Preparedness & Safety: Jared Schreiner, M.D.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, business leaders in northeast Kansas have found themselves managing the health and safety of their team members and work environments in ways few of them ever imagined would be necessary. To many, it’s confusing, complicated and ever-changing.
Topeka ER & Hospital answers some of the most frequent questions you may have during this difficult (and often frustrating) time.
What can I do to help keep my employees safe?
1. Continue promoting social distancing, mask usage and protecting those who are most vulnerable by:
• Providing proper personal protective equipment (e.g. masks, face coverings) to employees
• Rearranging office layouts to promote social distancing
• Promoting work from home when appropriate
• Limiting large gatherings, meetings and conferences to smaller groups or using electronic communication
• Providing hand sanitizing stations, which have been shown in hospitals to decrease the spread of many infectious organisms, not just COVID-19
2. Nurture a culture of encouragement and support relating to employee health. This is crucial for your employees to feel safe in reporting their symptoms or potential close contacts.
3. Provide your employees with up-to-date CDC guidelines and high quality information to help them be well-informed and avoid fear and panic.
Testing, Quarantine, Isolation and High-Risk Contacts:
What type of tests are there for COVID-19?
• Antigen tests look for a particular viral protein, which suggests an active infection. While very specific (rarely false positive), false negatives can occur. Studies suggest this may happen up to 15% of the time.
• PCR tests — molecular tests that look for the genetic material of the virus — can be rapid, but often require several days to return results, but are the most specific and sensitive tests currently available. The false negative rate for PCR tests is lower than antigen testing, though it’s important to note that no test is perfect!
• Antibody tests are blood tests which look for evidence of a prior infection and the presence of antibodies. Antibody tests do not speak to the presence of active infection.
When should an employee quarantine?
According to the CDC, anyone who has been in close contact with a COVID-19-positive person (unless they’ve had COVID within the last three months) should quarantine for 10 days after their last contact with a COVID-19-positive patient, or 7 days if they receive a negative test result.
What counts as close contact?
• Being with someone for 15 or more minutes at a distance of 6 feet or less. NOTE: this definition is independent of mask wearing
• Providing care to someone with COVID-19
• Having direct physical contact with someone with COVID-19 (eg: a hug or kiss)
• Sharing eating or drinking utensils
• Being sneezed or coughed on, or respiratory droplets somehow getting on you
When should someone be tested for COVID-19?
• TESTING NEGATIVE DOES NOT exempt a person from the required quarantine after a close contact. Someone may test negative early in their quarantine but become positive later. For this reason, quarantine and observation may be all that is needed, eliminating the need for a test. For asymptomatic people, testing may only serve to unnecessarily utilize the resources of health care systems and provide a false sense of security or incorrect belief that quarantine is no longer necessary.
• Testing is important for individuals who become symptomatic, as this may lead to further close contacts who would require quarantine, and an additional quarantine from the date symptoms began for the infected person. More importantly, it provides a symptomatic person the opportunity to be evaluated by a doctor and ensure that their health is being monitored.
• Several testing sites can be found on the Shawnee County Health Department website. At the time of this writing, only persons meeting certain criteria qualify for testing.
COVID-19 has shaken the business community of northeast Kansas in many ways. It’s never been more important to focus on the health and well-being of our workers and their families. I hope this writing can help you, the business leaders of our community, to navigate these rough waters with more clarity and confidence. When Topeka ER & Hospital began, our goal was to impact the health of the Topeka community in a positive way. Like most of you, we never expected the stakes to be so high, so quickly. But, as a fully functioning emergency department and acute care (inpatient) hospital, we are here to help you if you need us. With on-site testing, experienced emergency medicine and internal medicine physicians on staff, and a team of highly qualified support staff, we will be here for you and your employees and their families throughout this pandemic and beyond.
Stay healthy, stay safe.
