• Best practices for long term care facilities reporting antigen tests via WLR - We understand how much work it is to be charged with not only taking care of your residents, but now being a "laboratory" running COVID tests and having to report them. We are seeing some issues with the data being entered differently for the same person and just offer a couple tips:
• Be sure to report your staff's home address, not your facility address
• Dates of birth should be entered for all staff and residents
• Make sure to use the full legal name when submitting results for staff and residents. Examples:
• Johnathon vs Johnny
• Dick vs Richard
• Liza vs Elizabeth

• If you are reporting a COVID-19 death to the Winnebago County Health Department, please send it to outbreak@co.winnebago.wi.us. Email is preferred over a phone call.

• DHS COVID-19 Health Alert # 21: Bamlanivimab is now available in limited supply for Wisconsin hospitals
• Bamlanivimab has been granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 who do not require hospitalization.
• Criteria for authorized use, instructions related to storage and administration, and data reporting requirements are now available through the published EUA and the manufacturer’s website.
• A limited supply of bamlanivimab has been allocated to DHS for delivery to Wisconsin hospitals. The initial allocation of 4,260 doses will be distributed to hospitals based on county-level disease burden and the CDC social vulnerability index.
• Read the full health alert here.

• Reminder: No Nursing Home Provider Webinars on Thursday, November 19 or Thursday, November 26, 2020 - Holiday Schedule

• Governor Evers and DHS Direct an Additional $80 Million to Support Skilled Nursing Facilities

• DHS COVID-19 Vaccination webpage

• DPH BCD Memo 2020-29: DHS Recommends Testing Migrant and Seasonal Workers for COVID-19 Prior to Departure at End of Work Season

• Attn: Community-Based Residential Facilities and Residential Care Apartment Complexes - Laboratory Assignments for COVID-19 Outbreak Testing in Community-Based Residential Facilities and Residential Care Apartment Complexes
• The volume of COVID-19 outbreak testing in Community-Based Residential Facilities (CBRF) and Residential Care Apartment Complexes (RCAC) has increased and placed a strain on resources. To achieve a balance between the growing demand and the existing supply, the State Testing Customer Outreach Team is contacting several CBRFs and RCACs, that are receiving outbreak testing support through the state, to change to another laboratory. This shift seeks to decrease the testing turnaround time for CBRFs and RCACs.
• The State Testing Customer Outreach Team will contact your facility if you are selected to change to another laboratory and will work with you to ensure a smooth transition.
• The State Testing Customer Outreach Team will also be contacting selected larger assisted living facilities, who are not currently in outbreak status, to shift accounts so that the Outreach Team can quickly provide outbreak testing that may be needed in the future. If you are contacted, please follow the instructions in that email to get your account set up as soon as possible.
• For more information, or if you have questions, please contact the State Testing Customer Outreach email box at: WICovidTest@wi.gov.

• Updated CDC Guidance: Care for Breastfeeding Women (Revised November 16, 2020):
• Update considerations for breastfeeding for people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 or who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19.
• Reflect new evidence suggesting that breast milk is not a likely source of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
• Reflect new evidence that SARS-CoV-2 experimentally added to breast milk is inactivated via pasteurization.
• Add considerations for infection prevention and control measures for lactation services.

• CDC Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control Spread of SARS-CoV-2 - Experimental and epidemiological data support community masking to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The prevention benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and personal protection for the mask wearer. CDC has published a summary of this science and will update it as additional science becomes available. Read the full brief:  "Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2"

• Wednesday, November 18 at 12 PM - NIHCM Foundation Webinar "The Future of the COVID-19 Response: The New Administration, Vaccines, and the Health Care System"
• Register here for this panel featuring Dr. Michael Osterholm of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board

• Wednesday, November 18 at 1 PM - UW Extension Webinar "COVID-19: Interacting with Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing"
• Register here for this session to learn basic communication strategies for interacting more comfortably with individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing and providing accommodations to ensure effective communication.
• DHS Resource: COVID-19: Interacting with Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Tuesdays, 9:00-9:30 AM - Weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Updates from DHS for Healthcare Providers
• Email your questions ahead of time to dhscovidvaccinator@wi.gov 
• Join: https://dhswi.zoom.us/s/85865013829
• Or call-in:
• US : +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
• Webinar ID: 858 6501 3829

• Tuesdays, 10-11:30 AM - DQA Assisted Living Forum
• Join Zoom, or dial 312-626-6799, Meeting ID: 723 961 504
• This session is conducted every Tuesday until further notice

• Thursdays, 10:30 AM-12 PM - DHS Long-Term Care Webinar (Next webinar: Dec. 3)
• No Nursing Home Provider Webinars on Thursday, November 19, 2020, or Thursday, November 26, 2020 - View Holiday Schedule
• Join Zoom Meeting (click this link to go straight to the room without needing to enter the meeting ID and password)
• Meeting ID: 948 1795 1711 / Password: covid19
• Phone: (312) 626-6799 / Enter # if asked for participant ID
• The webinar will be recorded and posted to the here under Resources.

• Bi-weekly on Fridays, 7 AM - DHS Weekly COVID-19 Webinar for Health Care and Nursing Home Providers
• Click here to join the webinar
• Or dial:  312 626 6799 or 646 558 8656
• Webinar ID: 233 994 680
• Webinars are held on the first and third Fridays of the month