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Public Health Agency Surveillance and Testing Guidance

February 19, 2021

CDC Guidance

Item	Date Updated
Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens from Persons for COVID-19	1/6/2021
Updated Guidance on Evaluating and Testing Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019	3/8/2020
Information for Laboratories about Coronavirus (COVID-19)	10/16/2020
Interim Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens Associated with COVID-19	9/19/2020
Overview of Testing for SARS-CoV-2	10/21/2020
Frequently Asked Questions about Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Laboratories	10/20/2020
Guidance for General Laboratory Safety Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic	8/25/2020
How to Report COVID-19 Laboratory Data	10/27/2020
Interim Guidance for Use of Pooling Procedures in SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic, Screening, and Surveillance Testing	10/23/2020
Considerations for Use of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Testing in Nursing Homes	10/23/2020
Interim Guidance for Rapid Antigen Testing for SARS-CoV-2	9/4/2020
CDC Guidance for Expanded Screening Testing to Reduce Silent Spread of SARS-CoV-2	1/21/2021
Testing Guidelines for Nursing Homes	1/7/2021
Guidance on Integration of COVID-19 in Existing Acute Febrile Illness (AFI) Surveillance Systems	1/13/2021
Interim Guidance on Testing Healthcare Personnel for SARS-CoV-2	2/16/2021
Surveillance Updates
Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants	1/15/2021
US COVID-19 Cases Caused by Variants	1/20/2021

DOH Guidance

DOH’s COVID-19 Testing page covers Mobile Testing and testing protocols. Testing is free to all eligible New Yorkers as ordered by a health care provider or by calling the NYS COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-364-3065.

Item	Date Updated
Specimen collection handling and transport instructions	3/20/2020
COVID-19 Packaging & Transport Checklist	3/20/2020
Health Alert #11: Current Status of SARS-CoV-2 Serologic Testing	4/22/2020
Updated Interim Guidance: Protocol for COVID-19 Testing Applicable to All Health Care Providers and Local Health Departments	4/26/2020
Health Advisory: COVID-19 Serology Testing: Addresses the validation and approval of serology tests by the FDA and the use of serology tests at the point of care; clarifies the New York State Education Department requirements and the New York State testing protocol and provides FAQs and answers about serology testing to assist health care providers in their discussions with patients	4/30/2020
New Hospital Reporting Requirements for Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Potentially Associated with COVID-19 in Children	5/17/2020
Health Advisory: Specimen Collection Training for Unlicensed Individuals	5/15/2020
SARS-CoV-2 Point of Care (POC) Antigen Tests Frequently Asked Questions for Health Care Providers	10/17/2020

DOHMH Guidance

Item	Date Updated
Health Alert #3: New York City Resident Diagnosed with 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection; NYC Health Department Now Performing COVID-19 Testing; Clarification of New CDC Testing Criteria	3/4/2020
Health Alert #11: Current Status of SARS-CoV-2 Serologic Testing	4/22/2020
Health Alert #12: New York City Public Health Laboratory Now Accepting Nasal Swabs and Saliva Specimens for COVID-19 testing	4/27/2020
Health Alert #13: Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Potentially Associated with COVID-19: Health care providers are asked to immediately report cases to the DOHMH Provider Access Line at 866-692-3641 if they meet the following criteria: patient is less than 21 years old, with persistent fever (four or more days), and either incomplete Kawasaki disease, typical Kawasaki disease, and/or toxic shock syndrome-like presentation; and no alternative etiology identified that explains the clinical presentation (note: patients should be reported regardless of the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test result)	5/4/2020
Health Alert #15: Updated NYC Health Department Recommendations for Identifying and Testing Patients with Suspected COVID-19	5/15/2020
Health Alert #16: Updated Reporting Requirements for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with COVID-19	5/18/2020
Health Advisory #37: All Point-of-Care COVID-19 Test Results Must be Reported Electronically	9/18/2020
Health Advisory #39: Proper Use and Interpretation of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Tests	12/14/2020
SARS-CoV-2 Testing Overview	12/23/2020
Letter to Providers: Demographic Data Collection from Vaccinations and Testing	2/17/2021

NJ Guidance

Item	Date Updated
Surveillance Criteria and Testing for Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)	3/13/2020
Coronavirus Laboratory Test Reporting Requirements	3/25/2020
COVID-19 Testing Guidance	5/5/2020
COVID-19 Serology Testing – What is Known and Unknown	5/4/2020

Additional Guidance

Item	Date Updated
SARS-CoV-2 Laboratory Testing Comparison (CMS): details types of SARS-COV-2 testing and FDA authorization/notification, CLIA certifications under which each test can be performed, an explanation of requirements under each testing scenario, and information for Medicare beneficiaries on testing services and coverage.	5/21/2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Response, Laboratory Data Reporting: CARES Act Section 18115 (HHS)	6/4/2020
Frequently Asked Questions: Laboratory Data Reporting for COVID-19 Testing (HHS)	—