Shit. Just got this email from work

[ismnotwasm]

Nothing much has changed, but it’s certainly not getting better. I’ve bought faceshields from Amazon at I hate the googles they hand out. Please be careful out there, it’s not over by a long shot.

Dear Staff, Faculty, Trainees and Students,

Over the last two weeks, we have discovered a small number of patients with unexpected COVID-19 diagnoses at our hospitals. While some of these cases were the result of admission testing that returned positive for asymptomatic patients, we believe there has also been COVID-19 transmission from visitors and caregivers.

We have also had reports of staff congregating with other staff at work and outside of work, which has resulted in multiple staff-to-staff exposures.

These infections highlight the need for strict and 100% universal adherence to our safety protocols. They also come at a critical time in our response to the pandemic. The number of new cases is increasing in #### County, and we face the possibility of a second surge as the weather turns colder, holidays approach, and more of our time is spent inside.

Now, more than ever, we MUST work together to keep each other and our patients safe using the tools that we know work.

Stay Home When Sick: One of the lasting lessons of the pandemic is that we must stay home when sick. COVID-19 can present with many different symptoms. If you think you have a new symptom that could be caused by COVID-19, you need to stay home and arrange for a test using the ## Medicine employee testing website. Do not come to work if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or other infectious diseases.

Masking: Wear a mask 100% of the time in the hospital. Six feet is not a “magic” distance that means everything is safe. Masks must be worn over your nose and mouth with NO exceptions. Masks are an evidence-based way to disrupt the spread of COVID 19. If you see anyone in your environment who does not have a mask or is not wearing it correctly, you need to say something. We all need to protect each other and our patients.

You can take your mask off when you are eating or drinking, but do not leave your mask off for any extended period of time when you are near other people, in a breakroom or in the cafeteria. Once you are done eating, place your mask back on.


All visitors must be masked for the entire time they are in the hospital and when they are in patient rooms. You are empowered to tell visitors they must wear a mask unless they have been given an Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation. If they do not comply with our masking requirements, please immediately inform your supervisor so that the appropriate action can be taken. Visitors will not be allowed to remain in the institution if they do not mask at all times.

Eye Protection: You MUST wear eye protection whenever you are working with patients. We need 100% compliance with this policy.

Shared Food/Potlucks/Celebrations: Food is not allowed to be shared with your colleagues for any reason, including birthdays, showers or retirement gatherings. Even if the food is individually wrapped and handed out by one individual, this is another change that we must make during the pandemic.

While we hope that the fall and winter seasons will go smoothly, we cannot count on that happening. COVID-19 will continue to be with us and often in unexpected ways. Both at work and in the community, we must assume that every person we meet may have COVID-19 and take the proper precautions not to get infected.

Thank you for your support as we continue our fight to control and end this disruptive and deadly pandemic.

[StarryNite]

1. It's far, far from over.

[SheltieLover]

2. Wtf is the ppe? N95s? Nowhere to be found. Still!

Ridiculous!

Stay safe!

[ProfessorGAC]

12. I Read They Are In Decent Supply

But, major suppliers like 3M have pulled them from the retail routes of sale.
Wholesale only, with priority for medical care customers.
So, you & I can't get them, but hospitals & clinics can. I doubt it's abundant enough for every health care location, but they're out there for a good % of the users.

[SheltieLover]

16. Thank you, Professor!

Glad to know!

I bought a small supply of the 3Ms in Feb. For $20. Now selling on ebay for $750.

I just wish they would ramp it up and get them in stock for everyone again.

[GusBob]

3. With you on this

a couple of the problems we have had in our clinic is staff skirting the guidelines (that all changed when 2 staff members died)

the other problem is visitors and patients both not wearing masks PROPERLY, the infection occurs through the nose folks

[BainsBane]

4. Stay safe, ism.

[ismnotwasm]

6. Thank you

At this point I feel safer at work than in the community

[LizBeth]

11. +1

[KY_EnviroGuy]

5. K&R. Thanks for posting. It's good for all of us....

to be reminded of the medical "best practices" for our own benefit!

Especially this one:

...we must assume that every person we meet may have COVID-19.....

KY.......

[Ms. Toad]

7. Agree with all of this, aside from the food.

Sharing of food is relatively safe - I would limit it, but not prohibit it outright.

(The far bigger risk is eating it in each other's presence - so to the extent that restriction is imposed to cut down on gatherings I don't have a problem with it. It is the restriction on individually packaged food that is beyond an evidence-based restriction.)

[ismnotwasm]

8. They did contact tracing of person to person transmission of employees IN the hospital

Found it the cafeteria. People relax while eating. Anyway, that’s when the tighter restrictions started

[Ms. Toad]

10. Of course it is in the cafeteria -

that is where people sit with masks off to eat and drink. Surface transmission is a very-very uncommon means of transmission, and transmission via the food itself is even less common. It is not the presence of the virus in a location that matters, but whether it can effectively cause infection in others. Airborn matter, inhaled via the nose, is the most effective means; consumed virus via surface contamination is far far lower - only docuented a handful of times. Both the portal of entrance (mouth) and the low viral load (transferred from surface to hand to mouth) minimize the quantity of virus and make it extremely unlikely you will contract it that way.

My point is that the evidence suggets that infection from the food itself is non-existent or vanishingly rare. The memo prohibits all food sharing (regardless of where it is eaten). That's what I believe is overboard.

There is miniscule to zero risk added to the process of eating based on the source of the food.

Baking and sharing food with others (as long as we are not eating in close proximity to others ourside of our bubbles) is one of those joys of life that we can safely engage in. The ban should be on how it is consumed (which it is), not on the small act of kindness and connection that we can safely engage in by baking for others.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. While I Agree...

...that food is not a concerning transmission source, I think it's more than that.
I'm guessing that the business realizes it's the activities surrounding things like pot luck luncheons that lead to issues.
Making "don't share food" a mandate, eliminates a lot of risky actions under one umbrella policy.

[LizBeth]

9. Stay safe ismnotwasm.

[octoberlib]

14. Break rooms are a big problem. A big outbreak among TSA agents at our airport was traced

to their breakroom.

[hunter]

15. Taking care of Covid-19 patients is pretty much my wife's full time job now.

Several of her coworkers have been infected which only adds to the workload.

Shortages of PPE have eased only slightly.

This is so damned stressful.