April 13, 2022 @ 4:45 p.m.
Every Tuesday, Sherrill Brown, M.D., Medical Director, Infection Prevention; Olivia Lee, Manager, Legislative and Advocacy Affairs; and Denise Gomez, Benefits Specialist, Human Resources, update our clinic and corporate lines of business leaders.

You can listen to the recording here (starts at 5:13) or read the notes here.
Infection Prevention Update and Reminders

The BA.2 subvariant is now believed to be the dominant COVID-19 strain circulating in Los Angeles County, which has seen an uptick in daily infection numbers. Based on this information, Infection Prevention provides the following updates and reminders:

At AltaMed, we still have our mask mandate.
  • Wear a surgical or higher level mask at all times.
  • If eating or drinking, remove your mask, but maintain physical distancing in order to reduce crowding.
  • There is more protection outdoors with increased airflow. If in a crowded setting outdoors, continue to wear your mask if closer than three feet.
  • If eating or drinking outdoors, it is best to maintain at least three feet physical distancing.

Get Tested
  • Have extra home antigen tests when planning gatherings or socializing with at-risk individuals, or if you start to have symptoms.
  • Continue to test yourself until you are symptom-free, especially if you are up-to-date with your vaccines.
  • If you are feeling sick, contact Employee Health for testing.

Protecting Yourself and Loved Ones
  • Staying up-to-date with vaccines, including getting a booster if you are eligible, helps to protect against infection and transmission of COVID-19.
  • It is still possible to get a mild or asymptomatic infection when you are up-to-date with your COVID-19 vaccines, but you are less likely to develop a severe illness or transmit COVID-19 to others.
  • It is possible to get the BA.2 variant even if you had a prior Omicron or BA.1 variant infection in December, January or February.

Second Booster. You must be four months from your first booster:
  • Approved for people 18 to 49 with moderate to severe immune suppression.
  • Approved for people 50 and over.
  • Approved for people 18 and over who received only two shots of the Janssen vaccine in the past.

Boosters for Older or Immune-Suppressed Patients
  • For those who have moderate to severe immune suppression, it is recommended to get the second booster.
  • Those 65 and older should get the second booster.
  • Those 50 to 64 with chronic medical conditions that put them at increased risk of severe COVID-19 should get the second booster.
Grand Rounds Presentation

Sherrill Brown, M.D., Medical Director, Infection Prevention, presented on COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine Updates, and Q&A Forum at the Tuesday, April 12 Grand Rounds.

Topics Discussed
  • Update on Surge, Vaccine, Testing & Treatment
 
Resources
 
Video Presentation Timestamps
  • Presentation: 0:00 – 37:20
  • Q&A Session: 37:21 – 41:19
Staying Safe at Work

  1. Wear your masks—Face masks are to be worn at all times over your nose and mouth (except when drinking or eating), and should be stored properly or discarded. Patients need to wear masks at all times in examination rooms as well.
  2. Maintain hand hygiene—Staff should have easy access to hand sanitizer dispensers to clean hands frequently, and should wash their hands for 20 seconds at a time.
  3. Practice physical distancing—Stay six feet apart from other individuals whether inside or outside.
  4. Wipe down any work surfaces you touch.
  5. If employees need to be within six feet of someone for a prolonged period of time, wear a face shield and face mask in both administrative and clinical settings—avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. In addition, a face shield and face mask need to be worn at all times when interacting with patients.
  6. Employees must wear appropriate PPE when on site. 
Questions and Communications

We welcome your questions, suggestions, and input. We do review each question and respond appropriately, so please continue to email us—click here. Know that this is a safe space and most questions will be answered individually prior to being shared anonymously with staff.

How to Stay Informed

FAQs
  • Click here to read the most recent FAQs
  • Refer to earlier editions of the COVID-19 Alert to see if your questions have already been answered.
Please Note: If you are contacted by the media with questions about the coronavirus outbreak or for any other reason, email Christina Sanchez, Vice President, Public Affairs. The Public Relations team monitors all media coverage of AltaMed (social and traditional platforms) to uphold our reputation. If you have questions and concerns regarding media coverage, call Christina at (310) 420-1135. If you'd like to read news releases from AltaMed, visit our external website, AltaMed.org under Newsroom.