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Fifteen local health departments (LHDs) and 5 tribes have yet to complete the holiday closure survey. This survey has been open since mid-November. This information is particularly important this year as we are still responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please complete the survey no later than Friday, December 11, 2020. Once all LHDs and tribes have completed the survey, the compiled information will be shared with the CHECC and all LHDs and tribes.
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020, the CDC presented scientific findings describing options to reduce the required number of quarantine days for individuals with known exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case. MDHHS has been evaluating this information in the context of its guidance for contact tracing and recommendations for Michigan residents.
The existing fourteen-day recommendation was based on earlier data that estimated the COVID-19 incubation period. At the national level, estimates of the COVID-19 incubation period have been refined based on a review of case data for hundreds of thousands of cases. Data from that assessment indicate that 99% of all infections will present within ten days of exposure. While a fourteen-day quarantine period is still standard, under certain conditions the CDC has presented an option for reducing the quarantine period for exposed individuals to ten days after exposure.
Based on the evaluation of the CDC information, MDHHS is updating guidance to specify that the post COVID-19 exposure quarantine period for Michigan residents can be modified in specific situations. While the standard fourteen-day quarantine period remains, individuals have an opportunity to reduce that to ten days provided:
• The individual does not develop any symptoms or clinical evidence of COVID-19 infection during daily symptom monitoring for the 10 days after the last exposure; and,
• Daily symptom monitoring continues through day 14 after the last exposure.
Note: Based on individual assessment, LHDs may continue to require individuals to quarantine for the full 14 days per existing CDC recommendations. The fourteen day option most greatly mitigates the possibility of post-quarantine transmission and continues to be the strategy with the most evidence for reducing risk to others at present.
With consideration for existing (and potential) limitations on the availability of testing resources, testing modality, and concerns of increased turnaround time for lab results, MDHHS is currently reviewing options for further reduction of quarantine periods based on diagnostic testing results. MDHHS guidance may be updated at a later date based on that review.
There are 2 systems available for monitoring and reporting possible adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines LHDs should know about and promote using:
1. v-safe is a smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after a person receives a COVID-19 vaccination. It also reminds patients of any needed second vaccine dose.
• A V-safe information sheet is available
• A V-safe poster is available for provider offices to promote v-safe
Providers will be encouraged to give their patients the one-page v-safe information sheet above at the time of COVID-19 vaccination, and strongly encourage their patients to enroll in v-safe.
2. VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) is the existing adverse events monitoring program for vaccines in the US.
• Any potential adverse vaccine reaction in a recipient that is considered to be clinically significant should be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), even if it is not certain that the event was caused by the vaccine.
• Additional information about VAERS is available
Additional information about VAERS and reporting: Reports may be made by anyone, including vaccine recipients, but it is often best to have a health care provider involved in making a report; ideally the provider who administered the vaccine. Reports are to be submitted through the online reporting mechanism available on the VAERS website, (a report may also be submitted by downloading a writable .pdf VAERS form, completing it, and uploading to the VAERS website).
Further information regarding COVID-19 vaccine can be found at our COVID-19 vaccine webpage, then selecting “Provider Guidance and Education”.
Thank you for all your hard work to protect Michiganders from vaccine-preventable diseases!
The CHECC received questions from some LHDs asking where in the vaccine prioritization phases EMS personnel that are part of fire departments, sheriff’s departments, etc. fall. These EMS personnel, known and licensed as medical first responders, are considered EMS personnel and are part of Phase 1a of the COVID-19 vaccine priority phases.
The Battelle CCDS system for decontaminating and sanitizing N95s located at the TCF Center in Detroit will be decommissioned by mid-December. The CHECC is working on getting additional information.
The next PHEP Partners call will be December 10, 2020, from 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm via Teams. The agenda with link to the Teams channel is attached.
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