Individuals in this situation will benefit from vaccination since they are unlikely to have a significant immune response to a COVID-19 infection. It would be best to wait at least 45 days from the onset of infection before vaccinating for COVID-19.

In this instance, they should not wait the 90 day period and assume that they have significant immunity following an infection. This approach will minimize the side effects and yet provide a timely vaccination.

Individuals on immunosuppressant therapy may experience variable reactions depending on their specific therapy. There is no chance of developing an infection with this vaccine but the inflammatory and immune response may vary due to the immunosuppression therapy. These individuals should consult a COVID-19 vaccine specialist or their private provider prior to undergoing vaccination.

It is thought that the more severe the COVID-19 infection the more likely the side effects from the vaccine during this period of time. These side effects may be bothersome but are not likely serious. The vaccine recipient should be aware of the increased risk. We are still early in the vaccination program and more is to be learned.

To minimize the risk of side effects an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 should ideally wait 60 days, but a minimum of 45 days, from onset of infection.

If an individual has tested positive for COVID-19 they will likely have some degree of antibody protection for a period of 90 days. This antibody protection is usually for the nuclear capsid portion of the virus and not the spike protein. If vaccinated prior to 90 days post-infection the recipient is more likely to have local and systemic side effects from the vaccine.

It is thought that the more severe the COVID-19 infection the more likely the side effects from the vaccine during this period of time. These side effects may be bothersome but are not likely serious. The vaccine recipient should be aware of the increased risk. We are still early in the vaccination program and more is to be learned.

A modified quarantine order can be provided to individuals, with no symptoms, that are in essential roles that cannot be covered by others.  This modified quarantine order allows individuals to come to work if their employer approves them to come in to do their work.  When they come to work, they must remain masked at all times and socially distance and symptom monitor.  Once they leave work, they must return home and stay there as though they are on a regular quarantine order.

Can household contacts get a modified quarantine? Only if they can stay away from positive case in their household during that individual’s isolation period.

CLICK HERE to submit a plan: COVID-19: Back-to-Business Guidance for Building Your Plan

No. The employee may return to work once they have completed their isolation period and have not had a fever for 24 hours and have improved symptoms.

No, not if they are within 90 days from their first positive test result. They should symptom monitor and consider having a rapid antigen test; a negative result causes limited concern for active infection, a positive result is a high concern for reinfection and should be treated accordingly.

Public Health follows up with contact to a positive COVID-19. Contacts to those contacts are not notified by Public Health. We encourage you to get tests and monitor for symptoms. Go online to use the CDC Symptom Self-Checker.

“Close Contact” is defined by CDC as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic clients, 2 days prior to positive specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

We would encourage you to reach out to the person that told you they were positive and ask them to contact Public Health with your name and contact information. Public Health works on making contact with all contacts identified by the individual that tested positive.

You can give Public Health your information, but we cannot confirm or deny that individuals are positive COVID-19 cases due to confidentiality laws like HIPAA.

We encourage contacts to get tested and monitor for symptoms.

If you went to the hospital or doctor’s office, we ask that you follow up with them.

If you tested at the OPTUMServe site at the Red Bluff Community Center please contact them for your results at: 1-888-634-1123.

If you are having symptoms it is recommended to isolate yourself. If you need to go out please wear a mask and socially distance yourself from others and wash your hands.

If you don’t have symptoms we encourage you to mask whenever you leave your home and might have contact with others.

On average, around 30% of our positive cases have not had any symptoms. We do recommend anyone who has been in contact with a positive case to get tested. CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment to be tested at the OPTUMServe site located at the Red Bluff Community Center.

This varies, on average, results take anywhere from 2-4 days.

Children can pass it to other children which is why we ask that children, if possible, follow the same guidelines for prevention: handwashing, maintaining social distance and wearing a face covering under the appropriate circumstance. Children under age 12 are less infectious even when COVID-19 positive.

Face coverings are well tolerated by children over 2 years of age. They do not affect the retention of carbon dioxide or cause a lowering of the blood oxygen in the system.

Testing may occur at local medical clinics and pharmacies. Call ahead to find out more information. There are also pop-up testing sites. Check our website for updated flyers on these clinics.

Due to the limitations of testing, a negative test may simply indicate that the test was done too early to detect the virus. The quarantine period ensures that the affected individual has completed their potential to be infectious and prevent the disease from spreading.

A baseline test is indicated. Additional testing would be dependent on exposure, occupation and whether the individual is an “essential worker.”

There are no drawbacks to having multiple tests done.

When properly used as a cleaning solution bleach often leaves an order that is noticeable but should have no serious consequences.

Yes, although most cases simply represent persistent viral infection. Individuals who develop COVID-19 appear to have some short-term immunity but it is not clear that having the disease provides long term immunity.

In order to control the situation sometime it is necessary to disclose the location where the individual was exposed. However, most often this is not the case.

No, they would be a contact to a contact and would only need to symptom monitor. Testing is encouraged.

• If the student is asymptomatic they can go to school.
• If the student has any symptom it would be best to have them stay at home until parent gets their results.

If the student completed their quarantine order and are asymptomatic they may return to school.

• Yes, the information provided in the past was not specific enough with just saying “15 minutes time”. It appears it was inferred that it was 15 minutes at one time, but it should have been a cumulative, or combined, time during the infectious period.
• CDC Definition of Close Contact: Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period starting from 2 days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.
• Example:  A student was tested on a Saturday and the result was positive, the contact investigation would go back 48 hours prior to the positive test.  So the question would be; who did that student come in contact with over Thursday and Friday at 6 feet or less distance for greater than 15 minutes cumulative time during that time period.  If the positive student spent 5 minutes with a person 4 different times throughout the day on Friday, they would have spent greater than 15 minutes of time with that person and that person would be considered a close contact.

Yes.

Yes, that is also allowed since special needs individuals require additional exceptions. Seating them along the perimeter of the classroom can help avoid excessive movement within the cohort.

For the vast majority of the general public, there are no health risks when wearing a mask or cloth face covering. Face coverings are designed to be breathed through and there is no evidence that low oxygen levels occur. There are specific medical exemptions that can be found in the CDPH Face Covering Guidance.

If the children are not wearing masks they need to be excluded from in-person instruction.

It is important to remember:

• Wash masks after each use
• Always wear a clean mask
• Do not share masks with others
• When taking masks on and off avoid touching the front of the mask
• Wash or sanitize your hands after touching your mask

Schools are required to put certain food items on the lunch trays and much of it goes to waste. To reduce the waste and provide additional food items to the kids some cafeterias utilize a ‘Share Bin.’ If a student does not want their milk carton they can put the unopened milk carton in the ‘share bin’ and another student can consume it. This benefits students and prevents unnecessary waste.

Yes, ‘Share Bins’ can be utilized under the following local guidance from Tehama County Health Officer:

• Students can share within their cohort but not with students from a different cohort.
• If possible, each cohort should have their own designated ‘Share Bin.’
• If multiple cohorts eat in the same cafeteria at the same time each cohort should have their own ‘Share Bin’ clearly marked as to which cohort it belongs to. Color coding each bin may be helpful in further distinguishing which bin is for which cohort.
• If one cohort at a time eats in the cafeteria with no other cohorts and the single bin would need to be reused it must be emptied and thoroughly cleaned in between each cohort.