ANY NURSES TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID

[Guest973564, DNP, PhD, CNA, LPN, LVN]

HAS ANY NURSE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID OR HAD TO SELF QUARANTINE

[Sour Lemon]

Many have, but are you looking for personal accounts? I see it a lot in the news, but I don't know of any staff at my hospital who have tested positive.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I’ll let you know if & when I get an antibodies test. But in my ED & hospital? Hell yeah.

[Anne36, LPN]

No, our entire building is being forced to test again. Last time we had no positive. They text you and give 48 hours to come in and get tested or no job. It's sick. There is no end game to this . How often do we have to be forced to test? Who is making this up as we go along? Is it appropriate to be forced to receive healthcare at my place of employment? What about privacy?

[ladyduck, RN]

I just learned I tested positive for COVID-19 last Sunday (May 24). I took care of + patients on a Covid unit in my hospital. I was wearing my full gear: Max air helmet/shield, hair cap, gown and gloves and while not on direct patient care I was wearing a face mask provided by the hospital. I work PRN in the float pool but contracted to do 2 12-hr shifts a week. Due to low census, from April to May, out of 8 weeks I only worked 4 shifts! 2 of my payrolls were at $0. I was so looking forward to picking up shifts in June and now this happened! Quarantine for 2 more weeks and I can only go back after testing negative twice.

Does anybody know how and whats the procedure on how to claim pay for getting COVID from work? I was told there's hazard pay from FEMA (not sure about it), do I qualify for workers comp? I just spoke to my manager and she's not sure either because I'm considered "casual" (will check HR)

Any feedback/info is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

ps. additional: I don't go out and I self quarantine anyway prior to all this happening. the manager on the covid unit I worked tested positive prior to me knowing and she had gone to work without a face mask and only chatted for a bit in the nurses station while I was there.

[J.Salinas, BSN, RN]

I tested positive 9 days ago for Covid19. What started with a headache and mild sore throat at the start of my shift escalated to a fever of 103.1 by 0100. I had a pt on CRRT and we had to do some moving so someone could take my 1-to-1 ( the nurse I gave report to has since tested positive, despite me having an n95 on that night and distancing for report). That same morning I was tested two different times (second time was because I was unsure of the efficacy of first test). The first test was negative, a couple of hours later I get a call from the health department to inform me of my positive status.

I am doing much better, the headache, fever, chills, body aches, and soar throat have lessened . I am taking this time to read and rest.

*I am curious, what are other hospitals saying about when you can come back to work. My job called me the other day to tell me I could come back after 10 days of being at home. Some of my coworkers are uncomfortable with that, the policy was changed recently (within the last week). Before you had to have two negative tests before being allowed to come back.

[SansNom]

I've known probably at least 5-10 personally who have tested positive, and know of probably 10 more who I didn't talk to personally.

[ladyduck, RN]

16 hours ago, J.Salinas said:

*I am curious, what are other hospitals saying about when you can come back to work. My job called me the other day to tell me I could come back after 10 days of being at home. Some of my coworkers are uncomfortable with that, the policy was changed recently (within the last week). Before you had to have two negative tests before being allowed to come back.

I tested positive 5/23 and just finished my 14 days last 6/6. In order for me get clearance to return to work, hospital policy states I had to have 2 negative tests, 24 hours in between. My 1st re-test is scheduled tomorrow 6/8 --> wish me luck!

[ladyduck, RN]

10 hours ago, SansNom said:

I've known probably at least 5-10 personally who have tested positive, and know of probably 10 more who I didn't talk to personally.

The covid unit where I worked and got the virus, 5 tested positive, I'm a float nurse, got it there and I'm the 6th.

[Nursesusu]

I got sick end of Feb and was hospitalized mid March, just as schools shut down. Never been so sick, for so long. Bilat pneumonia. Covid 19 and flu neg. Hmmm. Quarantined 8 days awaiting results which were neg. I was very surprised. Took me 2 weeks to recover after discharged. Severe sob and hacking cough. Anyways, had antibody test last week. Neg. Well now. Do I have confidence in either test? Not 100% if I'm being honest.

[Swellz]

Really interesting to read how it's handled elsewhere. At my hospital, if you have a known exposure without PPE, you are quarantined for 14 days from the event. They were not testing people who were exposed unless they had symptoms or someone else involved had symptoms. If you test negative, you return after your quarantine time. If you test positive, it goes based on symptoms. We had people out as long as 6 weeks depending on how sick they were.

[AutumnLeaves, MSN, RN, NP]

We lost a coworker to COVID over the weekend. I am so angry that I could scream.