With COVID-19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases surging in hospitals this winter, employees can experience high rates of absenteeism and health problems. However, employers can take steps to mitigate the spread.
Two new #omicron variants are gaining ground in the US just in time for the holiday season. They evade immunity seven times better than their predecessor BA.5. Additionally, health care providers are witnessing record rates of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, leaving children especially at risk of hospitalization. reported that 76% of their beds were occupied.
As this winter’s “Triple Epidemic” progresses, employers are likely to see employees calling in sick to care for themselves or loved ones. But Doug Field, chief revenue officer of Phase Scientific Americas, a company that provides diagnostics and data tools to health care providers, said his regular COVID tests still put employees at risk. It said it was an important way to limit the number of cases it struck.
read more: ‘You’re more likely to catch COVID’: What employers need to know
“I’ve heard people say why they haven’t tested it. [majority] 100% of our workforce is vaccinated,” said Field. So I won’t know until I test it. “
It is important to note that while preventive measures such as vaccination and masking reduce the risk of contracting COVID, as the virus evolves it will likely outperform the protection offered by currently available vaccines. It is important.Vaccines can also reduce the severity of COVID symptoms experienced in the first weeks of testing positive, but they do not effectively stop long covid Associated medical expenses and absenteeism.Research published in peer-reviewed journals natural medicine They found that vaccines only reduce the risk of contracting COVID by 15%.
As employers opt for hybrid work structures, office parties, and even a full return to in-person work, Field advises leaders to establish or revert testing policies. Ideally, the employer will ask the employee to test her once or twice a week. This is done whether using rapid test kits at home or point-of-care testing, where healthcare workers can perform the rapid test themselves and prescribe treatment if the patient tests positive. increase. In particular, a healthcare provider is offering a combination test that uses one nasal swab to test her for COVID, flu, and her RSV.
Also known as test-to-treat, workers can be tested at home and virtually connect with a healthcare provider to see if they test positive for COVID, or if the weather is simply bad and negative. You can also get care if it is a result.
“A good group of employees want to know they’re stepping into a safe environment at work,” says Field. “Therefore, it should be positive for employers to offer testing.”
read more: The price of a long COVID: what undiagnosed illness is doing to employers
Field stressed that PCR testing remains the gold standard for COVID testing, and employers should ensure that if workers are suspected of being infected or tested positive quickly, they will have time to easily access testing sites. However, home testing can help employers and employees quickly assess the risks of coming to the office.
“A home test is very accurate for what I call a surveillance test,” says Field. “If you test positive, you can stay out of the community and seek treatment. If you get a PCR test, you have to wait 24 to 48 hours for the results, and you can spend time with family and friends. I might go out. Stay positive.”
And the Biden administration still requires all health insurers to pay for eight COVID tests per person per month, covering up to $12 per test. This means that employers can offer free testing to all their employees, whether they are self-financing or working with insurance companies.
read more: What will happen to healthcare once COVID is no longer a public health emergency?
Still, while 81% of employers offer some form of COVID testing, less than half offer at-home testing kits to employees, according to Phase’s research, and the Only 19% have implemented a solution. At the same time, 67% of employers report a significant increase in absenteeism. Field notes that absence rates are likely to rise if employers don’t take precautions.
Needless to say, Field said, with national concern about COVID waning and fewer people and states reporting positive cases to the CDC, we don’t have a clearer picture of how widespread COVID is in the United States. Not concerned.
“Honestly, this [COVID] The surge could be even worse than last year,” Field said. “It is important that employers pay attention to this and protect their employees.”
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