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COVID-19 Guidance for Clinicians, Facilities & Schools

Overview

COVID-19 Guidance and Resources for Clinicians and Facilities

San Mateo County Health is working closely with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its potential impacts on the Bay Area. 

Please note that these recommendations are intended for medical providers, congregate facilities, schools/child care facilities, and employers in San Mateo County. Providers in other counties should contact their local health department for guidance. 

General Resources

COVID-19 Digests

Reporting Requirements for Clinicians and Laboratories

Please refer to current CDPH guidance regarding COVID-19 reporting requirements for healthcare providers and laboratories. 

Healthcare providers should report via the CalREDIE Provider Portal or complete a COVID-19 Confidential Morbidity Report (CMR) found at www.smchealth.org/covid-19cmr and submit via fax to 650-573-2919 or secure email to SMCCDControl@smcgov.org. Attaching the laboratory report and relevant medical records to the CMR will help ensure the public health follow-up is able to move forward quickly.

For additional information about communicable disease reporting visit http://smchealth.org/communicablediseasereporting.

Hospitals

Information and Resources for Hospitals: 

Healthcare Facilities and Clinicians

Facilities may establish their own protocols. These guidelines are intended to support healthcare facilities that do not have internal protocols established. Employees should follow facility-specific protocols when available. 

Skilled Nursing Facilities

What to Report

Follow any additional reporting guidelines provided by the CDPH or your licensing agency.

How to Report

As of April 2022, report all COVID-19 exposures and cases through the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT). While in the past we have been accepting reporting through phone and email, due to the volume of cases, these are no longer viable reporting methods. As well, SPOT fulfills all reporting requirements. There is no need to submit line lists, spreadsheets, or any other documentation.

The first time you report through SPOT: 

  1. Review the SPOT Intake Form Overview, User Guide, and Demo for Liaisons (YouTube Video).
  2. Complete the SPOT Intake Form.
    • The Point of Contact listed should be the person who will handle confidential information and report exposure details. A SPOT Liaison Account will be created for this person.
  3. Verify that you have received a confirmation email.
  4. Monitor your email inbox for a Welcome to SPOT email and follow the instructions displayed in the screen to finish setting up your SPOT Liaison Account.
  5. Continue reporting through the SPOT Portal and communicate with San Mateo County Health via the Send Updates feature.

Reporting through the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account:

  1. Log into the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account
  2. Submit cases and contacts through the “Report Cases and Contacts” feature
  3. You will be prompted to select which location you are reporting for. If you are reporting for a location for the first time, you will need to select “None of the above” and enter all of the new location’s information before submitting cases
  4. If you have been notified by a member of our outbreak teams to use an Exposure Event number, please ensure it is included with each case you submit, otherwise please do not enter anything in for the Exposure Event number.
  5. To update or send new information about existing exposure events and/or records, go to the “View Locations and Exposures” tab, select the location you are submitting an update for, and click on the “Send Update” button on the righthand side

Guidance

San Mateo County guidance for COVID-19 exposures and outbreaks in Skilled Nursing Facilities is entirely aligned with CDPH guidance. Please refer to CDPH licensing for specific guidance related to your facility.

Testing

Resources

Congregate Settings

Update 05/23/2022: Changes to the COVID-19 Response in San Mateo County and COVID-19 Reporting via the SPOT Portal

What to Report

  • Any probable or confirmed COVID-19 case in a staff member or resident, regardless of vaccination and whether or not symptoms are present, within one business day of the diagnosis or test date.
  • 3 or more cases of acute illness compatible with COVID-19 in residents with onset within a 72-hour period.

Follow any additional reporting guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) or your licensing agency.

How to Report

As of April 2022, report all COVID-19 exposures and cases through the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT). While in the past we have been accepting reporting through phone and email, due to the volume of cases, these are no longer viable reporting methods. As well, SPOT fulfills all reporting requirements. There is no need to submit line lists, spreadsheets, or any other documentation.

The first time you report through SPOT: 

  1. Review the SPOT Intake Form Overview, User Guide, and Demo for Liaisons (YouTube Video).
  2. Complete the SPOT Intake Form.
    • The Point of Contact listed should be the person who will handle confidential information and report exposure details. A SPOT Liaison Account will be created for this person.
  3. Verify that you have received a confirmation email.
  4. Monitor your email inbox for a Welcome to SPOT email and follow the instructions displayed in the screen to finish setting up your SPOT Liaison Account.
  5. Continue reporting through the SPOT Portal and communicate with San Mateo County Health via the Send Updates feature.

