COVID-19 GUIDANCE
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Providers
COVID-19 Hotline (800) 722-5725
The
COVID-19 hotline is a service operated by the healthcare professionals at the
KY Poison Control Center who can provide advice and answer questions. Please be patient as we are handling a high volume of calls and want to give everyone the
time they deserve, including patients calling with poison emergencies.
Please note: COVID-19 is a reportable disease in Kentucky
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) is responding actively to the COVID-19 situation. Our State Health Operations Center is operating at Level 1, its highest activation level. This respiratory disease was first detected in a Kentucky resident on March 6, 2020.
For the latest information and prevention updates, visit the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2019 novel coronavirus site
Healthcare providers, laboratories, and local public health professionals, visit the COVID-19 Healthcare Providers and Laboratory Services site for the most current guidance.
If you have developed a fever or respiratory symptoms and believe you have had exposure to a known case or traveled to an area with community spread, isolate yourself from others in your home and contact your healthcare provider or local health department to describe your symptoms and any recent travel before you go to the healthcare facility.
Hand Hygiene
Everyone can help prevent the spread of illness by washing their hands properly. Make handwashing a healthy habit. For more information, visit the
Center for Disease Control Prevention handwashing site.
Community Guidance
Current recommendations for social distancing in Kentucky include:
- If you are 60 years old or older and/or have diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, kidney failure or other chronic major medical conditions, we recommend you avoid densely populated community events and consult this
CDC guidance.
- Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are advised to restrict visitors and consult Coronavirus (COVID-19) Visitation Guidance for Long-Term Care Facilities
- Working people, students, employers and schools are advised to plan actively for telework/distance learning options appropriate for their situations and support all workers/students to stay at home if they are ill.
- Only go to the emergency department for an illness that would have taken you to the hospital
before the COVID-19 outbreak. If you have runny nose, cough, fever or other common respiratory infection symptoms, take Tylenol- or Motrin-like products and stay home from work or school until you are fever-free. If you think you need medical care, please contact your healthcare provider for their instruction or visit an emergency department if you believe you have an emergency.
This guidance will continue to change as circumstances warrant.
KDPH Updates