Return to Work Guidance
On January 4, 2022, Department of Health (DOH/the Department) issued health care worker return-to-work guidance, which supersedes the December 24, 2021 guidance.
As we seek clarification on some finer points from the Department, HCP is alerting members that:
- The health care worker document on January 4, 2022 was released in close proximity to the general public guidelines and may have been overlooked.
- The testing requirements for exposed persons may be difficult to achieve. (Note that earlier DOH guidelines indicated that testing was not required to return to work.)
- Health care providers are instructed to follow CDC guidelines in most instances of infection and exposure except in the case of infected, vaccinated individuals (boosted or not) where contingency staffing conditions exist. For these workers, the December 24 guidance applies.
The following chart was provided in the January 4, 2022 DOH guidelines for health care workers:
Work Restriction for Healthcare Personnel
|
|
Vacc
Status
|
Conventional
|
Contingency
|
Crisis
|
Infected
|
Fully vacc
+
boosted
|
CDC Conventional Strategies: 10 days; or 7 days with negative test; asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and improving
|
NYSDOH Shortening Isolation: 5 days, asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and improving
|
Facilities contact NYSDOH and follow CDC Crisis Strategies
|
Fully vacc,
Not
boosted
|
CDC Conventional Strategies: 10 days; or 7 days with negative test; asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and improving
|
NYSDOH Shortening Isolation: 5 days, asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and improving
|
Facilities contact NYSDOH and follow CDC Crisis Strategies
|
Not fully vacc
|
CDC Conventional Strategies: 10 days; or 7 days with negative test; asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and improving
|
CDC Conventional Strategies: 10 days; or 7 days with negative test; asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic and improving
|
Facilities contact NYSDOH and follow CDC Crisis Strategies
|
Exposed
|
Fully vacc
+
Boosted
|
CDC Conventional Strategies: No work restrictions, negative test on days 2 and 5-7
|
CDC Contingency Strategies: No work restrictions
|
CDC Crisis Strategies: No work restrictions
|
Fully
Vacc
NOT boosted
|
CDC Conventional Strategies: 10 days, or 7 days with negative test
|
CDC Contingency Strategies: No
work restrictions with negative tests on days 1, 2, 3, and 5-7
|
CDC Crisis Strategies: No work
restrictions (test if possible). Facilities contact NYSDOH if unable to test.
|
Not fully Vacc
|
CDC Conventional Strategies: 10 days, or 7 days with negative test
|
CDC Contingency Strategies: No
work restrictions with negative tests on days 1, 2, 3, and 5-7
|
CDC Crisis Strategies: No work
restrictions (test if possible). Facilities contact NYSDOH if unable to test.
|
Vaccinations from Foreign Countries
On January 17, 2022, the Department of Health (DOH/the Department) issued Guidance for The New York State COVID-19 Vaccination Program for Individuals 12 Years of Age or Older. This update resulted from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information regarding vaccine recommendations, including vaccinations received outside the US.
The CDC revision was effective January 7, 2022:
- People who received an incomplete series of a WHO COVID-19 vaccine listed for emergency use that is not FDA-approved or FDA-authorized do not need to restart a primary vaccination series in the United States.
- They should receive a single dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at least 28 days since receipt of their most recent dose, after which they are considered fully vaccinated.
Note that recommendations for those receiving a FULL vaccination series outside the US remain unchanged. Watch for this week’s COVID-19 Update in the HCP Insider for a complete recap of vaccination recommendations.
Free At Home COVID-19 Tests Now Available from Federal Government
Visit www.covidtests.gov to place an order for 4 kits (2 tests each) per person per month. All that is needed is name, address, and email if desired for confirmation. The process takes less than a minute, and shipping is in 7 to 12 days.