BriggsNetNews

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP 
Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare

CDC updated Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-CoV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 on December 23, 2021.

“Due to concerns about increased transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, this guidance is being updated to enhance protection for healthcare personnel (HCP), patients, and visitors, and to address concerns about potential impacts on the healthcare system given a surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections. These updates will be refined as additional information becomes available to inform recommended actions.

• Ensure that SARS-CoV-2 testing is performed with a test that is capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2, even with currently circulating variants in the United States.
• Updated recommendations regarding when HCP with SARS-CoV-2 infection could return to work
• The definition of higher-risk exposure was updated to include use of a facemask (instead of a respirator) by HCP if the infected patient is not also wearing a facemask or cloth mask.
• Added options that would allow asymptomatic HCP with a higher-risk exposure who have not received all COVID-19 vaccine doses, including booster dose, as recommended by CDC to return to work prior to the previously recommended 14-day post-exposure period of work restriction, assuming they do not develop symptoms or test positive for SARS-CoV-2.”

Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel Staffing Shortages was also updated on December 23, 2021.

“Due to concerns about increased transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, this guidance is being updated to enhance protection for healthcare personnel (HCP), patients, and visitors and to address concerns about potential impacts on the healthcare system given a surge of SARS-CoV-2 infections. These updates will be refined as additional information becomes available to inform recommended actions.

• Ensure that SARS-CoV-2 testing is performed with a test that is capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2, even with the currently circulating variants in the United States.
• Updated contingency and crisis strategies for mitigating staff shortages

Key Points

• Maintaining appropriate staffing in healthcare facilities is essential to providing a safe work environment for HCP and for safe patient care.
• Maximizing interventions to protect HCP, patients, and visitors are critical at all times, including when considering strategies to address staffing shortages.
• CDC’s mitigation strategies offer a continuum of options for addressing staffing shortages. Contingency, followed by crisis capacity, strategies augment conventional strategies and are meant to be considered and implemented sequentially (i.e., implementing contingency strategies before crisis strategies).

The same Work Restrictions for HCP with SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Exposures is provided on this landing page as well: