COVID-19 Infection Prevention in Healthcare Settings

The Washington State Department of Health developed this webpage to provide resources for healthcare facilities, including acute care hospitals, long-term, residential care facilities, and other settings where healthcare is being administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the vulnerable nature of patients, the risk of exposure to healthcare workers, and the congregate nature of long-term care facilities, guidance for healthcare settings is often different from that of the general public.

CDC’s new COVID-19 Community Levels recommendations do not apply in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. Instead, healthcare settings should continue to use community transmission rates.

COVID-19 Information: Novel Coronavirus Outbreak, Department of Health Coronavirus Disease, CDC

Healthcare-Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance information: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requests

The state PPE supply continues to be available to support organizations in extraordinary circumstances such as when supplies are unavailable through regular supply chains, when shipping delays cause an insufficient level of PPE, and when urgent needs arise that cannot be addressed through other means. If an urgent needs exists, contact your local county emergency manager to determine how requests should be placed. They are able to answer questions about the request process.