Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #103

[anneg]

everyday we arrive at work we are required to fill out a form that says we have NO symptoms (fever, headache, fatigue, runny nose, etc- there are 14 listed) and that we have not had recent exposure to a COVID positive person. you are not allowed to enter the building without filling this out. we also are required to wear masks. I go to talk to a coworker and another person- professional, trained, smart, etc., is sneezing and her eyes are watering and she looks awful. So I ask her "are you sick?" She says "I think it is just a cold, but of course I don't know for sure so I am trying to schedule a test."

I stifle the urge to ask her if she lied on her entry questionnaire and he urge to tell her to get the [expletive] out of the building immediately, and I go back to my office. I put another mask on top of my K95 and sanitize my hands. I email her a list of testing locations in the county and suggest to her that she really might have COVID because the omicron symptoms are "like a cold."

how can people be like this? auggghhh. (how does omicron spread? uh, by people not even following the basic precautions?)

I wonder how many people she infected. Not you, I hope!

 

[acutename]

I can't take ibuprofen, unfortunately. Even one or two doses wreaks havoc with my gastro system. And I know better than to take aspirin during a viral infection. So I'm kind of stuck with Tylenol. I have quite a supply of Klonopin which I'm giving some serious side eye to at the moment. I also have Ambien. If I'm not asleep by midnight I will consider one of those options seriously.

But I have dogs to consider, so I can't knock myself out completely no matter how attractive that sounds at the moment. What if there is a house fire? Or a dog gets injured or sick? I'm alone here and need to keep my wits about me somewhat.

I am genuinely miserable at the moment. Highly recommend avoidance if possible. Although I am classified as a mild case, this business is wretched.

what you really need to be awake for is to check your O2 levels... set an alarm?

 

[acutename]

Ugh!! Is she out of sick days or what?!

Is your manager on site? We have to do self assessment forms similar to that but we are also required to report if anyone is exhibiting symptoms no matter that “it’s just a cold”.

There were two guys exhibiting cold like symptoms last week on a site (not mine thank goodness) who had tested negative the day before via a rapid test. Neither their supervisor nor our pm reported on their EOD form. Crew is off the job permanently and pm is suspended. Their test the next day was positive.

I’m thinking no job site is safe now due to omicron.

she is a licensed professional and a supervisor herself.... next level supervisors are all on vacation already... a lot of confusion because an edict came down Tues that we are not in full time for the next two weeks because there are too many COVID cases! ... but difficult to contact people who are not there to rearrange their schedules.... really hope that I am OK after today and that no one else gets sick but it also occurs to me that since she did not already have a test, there is no report and no extra cleaning if she is positive. the whole "extra cleaning" really will not work with a fast moving virus because there will not be quick enough testing, reporting and response. it has really not been fast enough to be effective with the old "slow" COVIDS (alpha,beta, delta). and then maybe she did just have a cold and I am pessimistic... even having an office, we share rest rooms and hallways with others so there is always potential exposure.

 

[ilovewings]

everyday we arrive at work we are required to fill out a form that says we have NO symptoms (fever, headache, fatigue, runny nose, etc- there are 14 listed) and that we have not had recent exposure to a COVID positive person. you are not allowed to enter the building without filling this out. we also are required to wear masks. I go to talk to a coworker and another person- professional, trained, smart, etc., is sneezing and her eyes are watering and she looks awful. So I ask her "are you sick?" She says "I think it is just a cold, but of course I don't know for sure so I am trying to schedule a test."

I stifle the urge to ask her if she lied on her entry questionnaire and the urge to tell her to get the [expletive] out of the building immediately, and I go back to my office. I put another mask on top of my K95 and sanitize my hands. I email her a list of testing locations in the county and suggest to her that she really might have COVID because the omicron symptoms are "like a cold."

how can people be like this? auggghhh. (how does omicron spread? uh, by people not even following the basic precautions?)

Denial, ignorance are apt descriptions of this type of mind-set, which
unfortunately puts otherscat risk

 

[Tiff23fr]

everyday we arrive at work we are required to fill out a form that says we have NO symptoms (fever, headache, fatigue, runny nose, etc- there are 14 listed) and that we have not had recent exposure to a COVID positive person. you are not allowed to enter the building without filling this out. we also are required to wear masks. I go to talk to a coworker and another person- professional, trained, smart, etc., is sneezing and her eyes are watering and she looks awful. So I ask her "are you sick?" She says "I think it is just a cold, but of course I don't know for sure so I am trying to schedule a test."

