• Mandy Gudgeon
    18
    Dear colleagues,
    Referring to the two articles I've attached, I'm wanting to explore in more depth how this sits under our HSW obligations.
    Stuff News today:
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/127988376/jenene-crossan-the-best-way-to-fight-off-the-possibility-of-long-covid-is-to-rest-until-youre-fully-recovered
    After MOH release 5/3/22?:
    Guidance for management of critical healthcare workers delivering critical health services who are COVID-19 cases or contacts during an Omicron outbreak to facilitate return to work prior to completion of self-isolation requirements.
    [url]http://Guidance for managing return to work for critical healthcare workers who are COVID-19 cases or contacts during an Omicron outbreak (PDF, 347 KB)[/url]
    This article outlines the requirements to enable health care workers to return to work who are Covid 19 cases or Covid 19 contacts”. (Phase 3 Omicron Response).
    Issued I am guessing, in anticipation of current health care services at risk of service provision compromise due to staff absence related to infection or exposure.
    However I note the rider used often “and the worker has agreed to return to work (it must be clear to the worker that they are not required to work”).
    Naturally our HR team will be all over this also, but any though from you folk most welcome!!
    Cheers and in anticipation, thankyou for your time :)
    PS - our work is in Palliative Care so we work with very vulnerable people.
  • Steve H
    308
    Jenene Crossan is unequivocal about the need for Covid Patients to rest and recover for an extended period before returning to any sort of work or exercise (including working from home), the studies cited in the Stuff article bear out her advice.

    Would the MOH advice to "adopt a pragmatic approach" be proffered if there was a bigger pool of Critical Health Workers, most likely not (one would hope).

    Having to face this dilemma is one of the dividends of years of under investment in health, buildings, people, training, treatment, not the fault of those having to make the call, and certainly not the fault of the CHWs being asked to return to work while still recovering.
  • TracyRichardson
    48
    I was watching a segment with the nurse union representative and from what I can gather there was no prior consultation or engagement on the topic. For interest I would recommend you contact WorkSafe NZ directly and get their view on the matter
  • Trudy Downes
    89
    I don't think the two scenarios are an apples with apples comparison in two key areas.

    • Jenene wasn't vaccinated then, health workers are vaccinated now
      Jenene had symptoms, the returning to work scenario is supposed to be for positive cases without symptoms

    I live in hope that common sense and kindness will prevail on a case by case basis.
  • Sheri Greenwell
    340
    If vaccination is expected to reduce the risk of infection, should we also expect reduced risk of reinfection after a person has recovered from COVID? Is there any information available about post-COVID immunity?
  • MattD2
    337
    The original Self-Isolation order had an exemption for 1 month of anyone recovered from Covid as being considered as a household contact or another case if tested positive again. Press conference on Wednesday indicated this will be extended to 3 months midnight tonight.
    This is claimed to be on the basis of scientific and international observations and evidence.
  • Sheri Greenwell
    340
    Thank you @MattD2 - do you have a reference / link for this information?
  • MattD2
    337
    My comment on the "claimed to be on the basis of science..." was mostly just that a the press conference (from memory) Chris Hipkins said that the change to 3 months exemption was from looking at evidence from NZ and the rest of the world.
    One Study published in Science a year ago looking at immune responses 6+ months post infection study seems to imply immune response still present at the 3-6 month mark (but that is just from the abstract and my layman's reading of it!) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7919858/
    The legal exemption period for self-isolation for community cases / household contacts is covered in schedule 1 & 2 of the revised order - https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2022/0046/latest/whole.html#LMS647794
  • Sheri Greenwell
    340
    Thank you - very helpful. Things seem to be changing quickly all along the way.....
  • Steve H
    308
    That happens when you make things up on the hoof Sheri
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