Monday, January 17, 2022

COVID Outbreaks Originating from Staff

A recent study found that the majority of COVID-19 outbreaks in British Columbia care homes originated from staff members

Out of 365 outbreaks in 210 sites between March 2020 and February 2021, 76 percent were traced to a staff member. The study, which surveyed over 6,500 workers, found that 40 percent had gone to work while feeling ill on one or more occasions. The majority of workers said they were worried about infecting residents or their own family members.

So why are they going to work ill?

• 55% felt obligated to their coworkers.

• 38% felt obligated to their residents.

• 29% felt pressured by their employer.

• 20% would not have been paid for staying home.

Three-quarters of staff reported that their workplace was always, usually, or sometimes understaffed. Staying home from work in a situation like this is more difficult.

As we have seen, COVID-19 was spread by asymptomatic people as well, so even if someone didn’t feel ill, they could have passed it on.

While almost all workers said they put a fresh mask on at the start of their shift, only 64 percent put a fresh one on after taking it off at mealtime.

In terms of training to prevent the spread of disease, 75 percent of staff received infection prevention and control training, and most received additional PPE training in an outbreak situation. But staff still felt undertrained in how to care for COVID-19 positive patients.

With all of the added pressures from COVID-19 risks and protocols, nearly two-thirds of staff said their mental health had declined over the pandemic, and over 50 percent said they had less quality-time with family.

Recommendations for supporting staff include increasing sick time as well as the number of staff members.

Source: thesafetymag.com

COVID Outbreaks Originating from Staff

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