Infection Control and Prevention

It’s also important to know and understanding how COVID-19 is spreading within your local community. To access your local health department for updated data, click on the map found here to access your County and City Health Officials.

Infection Control

• Infection Control Basics
  Learn the basics of infection control to stop the spread of infection within your health care setting.
• Standard Precautions
  Learn the basics about measures used for all patients to prevent the spread of infection within a health care facility and amongst staff and patients.
• Transmission-Based Precautions (Guidelines for contact, droplet, and airborne precautions)
  Used in conjunction with standard precautions, learn about the different infection control measures based upon type of infection and route of transmission.
• Some COVID-19 patients can manage their symptoms from home. Find information to provide to your patients about caring for COVID-19 symptoms from home and reducing community spread of the virus.
• Testing Guidelines
  Read the most up-to-date guidelines on testing recommendations and types of tests for COVID-19.
• Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19
  Find the most updated guidance from the CDC on when to begin and end isolation. Isolation is used for people who have COVID-19, and for people who are sick and suspect they have COVID-19, but do not yet have test results.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) When Caring for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19
  Download and post this information in common areas or donning and doffing stations for staff to reference.
• Three Key Factors Required for a Respirator to be Effective
  Whether you are using a newly issued N95 respirator or testing your N95 following extended use or reuse, these steps will help you ensure proper fit. If you are using a re-issued N95 that has been decontaminated, visually inspect if for cleanliness, check the straps for elasticity, and perform a seal check prior to performing patient care. If administering aerosolizing procedures, ask for a brand new N95 respirator.
• Frequently Asked Questions about Respirators and their Use
  There is a wide variety of PPE currently available. Learn more about the recommended PPE needed to care for COVID-19 patient.
• Safe Alternatives for Respirator Reuse
  Half-Mask Elastomeric Respirators and Powered Air Purified Respirators (PAPR) are respirators intended for decontamination and reuse. Learn more about these reusable alternatives:
• Half-Mask Elastomeric Respirators
• Powered Air Purified Respirators (PAPR)
  
  

Optimization of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supply

• CDC Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators                                                                    Find the most recent guidance from the CDC regarding the optimization of N95 Respirators
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator
  Available as a mobile app or on the web, this spreadsheet-based model will help you plan and optimize the use of PPE for your facility. 
• NIOSH PPE Tracker App
  Based on the original PPE burn rate calculator, this mobile app can assist with tracking PPE inventory, calculate average PPE burn rate based upon PPE type, hospital unit, and changes in usage based upon fluctuation in admission and discharge. Add restock inventory for continuous inventory monitoring and track different forms of PPE. Available for both iOS and Android devices.