May 7: DAILY COVID-19 UPDATE

NEW TODAY: Here’s the latest information about Michigan Medicine’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic: 

• DAILY PATIENT STATS
• DAILY TEAM MEMBER TESTING STATS
• VIRTUAL TOWN HALL TOMORROW
• VISITOR/PATIENT MASKING
• UPDATED SELF-ISOLATION RECOMMENDATIONS
• NEW SIGN: N95/PAPR NEEDED FOR HIGH RISK AGPS
• UPCOMING TOWN HALL ON COVID-19 TESTING, PPE

DAILY PATIENT STATS

Today’s census for COVID-19 inpatients and those patients under investigation (PUI) are noted below: 

Discharges: 427 total COVID-19 discharges to date, 8 in the last 24 hours.  These numbers include patients discharged to skilled nursing facilities but excludes deaths and discharges to hospice. 

DAILY TEAM MEMBER TESTING STATS*

* Data from 3/10 through 5/7. The testing stats reflect just Michigan Medicine employees, not all University of Michigan employees. It also reflects only those who sought testing at or were hospitalized at Michigan Medicine or reported their testing to Occupational Health Services. Some Michigan Medicine employees may have been tested outside our system.

VIRTUAL TOWN HALL

Leaders will host a virtual town hall on Friday from 2 to 3 p.m. to discuss the Economic Recovery Plan and answer questions about this process.

If you would like to submit questions in advance, you may send them to coronavirus-info@med.umich.edu with the subject line “TOWN HALL QUESTION.”

Please click the link below to join the Town Hall:

https://umich-health.zoom.us/j/92478265278?pwd=SGVvMk1NeHZISlUyRlVZNUFxWkNldz09

Password: 657670

Or iPhone one-tap : 
US: +13017158592,92478265278#           

Or Telephone:
Dial: +1 301 715 8592  
Webinar ID: 924 7826 5278

VISITOR/PATIENT MASKING

As a reminder, all visitors in Michigan Medicine buildings or patients arriving for Ambulatory Care visits at Michigan Medicine buildings must wear a mask/face covering while in public areas of the building. This is pursuant to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-70: “Any individual able to medically tolerate a face covering must wear a covering over his or her nose and mouth—such as a homemade mask, scarf, bandana, or handkerchief—when in any enclosed public space.”

Michigan Medicine will provide masks when a person does not have one of their own, or their mask/face covering from home does not cover their nose and mouth.

Inpatient Setting

Family members/visitors are expected to comply with wearing a mask while in the facility.  Caregivers who remain in the room may remove masks when healthcare workers are not present, but it is recommended that they keep masks on as much as possible for the safety of the patient.  Family/visitors that are unable to tolerate a mask should not visit the hospital.

Ambulatory Care Setting

Patients should mask when in ambulatory buildings.  Patients unable to tolerate a mask due to medical reasons should maintain a distance of six feet from others.

Patient companions must mask in the ambulatory buildings.  Companions unable to tolerate a mask due to medical reasons should not enter the building (and wait outside or in a vehicle) unless their presence is necessary for the care of a patient.

UPDATED SELF-ISOLATION RECOMMENDATIONS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance on self-isolation for patients who are diagnosed with COVID-19:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html:

Patients with COVID-19 who were directed to care for themselves at home may discontinue isolation under the following conditions:

• At least three days (72 hours) have passed since recovery defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and,
• At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

In addition, Michigan Medicine is advising patients who are immunocompromised to self-isolate for 14 days following onset of symptoms. Patient education materials regarding self-isolation can be found at: http://pteducation.med.umich.edu/covid-19

Michigan Medicine employees who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are also advised to remain off work while in self-isolation and may return to work after that point.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/return-to-work.html

Please note that this guidance applies only to patients who are at home. Guidance regarding isolation of Michigan Medicine COVID-19 patients in inpatient and ambulatory settings can be found at: http://www.med.umich.edu/i/ice/resources/coronavirus/WorkflowForNegativeCOVID.pdf. Patients with COVID-19 who require care in ambulatory settings will be managed in Special Pathogens Precautions for 21 days following initial diagnosis or hospital discharge.

NEW SIGN:  N95/PAPR NEEDED FOR HIGH RISK AGPS

A sign was created to help staff identify when an N95/PAPR is required for high-risk aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) in asymptomatic inpatients with unknown COVID-19 status (i.e., they were not tested on admission due to refusal or medical contraindication). The new sign should be posted in a clear location outside of a patient’s room and remain posted until COVID-19 status becomes known. If a high-risk AGP is performed, the stop sign should still be used.

UPCOMING TOWN HALL ON COVID-19 TESTING, PPE

Perioperative and Periprocedural COVID-19 Testing and Personal Protective Equipment: A Virtual Town Hall:  As operations begin to ramp up again in our surgical and procedural areas, ensuring the safety of patients and employees is our number one priority. We recognize there are many questions around pre-surgical and pre-procedural COVID-19 testing of patients, as well as recommended personal protective equipment for faculty and staff. Detailed information about current testing guidelines, workflows and rationale for impact on PPE practices is being prepared and will be distributed shortly to impacted areas.

A virtual Town Hall event is being planned for next Thursday, May 14, from 7 to 8 a.m., to provide the latest information. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us. A link to the Town Hall will be shared as soon as it is available.

Still have questions?

We are also posting all daily bulletins and policies on Michigan Medicine Headlines at https://mmheadlines.org/covid-19-updates/.  Please bookmark that site and refer to it throughout the day for the most up-to-date information. An FAQ for staff is also posted and updated frequently.

If you still can’t find what you’re looking for on these web pages, please email coronavirus-info@med.umich.edu and your question will be answered as quickly as possible.  Do not use this email for sharing patient health information.

Jeffrey Desmond, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer