As part of the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO’s) work to support and serve 3,000 local health departments (LHDs) in the United States, NACCHO has been releasing a bi-weekly blog consisting of an up-to-date collection of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resources for our members working at the intersection of environmental health and COVID-19. Read the last blog from 12/9/2020.

Curated Resources as of 12/22/2020

Updates and Events Across NACCHO

• COVID-19 Vaccine Authorization - We are here to help  
  With the approval of the first COVID-19 vaccine, efforts now move toward distribution and administration. NACCHO is here to support all local health departments as the work is implemented locally and we are committed to keeping our federal partners informed about how the vaccine rollout is going at the local level. We recognize that much of the response is currently being managed at the state and federal levels and many of you are experiencing different levels of engagement and success in working with your state and federal partners.  At this extremely important time, we want to hear from you if you are having issues related to COVID-19 vaccine deployment including distribution and administration.  We will be elevating them to CDC and other federal partners to ensure they know how vaccine administration is working at the local level. Please send any questions or issues to [email protected].

• Webinar: Engaging Communities to Increase Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines (January 7 at 3 PM ET)

From the Brown School of Public Health, Harvard Global Health Institute, and The Rockefeller Foundation

COVID-19 Testing Communications Toolkit : A new COVID-19 Testing Communications Toolkit is now available for anyone looking to communicate the importance of COVID-19 testing to communities across America. The Toolkit offers easy step-by-step campaigning tutorials, evidence-based handouts, and image library to help translate public health goals into motivating, clear messages that educate Americans about why, when, and where to get tested — even if they feel healthy.  

From Purdue University

Reminder! New Water Systems Course Designed to Aid Safe Building Reopening During and After a Pandemic:  To ensure that building water systems are properly cleaned for safe reopening, Purdue University has launched a new water systems course designed to give health officials, building owners, and managers the answers and information they need quickly. Purdue has partnered with NACCHO to offer this course at a discount for local health departments. The course, priced at $445, is being offered at a discounted price of $395 when the discount code “NACCHO” is used upon checkout. Register for the course. For questions, please reach out to [email protected].

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Interim Guidance for Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in K-12 Schools (Updated)
• Monitoring and Evaluating Mitigation Strategies in Child Care, K-12 Schools, and Institutions of Higher Education (Updated)
• Operational Considerations for Schools (Updated)
• Ventilation Guidance for Reopening Buildings (Updated)
• Guidance for Reopening Buildings After Prolonged Shutdown or Reduced Operation
• Reopening Guidance for Cleaning and Disinfecting Public Spaces, Workplaces, Businesses, Schools, and Homes
• Guidance for Child Care Programs that Remain Open
• Interim Considerations for K-12 School Administrators for SARS-CoV-2 Testing (Updated)
• Guidance for K-12 School Administrators on the Use of Masks in Schools (Updated)
• New Open Burning during the COVID-19 Pandemic link has been published for U.S. federal, state, territorial, local, and tribal jurisdictions about open (“backyard”) burning

To reach CDC’s EH COVID Desk, email: [email protected].

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Video on safely using hand sanitizer (Source: YouTube)

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Healthy Indoor Environments in Schools: Plans, Practices and Principles for Maintaining Healthy Learning Environment Webinar Series: Recording for the latest webinar, “Indoor Air Quality in K-12 Schools: Addressing the Concept of Layered Risk Amidst COVID-19,” is now included.

See any EH and COVID-19 categories missing on this bi-weekly blog? Let us know by emailing [email protected]. Continue to check back with NACCHO’s Essential Elements for COVID-19 and LHD resources.