*Wets finger*, scrolls down to last Covid post to check date.
Last post regarding the kung flu was on Saturday 12/19/2020wtf.
We left off with a positive diagnosis in the household with minimal symptoms.
Sunday was spent doing chores around the house. The boss feels fine, I still had a cough but nothing
earth shattering. Non productive, dry.
Slightly noticeable chest irritation. Nothing more that what would
be considered a couple day cold. Sunday afternoon I get an email from another employee who tested
positive over the weekend. fuuuuuck.
I called them and they sounded like crap, felt like crap, and had labored breathing but not concerned
enough for a hospital visit. According to our protocols we have to do contact tracing and advise other
employees if we determine they are in the Close Contact (1) category.
During last week we had 13 people working from home. Monday we were closed and Thursday was
the blizzard so limited staffing.
The positive case was only there on Friday and started feeling "crappy" after lunch.
Due to the previous cases everyone returning on Tuesday (12/15) were again reminded, firmly, to
maintain 6 feet and mask at all times.
This would keep us outside close contact criteria of "15 minutes cumulative in 24 hours under six feet".
Think about trying to maintain that in a manufacturing environment. We have done the best we can
but regardless of policy that ain't happening, I don't care who you are. We are told to write disciplinary
actions to those that don't follow along. That would be everyone at one time or another each day.
Okay, back to Sunday and case number 4. Myself and EHS manager have a conference call with
employee and there are two possible close contacts (1) that "could" fit into the criteria.
"Possible". To err on the side of caution we advise them to stay home and monitor.
EHS and myself discuss the fact that Monday morning, yesterday, will be a shit show at the start.
It ended up being a bit rocky but not too bad once the rumors were kyboshed.
Everyone thinks they are a close contact when it comes to this.
They are also pissed because #hipaa. Information cannot be divulged unless of course you go to
facebook where everyone already knows before management does.
Sunday night I crash and again sleep through the night. Since there is a household case I take my temp
a couple times and monitor my symptoms. Nothing other than he random cough and feeling like I'm in
my late 50's. Oh ya, I am.
Yesterday , Monday, I'm up drinking my coffee texting with some of the crew when I think , fuck it,
what if the boss had a false positive and all this is for naught?
Neither of us have anything other than a cough (that is dimishing) and if we are negative then
we can enjoy Christmas like we planned.
It's early I can run down street ( I took my truck since I ain't runnin' no where) and get in line at the
local testing hole.
They open at 8:00am, first come, first serve. At 7:25am the line is 16 deep. Everyone is planning
on hopefully having some semblance of a real Christmas like so many years ago in 2019.
I finally get in to register, and am told it will be about an hour and a half.
Wait in your car.
BTDT no problem.
Driving around the block, I grab a Dunkin's coffee and finish filing out info on the phone app.
Forty five mins later and way earlier than expected I get a text to go in. Shit, they are pumping them
through.
I sit in the waiting room for about five to ten minutes and get called.
"How do you feel?, what symptoms?" etc.
Me: " Household contact, cough, non productive, kinda lethargic. Tested negative last week just wanted
to make sure all is good and it's only a cold"
PA opens buffet menu, you can have the rapid and the PCR test.
Me, at buffet, "I'll have both".
PA leaves, comes back with two kits.
"We do the rapid and while you wait I'll do the PCR."
"Okeedokee"
*swabs nostrils*
"I'll be right back to do the other test"
tick tock
Less than five minutes goes buy. I'm still rubbing my watering eyes.
Door opens, "Uh we aren't gonna worry about the PCR test, the rapid is positive" steps back two feet.
Me " Are you positive?" kinda surprised because I have nothing more than a cough and I was hoping it
would be negative so the boss could go get tested again just to see if there was a false positive.
In any other time of my career a hot shower and off to work would be the daily routine with
current symptoms. I wouldn't think twice about it.
The PA kinda laughs at my "are you positive?" question and replies "Yes"
I thank her for what she does on a daily basis and said "I'm sure it's not easy sometimes"
She says " You have no idea how rude people can be"
I said " I can only imagine"
"The nurse will be in to brand your forehead with a large letter "C" then you can go." (I made that up)
That was yesterday.
In the afternoon I reported the info to HR and, luckily, I was working from home last week during my
negative test so now it's another 10-14 days depending on a new test.
Currently, the coffee is hot and tastes good. I feel fine, after what we would consider 6-7 days of
exposure.
We spent some time going down the daily list of who when why where what for last week and we have
no idea of contact.
There were two Dr's visits earlier in the week unrelated to the kung-flu and obvious shopping trips for
food and Christmas. Who knows?
I'm working from home the best I can and have five days off starting tomorrow.
Maybe I'll pull out the old Monopoly game so I can practice for a Harris administration.
(1)
Close Contact
Someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative
total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period* starting from 2 days
before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, 2 days prior to
test specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.
* Individual exposures added together over a 24-hour period
(e.g., three 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes). Data are
limited, making it difficult to precisely define “close contact;”
however, 15 cumulative minutes of exposure at a distance of 6 feet or
less can be used as an operational definition for contact investigation.
Factors to consider when defining close contact include proximity
(closer distance likely increases exposure risk), the duration of
exposure (longer exposure time likely increases exposure risk), whether
the infected individual has symptoms (the period around onset of
symptoms is associated with the highest levels of viral shedding), if
the infected person was likely to generate respiratory aerosols (e.g.,
was coughing, singing, shouting), and other environmental factors
(crowding, adequacy of ventilation, whether exposure was indoors or
outdoors). Because the general public has not received training on
proper selection and use of respiratory PPE, such as an N95, the
determination of close contact should generally be made irrespective of
whether the contact was wearing respiratory PPE. At this time,
differential determination of close contact for those using fabric face
coverings is not recommended.
