2020 Health Alerts, Advisories and Updates

• 544 - 12/30/20 - ADV - Hospital COVID-19 Outbreak Exposure and Response- Archived
  
• 543 - 12/28/20 - UPD - Providing Demographic Variables as Part of Laboratory Submission Forms
• 542 - 12/19/20 - ADV - Infection Prevention and Control Considerations for Residents of Long-term Care Facilities with Signs and Symptoms Following COVID-19 Vaccination
  
• 541 – 12/16/20 – ADV – Infection Prevention and Control Considerations for Healthcare Personnel with Signs and Symptoms Following COVID-19 Vaccination
• 540 - 12/09/20 – ADV – Hospital Outbreak Identification and Reporting for COVID-19
• 539 - 12/08/20 - ADV - Reporting of all CD4 T-lymphocyte, Viral Load, and Genotyping Test Results Associated with HIV Infection are now Mandatory in Pennsylvania
• 538 - 12/04/20 - ALT - Updated Quarantine Recommendations for Persons Exposed to COVID-19- Archived
• 537 - 11/30/20 - ADV - Testing and Management Considerations for Long-term Care Facility Residents with Acute Respiratory Illness Symptoms when SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Viruses are Co-circulating
• 536 - 11/17/20 - UPD - Additional Guidance for Patients After a Known Exposure to SARS-CoV-2
• 535 - 11/11/20 - UPD - Notification of COVID-19 Test Results to Patients
  • COVID-19 Close Contact Worksheet
  • COVID-19 Patient Instructions for Self-Isolation While Awaiting Laboratory Results 
• 534 - 10/30/20 - UPD - Guidance on Reporting Point of Care SARS-CoV-2 Test Results- Archived
  
• 533 - 10/26/20 - ADV - Additional Factors to Determine Close Contacts of Persons with COVID-19
• 532 - 10/08/20 - ADV - Point of Care Antigen Test Use and Interpretation- Archived
  
• 531 - 10/08/20 - ADV - Guidance for Reporting Point of Care SARS-CoV-2 Test Results - Archived
• 530 - 10/07/20 - ADV - Long-term Care Facility Guidance for Testing and Cohorting: Response to an Outbreak and Residents with Exposure to COVID-19 - Archived
  
• 529 - 10/02/20 - UPD - Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children- Archived
• 528 - 10/01/20 - ADV - Considerations for Evaluating Patients for SARS-CoV-2
• 527 – 09/21/20 – ADV –Testing and Management Guidance for Patients After Exposure to SARS-CoV-2
• 526 - 09/17/20 - ADV - Point-of-Care Antigen Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Long-term Care Facilities- Archived
  
• 525 – 09/14/20 – ALT – ALERT: Guidance for Patients Under Quarantine After Exposure to SARS-CoV-2
• 524 – 09/10/20 – UPD – UPDATE: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Known or Patients Under Investigation for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in a Healthcare Setting- Archived
  
• 523 – 08/26/20 - ADV - Seasonal Increase in Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) Cases
• 522 - 08/18/20 - ALT - New Outbreak and Containment of Candida auris in PA Healthcare Facilities
• 521 - 08/13/20 - ADV - Exposure to COVID-19 in the Dental Setting- Archived
  
• 520 - 08/07/20 - UPD - Infection Prevention Update - Archived
  
• 519 - 07/28/20 - ADV - Annual Oral Rabies Vaccination in Western Pennsylvania: Human Implications
• 518 - 07/20/20 - UPD - UPDATE: Interim Guidance on Discontinuing Non-Healthcare Isolation for Persons with COVID-19
• 517 - 07/18/20 - UPD- UPDATE: Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions for Patients with COVID-19 - Archived
  
• 516 - 07/18/20 - UPD- UPDATE: Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 - Archived
  
• 515 - 07/11/20 - ADV - Increased in Overdoses Associated with Synthetic Cannabinoid Use - Lehigh County
• 514 - 07/10/20 - ADV - West Nile Virus Season in 2020 in Pennsylvania
• 513 - 07/04/20 - ALT - Alert-Changing Epidemiology of COVID-19 Case Demographics
• 512 - 06/23/20 - ADV - Anticipated Increase in Legionellosis Cases Due to Seasonality and Building Reopenings
• 511 - 06/02/20 - ADV - Lyme Disease and Other Tickborne Diseases in Pennsylvania
• 510 - 06/01/20 - UPD - UPDATE: Risk Assessment and Work Restrictions for Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure to COVID-19 - Archived
• 509 - 05/29/20 - UPD - UPDATE: Testing Guidance for COVID-19 in Long-term Care Facilities Residents and Healthcare Personnel - Archived
• 508 – 05/12/20 - ADV - ADVISORY: Test-based Strategies for Preventing Transmission of the Virus that Causes COVID-19 in Skilled Nursing Facilities - Archived
• 507 - 05/11/20 - ALT - Restarting Water Systems
• 506 - 05/11/20 - ALT - Pediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome - Archived
  
