COVID-19

24 April

Having a difficult time coping with the COVID crisis?

wsvma   |   COVID-19

We’ve all heard about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, but were you aware of the Disaster Distress Helpline? The 24/7, 365-day-a-year national hotline, run by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) is dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. Normally, this service helps people in the aftermath of wildfires, severe storms, floods, earthquakes and incidents of mass violence. But the Helpline also answers calls and...

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23 April

Confirmation of COVID-19 in Two Pet Cats in New York

wsvma   |   COVID-19

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) today announced the first confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in two pet cats. These are the first pets in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2. The cats lived in two separate areas of New York state. Both had mild respiratory illness and are expected to make a full recovery. SARS-CoV-2 infections have...

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23 April

Updated information on animal testing for SARS-COV-2

wsvma   |   COVID-19

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) updated its SARS-COV-2 ANIMAL TESTING GUIDANCE that was released earlier this week. You can read the complete information about criteria on their website, but here is the updated criteria for testing: Criteria Epidemiological Risk   Clinical Features A Animal with history of close contact with a person suspected or confirmed COVID-19.     AND   Animal has clinical signs of a new, concerning illness that is suspicious of an infectious disease. B Animal with exposure to a known high-risk environment (i.e. where a human outbreak occurred),...

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23 April

Veterinary Board of Governors issues updated information on record-keeping during the COVID-19 crisis

wsvma   |   COVID-19

The Veterinary Board of Governors has updated its guidance on providing essential services and keeping records during the emergency. Essential Procedures Additional Guidance COVID-19 Non-Urgent Medical Procedures should be delayed to preserve medical equipment and supplies. Each patient and situation is unique. Therefore, the veterinarian must exercise sound professional judgment to determine which situations may be safely managed via telemedicine, which may be safely postponed, and which can only be appropriately managed in-person without postponement. New: Medical records should reflect the decision to postpone...

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23 April

New CDC Guidance for Veterinary Clinics

wsvma   |   COVID-19

CDC has published new Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Veterinary Clinics during the COVID-19 Response. This guidance is for veterinarians and veterinary staff providing care to companion animals. The intent of this guidance is to facilitate preparedness and to ensure practices are in place in a veterinary clinical setting to help people and animals stay safe and healthy.   Posted April 23, 2020...

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23 April

The Paycheck Protection Program and Loan Forgiveness

wsvma   |   COVID-19

The CARES Act (the “Act”) hallmark provision is the potential for loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). As PPP funds are received by businesses, now is the time to strategize for maximum loan forgiveness. The PPP has been advertised as a grant, and, in many respects, it can function like one. However, the onus is on businesses to earn 100% loan forgiveness. Many will find this a difficult endeavor. This article examines business loan forgiveness considerations. The Act enumerates...

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21 April

WSDA SARS-CoV-2 Animal Testing GUIDANCE

wsvma   |   COVID-19

Animal Testing Authorization: The Center of Disease Control (CDC), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) and National Association of Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) do not recommend that companion animals be tested routinely for SARS-CoV-2. Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in animals can only be made in Washington by the Washington State Veterinarian, Dr. Brian Joseph or, in the event he is unavailable, Washington State Assistant State. Veterinarian, Dr. Amber Itle...

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21 April

Important message from the Veterinary Board of Governors

wsvma   |   COVID-19

During the COVID-19 crisis, the Washington State Veterinary Board of Governors (board) is working to assist the veterinary community by sharing information about governmental actions and by developing messages, policies, or rules to further support the profession. Essential Procedures – In a previous communication, the board provided information about the governor’s proclamation that COVID-19 Non Urgent Medical Procedures should be delayed to preserve medical equipment and supplies and that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has published guidance on this topic. The...

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21 April

New COVID-19 Links

wsvma   |   COVID-19

Updated information from AVMA: Sharing PPE, ventilators, and personnel in support of human medicine AVMA press release: National Dog Bite Prevention Coalition offers tips for safely sheltering at home with pets during the COVID-19 crisis (April 15) AVMA blog posts: COVID-19: Answering the call together (April 18) Small business loans: Latest COVID-19 update (April 16) COVID-19: Managing employees who are ill or may be exposed (April 16) COVID-19 triage: Determining which cases are urgent (April 15)   Posted April 21, 2020...

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17 April

COVID-19 and Pets Study

wsvma   |   COVID-19

Corona viruses are found in multiple animal species and can be zoonotic (transmitted between animals and humans). The SARS CoV2 virus that causes COVID19 is believed to have jumped to humans from a bat reservoir via an intermediate animal host. What is unclear is whether animals in close contact with human COVID19 patients could be involved in the spread of the virus. Isolated reports of dogs and cats testing positive, limited experimental studies documenting successful infection of cats and ferrets,...

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