NJAASC has curated authoritative information and a list of resources for our Membership’s reference. We will continue to update this as more information becomes available.
PAST COVID E-BLAST HAVE BEEN ARCHIVED DUE TO SPACE RESTRAINTS AND TO KEEP THINGS CURRENT.
REMEMBER KEY PARTS OF THE REVISED ED DURING THE VIRUS SPIKE
With cases rising again, labs are feeling the pinch and result time is expanding.
It is important to remember that several key parts of the last two revised EDs are potentially very helpful with this issue.
When we petitioned the Department for relief with testing issues they first gave us the following:
If test results are not received within 6 days, the patient DOES NOT have to retest (as was originally provided for in the ED/EO), but can have the procedure when the results come in, provided they maintain quarantine. That should help if things really tighten up with labs and testing.
Most importantly is the ability to now use ANY TEST FOR VIRAL DETECTION. That of course means the rapid Antigen tests.
When we first went to the Department with this request to broaden the types of tests allowed, we had two things in mind.
First was patient safety. With people back to work, kids at school, malls and restaurants open etc., well to have someone quarantine for days was simply not going to happen- even if the patient tells you that indeed they did do so! So having tests available that are rapid in results and allows the least time between test and procedure are optimum.
We also had in mind just this- that the virus would come back and the labs would begin to tighten up again. If we had just PCR available to us we would be right back where we started in the spring.
Now however there are testing options. I am not saying that you will not have delays and issues, but with more types of testing available it makes it easier for the patient and hopefully gives the labs flexibility as well.
NEW RESTRICTIONS FROM THE GOVERNOR
STAFF TESTING POSITIVE
Q: If a staff member at an ASC tests positive, does that ASC have a mandated duty to inform the patient(s) that he may have come in contact with?
If so, how.
A:The facility should follow up with the local health department (LHD). Patient notification is usually done after consultation with the LHD, but after determining who needs to be notified, the facilities would notify patients exposed within their facility.
Jamie Weller
New Jersey Department of Health
WHY NEW JERSEY SHOULD NOT LOCK DOWN- CASES VS INFECTIONS
The latest surge in coronavirus cases has ushered in a new round of restrictions in New Jersey to slow the pandemic’s second wave — and fresh warnings from Gov. Phil Murphy that more limits could follow if the spread and hospitalizations continue to worsen.
Murphy on Monday didn’t rule out ordering another state shutdown like the one he installed during the first wave in March.
“Do we reserve the right to shut everything down? Sadly, we have to with these numbers," he said.
New Jersey on Tuesday announced 4,060 new positive tests — the third time in four days with more than 4,000 cases — and 38 new deaths, the highest since July 11.
The seven-day average for new positive tests increased to 3,603 Tuesday, up 40% from a week earlier and 325% higher than a month ago.
“We’re continuing to do everything we possibly can to push back against the current COVID-19 pandemic and this second wave and save every life we possibly can — especially as this second wave is now crashing around us,” Murphy said while announcing the latest numbers at an unrelated event in Newark.
Murphy on Monday also tightened limits on indoor gatherings in New Jersey from 25 to 10 people and outdoor gatherings from 500 to 150 people. There are some exemptions for weddings, funerals and religious services, but the latest executive order includes specific rules for youth, high school, college, and professional sports.
So what could come next if the second wave continues to surge?
- Closing indoor dining
- Ending elective surgeries at hospitals
- Canceling all indoor sports
“The other steps that are on the list I think are the obvious ones, right?" Murphy said during the briefing as he turned toward state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “We talked about elective surgery. I hope the heck we keep indoor dining, please God. I hope we can keep indoor sports. But those are challenges.”
Persichilli said the current models show the second wave could peak around the end of the year and hospitalizations could fall short of the more than 8,000 patients being treated in April. But that’s based on a number of assumptions.
“It all depends on people’s behaviors," she said. “This is a very transmissible virus and masking and social distancing are so important. It seems so simple, but that’s the key.”
As for more possible restrictions?
“We really hope not, but we look at this every day,” Persichilli said.
Stephanie Silvera, an epidemiologist and public health professor at Montclair State University said the state should already be ordering more restrictions, and she suspects there may be more coming as the weather continues to cool.
“Mainly because if you look at where we were at this time in the spring, we had more severe restrictions,” Silvera said. The goal should be to get ahead of the curve and not be responsive."
Silvera said the state should closely monitor things like indoor dining, bars, and gyms throughout the winter as potentially higher risk activities. And she said part of the goal should not be just to restrict people but to “send the message we need to take this seriously.”