I stifle the urge to ask her if she lied on her entry questionnaire and he urge to tell her to get the [expletive] out of the building immediately, and I go back to my office. I put another mask on top of my K95 and sanitize my hands. I email her a list of testing locations in the county and suggest to her that she really might have COVID because the omicron symptoms are "like a cold."

how can people be like this? auggghhh. (how does omicron spread? uh, by people not even following the basic precautions?)

It varies by industry, but some industries have a long cemented culture of “you work through it”. Taking a sick day was often looked down upon. Some individuals likely also experienced this in his/her upbringing from parents beginning in childhood years. Essentially, the expectation being that you go to school unless you are basically unable to get out of bed.

Ingrained perceptions and behaviors are difficult to shift. It sounds like your leadership is taking the right steps in setting expectations. I don’t know your work environment or the individual being referenced, but there could be an element of fear that is a cultural elephant in the room driving behaviors as you described by the co-worker. It doesn’t make it right, but fear of time out of the workplace can be a possible contributing factor.

I had a client early on in the pandemic I was working with who felt it imperative to have his entire leadership team on site for a meeting. This was about 3 months into the pandemic. Long story short, 4 of his employees ended up in the hospital and multiple others became ill including him. He was from and led a culture as described above. Employees had an element of fear in not showing up for this on-site at the direction of the CEO. The Board didn’t receive this news well and the end result was not in his favor.

Just a thought to offer that everything may not be as it appears on the surface when judging the behaviors of others. There are some long term engrained behaviors that take a lot of work to shift. Words and policies are only one component.

I am hopeful she is negative and your health has not been compromised.

 

[CharlestonGal]

I hate insurance companies sometimes. I just received a message that genomic sequencing was denied as "not medically necessary".

 

[anneg]

I hate insurance companies sometimes. I just received a message that genomic sequencing was denied as "not medically necessary".

Oh for heaven's sake!

 

[MimosaMornings]

she is a licensed professional and a supervisor herself.... next level supervisors are all on vacation already... a lot of confusion because an edict came down Tues that we are not in full time for the next two weeks because there are too many COVID cases! ... but difficult to contact people who are not there to rearrange their schedules.... really hope that I am OK after today and that no one else gets sick but it also occurs to me that since she did not already have a test, there is no report and no extra cleaning if she is positive. the whole "extra cleaning" really will not work with a fast moving virus because there will not be quick enough testing, reporting and response. it has really not been fast enough to be effective with the old "slow" COVIDS (alpha,beta, delta). and then maybe she did just have a cold and I am pessimistic... even having an office, we share rest rooms and hallways with others so there is always potential exposure.

I hope you are ok! Hopefully it’s just a cold and she can recover over the holiday weekend with no further issues!

 

[Deleted member 39678]

The Omicron variant likely will spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and how easily Omicron spreads compared to Delta remains unknown. CDC expects that anyone with Omicron infection can spread the virus to others, even if they are vaccinated or don’t have symptoms.

If Omicron is so contagious is anyone safe going to work inside of a building? Proof of vaccination and no symptoms doesn't seem to be able to stop people from spreading this Covid variant to others. JMO.

Omicron Variant: What You Need to Know

 

[CharlestonGal]

Oh for heaven's sake!

From reading on Quest's site I can have this test done at my own expense if I pay in advance. $240.
ETA: The mab infusion I received today is not free. The drug is free, but I'm on the hook for all the hospital costs. the doctors, the nurses, the infusion costs. Everything except the drug itself.

 

[anneg]

@CharlestonGal -- maybe omicron is your ticket to super immunity. I hope so. I'd almost be willing to get it if I could be sure I'd have a mild case and and would end up with super immunity to Covid. But I really hate being sick.

 

[acutename]

It varies by industry, but some industries have a long cemented culture of “you work through it”. Taking a sick day was often looked down upon. Some individuals likely also experienced this in his/her upbringing from parents beginning in childhood years. Essentially, the expectation being that you go to school unless you are basically unable to get out of bed.

Ingrained perceptions and behaviors are difficult to shift. It sounds like your leadership is taking the right steps in setting expectations. I don’t know your work environment or the individual being referenced, but there could be an element of fear that is a cultural elephant in the room driving behaviors as you described by the co-worker. It doesn’t make it right, but fear of time out of the workplace can be a possible contributing factor.

