View as Webpage December 8, 2021 @ 4:45 p.m.

Weekly COVID-19 Briefing

Every Tuesday, Dr. Sherrill Brown, Medical Director, Infection Prevention; Olivia Lee, Manager, Legislative and Advocacy Affairs; and Diego Fuentes, Manager, Benefits and Leave of Absence, update our clinic and corporate line of business leaders. You can listen to the recording here or read the notes here. Change of Date: Next week’s COVID-19 Huddle will be held on Monday, December 13 at 7:45 a.m. due to the following day’s All Hands event.

Sherrill Brown, M.D.

Olivia Lee

Diego Fuentes

Omicron Update The Omicron variant continues to spread and has now been identified in more than 50 countries and in 17 states within the U.S. The Delta variant continues to be the predominant variant in the U.S. Available data continues to support the use of existing mitigation measures, including vaccinations, boosters, masking, testing, and hand-washing against the Omicron variant. After the first cases of the Omicron variant were discovered in the U.S., on Thursday, December 2, President Biden announced new actions to combat COVID-19 during the coming winter months. The plan includes: Boosters for all adults Vaccinations to protect children Expanding free at-home testing Stronger Public Health protocols for safe international travel Protections in workplaces to keep our economy open Rapid response teams to help battle rising cases Supplying treatment pills to help prevent hospitalizations and death Continued commitment to global vaccination efforts Steps to ensure the country is prepared for all scenarios   The plan does not include new restrictions on businesses or domestic travel. However, international visitors will be required to get a COVID test within 24 hours before boarding flights to the U.S. rather than 72 hours. Click here to read more. CDC & CDPH Travel Recommendations All returning international travelers should be tested for SARS-CoV-2 three to five days after return, regardless of immunization status. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated should self-quarantine for seven days, even if they test negative. Travelers should monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested if symptoms occur.

Boosters Survey and Appointments for Employees Employee Health sent a short survey on Thursday, December 2 asking employees a few questions regarding the COVID-19 booster shot. This survey is designed to assist our efforts in making the COVID-19 booster shot easily accessible to employees. If you haven’t already taken the quick survey, please do so. It will remain open through the end of this week. Things we can all do to protect ourselves and our families against COVID-19: Get fully vaccinated and get boosted. Wear a mask in indoor public settings. Get tested if you have symptoms or may have been exposed. Stay home when feeling sick.  As health care workers, AltaMed employees are eligible to receive the COVID-19 boosters. The FDA and the CDC have given mixing and matching vaccine types the green light. Appointments for employee boosters are required. How to Schedule Your Booster Email Employee Health. Call Employee Health at (323) 765-6153. Contact the Employee Health lead at your respective clinic. If You Receive the Booster Outside of AltaMed If you get your COVID-19 booster outside of AltaMed, email proof (photo of the vaccination record card) to Employee Health so they may update their records. After you receive your booster, click here for additional information.

Grand Rounds Sherrill Brown, M.D., presented at a special Grand Rounds on COVID-19 Treatment, Vaccine Updates, and Q&A Forum on Tuesday, December 7.   Topics Discussed: Omicron Update Impact on Testing Update on Testing Requirements Definition of Fully Vaccinated Update on Therapeutics-Bam/ete Approved for Pediatric Population All Hands Event—Don’t Come If You Are Sick Why Get Vaccinated Resources Presentation Slides WebEx Video Recording

COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children   AltaMed continues to provide the COVID-19 vaccination to children ages 5 to 11 who are AltaMed patients. Please urge parents to call the Vaccine Hotline at (888) 909-5232 to schedule an appointment for their child. They can also register or log in to the child's MyAltaMed account to schedule an appointment.

Human Resources Reminders All Hands The All Hands virtual meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 14. AltaMed’s All Hands event is an opportunity to take a day to recognize one another and celebrate all of our hard work and accomplishments. Thank you to all the nominations submitted for the Core Value awards—we received a record 328 nominations! As an appreciation for the time taken, when an employee is selected as a winner, the employee who submitted the nomination will receive a $50 gift card and will be entered for an opportunity to win more.   Holiday Help This is the last week for nominations (due close of business on Friday, December 10) for this year’s Holiday Help program, which helps support employees facing financial challenges during this time of the year. Employees will have the opportunity to nominate themselves or nominate up to four other employees and colleagues who they feel may be going through a difficult time and may greatly benefit from this monetary support. All submissions and awards remain confidential. For questions about this program, please email [email protected].

Appointments for Flu Shots Available to Employees AltaMed continues to provide free flu shots to all its employees, by appointment only. AltaMed clinics are providing the flu vaccine to employees. Contact the Employee Health lead at your site to schedule an appointment. Contact Employee Health or call (323) 765-6153 to schedule your flu shot or to request a high-dose flu vaccine. Again, appointments are required. If you receive the flu vaccine outside of AltaMed, send proof of the vaccination to [email protected]. Employees who submit their proof of vaccination to Employee Health will be rewarded with 200 Vitality points. Click here for the influenza declination form.

Staying Safe at Work 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. 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. Practice physical distancing—Stay six feet apart from other individuals whether inside or outside. Wipe down any work surfaces you touch. 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. 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 COVID-19 Alert emailed to employees every Wednesday altamed.org/vaccine Town Square home page FAQs Click here to read the most recent FAQs Refer to the weekly FAQs in 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, please email Veronica Orozco, Sr. Manager, Public Relations. 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, please call Veronica at (323) 482-3073. If you'd like to read news releases from AltaMed, visit our external website, AltaMed.org under Newsroom.