Public Health Home
Acute Communicable Disease Control
County of Los Angeles
Department of Public Health
Acute Communicable Disease Control
313 N. Figueroa Street, #212
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 213-240-7941
Fax: 213-482-4856
Email: acdc2@ph.lacounty.gov
The FDA granted an EUA on May 1 allowing remdesivir to be administered by healthcare providers to treat suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is allocating remdesivir to state health departments to distribute. Per CDPH, “California's first allocation of remdesivir from the federal government is scheduled to arrive on 5.12.20 and will consist of 30 cases of 40 doses each. Each patient course requires between 6-11 doses. This amount will allow us to treat between 109-200 patients. CDPH is allocating the 1,200 doses proportionately to counties based on the number of hospitalized patients.”
Interfacility Transfer & Home Discharge Rules: (4-23-20) Rules Page Patient transfer criteria from hospitals to LTCF/SNFs, group settings (including psychiatric and mental health facilities), and home. Also includes guidance on LTCF/SNF transfers to other LTCF/SNFs or group settings.
Emergency Departments Return-to-Facility & Home Discharge Rules (3-23-20) Rules PDF
FEMA is coordinating two shipments totaling a 14-day supply of personal protective equipment to all 15,400 Medicaid and Medicare-certified nursing homes in America. The first shipments are expected to begin the first week of May. The shipments are meant to supplement existing efforts to provide equipment to nursing homes. See FEMA letter (4-30-20).
All COVID-19 associated deaths must be reported immediately by healthcare providers. All other COVID-19 cases must be reported by healthcare providers within a day. All SARS-CoV-2 test results must also be reported by laboratories within a day. View Provider Reporting for more information.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently added COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 to the list of infectious diseases and circumstances relevant to notification of Emergency Response Employees (Implementation of Section 2695 (42 U.S.C. 300ff-131) Public Law 111-87: Infectious Diseases and Circumstances Relevant to Notification Requirements). Please note that under Section 2695, if an emergency response employee (ERE) has been exposed, the medical facility must provide the name of the infectious disease and the date on which the victim of the emergency was transported by the ERE to the facility. This does not violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
Emergency response employees (ERE) are defined as: firefighters, law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, funeral service practitioners and other individuals (including employees of legally organized and recognized volunteer organizations, without regard to whether such employees receive nominal compensation) who, in the course of professional duties, respond to emergencies in the geographic area involved.
The full guidance document can be found here.
In addition, health facilities are reminded that if a patient with COVID-19 dies, they must notify the funeral director PRIOR to the release of the deceased.
California Code, Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1797.188
(h) In the event of the demise of the person afflicted with the reportable communicable disease or condition, the health facility or county health officer shall notify the funeral director, charged with removing the decedent
from the health facility, of the reportable communicable disease or condition prior to the release of the decedent from the health facility to the funeral director.
https://codes.findlaw.com/ca/health-and-safety-code/hsc-sect-1797-188.html
