COVID-19 Update

As part of NIOSH’s efforts to keep our stakeholders up to date on the CDC and NIOSH coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response, below is a summary of new information posted this week for workers.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator
CDC recognizes that healthcare and nonhealthcare systems may experience unprecedented strains on demand for PPE due to COVID-19. CDC designed a tool to help healthcare and nonhealthcare systems, such as correctional facilities, track how quickly PPE will be used at those facilities. The tool is based on input provided by healthcare systems on the use of PPE during responses to infectious disease outbreaks.

Guidance for Businesses and Employers 

• Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  CDC developed guidance to help employers decrease the spread of COVID-19 and lower the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace. This interim guidance may help prevent workplace exposures to COVID-19 in nonhealthcare settings. This guidance also provides planning and response considerations for community spread of COVID-19.
  
• Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations
  Recommendations for the cleaning and disinfection of rooms or areas where individuals with suspected or with confirmed COVID-19 have visited is available on the CDC website. These guidelines are focused on community, nonhealthcare facilities, such as schools, offices, and businesses.

Resources for First Responders and Law Enforcement

• Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for COVID-19 in the United States
  Guidance for first responders, including law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and emergency management officials, who anticipate close contact with persons with confirmed or possible COVID-19 in the course of their work.
  
• What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know About Coronavirus Disease 2019
  This new CDC fact sheet provides recommendations for personnel who may come in contact with someone with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.
  
• Infectious Diseases and Circumstances Relevant to Notification of Emergency Response Employees: Implementation of Sec. 2695 of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009
  NIOSH has updated the List of Potentially Life-Threatening Infectious Diseases to which Emergency Response Employees May be Exposed to include the addition of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, and the definition of “emergency response employee (ERE).” The list and accompanying guidelines, originally published in a 2011 Federal Register notice, are republished in this document with these updates.
  

To stay up to date on the response please visit the COVID-19 webpage or sign up for the COVID-19 newsletter.