SACRAMENTO – To better align state COVID-19 guidance with the most current federal recommendations, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is ending COVID-19 policies that required weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated individuals in high-risk workplaces and schools. Health care facilities, other congregate settings and schools will no longer be […]
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is often confirmed through toxin testing, yet toxin tests alone may not be sufficient for diagnosing and guiding treatment decisions for patients with CDI. Dr David Lyerly “The presence of a toxigenic strain does not always equal disease,” said David Lyerly, PhD, during a session on C difficile toxin […]
“Test and treat” is a critical strategy for people and society returning to more normal activities. Now that the early responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have — sort of — been met (ie, minimizing infection, spread, illness, and death with masks, testing, contact tracing, social distancing, and vaccines), we are […]
The CDC says it plans to tighten COVID-19 rules for travelers to the U.S. by requiring them to provide a negative test within 24 hours of departure. The move is intended to detect and slow the spread of the new Omicron variant, which has been found in 20 countries around […]
COVID-19 post vaccination Before the development of vaccines, humans lived with circulating measles, polio, and smallpox viruses due to a level of long-term herd immunity following natural infection. Following the introduction of vaccines, the occurrence of these diseases was reduced by >99 percent, though, with the exception of smallpox, they were never fully eradicated. […]
Along with issuing new face mask guidance this week, the CDC also changed its guidance about when fully vaccinated people should get tested. Even if they’re not showing symptoms, fully vaccinated people should “get tested 3-5 days after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and wear a mask in public […]
Abstract Assembly and publication of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genome in January 2020 enabled the immediate development of tests to detect the new virus. This began the largest global testing programme in history, in which hundreds of millions of individuals have been tested to date. The […]
A robust and responsive laboratory testing system is essential to our success in stopping the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Testing is important to diagnose illness when someone has symptoms or has been exposed to COVID-19, and to track illness trends in communities. Expanded testing helps pandemic […]
