The New York State Department of Health announced that confirmatory COVID-19 and Influenza testing will be required whenever a hospital patient or nursing home resident has a known exposure or symptoms consistent with either disease. Testing must also be performed on any hospital patient or nursing home resident where the person is suspected of having died of such disease, within 48 hours after death, if that individual had not previously received a COVID-19 and influenza test in the 14 days prior to death. This emergency regulation also applies to funeral directors and medical examiners for individuals suspected of having died from either disease, but were not in the care of a hospital or nursing home. This process will ensure integrity in data reporting as the State continues its COVID-19 pandemic response and as we prepare for another flu season.
The emergency regulations can be found here.
