In Santa Cruz County, healthcare facilities and community settings are required to report COVID-19 cases as part of ongoing monitoring efforts. Please review facility-specific reporting instructions below.

Definitions for terms used in this section:

Acute Respiratory Illness (ARI): For the purposes of reporting to Santa Cruz Communicable Disease Unit via SPOT acute respiratory illness (ARI) is defined as a person who either:

  • Has new onset (i.e., not better explained by chronic conditions such as seasonal allergies) of two or more of the following symptoms: fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, difficulty breathing, body aches; and/or
  • Has tested positive for a specific respiratory infection, including COVID19, influenza, RSV, or strep throat.

Note: This definition excludes suspected or confirmed cases of chickenpox/varicella, measles/rubeola, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, smallpox, tetanus, and tuberculosis.and community settings are required to report COVID-19 cases as part of ongoing monitoring efforts. Please review facility-specific reporting instructions below.

Exposed group: An exposed group (epidemiologically linked group) involves individuals in the same location when at least one person was contagious, indicating disease spread due to their shared environment.and community settings are required to report COVID-19 cases as part of ongoing monitoring efforts. Please review facility-specific reporting instructions below.

Epi-Linkage:

  • Epi-linkage among patients or residents is defined as overlap on the same unit or ward, or other patient care location (e.g., radiology suite), or having the potential to have been cared by common Health Care Personnel (HCP) within a 7-day time period of each other. Determining epi-linkages requires judgment and may include weighing evidence whether or not patients had a common source of exposure.
  • Epi-linkage among Health Care Personnel (HCP) is defined as having the potential to have been within 6 ft for 15 minutes or longer while working in the facility during the 7 days prior to the onset of symptoms; for example, worked on the same unit during the same shift, and no more likely sources of exposure identified outside the facility. Determining epi-linkages requires judgment and may include weighing evidence whether transmission took place in the facility, accounting for likely sources of exposure outside the facility.

 

Fatality Reporting for Respiratory Infections

How to report

Two options for reporting cases to Public Health:

  1. Electronic Reporting (CalREDIE) – Preferred
    • Submit COVID-19 Confidential Morbidity Report (CMR) and supplemental documents directly into CalREDIE via the Provider Portal.
    • To request access, follow the directions in this link: CalREDIE Provider Portal
  2. Fax or Email

When to report

Providers are required to report deaths meeting the following criteria in patients with a laboratory confirmed COVID-19, influenza or RSV infection.

  • COVID-19: reportable in all patients
  • Influenza-associated deaths: reportable in patients under the age of 18
  • RSV-associated deaths: reportable in patients under the age of 5

How to report

  • Report suspected COVID-19 outbreaks using the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT)
  • Report all other suspected ARI outbreaks (excluding COVID-19) by:

When to report

These sites must report within 24 hours when:

  • There are ≥2 cases of confirmed COVID-19 among patients 4 or more days after admission for a non-COVID condition, with epi-linkage, OR
  • There are ≥2 cases of confirmed COVID-19 among HCP AND ≥1 case of confirmed COVID-19 among patients 4 or more days after admission for a non-COVID condition, with epi-linkage, AND no other more likely sources of exposure for at least 1 of the cases, OR
  • There are ≥5 cases of confirmed COVID-19 among Health Care Personnel (HCP) with epi-linkage.

Skilled Nursing Facilities

How to report

  • Report suspected COVID-19 outbreaks using the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT)
  • Report all other suspected ARI outbreaks (excluding COVID-19) by:

When to report

≥2 cases of residents with symptoms of acute respiratory illness (ARI) or who test positive for an ARI within 7 days OR

≥2 cases of HCP AND ≥1 case of resident(s) with symptoms of ARI or who test positive for an ARI within 7 days, with epi-linkage, OR

≥5 cases of ARI among HCP within a 7-day period.

*Facilities should contact their licensing agency/regional licensing office. Outpatient Clinical

How to report

  • Report suspected COVID-19 outbreaks using the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT)
  • Report all other suspected ARI outbreaks (excluding COVID-19) by:

When to report

≥5 HCP/Staff with symptoms of acute respiratory illness (ARI) or who test positive for an ARI.

How to report

  • Report suspected COVID-19 outbreaks using the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT)
  • Report all other suspected ARI outbreaks (excluding COVID-19) by:

Congregate Living Facilities

  • Community care facilities, including:
    • Adult Residential Care Facilities, all license types
    • Continuing Care Retirement Communities
    • Psychiatric Health Facilities, not including Acute Psychiatric Hospitals
    • Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly
    • Residential Facilities for the Chronically Ill
    • Social Rehabilitation Facilities
    • Long-Term Care Facilities
    • Residential Substance Use Treatment Facilities
    • Mental Health Treatment Facilities
  • Sites that provide housing for people experiencing homelessness such as:
    • Shelters
    • Recuperative care centers
    • Single room occupancy hotels (SRO)
  • Correctional/detention facilities

How to report

  • Report suspected COVID-19 outbreaks using the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT)
  • Report all other suspected ARI outbreaks (excluding COVID-19) by:

When to report

Community congregate settings should report within 24 hours when a cluster of people ill with acute respiratory symptoms reaches one of the following reporting thresholds: Within a 7-day period, at least 20% of residents and/or staff with symptoms and/or test positive for an acute respiratory illness (including COVID-19). Within a 3-day period, at least 10% of staff are absent and/or report symptoms of and/or test positive for an acute respiratory illness.

Note: The minimum reportable cluster size is 5 people. In smaller groups or sites with fewer than 15 people, the minimum cluster size required to report is 3.

Schools and childcare providers includes: Early Care and Education (ECE) Facilities, TK-12 Schools, Institutes of Higher Education (IHE), including colleges, universities, and trade and technical schools, Programs serving school-aged children, including day care, camps, and youth sports programs.

How to report

  • Report suspected COVID-19 outbreaks using the Shared Portal for Outbreak Tracking (SPOT)
  • Report all other suspected ARI outbreaks (excluding COVID-19) by:

When to report

10% or more of the total population of students and staff, facility-wide, are absent with acute respiratory illness (ARI)*/or test positive for acute respiratory illness within a 3-day period OR 20% or more of students and staff in an exposed group (such as a single classroom, sports team, or after-school group) with ARI*/or positive test for acute respiratory illness, with a minimum of five (5) ill, within a 3-day period.

Note: The minimum reportable cluster size is 5 people. In smaller groups or sites with fewer than 15 people (students and staff), the minimum cluster size required to report is 3.

Reporting for non-healthcare workplace settings is no longer required as of February 2025