I had a client early on in the pandemic I was working with who felt it imperative to have his entire leadership team on site for a meeting. This was about 3 months into the pandemic. Long story short, 4 of his employees ended up in the hospital and multiple others became ill including him. He was from and led a culture as described above. Employees had an element of fear in not showing up for this on-site at the direction of the CEO. The Board didn’t receive this news well and the end result was not in his favor.

Just a thought to offer that everything may not be as it appears on the surface when judging the behaviors of others. There are some long term engrained behaviors that take a lot of work to shift. Words and policies are only one component.

I am hopeful she is negative and your health has not been compromised.

lots of people used to come to work sick and everyone used to "tough it out," but since you now have to swear every day that you have no symptoms of anything to enter the building.... it really is a different world today. 180 degrees different.

 

[acutename]

I hate insurance companies sometimes. I just received a message that genomic sequencing was denied as "not medically necessary".

is that the PCR test? they are going to charge you for that?

 

[Tiff23fr]

lots of people used to come to work sick and everyone used to "tough it out," but since you now have to swear every day that you have no symptoms of anything to enter the building.... it really is a different world today. 180 degrees different.

I am delighted to hear this!

 

[CharlestonGal]

is that the PCR test? they are going to charge you for that?

No, the PCR test is covered. My doctor wants to go beyond that and discover the specific variant. That is what my insurance will not cover. They consider it medically unneccesary.

 

[Lilibet]

From reading on Quest's site I can have this test done at my own expense if I pay in advance. $240.
ETA: The mab infusion I received today is not free. The drug is free, but I'm on the hook for all the hospital costs. the doctors, the nurses, the infusion costs. Everything except the drug itself.

I hope your insurance will cover all the costs associated with the mab infusion. That is certainly medically necessary.

 

[Cool Cats]

A cruise line didn't provide a COVID test to a symptomatic passenger. After disembarking, she tested positive.

Alicia D'Amico and her daughter were on Symphony of the Seas. D'Amico tested positive for COVID-19 after the sailing.

"As the night progressed, so did my body fatigue, coughing and wheezing," the 40-year-old Tampa, Florida, resident told USA TODAY.

D'Amico started calling the medical center. No nurse answered.
Eventually, exhausted, she decided to try again in the morning.

D'Amico started calling again in the morning. After an hour of redialing, success. A nurse picked up.

Symphony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International.

She explained to the nurse that she knew what was happening to her was more than a lupus flare-up and asked about an appointment with the ship's doctor. She was told an appointment would not be available until Friday night and would come with a $160 charge and not include a coronavirus test.

Upon learning that a test wouldn't be included in the appointment, D'Amico told the nurse she expected testing to be free – especially since she was reporting COVID-19 symptoms per Royal Caribbean's guidance.

"She was silent," D'Amico said.
"They never mentioned a test," she continued. “Never recommended a test. Nothing."

The nurse agreed to "at least" take D'Amico's temperature, at her request. D'Amico's daughter took her to the infirmary in a wheelchair, and the nurse took her temperature. She told D'Amico she didn't have a fever.

"I was burning up," D'Amico said. "Then (the nurse) said 'just keep wearing your mask and enjoy your cruise.'"

D'Amico was shocked.

"My test should have been mandatory," D'Amico said. "I was extremely symptomatic, and I was not only not being tested but being told that I could just wander around the ship putting other people at risk of exposure to my germs."

 

[MajorHoople]

I talked with a friend of mine yesterday. Even though he's double vaccinated (Moderna) and boosted he contracted covid last week. He's not sure what variant, but he suspects it was Omicron. He said he had several rough days until he was treated at the local hospital. Fortunately, he's better now.

 

[nightowl1975]

No, the PCR test is covered. My doctor wants to go beyond that and discover the specific variant. That is what my insurance will not cover. They consider it medically unneccesary.

Out of curiosity, why would it be medically necessary to know which variant it is for any one particular individual? Would it change the recommended treatment?

 

[IceIce9]

https://www.wrtv.com/news/coronavir...covid-19-surge-is-straining-indiana-hospitals

“All of our hospitals, all Indianapolis hospitals, are actually over-capacity,” Yeleti said. “We’re actually having more patients in our hospitals than we have beds. We’re holding patients in our emergency rooms trying to find beds for them and we’ve had to delay several surgeries.”