Society guideline links: COVID-19 – General guidelines for infection control

Introduction — 

This topic includes links to society and government-sponsored guidelines from selected countries and regions around the world. We will update these links periodically; newer versions of some guidelines may be available on each society's website. Some societies may require users to log in to access their guidelines.

The recommendations in the following guidelines may vary from those that appear in UpToDate topic reviews. Readers who are looking for UpToDate topic reviews should use the UpToDate search box to find the relevant content.

Links to related COVID-19 guidelines are provided separately, including information on infection control in long-term care facilities, prevention of infection in the community, and management of health care workers, as well as infection control considerations for select specialties. (See "Society guideline links: COVID-19 – Index of guideline topics".)

International

●World Health Organization (WHO): Infection prevention and control in the context of coronavirus disease (‎COVID-19)‎ – A living guideline (2023)

●WHO: Contact tracing and quarantine in the context of COVID-19 – Interim guidance (2022)

●WHO: Infection prevention and control during health care when coronavirus disease (‎COVID-19)‎ is suspected or confirmed – Interim guidance (2021)

●WHO: Infection prevention and control (‎IPC)‎ in health-care facilities in the event of a surge or resurgence in cases of COVID-19 (2021)

●WHO: Cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces in the context of COVID-19 (2020)

●WHO: Criteria for releasing COVID-19 patients from isolation – Scientific brief (2020)

●WHO: Infection prevention and control for the safe management of a dead body in the context of COVID-19 – Interim guidance (2020)

●WHO: Laboratory biosafety guidance related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – Interim guidance (2020)

●WHO: Mask use in the context of COVID-19 – Interim guidance (2020)

●WHO: Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and considerations during severe shortages – Interim guidance (2020)

Canada

●Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): Updated guidance for infection prevention and control in health care settings when COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed (2024)

●PHAC: Biosafety advisory – SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) (2022)

●PHAC: Infection prevention and control for COVID-19 – Interim guidance for acute healthcare settings (2021)

●PHAC: Infection prevention and control for COVID-19 – Interim guidance for home care settings (2021)

●PHAC: Infection prevention and control for COVID-19 – Interim guidance for outpatient and ambulatory care settings (2021)

●Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN): Best practices for COVID-19 (2020)

United States

●Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Infection control guidance – SARS-CoV-2

●American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): COVID-19 interim guidance on face masks and other prevention strategies (2022)

●AAP: COVID-19 interim guidance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for pediatric care in ambulatory care settings during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (2022)

●Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA): Guidelines on infection prevention in patients with suspected or known COVID-19 (2020, updated 2021)

●American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), American Academy of Emergency Medicine Resident and Student Association (AAEM/RSA), Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA), Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD), and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM): Joint statement on excuses from mask compliance (2020)

●National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP): Position statements on preventing injury with N95 masks (2020)

Europe

●European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): Guidance on ending the isolation period for people with COVID-19 (2022)

●ECDC: Infection prevention and control and preparedness for COVID-19 in healthcare settings (2021)

●ECDC: Disinfection of environments in healthcare and non-healthcare settings potentially contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 (2020)

●ECDC: Guidance for wearing and removing personal protective equipment in healthcare settings for the care of patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 (2020)

●ECDC: Personal protective equipment (PPE) needs in healthcare settings for the care of patients with suspected or confirmed novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) (2020)

●ECDC: Use of gloves in healthcare and non-healthcare settings in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic (2020)

United Kingdom

●National Health Service (NHS) England: Guidance on supply and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies (2020, updated 2022)

●UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): Guidance on COVID-19 – Personal protective equipment use for aerosol generating procedures (2020, updated 2022)

●UKHSA: Guidance on COVID-19 – Personal protective equipment use for non-aerosol generating procedures (2020, updated 2022)

●British Thoracic Society (BTS): Guidance for inpatient infection control management of patients receiving acute noninvasive ventilation and long-term ventilation during and beyond COVID-19 (2021)

Australia–New Zealand

●New South Wales (NSW) Health: Control guideline for public health units (2022)

●Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS): COVID-19 guidelines (2021)

●Australasian Sleep Association (ASA): Consensus statement on the safe use of respiratory therapy and NIV to minimise aerosolisation of CoVID-19 (2020)

●Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) and Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN): Revised Australian criteria for the release of persons recovered from COVID-19 from isolation – Joint statement (2020)

Japan

●[In Japanese] Japan Pediatric Society (JPS): Guidelines on the idea of wearing a mask for infants (2020, updated 2021)

Resources for patients — 

The following links provide resources about COVID-19 for non-clinicians. These resources come from select society and government-sponsored guidelines from several countries and regions around the world.

●[International] World Health Organization (WHO): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – How is it transmitted?

●[Canada] Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – Prevention and risks

●[United States] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): COVID-19 – How to protect yourself and others

●[Europe] European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): Questions and answers on COVID-19 – Prevention

●[United Kingdom] National Health Service (NHS): What to do if you have or might have coronavirus (COVID-19)

●[Australia–New Zealand] Australian Government Department of Health (DOH): Protect yourself and others from COVID-19

●[Australia–New Zealand] New South Wales Department of Health (NSW Health): Self-isolation rules for cases and people exposed to COVID-19

UpToDate also offers "The Basics" patient education pieces, which are written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate. These are written in plain language, at the 5^th to 6^th grade reading level, and answer the main questions a person is likely to have. (See "Patient education: COVID-19 overview (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 and children (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 and pregnancy (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 vaccines (The Basics)".)