CSTE Updates Interim Position Statement on COVID-19

ATLANTA, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) has announced the approval of a second interim position statement revising the established standardized case definition and classification for COVID-19. Updates clarify clinical, laboratory, epidemiologic linkage and vital records criteria necessary for surveillance based on rapid advancement in the science of COVID-19 disease and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The revised case definition was developed by CSTE members in close collaboration with representatives of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It has been broadly vetted among State Epidemiologists, CDC Response Incident Management and Office of Infectious Diseases leadership. View the interim position statement here.

"As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and we learn more about the disease, so too does the case definition and disease surveillance strategies," said CSTE Executive Director Janet Hamilton, MPH. "Public health knows more about COVID-19 now, including optimal practices in identifying and classifying cases. I'd like to commend our members and partners who collaborated on this update, while tirelessly responding to this immense public health crisis."

CSTE position statements are developed by CSTE members, in close partnership with CDC, and reflect membership consensus opinion on policy issues or surveillance strategies, including case definitions for diseases and conditions across the full spectrum of epidemiologic domains. Position statements are proposed, discussed, and ratified or rejected by the "Council," which is a voting body comprised of State Epidemiologists from all U.S. states and territories. Case definition position statements establish more consistent disease surveillance across the nation improving national health monitoring and interactions between health care providers and public health disease investigators. As was done earlier this spring for COVID-19, position statements may also recommend that a disease or condition be placed under national public health surveillance, thus added to the list of Nationally Notifiable Conditions (NNC).  

For more information on the CSTE position statement process, please visit https://www.cste.org/page/PSLanding.  

About CSTE
Founded in 1951, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) represents the interests of State Epidemiologists from all 50 U.S. states and territories, comprising the Council. CSTE is also the professional home to over 2000 practicing applied epidemiologists working at the state, local, tribal and territorial levels. For more information, visit www.cste.org.

Media Contact: Jeremy Arieh, Director of Communications, 770-458-3811, email: [email protected]

SOURCE Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

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