Body In the context of rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts caused by the omicron variant, on December 23, 2021, the CDC updated its recommendations for management of healthcare staff exposed to or infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Body On December 30, 2021, the California Department of Public Health issued AFL 21-08.6, which provides general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities with updated guidance on COVID-19 isolation and quarantine for healthcare personnel. OCHCA recommends that county healthcare facilities become familiar with and adhere to AFL...

Body (Santa Ana, CA) – As 100+ Orange County schools celebrate International Walk To School Day on October 5, 2022, the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) encourages all drivers to be alert and vigilant about driving safely in school zones and asks residents to take the Go Human Safety Pledge to...

Body (Santa Ana, CA) - The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is partnering with the Anaheim Ducks National Hockey League (NHL) Club in its first ever multi-year partnership to promote mental health awareness. As part of the three-year partnership, the HCA will cross-promote its mental health wellness resources platform, the OC...

Body (Santa Ana, CA) – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a warning to school leaders last week about a new and concerning “rainbow fentanyl,” a potentially fatal drug found in brightly colored pills and powders that could attract young people. In its letter, the CDPH points to a...

Body (Santa Ana, CA) – A bat found outside the main lobby of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Building #1 on Alton Parkway in Irvine, on Thursday, September 29, 2022 at has tested positive for rabies. Given the location and circumstance, The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is urging residents to be...

Body (Santa Ana, CA) – The OC Health Care Agency (HCA), Mental Health and Recovery Services (MHRS) is announcing the launch of a data dashboard reporting Orange County Drug and Alcohol Misuse and Mortality trends for the purpose of informing mental health providers, researchers and policymakers in targeting services to specific...

Body The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory about a recently confirmed outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Uganda caused by Sudan virus (species Sudan ebolavirus) to summarize CDC’s recommendations for U.S. public health departments and clinicians, case identification and...

Body The Health Advisory below discusses an early increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity in California. Providers are advised to consider testing for additional respiratory pathogens besides SARS-CoV-2, including RSV, and to administer prophylactic palivizumab to high-risk infants and young children per American Academy of Pediatrics guidance. Link: https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/clinical-guidance/interim-guidance-for-use-of-palivizumab-prophylaxis-to-prevent-hospitalization/ .

Body Influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease have been increasing in Orange County for the last several weeks. Compared to pre-pandemic epidemiology this is an early start to the season for both these respiratory viruses. Australia’s influenza season often provides a harbinger for our upcoming season; their recently-concluded season...