CHA News

CPDH Data Reporting to Require Mandatory Influenza-Related Fields

For COVID-19 tracker designees

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CDPH Data Reporting to Require Daily Mandatory Influenza-Related Fields 

For COVID-19 tracker designees 

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has updated AFL 20-31.4, which requires hospitals to report COVID-19-related data. In this update, the influenza-related fields that are currently reported daily will become mandatory on Nov. 30.  

CHA understands hospitals’ concerns about data reporting frequency and will continue to ask for relief where possible. This reporting requirement results from CDPH’s concerns about waning antibodies, data highlighting flu and COVID co-infection lethality, and the possibility of a post-holiday winter surge.  

Updates to data reporting include the following influenza fields that will be mandatory:  

  • Total Hospitalized Influenza 
  • Admits in Previous Day Influenza 
  • Total ICU Influenza 
  • Total Hospitalized Influenza AND COVID 
  • Previous Day’s Influenza Deaths 
  • Previous Day’s Influenza AND COVID Deaths 

As a reminder: 

  • Total Hospitalized Influenza AND COVID is the count of patients coinfected with both Influenza and COVID only. It is not a count of patients infected with either influenza or COVID. 
  • Total Hospitalized Influenza is the count of all patients infected with influenza. This count should include patients with influenza only and patients co-infected with both influenza and COVID. 

These changes will be live on Nov. 30. Hospitals and systems currently using the data upload feature do not need a revised upload template, as the fields have not changed. The revised data dictionary can be found in this document (updates are in blue). In addition, CHA will work with CDPH to update the data reporting guidance document. 

Please send any questions to COVIDTracker@calhospital.org