5/13/20 - Update on COVID-19 Guidance and Resources

Testing

• Diagnostic testing is available now.  A molecular test (PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 RNA is recommended for diagnosing current COVID-19 disease. While serologic tests are becoming more prevalent, they are not recommended for diagnosing current disease.

• Eastern Idaho Public Health encourages providers to test, utilizing a molecular test (PCR), any patients that are suspect for COVID-19. Please contact your laboratory of choice or your contracted laboratory in regards to testing.

Release from isolation

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that days in isolation increase to 10 days from symptom onset. More details found below as well as in “Symptom-Based Strategy to Discontinue Isolation for Persons with COVID-19: Decision Memo,” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/strategy-discontinue-isolation.html.  This document pertains mostly to the general community. 
  • Recommendation: For persons recovered from COVID-19 illness, CDC recommends that isolation be maintained for at least 10 days after illness onset and at least 3 days (72 hours) after recovery.  Recovery is defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications with progressive improvement or resolution of other symptoms.  This decision to increase days in isolation of cases is because, “At this time, replication-competent virus has not been successfully cultured more than 9 days after onset of illness. The statistically estimated likelihood of recovering replication-competent virus approaches zero by 10 days (CDC unpublished data, Wölfel 2020, Arons 2020). The linked document expands on this information of why CDC has changed the recommendations.

Criteria for return to work for healthcare providers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 may be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/return-to-work.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fhealthcare-facilities%2Fhcp-return-work.html