Dozens of Australians have lodged workers compensation claims related to Covid-19, prompting fresh warnings that employers must take heed of their employees health and safety during the pandemic.
Experts say employer obligations include ensuring physical distancing and good hygiene practices at workplaces that remain open.
Bosses must also take steps to ensure the wellbeing of employees who have switched to working-from-home arrangements including ensuring they have access to mental health support.
Based on responses from numerous state-based agencies, Guardian Australia is aware of at least 175 workers compensation claims or notifications that relate in some way to Covid-19, although this figure is not exhaustive and the coverage and method of reporting may differ from state to state.
In NSW, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority said it had been advised of 153 claims or notifications related to Covid-19, including 23 where a worker had tested positive to the disease and there was a possibility work was the main contributing factor.
A spokesperson for the authority said 101 cases in the exposure category involved workers who may have come into contact with another person such as a colleague, customer or visitor who was confirmed or suspected of having Covid-19.
Of the remaining Covid-19-related cases in NSW, 17 were linked to mental health, while the remaining 12 were classed as other injuries or diseases.
WorkSafe Victoria said it had so far received nine claims from workers impacted in some way by Covid-19. WorkCover Queensland has so far accepted six claims for work-related diagnosis of Covid-19 five of whom contracted it while on work-related overseas travel, and one while working at a restaurant, according to the Office of Industrial Relations.
Dr Stacey Jenkins, the acting head of the school of management and marketing at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, said business operators had to meet their existing health and safety obligations and bore a responsibility to support their workers, especially in uncertain, changing times such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Workers compensation definitely does extend to Covid-19 and employers need to make sure that they prepare and manage that risk in their workplace, Jenkins said.
Implementing physical distancing was the biggest challenge for those still at work, she said.
Jenkins said she was aware of construction and electrical workers who had been split into different teams and rostered on at different times, so that any outbreak could be contained and allow the business to continue operations.
Jenkins said employers should remind workers of the importance of hand hygiene to avoid the spread of Covid-19 and underline the need to stay home from work if they were sick.
The national body Safe Work Australia has called for people to be allowed to work from home where possible, but it noted that employers still needed to do what they reasonably could to manage the risks to someone operating remotely.
It said possible new issues included physical risks from a poor work environment, such as not having a proper workstation, and psychosocial risks such as isolation, reduced social support from managers and colleagues, fatigue, online harassment and family and domestic violence.
Jenkins, who is herself working from home, said an ergonomically safe work environment was important, and isolation could prove very damaging to mental health.
While managers might feel as though making contact with a worker twice a week was enough, staff were also looking for informal methods of communication, she said.
I think thats important and employers have an obligation to just make sure that they are providing them with support where they can, and providing them with other resources such as employee assistance providers or resources such as Beyond Blue.
Safe Work Australia noted that workers who sustained an injury while working from home might be eligible for workers compensation. While the rules differ from state to state, a worker would generally need to prove the injury, illness or disease arose out of or in the course of their employment.
It is not known if any cases gathered by Guardian Australia relate to working from home.
Apart from the 168 claims, notifications or accepted claims reported in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, it is understood there are at least seven cases related to Covid-19 in other states. WorkCover WA has been advised of five Covid-19-related claims, ReturnToWorkSA has received one work injury claim, and Tasmanias Department of Justice reported that one claim had been received by an insurer.
As everyone has been made aware, the coronavirus is a very dangerous virus especially in the elderly and it is unfortunate that the center has had multiple confirmed positive cases. We want to convey our deepest concern for our residents and/or staff who have been diagnosed positive for coronavirus; our thoughts are with them and their loved ones at this challenging time. Our center leadership and staff continue in their vigilance to keep our residents and staff safe taking significant measures to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The safety of our residents and staff is paramount. As a proactive and preventative measure, the facility management initiated testing residents with symptoms for COVID-19. Once notified of testing results, residents with positive tests will continue to be monitored at the centers designated observation unit unless the physician orders them to be transferred to the local hospital for further care and services. We thank our local hospital systems for their service in providing excellent care and aid to our residents and our continued partnership. The center has also followed protocol by communicating with all residents and their responsible party by notifying them once the center had an individual that was confirmed positive for COVID-19.
As Covid-19 sweeps across the world, health care workers have become prime victims of it, accounting for up to 20% of cases in the U.S. Infections and deaths among physicians, nurses, and support staff are straining the ability of hospitals to respond to the disease. The very people who are taking care of patients are becoming patients themselves and spreading the virus to others, including to their own families.
