Healthcare Employees With COVID Say They’ve Been Asked To Work

Employees at several healthcare facility say they were asked to work even after testing positive for COVID-19, according to an article on the Miami Herald website.

An employee at Stearns Nursing and Rehab in Madison County, Illinois, said health providers there were told they could keep working even if they have the coronavirus. Two employees at the NHC HealthCare Greenwood senior care facility in South Carolina who tested positive for COVID-19 were also asked to return to work.

But situations are approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The  CDC’s “last resort” suggestions allow coronavirus-positive employees to work with the elderly in the event of staff shortages. The criteria to return to work is now based on symptoms, not a secondary test.

A recent report has found that more than 1 in 5 nursing homes report a severe shortage of personal protective equipment and some staff shortages, according to a Health Affair article.

By the end of July, more than 60,000 deaths had occurred in US nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, accounting for nearly half of all COVID-related fatalities nationwide.

Read the full Miami Herald article.