COVID-19 UPDATE #272

November 10, 2022

On November 3, the Department of Health (DOH) hosted a Guidance Update call and has provided both the recording and slides. These will be available until November 22, 2022. The passcode to view the recording is: ^66V7H#Z (case sensitive).

To attend today's 11 AM call or the December 8 call, please register here. Resources that will be discussed on the call are located below:

• Updated Guidance document
• Respiratory Protection website
• N95 Fit Testing and Respiratory Protection Program email

For any additional questions, please contact HAI-COVID@doh.wa.gov.

On November 9, 2022, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department sent a bulletin for providers of long term care facilities reminding you about winter conditions that can affect our health, especially for people ages 65 or older and with long-term conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, diabetes, or kidney disease. Managing long-term health conditions and planning will greatly reduce your risk for urgent medical attention. Learn about updates to help navigate infectious disease outbreaks and emergencies on the county's webpage.

The bulletin also provides information on the following:

• Updated COVID-19 boosters
• Masks in healthcare settings
• Infection control
• COVID-19 treatments

You may view the full bulletin here. Email longtermcare@tpchd.org to sign up for notifications.

On October 31, 2022, Washington State DOH released updated Recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare Settings. This guidance, along with guidance from CDC and CMS, no longer recommends weekly screening of asymptomatic staff in long term care facilities (LTCFs). 

On November 3, 2022, Public Health-Seattle & King County (PHSKC) issued a letter notifying LTCFs that they will align with the DOH recommendations and no longer recommend LTCFs test staff three times per week. The decision to continue routine staff screening is at the discretion of the facility.

The DOH Office of Immunization has created a Long-Term Care (LTC) summary vaccine tool kit which includes CDC and FDA resources, short videos and print ready materials appropriate for use in various LTC settings. It includes materials for the COVID-19 bivalent booster and flu vaccines in English and links for other languages. Click here to view the took kit.