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Good morning colleagues!
On Friday March 1, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated Respiratory Virus Guidance. The Respiratory Virus Guidance replaces previous COVID-19 guidance for homeless service sites and correctional and detention facilities.
Please see below announcement from CDC regarding the updated guidance.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is in the process of updating our website and guidance documents to reflect the new Respiratory Virus Guidance. We will be in touch when updated resources are available.
Message from CDC about the updated Respiratory Virus Guidance
The Respiratory Virus Guidance is written from a broad perspective and focuses primarily on ways that individuals in the general public can protect themselves and others from a variety of respiratory viruses – including, but not limited to, COVID-19.
The reasons that this guidance has been issued are summarized in this background document and include the highlights below.
Background for CDC's Updated Respiratory Virus Guidance | Respiratory Illnesses | CDC
- There is a need to ensure that guidance protects health while not placing an undue burden on the population in the post-emergency context.
- This guidance provides a unified approach to respiratory viruses, rather than having separate guidance for each specific virus.
- We now have tools to fight serious respiratory illness, including effective vaccines and treatments.
- Far fewer people are getting seriously ill from COVID-19. More people have immunity from vaccines and previous infection, and there are fewer hospitalizations and deaths.
- COVID-19 remains a public health threat, but it now looks similar to other respiratory viruses.
The CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance replaces previous COVID-19 guidance for correctional and detention facilities, homeless service sites, and other non-healthcare settings. Previous corrections- and shelters- specific COVID-19 pages will be archived.
- CDC has posted a Q&A document that includes high level information on how this guidance applies specifically to correctional and detention facilities and shelters: Respiratory Virus Guidance Update FAQs | CDC
- Note that this guidance does NOT apply to portions of facilities where healthcare is provided. Healthcare workers providing care in correctional and detention facilities, shelters, service centers, clinics, or mobile medicine for people experiencing homelessness, should continue to follow CDC’s healthcare-specific infection prevention and control guidance: Infection Control | CDC
CDC plans to hold webinars soon to walk through the guidance (including differences from previous COVID-19 guidance); elaborate on how it applies to correctional and detention facilities, and homeless service settings; and answer questions.
Please stay tuned for information on how to join the webinars once the date and time for the webinars have been finalized.
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