• 505 – 05/06/20 – UPD – UPDATE: SARS-CoV-2 Laboratory Testing Comparison
  • SARS-CoV-2 Testing Infographic 2020
• 504 - 05/04/20 - UPD - UPDATE - Interim Guidance on Discontinuing Non-Healthcare Isolation for Persons with COVID-19- Archived
  
• 503 - 05/04/20 - ALT - ALERT: SARS-CoV-2 Laboratory Testing Comparison- Archived
  
  • SARS-CoV-2 Testing Infographic 2020
• 502 - 05/01/20 - ADV- Advisory - Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions for Patients with COVID-19- Archived
  
• 501 - 05/01/20 - UPD - UPDATE - Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19- Archived
  
• 500 - 4/30/20 - UPD - Specimen Collections
• 499- 4/21/20 - ALT - ALERT - Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19- Archived
  
• 498 - 04/19/20 - ALT - Critical Infrastructure- Archived
• 497 - 04/16/20 - UPD - UPDATE: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Known or Patients Under Investigation for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in a Healthcare Setting- Archived
• 496 - 04/14/20 - ADV - Cohorting Residents - Archived
  
• 495 - 04/14/20 - ALT - ALERT - Lab Demographics
• 494 - 04/10/20 - ALT - ALERT: Interim Guidelines for Serologic Testing and COVID-19 Diagnostics
• 493 - 04/06/20 - ALT - ALERT: Notification of COVID-19 Test Results to Patients- Archived
  
  • COVID-19 Close Contact Checklist
  • COVID-19 Patient Instructions for Self Isolation While Awaiting Lab Results
• 492 – 04/03/20 – ALT – ALERT: Universal Masking of Healthcare Workers and Staff in Congregate Care Settings
• 491 – 04/03/20 – UPD – Update: Interim Guidelines for Collecting Specimens for COVID-19 - Archived
  
• 490 - 3/24/20 - UPD - UPDATE: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Known or Patients Under Investigation for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in a Healthcare Setting - Archived
  
• 489 – 03/19/20 – ALT – Update: Updated Interim Guidance on Discontinuing Home Isolation/Quarantine and Returning to Work Criteria for Healthcare Providers - Archived
  
• 488 – 03/17/20 – ALT - Alert: Interim Guidance on Discontinuing Home Isolation/Quarantine and Returning to Work Criteria for Healthcare Providers with COVID-19- Archived
  
• 487 - 3/14/20 - ALT - Alert: Interim COVID 19 Specimen Collection and Testing Guidance- Archived
  
  • COVID-19 Specimen Collection Guidance
  • COVID-19 Testing Factsheet
  • COVID-19 How to Get Tested
• 486 – 03/11/20 - ALT - Alert: Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings
• 485 - 03/11/20 - UPD - Updated: COVID-19 Specimen Collection and Shipping Guidance - Archived
• 484 - 03/09/20 - UPD - UPDATE - Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure in a Healthcare Setting to Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) - Archived
  
• 483 - 03/06/20 - ALT - First Presumptive Positive COVID-19 Cases in Pennsylvania
• 482 – 03/05/20 – ADV – Commercial Lab Guidance
• 481 – 03/05/20 – ALT – Interim Guidance for Healthcare Professionals- Archived
  
• 480 – 02/28/20 – ADV – Updated: COVID-19 Interim Guidance for Healthcare Professionals- Archived
  
• 479 – 02/27/20 – ALT – COVID-19 Interim Guidance for Healthcare Professionals- Archived
  
• 478 – 02/09/20 – ADV – Interim U.S. Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Healthcare Personnel with Potential Exposure in a Healthcare Setting to Patients with 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)- Archived
  
• 477 – 02/04/20 – ADV – Guidance for Risk Assessment and Public Health Management of Persons with Potential 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Exposure in Travel-associated or Community Settings- Archived
  
• 476 – 01/31/20 – ADV – Updated Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Collection and Shipping Guidance
  • Attachment for HAN 476: 2019 nCoV Specimen Instructions (Updated 1/31/2020)
    
• 475 – 01/31/20 – ADV – 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Interim Guidance for Healthcare Professionals
  • Attachment for HAN 475: Large Cities in Hubei Province
    
• 474 – 01/25/20 – ADV – Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Collection and Shipping Guidance
  • Attachment for HAN 474: 2019 nCoV Specimen Instructions
• 473 – 01/19/20 – ADV – Update and Interim Guidance on Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China
• 472 – 01/10/20 – ADV – Elevated Influenza Activity: Influenza B/Victoria and A(H1N1)pdm09 Viruses are the Predominant Viruses
• 471 – 01/09/20 – ADV – Outbreak of Pneumonia of Unknown Etiology (PUE) in Wuhan, China