Taking Precautions Against COVID-19 at Work Is Great—but Don’t Let Your Guard Down Once You Leave

Urgent care centers have developed sound practices to ensure the safety of staff members and patients when it comes to reducing risk for exposure to COVID-19. Anecdotal evidence suggests they’ve been effective, too. However, you should be aware that a study in Minnesota found one third of COVID-19 exposures among healthcare workers can be attributed to family and community exposure. The study, conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health and published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, asserts that nonwork exposure is likely to lead to COVID-19 infection. The researchers evaluated 21,406 incidences of provider exposure to confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 25% being categorized as “higher-risk” (close contact for 15 minutes or more or during an aerosol-generating procedure). Two thirds of those higher-risk exposures took place during patient care events, while the rest were attributed to social or household contact. The infection rate among the providers involved in those scenarios was 6.9% over a 14-day period post exposure, overall. The rate among providers with household or social exposure was nearly double that, however, at 13%. The take-home message for urgent care workers is to ensure that you’re as vigilant in the community as you are at work, lest you increase your own (and your family’s and coworkers’) risk of becoming part of the international resurgence of COVID-19 cases and the potential consequences of lung scarring, death, and loss of loved ones.