There are plenty of headlines in our 24-hour news cycle sharing the latest information about COVID-19. But, as a healthcare professional, you may feel like you need more in-depth information to help you prepare to work with or near patients, now and in the future.

So, where can you turn for reliable information on COVID-19? Here are some resources to help you understand the impact of this pandemic, from the science behind the disease to its presence in your community.

1. Understand the science of COVID-19: pathophysiology, symptomatology, and management of the disease.

One of NHA’s latest continuing education (CE) offerings, Top Things an Allied Health Professional Should Know about COVID-19, shares the top information about COVID-19 you need to know as an allied health professional. After completing this free CE article, you should have an understanding of the following:

• Basic pathophysiology of COVID-19, as well as risk factors, signs and symptoms
• The current diagnostic process for COVID-19
• The acute management and isolation precautions currently being recommended for those with known or suspected cases of COVID-19
• Investigational medications being researched to help manage COVID-19
• Ways allied health professionals can help their communities cope with the pandemic
• Strategies allied health professionals can use to support their immune system

If you currently hold an NHA certification, you can access this CE immediately by logging into your account.

2. Get additional training to help you prepare to safely care for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an excellent resource for COVID-19 information. It currently offers a number of online training courses to help healthcare professionals, including:

• Hand hygiene
• How to put on and remove personal protective equipment
• Health and safety briefing for respiratory diseases
• Clinical care for severe acute respiratory infection
• Basic emergency care: Approach to the acutely ill and injured

Access the online training courses from the WHO.

3. Learn about the spread of COVID-19 in your community.

What’s happening in your county and the areas nearest you will help you better understand the needs of your community. The best place to find information about the impact of COVID-19 is your county or state health department website. You can find links to all state and territorial health departments on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

At a local level, some of the measures that can help you understand COVID-19 trends are:

• Newly identified COVID-19 cases
• Emergency department and/or outpatient visits for COVID-like illnesses (CLI) and/or influenza-like illnesses (ILI)
• Percentage of positive COVID-19 tests
• Current hospitalization (inpatient and ICU) rates
• Availability and accessibility of testing

If you’re looking for a quick glance of cases near you and in surrounding counties, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center provides a world map and a U.S. map that you can click to find local information, all the way to the county level. You can quickly identify cases counts for your county and those nearby.

Continuous learning with COVID-19

While there’s still a lot we do not know about COVID-19, we certainly know a lot more now than we did just a couple of months ago when it arrived here in the United States. Similarly, in the coming weeks, months and years, we’ll learn and understand more about how to prevent, manage and treat patients facing this virus. The team at NHA continues to review the latest information and data around COVID-19 and will bring more learning opportunities to you in the future. In the meantime, please stay safe as you care for those in your community.