While much of the world's focus has turned towards COVID-19 vaccination efforts, testing for the highly contagious disease remains imperative in the process to slowing the spread. Many states here in the U.S. have continued implementing various actions to develop testing plans as activities and operations of community infrastructure adapt to local, state, and federal coronavirus regulations.

Testing Negative to Take Part in Activities

In conjunction with promoting healthy behaviors like mask use, hand hygiene, social distancing, and maintaining healthy living and working environments, testing to diagnose COVID-19 is part of a comprehensive strategy to reducing the spread. Many day-to-day activities are now requiring proof of a negative test prior to taking part in these activities. Recently the CDC announced an order requiring proof of a negative test or documentation of having fully recovered from COVID-19 for all passengers arriving from a foreign country to the United States. Revisions to this order continue to evolve.

Besides travel orders, other community operations such as school, universities, and surgical centers to name of a few, have established COVID-19 or antigen testing plans and requirements. As K-12 and universities welcome kids back to the class, many school systems have implemented testing for students, teachers, and staff as more reopenings are underway. Similar testing plans have been adopted by surgical centers, hospitals, and other healthcare services prior to some scheduled procedures.

Properly Managing Coronavirus Testing Medical Waste

As coronavirus testing becomes part of our new normal while the fight against the pandemic continues, many more establishments and industries may pivot operations to include prerequisite testing so that the services they provide to the community, their staff, and employees remain safe. Whether you're managing a drive-thru site or testing in-house, carefully managing COVID-19 medical waste is just as important as your task at hand. The CDC has stated coronavirus infected or suspected positive medical waste from COVID-19 patients should be managed like any other regulated medical waste. All testing waste should be handled as if it's positive for the virus and infectious. This means wearing and appropriately discarding of personal protective equipment (PPE), keeping waste types segregated, and taking all precautions when packaging up your medical waste for disposal. Check out our "Know Where to Throw" guide with the do's and don'ts for discarding biohazardous or infectious waste, and our color-coded Waste Classification online resources for more information.

Partnering With Us At Biomedical Waste Services, Inc.

Here at Biomedical Waste Services, Inc. we have over 45 years of experience collecting, transporting, and disposing of biohazardous and infectious waste for a variety of industries in the mid-Atlantic area, including Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Our well-qualified team of specialists are here to help you manage your COVID-19 testing waste so that you can stay compliant and continue providing this critical need in our community. We are in this together. If your facility is managing coronavirus vaccines or you are in a bio-technology lab manufacturing or testing vaccines, we have resources and services to cover your needs as well. Call or contact us today to see how we can help your practice, business, laboratory, school, or site manage your biohazardous and infectious waste disposal needs.

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/pdf/Global-Airline-Testing-Order-RPWSigned-Encrypted-p.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/faq.html

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