Reporting through the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account:

  1. Log into the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account
  2. Submit cases and contacts through the “Report Cases and Contacts” feature
  3. You will be prompted to select which location you are reporting for. If you are reporting for a location for the first time, you will need to select “None of the above” and enter all of the new location’s information before submitting cases
  4. If you have been notified by a member of our outbreak teams to use an Exposure Event number, please ensure it is included with each case you submit, otherwise please do not enter anything in for the Exposure Event number.
  5. To update or send new information about existing exposure events and/or records, go to the “View Locations and Exposures” tab, select the location you are submitting an update for, and click on the “Send Update” button on the righthand side

Guidance

San Mateo County guidance for COVID-19 exposures and outbreaks in congregate settings is entirely aligned with CDPH guidance. Please refer to your licensing agency (CDPH or CDSS) for specific guidance related to your facility.

Testing

Resources

Schools and Child Care Facilities

How to Report

As of April 2022, report all COVID-19 exposures and cases through the School Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT). While in the past we have been accepting reporting through phone and email, due to the volume of cases, these are no longer viable reporting methods. As well, SPOT fulfills all reporting requirements. There is no need to submit line lists, spreadsheets, or any other documentation.

The first time you report through SPOT: 

  1. Review the SPOT Intake Form Overview, User Guide, and Demo for Liaisons (YouTube Video).
  2. Complete the SPOT Intake Form.
    • The Point of Contact listed should be the person who will handle confidential information and report exposure details. A SPOT Liaison Account will be created for this person.
  3. Verify that you have received a confirmation email.
  4. Monitor your email inbox for a Welcome to SPOT email and follow the instructions displayed in the screen to finish setting up your SPOT Liaison Account.
  5. Continue reporting through the SPOT Portal and communicate with San Mateo County Health via the Send Updates feature.

Reporting through the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account:

  1. Log into the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account
  2. Submit cases and contacts through the “Report Cases and Contacts” feature
  3. You will be prompted to select which location you are reporting for. If you are reporting for a location for the first time, you will need to select “None of the above” and enter all of the new location’s information before submitting cases
  4. If you have been notified by a member of our outbreak teams to use an Exposure Event number, please ensure it is included with each case you submit, otherwise please do not enter anything in for the Exposure Event number.
  5. To update or send new information about existing exposure events and/or records, go to the “View Locations and Exposures” tab, select the location you are submitting an update for, and click on the “Send Update” button on the righthand side

Guidance

Employers and Businesses (Non-Healthcare)

Update 05/23/2022: Changes to the COVID-19 Response in San Mateo County and COVID-19 Reporting via the SPOT Portal

Reporting Requirements for Employers and Businesses

For  information about required reporting, please refer to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Responding to COVID-19 in the Workplace for Employers. 

Clinicians, laboratories, healthcare facilities, congregate settings, schools, and child care facilities should refer to site-specific guidance documents available at www.smchealth.org/providers/covid19. 

Please note that Cal/OSHA has additional requirements for employers to report and respond to COVID-19 cases in the workplace. Please refer to Cal/OSHA directly for additional information. 

How to Report

If you have a concern, COVID-19 exposures and cases can be reported through the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT). While in the past we have been accepting reporting through email, due to the volume of cases, this is no longer a viable reporting method. As well, SPOT fulfills all reporting requirements. There is no need to submit line lists, spreadsheets, or any other documentation.

The first time you report through SPOT: 

  • Review the SPOT Intake Form Overview, User Guide, and Demo for Liaisons (YouTube Video).
  • Complete the SPOT Intake Form.
    • The Point of Contact listed should be the person who will handle confidential information and report exposure details. A SPOT Liaison Account will be created for this person.
  • Verify that you have received a confirmation email.
  • Monitor your email inbox for a Welcome to SPOT email and follow the instructions displayed in the screen to finish setting up your SPOT Liaison Account.
  • Continue reporting through the SPOT Portal and communicate with San Mateo County Health via the Send Updates feature.

Reporting through the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account:

  1. Log into the SPOT Portal using your Liaison Account
  2. Submit cases and contacts through the “Report Cases and Contacts” feature
  3. You will be prompted to select which location you are reporting for. If you are reporting for a location for the first time, you will need to select “None of the above” and enter all of the new location’s information before submitting cases
  4. If you have been notified by a member of our outbreak teams to use an Exposure Event number, please ensure it is included with each case you submit, otherwise please do not enter anything in for the Exposure Event number.
  5. To update or send new information about existing exposure events and/or records, go to the “View Locations and Exposures” tab, select the location you are submitting an update for, and click on the “Send Update” button on the righthand side

San Mateo County Resources

California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Resources

Cal/OSHA Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Resources

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidance