These guidelines are intended to support healthcare facilities that do not have internal protocols established. Employees should follow facility-specific protocols when available.
- Criteria for Return to Work for Staff with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings
- Home Isolation and Quarantine Instructions for People with COVID-19 and Their Household or Close Contacts in English and Spanish
Skilled Nursing Facilities
Guidance
- COVID-19 Congregate Setting Admission, Readmission, and Discontinuation of Isolation Guidelines
- COVID-19 Recommendations Checklist for LTCFs, RCFs and Congregate Settings
- COVID-19 Line List
- 03/16/21: Letter to Long-Term Care Facilities Regarding COVID-19
- CDPH Licensing and Certification Program All Facilities Letters (AFLs)
Webinars
- CDPH Webinar - COVID-19 Guidance for California SNFs
- CDC Webinar Series - COVID-19 Prevention Messages for Long Term Care Staff
- CDC COCA Webinar - Applying COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Strategies in Nursing Homes
Additional Resources
- CDC Preparing for COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
- CDC Responding to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
- CDC Testing Guidance for Nursing Home
- CDC Performing Facility-wide SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Nursing Homes
- CDC Considerations for Memory Care Units in Long-Term Care Facilities
Congregate Settings
Guidance
- COVID-19 Mass Testing Strategy for Congregate Settings in San Mateo County
- COVID-19 Congregate Setting Admission, Readmission, and Discontinuation of Isolation Guidelines
- COVID-19 Recommendations Checklist for LTCFs, RCFs and Congregate Settings
- COVID-19 Line List
- 03/16/21: Letter to Long-Term Care Facilities Regarding COVID-19
- California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Provider Information Notices (PINs) Adult and Senior Care (ASC) Program
Webinars
- Stanford School of Medicine Webinar – Strategies to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus in Your Facility
- CDC Webinar Series - COVID-19 Prevention Messages for Long Term Care Staff
- CDC COCA Webinar - Applying COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Strategies in Nursing Homes
Additional Resources
- CDC Preparing for COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
- CDC Responding to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
- CDC Testing Guidance for Nursing Home
- CDC Performing Facility-wide SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Nursing Homes
- CDC Considerations for Memory Care Units in Long-Term Care Facilities
Schools and Child Care Facilities
- COVID-19 Recommendations Checklist for Schools
- COVID-19 Line List for Schools and Child Care Facilities
- Return to School/Childcare/Work for Persons with Symptoms of COVID- 19 and No Known Exposure in the Prior 14 Days
- Home Isolation and Quarantine Instructions for People with COVID-19 and Their Household or Close Contacts in English and Spanish
Employers and Businesses (Non-Healthcare)
San Mateo County Health Reporting Requirements for Employers and Businesses
-
Reporting Threshold: Employers and businesses are
required to notify the San Mateo County Health Communicable
Disease (CD) Control Program when there are (3) or
more cases of COVID-19 in the workplace within a 14-day
period. For additional information about required
reporting, please refer to the California Department of Public
Health (CDPH)
Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace for Employers
and California
Assembly Bill No. 685.
Clinicians, laboratories, healthcare facilities, congregate settings, schools, and child care facilities should refer to site-specific guidance documents available at www.smchealth.org/providers/covid19.
In general, other employers and businesses are not required to report individual staff members with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to the local health authority if the reporting threshold of 3 or more cases within a 14-day period is not met. In these situations, employers/businesses should refer to CDC COVID-19: Guidance for Employers and Worksites FAQs for general guidance and ensure that the staff member with COVID-19 is isolated and close contacts are identified and quarantined. See www.smchealth.org/IQ for additional information about isolation and quarantine. Health Officer Orders for isolation and quarantine are available at https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus-health-officer-updates.
Please note that Cal/OSHA has additional requirements for employers to report and respond to COVID-19 cases in the workplace. Please refer to Cal/OSHA directly for additional information.
-
How to report: Send an email with the subject line
“Employer/Business Report” to the San Mateo County Health
Communicable Disease (CD) Control Program at
COVID19_WorksiteTeam@smcgov.org (note the underscore in
COVID19_WorksiteTeam@smcgov.org).
-
What to report:
- Name of employer
- Workplace address
- Main phone number/Main email address
- Name of human resources representative, manager, or owner
- Phone number/Email address for human resources representative, manager, or owner
- Number of COVID-19 cases
- Provide details if addition guidance requested
- Do NOT send information for specific employees (e.g.,
names) in unsecured email. CD Control staff
will provide access to a secure email system as
needed. If secure email is
available, include the following.
- Case(s) Name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Phone/email
- Date reporting testing positive
- Dates worked while infectious
- This information can be submitted by secure email using the San Mateo County Health COVID-19 Confidential Morbidity Report available at https://www.smchealth.org/covid-19cmr.
San Mateo County Resources
- Home Isolation and Quarantine Instructions for People with COVID-19 and Their Household or Close Contacts in English and Spanish
- Case and Close Contact Tracking and Reporting Tool for Employers and Businesses
- San Mateo County Strong Fund: Resources for Businesses and Employees
- COVID-19 Requirements and Resources
- COVID-19 Testing in San Mateo County
- Updates and Press Releases
California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Resources
- Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace for Employers (PDF)
- Industry Guidance
- Employer Playbook: Supporting a Safer Environment for Workers and Customers - includes checklists for businesses
- Find a Testing Location
Cal/OSHA Resources
- Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards – What Employers Need to Know
- COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards – Fact Sheets, Model Written Program and Other Resources
- Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Guidance and Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions About Reporting COVID-19 Cases to Cal/OSHA
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Resources
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidance
- CDC Use PPE When Caring for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Fact Sheet/Poster
- UCSF Health Novel Respiratory Isolation: Donning and Doffing PPE with N95 and Eye Protection video
- 3M Medical Respirators N-95 Fitting Instructions video
- CDC PPE Burn Rate Calculator
- CDC Strategies to Optimize the Supply of PPE and Equipment
- Cal/OSHA Interim Guidance on COVID-19 for Healthcare Facilities: Severe Respirator Supply Shortages