Pub. 5 Issue 3

27 T he World Health Organization reclassified the COVID-19 coro- navirus epidemic as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. What is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic? It’s a matter of degree. An epidemic oc- curs when many people become sick over a wide area because of the same disease. It becomes a pandemic when the disease affects most of the people in one or more countries, can be found in most parts of the world, and occurs under a variety of ecological conditions. Apandemic is worse than an epidemic. How do experts evaluate the severity of a pandemic? Medical professionals use the Pandemic SeverityAssessment Framework to evaluate the impact of a pandemic. The framework consists of two main factors that are evalu- ated during an initial assessment, when information and understanding are both limited, and thenagain later during a refined assessment after more information is avail- able. The two main factors are: • Howsevere is it froma clinical standpoint? • How transmissible is it when moving through the general population? The CDC has a paper about the frame- work it currently uses at wwwnc.cdc.gov/ eid/article/19/1/12-0124_article. Why should businesses care about theCDC’s evaluationof the COVID-19 pandemic? The severity of a pandemic affects the CDC’s recommendations and employers’ actions. However, the U.S. is currently so focused on COVID-19 that information is everywhere. The bigger problemwill be stay- ing current. Refer to the following websites for clear, authoritative, and straightforward information: • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/index.html • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/faq.html#anchor_1584386215012 • https://www.osha.gov/Publications/ OSHA3990.pdf • h t t p s : //p r e v e n t e p i d em i c s . o r g / coronavirus/?=undefined What symptoms should people look for to determine whether they might have COVID-19? The following symptoms range from mild to severe. After someone has been exposed to the illness, they can experience symptoms between 2-14 days. • Fever • Cough • Difficulty breathing How is the disease transmitted? People can transmit the disease before they show symptoms. The virus is in small droplets from the nose or mouth that occur when someone coughs or exhales. If the droplets land on a surface or an object, it’s possible to catch the virus by touching the place where the droplets landed and then touching the eyes, nose or mouth. How can peop l e p reven t exposure? • Wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds. • Stay six feet away fromanyonewho is sick. • Stay away from large groups (10 or more people) and crowds. What are OSHA’s risk zones for workplacesandworkoperations? There are four, all of which involve ex- posure to known or suspected pandemic patients: • Very high exposure risk: Medical profes- sionals performing procedures on patients where the procedure includes generating aerosol. Collecting or handling specimens from patients is also very high risk. • High exposure risk: Employees who are exposed to patients in a medical setting whilemaking deliveries or providing care, transporting patients in an enclosed ve- hicle, and performing autopsies. • Medium exposure risk: People who are exposed to high-density groups of people in places such as schools, stores or large companies. • Lower exposure risk: Employeeswhohave minimal contact with other employees or the general public. If someone comes to work and might have COVID-19, can you ask them to get medical care, including a test for the virus, and to go home? Yes, especially if the employee is having a hard time breathing. It is important not to overreact, because you don’t want everyone to panic, but the CDC has said that people with flu-like symptoms shouldgohome. The EEOC has said that asking employees to go home is not considered disability-related if they have symptoms that could indicate flu