Disease Prevention and Control, San Francisco Department of Public Health

COVID-19 Info for SF Healthcare Providers

This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.
Go To SFCDCP.ORG COVID-19 Page For The Public

COVID-19 Quick Links

SF Provider Guidance by Topic

Personal Protective Equipment

For PPE recommendations for non-healthcare workers, see www.sfcdcp.org/PPE

Please note that the documents below are intended for City-operated facilities.

Printable Resources

FAQ for Health Care Providers

Who is at higher risk for severe illness due to COVID-19? Which additional groups need to take extra precautions?

Updated to align with the most recent (6/25/2020) CDC guidance.

Who has increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19

Older adults*

Persons with certain underlying medical conditions **

  • Chronic kidney disease
  • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
  • Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 or higher)
  • Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Type 2 diabetes mellitus
  • Children who are medically complex **

Who might have increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 ***

Persons with certain underlying medical conditions

  • Asthma (moderate-to-severe)
  • Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Hypertension or high blood pressure
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune weakening medicines
  • Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
  • Liver disease
  • Pregnancy
  • Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissues)
  • Smoking
  • Thalassemia (a type of blood disorder)
  • Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Who needs extra precautions ****

  • Racial and ethnic minority groups
  • People with disabilities
  • People who are pregnant
  • People experiencing homelessness
  • People with behavioral or mental disorders
  • People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility

Notes

* CDC has published data showing that among adults, the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. For example, people in their 50s are at higher risk for severe illness than people in their 40s. Similarly, people in their 60s or 70s are, in general, at higher risk for severe illness than people in their 50s. The greatest risk for severe illness from COVID-19 is among those aged 85 or older.  While the risk is not zero for younger adults – people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s can and do develop severe COVID-19 illness and should take steps to protect themselves from getting COVID-19.

** Children who are medically complex, who have neurologic, genetic, metabolic conditions, or who have congenital heart disease are at higher risk for severe illness than other children. See CDC pages on pediatric COVID-19.

*** CDC has determined based on limited data and information that based on what we know at this time, people with these conditions might have increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

**** Other groups of persons are recommended by CDC to take extra precautions, as emerging data indicate some populations bear disproportionate burden of COVID-19 disease and death, have higher prevalence of underlying conditions, or are experiencing conditions that may facilitate the spread of infection.

Will existing respiratory virus panels, such as those manufactured by Biofire or Genmark, detect COVID-19?

No. These multi-pathogen molecular assays can detect a number of human respiratory viruses, including other coronaviruses that can cause acute respiratory illness, but they do not detect COVID-19.

What should I do with my stock of N95 respirators that have passed their manufacturer-designated expiration date?

Do not discard unused, expired N95 respirators.  Instead, contact your Infection Control or Health & Safety office. Per CDC, in times of shortage, consideration can be made to use N95 respirators beyond the manufacturer-designated expiration date.  See details here: Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators and Release of Stockpiled N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators Beyond the Manufacturer-Designated Shelf Life: Considerations for the COVID-19 Response.  Please note that CDC does not recommend using N95s beyond the manufacturer-designated shelf life in surgical settings.

Should medical waste or general waste from healthcare facilities treating Persons Under Investigation and patients with confirmed COVID-19 be handled any differently or need any additional disinfection?

Medical waste (trash) coming from healthcare facilities treating COVID-2019 patients is no different than waste coming from facilities without COVID-19 patients. CDC guidance states that management of laundry, food service utensils, and medical waste should be performed in accordance with routine procedures. There is no evidence to suggest that facility waste needs any additional disinfection.

Are there special handling procedures for COVID-19 medical waste including disposal of used personal protective equipment (PPE), laundry, and food service utensils?

Providers should use standard operating procedures for the containment and disposal of used PPE and medical waste. Anything that has been contaminated with liquid blood or body fluids should be placed in red boxes or red bags and disposed of as medical waste. PPE not contaminated with fluid blood or body fluids can be placed in garbage bags, sealed, and placed with the regular garbage. Management of laundry and food service utensils should also be performed in accordance with routine procedures.

See CDC FAQ for Health Care Professionals