In a recent All Facilities Letter (AFL), The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released updated guidance on prioritization of testing for COVID-19. Citing the importance of expanded testing in understanding the virus, CDPH indicated this guidance will “be reassessed on a weekly basis based on California’s evolving situation and input from stakeholders. The prioritization categories below are suggested as guidance to sequential expansion of testing. As testing capacity increases, testing should expand accordingly at the discretion of the Local Health Officer.”
- Priority 1:
- Hospitalized patients
- Symptomatic healthcare workers
- Persons identified for testing by public health contact investigations and disease control activities in high risk settings, including both residents and staff (e.g., congregate living facilities, correctional facilities)
- Priority 2:
- Screening of asymptomatic residents of congregate living facilities prior to admission or re-admission to congregate living facility (e.g., a hospitalized patient will be screened for COVID-19 prior to discharge to a congregate living facility)
- Screening of asymptomatic healthcare workers (e.g., skilled nursing facility workers, hospital workers)
- Symptomatic persons in essential health and public safety occupations (e.g., first responders, law enforcement, congregate living facility workers)
- Symptomatic persons >65 years of age or with chronic medical conditions
- Priority 3:
- Symptomatic persons in essential infrastructure occupations (e.g., utility workers, food supply workers, other public employees)
- Priority 4:
- Community-based testing of all low-risk symptomatic persons
- Surveillance testing of asymptomatic persons
- The AFL further guides, ill persons should stay home and away from others until:
- There has been no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications,
- There has been improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) for at least three days; AND,
- It is at least seven days since symptoms first appeared, i.e., the minimum length of time will be seven days.