COVID-19 Advisory for Healthcare Providers

Updated COVID Infection Control Guidance for acute and long term care facilities

Posted April 27, 2023. Past health advisories and alerts are archived for historical purposes and are not maintained or updated.

SRHD has formally adopted the updated COVID infection control and prevention guidance for healthcare facilities, which aligns with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and WA Department of Health (DOH) guidance. The full DOH document is available at: SARS-CoV-2 Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare Settings Toolkit (wa.gov)

The purpose of this SRHD Health Alert is to:

  1. Help clarify which COVID infection control/prevention guidance is specific to healthcare (acute and long term skilled care) vs. community congregate living (non-skilled personal care) facility categories*
  2. Summarize key changes in the guidance around: masking and eye protection

Healthcare facilities providing acute or skilled long term care, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, or skilled nursing facilities should apply Community Transmission levels for their general operations, and follow this guidance: Infection Control: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) | CDC

Community congregate living (non-skilled care provider facilities), including Assisted Living, AFHs, Supported Living, Behavioral Health, and Group homes should apply COVID-19 Community Levels for their general operations, and follow this guidance:

Masking

For Acute and Long Term Skilled Healthcare Facilities:

When SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission levels are high, universal source control (masking) is required for everyone in a healthcare setting when they are in areas of the healthcare facility where they could encounter patients. This applies to all acute care and skilled long term care facilities (source: Infection Control: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) | CDC, under Implement Source Control Measures section.)

When SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission levels are not high, healthcare facilities could choose not to require universal source control (masking). However, even if source control is not universally required, it remains recommended for individuals in healthcare settings who:

  • Have suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or other respiratory infection (e.g., those with runny nose, cough, sneeze); or
  • Had close contact (patients and visitors) or a higher-risk exposure (HCP) with someone with SARS-CoV-2 infection, for 10 days after their exposure; or
  • Reside or work on a unit or area of the facility experiencing a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak; universal use of source control could be discontinued as a mitigation measure once no new cases have been identified for 14 days; or

For Community Congregate Living Facilities:

When SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 Community Levels are high, source control is recommended in non-skilled personal care congregate settings.

Additional Information for Community Congregate Living Settings (e.g., Group Homes, Assisted Living) | CDC

Eye Protection

For Acute and Long Term Skilled Healthcare Facilities:

When SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission levels are high, universal eye protection is required for everyone in an acute or skilled long term care setting (healthcare) when they are in areas of the healthcare facility where they could encounter patients.

Additionally, universal eye protection may also be required in the following scenarios, regardless of transmission levels:

  • When caring for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients who are infectious.
  • When caring for patients under Standard/Transmission-based precautions
  • During an aerosol generating procedure when community transmission levels are high

For Community Congregate Living Facilities:

Eye protection may be recommended in the following scenarios, regardless of transmission levels:

  • When caring for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients who are infectious.
  • When caring for patients under Standard/Transmission-based precautions
  • During an aerosol generating procedure when community transmission levels are high

Note: SRHD supports all long term and acute care facilities in their assessment the unique risks of their respective settings and the populations they serve, and their decisions to use enhanced COVID-19 prevention strategies (which may include masking/source control requirements) to help reduce the impact of COVID-19.