The Alameda County Public Health Department sends out Health Alerts, Advisories, and Updates regarding communicable disease outbreaks, immunization updates, and other public health concerns to Alameda County clinicians and other partners. See recent releases below.
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Health Alerts
| ALERT | conveys the highest level of importance; warrants immediate action or attention. |
| ADVISORY | provides important information for a specific incident or situation; may not require immediate action. |
| UPDATE | provides updated information regarding an incident or situation; unlikely to require immediate action. |
June 17, 2020 |
Advisory |
Updated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Updated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Healthcare Provider Reporting Requirements for Alameda County In accordance with a recent CDC health advisory and as first discussed in the 5/20/20 ACPHD Health Advisory, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 is reportable to Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD). This Advisory updates reporting requirements for Alameda County Clinicians, Emergency Departments, Pathologists, and Healthcare Facilities. |
May 21, 2020 |
Advisory |
Discontinuation of COVID-19 Transmission-Based Precautions Guidance for Alameda County Patients and residents at Acute Care Hospitals and Long Term Care Facilities in Alameda County with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection must be isolated or in an appropriate cohort using Transmission-Based Precautions for the duration of their infectious period. Federal guidance for removal of Transmission-Based Precautions offers several different strategies to determine the end of the infectious period. This Advisory describes the criteria that must be met to discontinue Transmission-Based Precautions for patients and residents with suspected or confirmed infection with COVID-19, including individuals who have been diagnosed with asymptomatic infection. |
May 20, 2020 |
Advisory |
Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 is now reportable to Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD). Report cases meeting CDC’s case definition for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) within 24 hours to the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) at (510) 267-3250, Mon-Fri 8:30 am to 5 pm. After hours and on weekends, call Alameda County Fire Dispatch at (925) 422- 7595 and ask to speak to the Public Health Duty Officer on call. Laboratory results must be reported by Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR), fax or secure email within 24 hours. Please make sure to report as completely as possible, including race and ethnicity information. |
May 13, 2020 |
Advisory |
Resumption of Non-Urgent Health Care Services in Alameda County As Alameda County continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, providers and facilities are encouraged to gradually resume full scope of services when possible and safe to do so, based on California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) guidance. |
May 12, 2020 |
Advisory |
Updated COVID-19 Testing Guidance for Alameda County The following updated guidance for COVID-19 laboratory testing is intended to inform Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) efforts to control the epidemic and aid decision-making by clinicians and other testing providers. The guidance sets out groups that should be prioritized for testing but it is not a requirement to test in these groups. Testing decisions and policies must be flexible to account for ongoing limitations in testing resources and protective equipment. Clinical judgment should be used to guide testing of symptomatic persons. ACPHD typically issues additional testing guidance for certain settings and situations, including outbreaks. |
April 08, 2020 |
Advisory |
New COVID-19 Healthcare Provider Reporting Requirements for Alameda County As of April 7, 2020, a total of 602 COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths have been reported among Alameda County residents, excluding the City of Berkeley. Although the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) continues to conduct individual COVID-19 case and contact investigations, we are prioritizing public health resources towards investigations in settings (e.g., long-term care facilities) or among persons (e.g., healthcare providers or first responders) where there is concern for ongoing transmission. To ensure that ACPHD prioritizes resources for public health investigations, effective April 8, 2020 we have modified our County’s COVID-19 reporting requirements for healthcare providers as summarized in tjhis Health Advisory. For more information on testing specifics, please see the full ACPHD Health Advisory: |
April 03, 2020 |
Advisory |
Health Care Providers to Disseminate ACPHD Isolation and Quarantine Orders to Patients with Suspected COVID-19 The Alameda County Health Officer issued blanket isolation orders that will apply to all persons diagnosed with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and blanket quarantine orders that will apply to close contacts of cases. Effective 4/3/20, Alameda County Public Health Department directs Alameda County health care partners to disseminate blanket orders to all patients being tested for COVID-19 or who are presumptively diagnosed with COVID-19 without testing BEFORE they leave the health care facility. Alameda County healthcare providers should use the procedure described in the Update to request COVID-19 testing by our Public Health Lab (ACPHL). Please limit testing requests by phone to the hours 9am-5pm, 7 days per week. For more information on testing specifics, please see the full ACPHD Health Advisory: |
March 06, 2020 |
Update |
COVID-19 Testing Changes Alameda County healthcare providers should direct COVID-19 testing to commercial laboratories and other non-public health laboratories now offering COVID-19 testing. Providers may determine which patients are suspect COVID-19 cases using clinical judgement but should alert Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) regarding the priority cases listed below. ACPHD approval is no longer needed for testing. Alameda County healthcare providers should use the procedure described in the Update to request COVID-19 testing by our Public Health Lab (ACPHL). Please limit testing requests by phone to the hours 9am-5pm, 7 days per week. For more information on testing specifics, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |
March 06, 2020 |
Advisory |
COVID-19 Testing Recommended for Symptomatic Persons Who Were Aboard the Grand Princess Cruise Cases of COVID-19 have been detected among persons on the Grand Princess Cruise that departed San Francisco February 11 and returned on February 21. The Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is advising County residents who were aboard the Grand Princess Cruise who have been symptomatic with fever, new cough or difficulty breathing since the cruise to be tested for COVID-19 by their healthcare provider. Testing is recommended even if symptoms resolved. Commercial testing is now available for COVID-19 without ACPHD approval. General updated COVID-19 testing guidance will be posted shortly. For more information, including Actions Requested of Clinicians, please see the full ACPHD Health Advisory: |
March 03, 2020 |
Update |
COVID-19 Update and Interim Guidance A presumptive case of COVID-19 was detected in an Alameda County resident who had contact to a case in another jurisdiction. The Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) is taking appropriate action. Cases of COVID-19 without travel history or links to known cases have been reported in our region and across the United States. These cases of COVID-19 in the Bay Area indicate local community transmission, and warrant public health and healthcare providers in Alameda County to continue preparing for increasing numbers of identified cases and a surge of patients. On February 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance for evaluating persons under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19. For more information, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |
February 19, 2020 |
Update |
Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) The disease caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has now been officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. No COVID-19 cases have been identified in Alameda County. On February 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated guidance for evaluating possible persons under investigation (PUI) for 2019-nCoV in the following categories: • Severely ill patients for whom a known source of exposure has not been identified For more information, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |
February 05, 2020 |
Update |
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) The emerging 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is now circulating in mainland China and cases have been reported in the United States and other countries. On January 31st, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated criteria for persons under investigation (PUI) for 2019-nCoV and the U.S. government declared a Public Health Emergency. The declaration included restrictions for travelers entering the country from China, effective February 3. For more information, please see the full ACPHD Health Update: |