I feel like were all just being sent to slaughter, Thomas Riley, a nurse at Jacobi Medical Center in New York, told The New York Times. Riley and his husband both contracted the virus. At this scale, current efforts to protect health care workers from infection simply cant be effective, especially with equipment shortages.
The age of the health care workforce is a problem. More than half of physicians are over age 50, and the average age of a nurse is 51 putting them at risk of severe manifestations of Covid-19. So far in New York, patients in their 60s were 37 times more likely to die than those in their 20s.
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And yet states are imploring older health care workers to fill hospital ranks to fight Covid-19. New York City, Connecticut, and Alabama, for example, have special initiatives to recruit retired medical staff. The Wall Street Journal highlighted a 60-year-old retired nurse who returned to help battle Covid-19 despite having to return each evening to her husband, a cancer survivor. The New York Times profiled seven retired doctors and nurses heading to hospitals to reinforce systems in crisis around the country. Their average age? Sixty-seven.
While the dedication of older health care providers is admirable, these plans are short-sighted. The odds that these retired health workers will become infected, pass the virus to family and friends of similar age, and together rapidly add to the hospital burden is high.
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Instead of sending older workers into the fray, we need to deploy virus fighters who are less likely to die or get very sick. We also need a two-layer system of medical quarantine, not just for the patients themselves but also for the people who are treating them.
There are two rich sources of workers with less risk of becoming seriously ill: the thousands of individuals who have recovered from infections and thus have antibodies that provide immunity, and healthy members of the military under age 30.
Mobilizing large numbers from these groups can help hospitals care for patients and can staff alternative care facilities such as field hospitals, repurposed hotels, and empty college dormitories where patients with milder illness are isolated and treated. These health workers could live in the same alternate care facilities or be isolated in nearby buildings.
The military is already playing a role in fighting the Covid-19 epidemic but, with the exception of hospital ships that have taken a limited number of patients, that role has mainly been logistical. There arent enough military medics to take on these tasks. What we are advocating is training young members of the military to assume positions in isolation centers and assist in hospitals so they can relieve doctors and nurses for more important work, reduce their cumulative exposure to infection and allow them needed time to rest.
Theres no question that military men and women would be assuming a risk by doing this, but it is a far lower risk than when they are deployed abroad or even training on U.S. bases. Some will get sick and recover and join others with immunity, who can work without the protective gear needed to protect older and disease-nave doctors and nurses.
Service members already work and live in communal units, and so would be used to isolation in alternate care facilities or dorms. Community volunteers with immunity need not be quarantined. If at all possible, quarantine quarters should be provided for current hospital staff caring for the sickest patients to support them and protect their families.
China, which moved thousands of health workers from around the country into isolation centers in Wuhan, has demonstrated how successful this kind of two-layer patient and caregiver quarantine can be.
The media, politicians in fact all Americans have been lauding the courage of hospital staff. But praise is not enough. As much as possible, we must keep them out of harms way while making it possible for them to continue to provide life-saving care. Lets let the military and immune volunteers come to the rescue.
Bruce E. Wexler, M.D., is professor emeritus of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and a winner of the NIH Directors Award for high innovation. James K. Glassman, former under secretary of state for public diplomacy, advises health care companies and nonprofits.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW)-- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Health Director Dr. Amy Acton held their daily news conference on the coronavirus outbreak at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 7,628 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 163 probable cases for a total of 7,791 in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The virus resulted in 2,237 hospital admissions with 677 in the intensive care unit. In Ohio, 361 have died.
DeWine announced he's expanding the state's partnership with Columbus-based company Battelle. Starting Friday, local law enforcement and EMS agencies can bring their packaged masks to any Ohio State Highway Patrol post, who will take them to Battelle for sanitizing. Agencies can pick up the masks at the OSHP post.
DeWine said there is a critical shortage around the globe of COVID-19 test kit components, including swabs and the solution needed to transport the swabs. Ohio State University's Wexner Medical and Ohio State worked with a national group to design 3-D printed swabs. The first order of 15,000 will be delivered to Ohio State. The governor said 200,000 swabs and swab kits will be shared with the Ohio Department of Health and the state's hospital systems by the end of April.
There were two additional COVID-19-related deaths at Pickaway Correctional Institution. DeWine, who's been trying to reduce the state's prison population to allow more social distancing during the outbreak, said he approved the early release of 105 inmates. Those convicted of sex offensive, homicide, kidnapping ,abduction, ethnic intimidation, making terroristic threats and domestic violence were not eligible, as well as those previously denied early release. Ohio's prison population dropped by 311 inmates last week.
