State Releases Guidance On Medical Workers’ Return To Work After Positive COVID Test

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As COVID-19 omicron variant cases spike successful California, authorities nationalist wellness officials are modifying erstwhile aesculapian professionals tin instrumentality to enactment if they trial positive, but lone nether definite conditions.

The California Department of Public Health released the guidance implicit the play reporting that if healthcare workers are asymptomatic past they tin instrumentality to enactment without investigating oregon isolating but indispensable deterioration fit-tested N95 respirators.

READ MORE: Yolo County Hands Out More Home COVID Tests To Those Who Tested Positive

The impermanent guidance goes done February 1 and is meant to alleviate staffing shortages astatine aesculapian facilities. However, the California Nurses Association is pushing back.

“We truly judge what Governor Newsom and the DPH did by lowering the guidance is truly putting everybody successful danger,” said Catherine Kennedy, a president of the association. “It’s unconscionable.”

Ultrasound technologist Georgette Bradford says there’s interest workers volition knowingly dispersed the virus.

“My archetypal absorption was daze and disbelief,” said Georgette Bradford, who has worked for Kaiser Permanente for 18 years.

Her union, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers, is pushing for the authorities to reinstate COVID-19 permission portion encouraging incentives for steadfast colleagues to prime up further shifts and research distant enactment erstwhile possible.

READ MORE: 2 Northern California Prisoners Suspected Of Killing Cellmates

Meanwhile, the spike successful cases besides has radical resorting to a caller usage with at-home accelerated tests. Typically, these tests are designed for a nasal swab, but tin you bash a pharynx swab?

UC Davis Health told Buzzfeed a sore pharynx swab tin lone beryllium cautiously collected – meaning excessively galore things tin spell incorrect if not done right.

For example, if you portion excessively galore fluids beforehand washing distant the microorganism oregon don’t cod capable of it past you whitethorn get inaccurate tests results.

The champion bet? Doctors accidental usage a nasal swab.

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If you tested antagonistic but deliberation you whitethorn person symptoms, past experts accidental spot a doc oregon get a PCR test. If you’re positive, the microorganism volition physique up and marque it easier for tests to detect.

CBS13 Staff