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Important update: Healthcare facilities

CDC has updated select ways to operate healthcare systems effectively in response to COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more

Find the latest information:
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Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
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UPDATE

Given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, CDC has updated the guidance for fully vaccinated people. CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Children should return to full-time in-person learning in the fall with layered prevention strategies in place.

UPDATE

The White House announced that vaccines will be required for international travelers coming into the United States, with an effective date of November 8, 2021. For purposes of entry into the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines. More information is available here.

UPDATE

Travel requirements to enter the United States are changing, starting November 8, 2021. More information is available here.

Ten Ways Healthcare Systems Can Operate Effectively during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Updated May 1, 2020

Purpose of this Guidance

CDC is listening to and learning from the experiences of healthcare systems as they respond to COVID-19. This document provides practical approaches that can be used to protect healthcare personnel (HCP), patients, and communities.

Audience

Healthcare system and healthcare facility decision makers

Worker Safety and Support

Understand and execute current infection prevention and control (IPC) practices for COVID-19.
- Ensure HCP are well-trained on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Implement strategies to optimize personal protective equipment (PPE), including implementing extended and limited reuse of N95 respirators, reserving N95 respirators for aerosol-generating procedures, creating extended use PPE units where only patients with COVID-19 are provided care, and implementing a walk-up testing booth that allows HCP to stand behind solid but transparent (e.g., polycarbonate) panels to collect samples for COVID-19.
- Institute universal source control for all HCP, patients, and visitors.
- Consider tracking PPE supplies available using the PPE burn rate calculator.
Develop protocols for HCP to monitor themselves for fever and symptoms of COVID-19, restrict them from work when sick or post exposure, and to safely allow return to work after an exposure and/or suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Establish a plan for providing additional support for HCPexternal icon, considering aspects such as mental health, parentingexternal icon, meals,external icon and non-punitive sick policies.

Patient Service Delivery

Help your HCP become well-versed in evidence-based care of patients with COVID-19, including guidance provided by CDC, National Institutes of Health,external icon the Infectious Diseases Society of Americaexternal icon, the World Health Organizationexternal icon, and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign.external icon
Understand the guidance for discharging a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from the hospital to home or to a long-term care facility.
Use telehealthexternal icon strategies when feasible to provide high-quality patient care and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the healthcare setting. Consider implementing a phone advice line to triage patients and to address questions and concerns from possible COVID-19 patients.

Data Streams for Situational Awareness

Maintain awareness of the COVID-19 situation in the state, city, and facility. Provide access to evidence-based guidance for caring for patients with COVID-19.
Report hospital capacity data to HHS Protect using one of the approved mechanisms described in the HHS COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital Reporting and FAQspdf icon.

Facility Practices

Strengthen your facility’s response mechanisms by becoming familiar with pandemic, COVID-19 specific, and crisis standards of care
- Consider using a hospital preparedness checklistexternal icon and the COVID-19Surge spreadsheet to estimate and respond to the surge in demand for hospital-based services.
- Put in place or activate plans for cohorting patients with COVID-19 and assigning dedicated staff.
- Create plans to reduce staffing shortages and assess the need for alternative care sites, such as emergency field hospitalsexternal icon.
- Consider setting up an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for your hospital if not already in place and ensure the EOC has enough staff for an extended response.
- Work towards resuming/maintaining essential healthcare services using a risk/benefit analysis for in-person care visits while optimizing telehealth.

Communications

Develop and maintain a communication planexternal icon for your HCP, patients, and the community. Consider including virtual town halls, daily huddles with local leadership, calls with partners, emails and phone conferences for staff, media briefs, and others.

More Information