CSTE Interim Position Statement: Update to COVID-19 Case Definition

On Wednesday, August 5, 2020, the CSTE Executive Board unanimously approved the second interim position statement for COVID-19, Interim-20-ID-02, entitled “Update to the standardized surveillance case definition and national notification for 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).” This interim position statement updates the standardized case definition for COVID-19 and retains COVID-19 as a nationally notifiable condition. Please note that Interim-20-ID-02 supersedes the first CSTE COVID-19 interim position statement, Interim-20-ID-01, which was approved in April 2020.  
 
This second interim position statement was a collaborative effort between CSTE members, representatives from the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), and subject matter experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was broadly vetted among the CDC/CSTE COVID-19 Core Group, State Epidemiologists, and CDC Response Incident Management and Office of Infectious Diseases leadership. Specific updates clarify clinical, laboratory, epidemiologic linkage, and vital records criteria for case ascertainment and case classification based on the continued evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. The position statement also updates probable case classifications to classify the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen as a probable case and newly adds suspect case classifications. These suspect case classifications are intended solely for internal health department surveillance tracking purposes and not for official case counts at the state, local, or national level.
 
A copy of the approved position statement can be found here. If you have any questions regarding this position statement, please email positionstatements@cste.org. This interim position statement will remain CSTE policy until it can be ratified at the next CSTE Annual Business Meeting or until a subsequent interim position statement is approved for COVID-19. 

Position Statement Background:
CSTE position statements represent the documentation and analysis of standardized surveillance and policy issues affecting public health. Position statements may take the form of general policy statements or call for placing health conditions under standardized surveillance. An overview of the CSTE position statement process can be found here and the position statement archive here.
 
Interim Position Statements:
Urgent or time-sensitive issues that must be addressed between annual business meetings may be submitted as interim position statements. Interim position statements are approved by the CSTE Executive Board and immediately become official policy of CSTE until the next CSTE Business Meeting, when they must be ratified by the full Council or they will become null. Interim position statements are posted to the CSTE website immediately after approval by the Executive Board.
 
For more information please visit www.cste.org.