Some healthcare employees in the Kansas City area who have tested positive for COVID-19 have continued to work, according to an article on the Kansas City Star website.
The practice is allowed by the state and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) when facilities face staff shortages.
Healthcare workers can generally return to work 10 days after symptoms first appeared and at least 24 hours without a fever, according CDC guidelines.
But in cases of severe staff shortages, the guidelines allow employees with COVID-19 to return to work before that.
Employees at other healthcare facility around the U.S. say they were asked to work even after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a September Miami Herald article.
An employee at Stearns Nursing and Rehab in Madison County, Ill., said healthcare 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.
Read the full Kansas City Star article.
Seeking Standards for Microbial Loads in Healthcare Facilities
UCR Health Unveils Plans for Major Expansion
High-Performance Windows Support Safety at UW Medicine's New Behavioral Health Center
Central Maine Healthcare Dealing with IT System Outage
Kaiser Permanente Opens Newly Expanded Everett Medical Center