LOWELL Stephen Lemire said he called Northwood Rehabilitation & Health Care Center three or four times when his mother, a 94-year-old resident, first developed COVID-19 symptoms.
The nursess station line would ring, but no one would pick up. When someone did, the Tyngsboro resident was put on hold for long periods of time, he said.
No one was answering. Period, Lemire said. He wanted to know what the deal was, and when his mothers test results would be in.
Just over a week ago, Lemires mother, Rita, tested positive for COVID-19. She is currently holding her own in isolation within the nursing home, but Lemire still worries about her care.
Northwood residents have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus, according to spokesman Tim Brown. Last week, the National Guard tested at least a dozen Northwood residents for COVID-19, according to Brown.
We are devastated that patients in our care have contracted this virus, however we do not have any associated deaths to report, Brown said.
A number of health care workers have also tested positive for the virus, Brown added. As of press time, Brown did not report the number of residents and staff who have tested positive.
It has concerned me completely that this nursing home is totally not transparent, Lemire said. It is resistant to everything. Its acting as though theres a cover-up where there doesnt need to be a cover-up
By speaking with his mother and other Northwood staff, Lemire said he has learned that a number of employees have called out sick. He said there are only about two nursing aides currently working on his mothers wing.
No one is coming to respond to my mother when she is putting on her call button, Lemire said. There have been times when his mother has called a family member, who then had to call the nursing home to get assistance.
The number of Northwood health care workers in self-quarantine has posed staffing challenges at the nursing home, Brown said.
We are doing all we can to fully staff the center, and there have been no interruptions in care at this time. Staff members initially afflicted are already beginning to return to resume their important roles, Brown said in a statement.
The Lowell Public Health Department communicates with the citys nursing homes daily and provides them with personal protective equipment, according to Interim Director JoAnn Keegan. One of Lowells two public health nurses regularly discusses infection control, specific cases and family communication with the facilities, Keegan said.
There is monitoring, there is assistance with attempting to isolate quickly and identify quickly those that are symptomatic, Keegan said.
Several nursing homes in the area have reported more than one case of COVID-19, according to Keegan.
Last week, local elected representatives called for transparency at Life Care Center of Nashoba Valley in Littleton, where 14 residents have died of COVID-19. As of Monday, 52 of Life Cares 75 current residents had tested positive for the virus.
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, the Littleton Board of Selectmen, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge and state Rep. James Arciero sent a letter to Life Care Centers of America President Beecher Hunter requesting that he immediately alert public health authorities of any confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 contamination within your network, including cases in which flu-like symptoms are exhibited.
Brown said Northwood is doing all we can to protect our residents and staff. The nursing home is cleaned multiple times per day with a focus on frequently touched areas, and only direct care staff enter residents rooms, he said.
And we are monitoring our personal protective equipment and requesting additional equipment from the state to ensure our staff has the protection they need to keep them and residents safe, he continued.
Brown added that Northwood holds weekly conference calls with families, and provides weekly email and individual updates.
This is about a virus that were trying to get a handle on, state Rep. Thomas Golden said. But when you have some of the most vulnerable population, you know, housed in the same area, thats something that we need to take into consideration.
Lemire said he has considered taking his mother out of Northwood. But right now, he believes she is safest there in isolation, as opposed to a hospital where she might be exposed to other illnesses.
For the time being, shes fine where she is, he said.
Two or three key staff people do a wonderful job caring for Lemires mother, he said. But heaven forbid these people who are really burned-out get sick, then thats it, he continued.
We encourage any residents and family members to contact us with any questions they have about the care we are offering. Our commitment is to be as transparent as possible and work to address any issues that arise, Brown said.
Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Issues Executive Order Requiring All People in New York to Wear Masks or Face Coverings in Public | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Skip to main content April 15, 2020
Albany, NY
State Will Begin Conducting Antibody Tests Prioritizing Frontline Workers BeginningThis Week-2,000 Tests Per Day Using a Finger Prick Test
Announces State Will Give 100 Ventilators to Michigan and 50 Ventilators to Maryland
Issues Executive Order Requiring Nursing Homes to Inform Family Members of Residents of COVID-19 Cases
Issues Executive Order Allowing Individuals Assisting with COVID-19 Response to Stay in a Hotel in New York City for More Than 28 Days without Becoming a Tenant
SUNY and CUNY Colleges Using 3D Printers to Produce Personal Protective Equipment for Frontline Medical Workers
Confirms 11,571 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to213,779; New Cases in 43 Counties
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced he will issue an Executive Order requiring all people in New York to wear a mask or a face covering when out in public and in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on public transportation. The Executive Order will go into effect on Friday, April 17th.
