March 2 LOCS (CDC) Email

Audience: Clinical Laboratory Professionals
Subject: Laboratory Biosafety COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
Level: Laboratory Update

Laboratory Biosafety COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions

Please note the CDC’s COVID-19 Information for Laboratories web page was updated on March 2, 2020. This revision includes an update to the Laboratory Biosafety Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to clarify practices for working inside a BSC and additional FAQs. These revisions include:

• Using a certified biological safety cabinet (BSC) for specimen processing and what to do when a BSC is not available
• Definition of Standard Precautions
• Definitions for aerosols and droplets
• Laboratory procedures that can generate aerosols and droplets

For additional information related to the Interim Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines for Handling and Processing Specimens Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), please refer to the CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Laboratory Biosafety website. The COVID-19 website is regularly updated as CDC learns more about COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Please check the website routinely to ensure your laboratory staff has the most up-to-date information. Consider asking your web developer or IT team to add CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 Microsite to your website for real-time content updates, including the Information for Laboratories subsite.

Additional Resources:

• CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Laboratory Biosafety
• CDC Information for Laboratories: COVID-19
• CDC Coronavirus Disease 2019
• Register for CDC Health Alert Network (HAN) notifications, including updates about COVID-19. Enter your email address, search for HAN, and sign-up.
• Add CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 Microsite to your website for real-time content updates.

If you have any questions, please contact us at LOCS@cdc.gov.