Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP
Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare
I hope everyone is well and staying safe! Today, I’m providing another digest of what’s new or changed with COVID-19 information and guidance over the past few days.
- CDC – Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens from Persons for COVID-19
This webpage was updated on May 5, 2020. Guidance on properly handling bulk-packaged sterile swabs for specimen collection was added. - CDC – Evaluating and Testing Persons for COVID-19
Updated recommendations for testing, specimen collection, and reporting patients and reporting positive test results as well as specification of testing priorities were added to this webpage on May 3, 2020. - CDC – Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 (Interim Guidance)
- CDC – NIOSH: NIOSH PPE Tracker App
This webpage was reviewed on May 4, 2020 but I’m not seeing any new information that was added. What jumps out to me is now there’s a mobile app for tracking PPE inventory. I blogged last month about the PPE Burn Rate Calculator spreadsheet which is still valid but now there’s an app for that as well. You can download the app from this webpage as well as from the Apple Store and Google Play. On this webpage, you’ll also find information on strategies for optimizing your PPE. - CDC – Information for Healthcare Professionals about COVID-19
I don’t believe I’ve shared this website before but it’s another good resource for HCPs. On this site, you’ll see another link to the PPE Burn Rate Calculator spreadsheet but also a COVID-19 Surge Tool, respirators, considerations for home dialysis, first responder guidance and much more. - CDC – Social Media Toolkit
CDC created this social media toolkit to help localize efforts in responding to the virus that causes COVID-19.
This toolkit provides messages and graphics to help:
- Ensure current, correct messaging from a trusted source.
- Create collateral materials.
- Share resources.
All graphics and suggested messages are available for use on social media profiles and web pages.
Within this guide you will find information and suggested messages from our COVID-19 response. For more images and CDC content you can visit our Communication Resources page. All social media content is public domain and free to use by anyone for any purpose without restriction under copyright law. Please remember to use the #COVID19 hashtag when tweeting out any COVID-19 related content.