Governor Cuomo also announced the state will begin conducting antibody tests, prioritizing frontline health care workers, first responders and other essential workers, beginning this week. Using a new finger prick method the state will test up to 2,000 New Yorkers per day. The state is also asking the FDA for expedited approval of a finger prick antibody test that could test up to 100,000 New Yorkers a day. Additionally, the state is continuing to engage with other partners including hospital labs and private companies to bring mass antibody testing to scale statewide.
The Governor also announced the state will give 100 ventilators to Michigan and 50 ventilators to Maryland.
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The Governor will also issue an Executive Order requiring nursing homes toreport positive COVID-19 cases and deaths to the families of those who are living in the nursing home facility within 24 hours.The order will include adult home and other assisted living facilities. Previously, State Department of Health issued guidance asking these facilities to communicate this information to families; this new order makes that guidance mandatory.
The Governor will also issue an Executive Order allowing individuals assisting with the COVID-19 response or individuals who have been displaced due to COVID-19 to stay in a hotel in New York City for more than 28 days without becoming a tenant.
Another part of getting to the new normal is continuing to stop the spread of the virus, and to do that I am issuing an Executive Order that says all people in public must wear a mask or face covering.
The Governor also announced that the State University of New York and The City University of New York are using 3D printers to produce critical personal protective equipment for New York's frontline health workers. SUNY campuses are producing about 2,100 face shields a day amongst 13 SUNY campuses, its four Cornell colleges, and its four university centers. Teams at six CUNY colleges have adapted their 3D printers and associated materials to make elements that are used in protective face shields for local hospitals. The face shields are being donated to medical teams across the state, as resources are needed by hospitals, nursing homes and testing sites.
"As we continue to flatten the curve and slow the infection rate of the virus we have to build a bridge from where we are now to the reopening of the economy, and the single best tool to do that is large scale testing,"Governor Cuomo said."We have done more tests than any other state in the nation - more than 500,000 in over a one-month period - but we need to do more and we need the help of the federal government to get people back to work and begin our return to a new normal. We are going to begin conducting antibody testing for our frontline workers and we are currently able to test 2,000 people per day, and we are asking the FDA for approval of a finger prick test that would allow us to test 100,000 people per day. Another part of getting to the new normal is continuing to stop the spread of the virus, and to do that I am issuing an Executive Order that says all people in public must wear a mask or face covering."
Finally, the Governor confirmed 11,571 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 213,779 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 213,779 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:
County
Total Positive
New Positive
Albany
548
13
Allegany
28
0
Broome
153
7
Cattaraugus
32
0
Cayuga
36
3
Chautauqua
24
1
Chemung
69
5
Chenango
71
3
Clinton
45
0
Columbia
96
12
Cortland
23
1
Delaware
46
1
Dutchess
2,048
114
Erie
1,751
83
Essex
12
0
Franklin
13
0
Fulton
24
2
Genesee
76
0
Greene
73
7
Hamilton
3
0
Herkimer
40
1
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - We hear every day about healthcare workers on the front lines, But what is it really like for those working inside the COVID-19 units at a hospital?
Joseph Fields has been working at Baptist Health Lexington for 11 years and as a nurse for the last two. But, not even that decade of experience could prepare him for the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I think the first year I started there H1N1 was big, but nothing compared to this," Fields said.
He has to suit up at the beginning of every shift.
"So as soon as we get on our unit, we get a mask and hospital scrubs," Fields said. "And then we get our helmet and our N95 and then we go change."
It's a job that has always been about taking care of people. But, now that those people are fighting for their lives alone, Fields said patient care takes on a whole new meaning.
"The hardest thing right now is with having to wear all the PPE, people can't see our faces and they're intubated and sedated and they are terrified," Fields said. "That's why we're there though, we act as their family when they're not there, and we really try to spend as much time as we can with every patient."
And when his shift is done, the challenges follow him home as he does what he can to disinfect from head to toe to limit exposure risk to his roommates.
"I also try to like just keep it all contained, all together, so I don't infect anybody else," Fields said. "I live with two other people so it's definitely a little bit trying right now."
Because of his inside look at how this virus affects families, he has a message for those not following social distancing guidelines on the outside.
"Looking at my patients in the ICU, I just don't want that to be my relative, and I don't want that to be somebody else's relative," Fields said. "So just the best advice is to stay at home and wash your hands man, the best thing you can do."
Fields said they aren't overrun with patients right now, but Baptist Health has been proactive in closing non-essential units to make room for more COVID-19 patients.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) -- Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is now accepting plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19. The plasma will be given to people who are currently infected with the virus in hopes it will help them recover more quickly.
