Revised CDC Return to Work Guidelines… Quarantine period reduced from 10 days to 5 days
Some concerns raised… Criticism of “Nurses treated as disposable”
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Su-ho = The Washington Post reported on the 23rd (local time) that American hospitals are encouraging people with symptoms that are likely to spread the virus to return to work.
As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) Omicron mutation spreads, the number of close contacts with confirmed cases subject to quarantine among hospital personnel has increased, resulting in a serious shortage of workers.
According to reports, more than one-fifth of hospitals in the United States recently complained of a serious shortage of manpower.
In fact, New Jersey’s Holy Name Medical Center found that 191 of its 3,500 daily employees took sick leave for this reason last month.
As the hospital’s manpower shortage worsens, there is a growing demand that it is necessary to relax the standards for returning to work for employees infected with COVID-19 in order to maintain essential medical service operations.
In response, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised its guidelines at the end of last month and shortened the quarantine period from 10 days to 5 days so that workers with mild symptoms and showing signs of improvement can return to work more quickly.
In particular, he said that the quarantine period could be completely abolished if necessary depending on the supply and demand situation of the workplace.
However, in this case, the hospital recommended that asymptomatic or mild symptoms be returned first.
An official from Holy Name Medical Center said, “I was very happy when the CDC announced that people with mild symptoms or no fever can return to work 5 days after being infected with COVID-19.”
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The CDC’s action without prior verification has raised concerns among some in the medical community, but in recent weeks, US hospitals have been applying relaxed guidelines.
A large hospital in Arizona notified its employees earlier this month that even if they were infected with COVID-19, they could return to work with the permission of their bosses.
“As a last resort, asymptomatic health care workers can continue to work and, to the extent possible, should be assigned to care for patients with COVID-19,” the state health official said.
However, there are still voices opposing the change of the CDC’s return to work guidelines.
Candice Coldero, a nurse working at a hospital in Bradenton, Florida, was still developing fever and coughing symptoms seven days after she contracted the virus last month.
In this situation, the hospital explained the revised CDC guidelines and requested a return to work, but he refused because he was concerned about the spread of the virus.
“It seemed like the hospital was trying to bring the staff back too soon,” said Coldero.
“The CDC return to work guidelines sparked the idea that the health care system treats nurses as disposables,” said one Illinois nurse.
According to the WP, a recent study conducted in the UK also found that about a third of those infected with COVID-19 could transmit the virus even after five days have passed.
suho@yna.co.kr
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2022/01/24 11:03 Send
