VA Depty. of Health and Our testing team in the Three Rivers Health District are actively conducting COVIE-19 testing events across our jurisdictions.
Upcoming events include:
Wednesday, 9/23: West Point Middle School (King William) 10am-12pm, 1040 Thompson Ave, West Point, VA 23181·
Thursday, 9/24: Dream Fields (sponsored by Bon Secours Rappahannock General Hospital), 10am-2pm, 1385 Irvington Rd, Weems, VA 22576 ·
Tuesday, 9/29: Washington and Lee High School (Westmoreland) 10am-2pm, 16380 Kings Hwy, Montross, VA 22520·
Wednesday, 9/30: West Point Middle School (King William) 10am-12pm, 1040 Thompson Ave, West Point, VA 23181·
Tuesday, 10/6: Mathews Health Department 10am-2pm (APPOINTMENT ONLY), 536 Church St, Mathews, VA 23109·
Wednesday, 10/7: Northumberland High School 10am-12pm, 201 Academic Ln, Heathsville, VA 22473·
Friday, 10/9: Richmond County Health Department 10am-2pm (APPOINTMENT ONLY), 5591 Richmond Rd, Warsaw, VA 22572·
Tuesday, 10/13: Lancaster County Health Department 10am-2pm (Appointment Only) , 9049 Mary Ball Rd # 100, Lancaster, VA 22503·
Thursday, 10/15: Gloucester Library 10am-2pm (Appointment Only) , 6920 Main St, Gloucester, VA 23061
We are offering 150 tests per event, there is no charge for the testing, no appointment is needed and all events are open to the public.
COVID-19 Update for Virginia
COVID-19 Update for Virginia
August 7, 2020
Dear Colleague:
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Virginia, please visit the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) website for current COVID-19 guidance and epidemiologic data. I want to highlight the following updates:
Provider Reimbursement for Counseling Patients to Self-Isolate at Time of COVID-19 Testing
On July 30, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and
the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that
payment is available to healthcare providers to counsel patients, at the
time of COVID-19 testing, about the importance of self-isolation after
they are tested and prior to the onset of symptoms. Reimbursement for
providers who are eligible to bill CMS for counseling services will be
handled using existing evaluation and management payment codes.
CDC Guidance: Duration of Isolation and Precautions for Adults with COVID-19
Except in rare circumstances, isolation can be discontinued 10 days
after symptom onset (or date of first positive PCR test, if
asymptomatic) and resolution of fever for at least 24 hours, without the
use of fever-reducing medications, and with improvement of other
symptoms. Until more information is available, VDH recommends the same
duration for children with COVID-19. Patients with severe illness may
produce replication-competent virus beyond 10 days that may warrant
extending the duration of isolation for up to 20 days after symptom
onset.
Although persistent or recurrent PCR positive tests continue to be
reported, there have been no confirmed reports of COVID-19 reinfection
thus far. Retesting persons previously diagnosed with symptomatic
COVID-19 who remain asymptomatic after recovery is not recommended
within 3 months of the date of symptom onset for the initial COVID-19
infection. For persons who develop new symptoms consistent with
COVID-19 during the 3 months after the date of initial symptom onset, if
an alternative etiology cannot be identified by a provider, then the
person may warrant retesting; consultation with infectious disease or
infection control experts is recommended.
COVIDWISE
On August 5, VDH launched COVIDWISE, a mobile app that can notify
people of exposure to someone with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19.
Notification is calibrated to people who are considered “close
contacts,” defined as being six feet or less from a person with COVID-19
for greater than 15 minutes. The program employs a high degree of
privacy protection and relies on people to “opt-in.” For people
notified of being exposed to COVID-19 through the app, if they are
symptomatic, VDH recommends self-isolation, medical evaluation and
testing. If they are asymptomatic, VDH recommends self-quarantine for 14
days from the date of the last exposure and testing. Close contacts
within a household might require a longer self-quarantine period if they
are unable to separate from the person with COVID-19. For additional
information on release from isolation or quarantine, see here.
Convalescent Plasma Donation
HHS is launching a campaign to encourage people who have tested
positive for and recovered from COVID-19 to donate convalescent plasma.
Please consider reaching out to your recovered patients, consistent
with HIPAA’s privacy regulations, to encourage them to donate their
convalescent plasma. Recovered patients can go to coronavirus.gov to find out where to donate plasma.
School Entry Examination and Vaccination Requirements
Schools are busy preparing to reopen for in-person, virtual, or
hybrid learning. Physical examinations and vaccination requirements for
the upcoming school year have not been waived
because of COVID-19 and all children must be properly vaccinated to be
enrolled in school, regardless of the type of learning. Please continue
to strongly recommend vaccination to both children and their parents.
Your recommendation is critical for ensuring protection from
vaccine-preventable diseases. If you are unable to administer vaccines
in your practice, please refer your patients to your local health department (a prescription is not required).
Thank you for all your continued efforts to protect Virginians from COVID-19. Please continue to contact your local health department if you have questions about COVID-19.
Sincerely,
M. Norman Oliver, MD, MA
State Health Commissioner
Stop the Spread of Germs
FACE COVERINGS ARE EFFECTIVE
Below is a link to an article on the CDC website showing the effectiveness of wearing face coverings in the workplace.
I encourage everyone to review the article.
I believe the article explains and proves the why it is important to wear face coverings in the workplace, actually in ANY public setting where we can not ensure social distancing of 6 feet or more.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6928e2.htm?s_cid=mm6928e2_w