The first two donations in Springfield were made at the center Wednesday.
"They just launched this program I guess and asked if I'd be willing to donate plasma, I said of course," said Taylor McQueary.
McQueary tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a trip to Austria.
"We really didn't think there was a chance anyone had COVID-19, but just in case I decided to stay home from work and work from home," he said. "Then, people did start testing positive. "
McQueary said he put himself in self isolation immediately after his return. Wednesday, more than 28 days after his recovery, he joined the community in the fight against the virus.
"I'm lucky enough that I didn't have any really first symptoms to it," McQueary said. "Knowing that a lot of people are struggling with it [and] that this can help them at all feels really good."
The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks is working with area hospitals to collect plasma that could help those who are currently infected with the coronavirus.
"This is the plasma that is going to go to patients here in the Ozarks that are COVID -19 positive that are either serious life threatening conditions," said Anthony Roberts, the executive director of Community Blood Center of the Ozarks. "The theory is the antibodies in the plasma will help with their recovery."
According to the Department of Health and Senior Services, convalescent plasma has been used to prevent or treat new viral diseases when other treatments or vaccines were not available. People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that can work against the virus.
"One of the things that they saw in SARS and MERS and Ebola, they did find that plasma from patients and donors that had been infected was instrumental in helping other people recover from the disease." Roberts said.
He said person can give up to four bags of plasma each donation.
"The standard protocol at this point in time [is] to transfuse one unit for those patients who are currently have a serious or life threatening situation," Roberts said.
McQueary said he would encourage other recovering patients to help out as well.
"I'd say the more people who can help, the quicker we can get through this and the quicker we can get back to normal."
In order to donate, Roberts said you have to have tested positive for COVID-19. Any patients who believe they've had the virus but have not been tested are not eligible at this point in time. He said if you are interested in helping out or want to check your eligibility, you can call your local hospital or the blood center for more information.
Click HERE for more information about the process.
A 58-year-old Crystal Lake woman is accused of intentionally coughing on officers who responded to an alleged domestic battery at her home.
Citing privacy reasons, Crystal Lake police declined to say whether Cynthia G. Ventrella previously tested positive for COVID-19 before she allegedly threatened to transmit it.
Officers responded about 1 a.m. Sunday to Ventrella's home in the 900 block of Alexandria Boulevard for a well-being check on an adult male. The caller reported hearing a potential domestic battery at the residence while she was on the other side of an open phone line, Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said.
Ventrella was arrested and charged with domestic battery after police say she caused several cuts and scratches to the man's face "through unknown means," according to a criminal complaint. She was additionally charged with aggravated assault to a peace officer and obstructing identification.
According to the criminal complaint, Ventrella gave police a false date of birth and middle name. She's also accused of coughing on the arresting officer "after receiving several warnings to stop coughing on the officers."
"She continued to cough once being placed under arrest and threatened to contaminate the officer with COVID-19 ...," according to the complaint.
Ventrella was released Monday from the McHenry County Jail without posting a monetary bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 16.
MIDLAND, Tx (KOSA) -- Twenty percent of the confirmed COVID-19 cases in Midland County are either workers or residents at the same nursing home. The question is, how long have officials known the Midland Medical Lodge had an outbreak?
CBS7 reached out to the lodge, and spoke with Assistant Director of Operations Greg Fuller.
Fuller said the first employee with a confirmed case stopped working after March 27, and received a positive test result on April 3.
We asked Fuller why it took until April 14 for the public to find out that case, and three other previously confirmed cases, all worked at the same medical care facility?
That would for sure be a health department question, Fuller said. I dont know what determines when they release that information.
So we asked the Midland Health Department, and they shared the following statement:
We made sure to report on those cases as we have with all of our confirmed cases. Up until the release, there was low concern for the spread among residents due to the mitigation efforts and infection control guidelines that Midland Medical Lodge has in place. Once we were made aware of the positive residents yesterday, we made the announcement to remain transparent and inform the public.
According to the health department, the four newest cases tied to the nursing home, three elderly residents and one worker, are all hospitalized.
The Midland Medical Lodge is a 120-bed facility that has both long term care and short term rehab residents.
Majority of our residents are in the high risk category, Fuller said. Our goal is to protect our residents. This is something that weve never dealt with before, this COVID-19, and its a scary thing. But we are very confident that our systems are in place, and working with others in the infection control world has helped us tremendously.
The medical lodge said it hasnt allowed any visitors since the middle of March.
