Secondary COVID exposure? What?

Nurses COVID

Published

Specializes in Cardiac, Telemetry.

Hello,

Please someone help me understand if secondary covid exposure is a thing. Basically meaning if one person comes into direct contact with a covid positive patient and THAT person comes into contact with the next person. Is this still considered exposure? 

My employer has told me this is not considered exposure. Exposure is only if a covid positive person has been directly in contact with an individual. 

What if the "secondary exposure" happened all in a matter of 2 days and unknown to all parties involved??

I hope I didn't confuse you all as much as my gaslighting job confused me while trying to rationalize why it is appropriate to allow symptomatic "Secondarily exposed" staff members to work while waiting for covid test results. Heh.

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Specializes in school nurse.

It's true. If you come into close contact with a close contact you do not have to quarantine. However, if the first close contact then tests positive or becomes symptomatic and is presumptive positive, then the situation changes and the second person would need to quarantine and test.

But you said "symptomatic secondarily exposed staff members". This is a completely different scenario. If you have symptoms, you should test and isolate. Period.

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Specializes in Cardiac, Telemetry.

Okay so I gotcha on the first part. The second part is this, the second close contact person was symptomatic (vaccinated fully) and I became symptomatic including a low grade fever that has not broke. I expressed this and it was brushed off. I was told to continue working and I’m fine and to get vaccinated as I am not vaccinated. 
 

I thought this to be the wildest recommendation. 

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Pediatric Float, PICU, NICU.

I agree with Jedrnurse in that the issue isn’t about this secondary exposure but the fact that anyone, regardless of exposure or vaccine status or you or the person, was symptomatic and then you became symptomatic. My facility as well as the major ones in the same area require anyone to be isolated and tested if they have symptoms, no matter what.

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Agree it doesn't matter whether your boss considers something an exposure if you are symptomatic. The CDC has been clear in their updated information about what should happen with symptomatic HCWs.

 

 

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Moved to COVID forum

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Specializes in Community health.

I’m with everyone else. Symptoms mean you should stay home. But you haven’t had an exposure (which is, again, irrelevant because you have symptoms). 

If we quarantined everyone who was exposed to someone who was exposed to someone who tested positive, that would be all of us all the time. 

Now, what does “low grade fever” mean?  I mean, for a nurse, it means under 101-ish or maybe 100.5. Do you mean “My temp was 99.1 and I know someone who knows someone who has Covid,” or do you mean you actually had a fever? Either way, testing is quick and easy to find these days, so do it and you can have your results before the end of the weekend. 

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On 4/13/2021 at 5:08 PM, CardiTeleRN said:

Please someone help me understand if secondary covid exposure is a thing. Basically meaning if one person comes into direct contact with a covid positive patient and THAT person comes into contact with the next person. Is this still considered exposure? 

Of course that is a risk factor for getting Covid.  Person A gets it, gives it to person B, who gives it to person C.  Hence the pandemic.  

On 4/13/2021 at 5:08 PM, CardiTeleRN said:

My employer has told me this is not considered exposure. Exposure is only if a covid positive person has been directly in contact with an individual.

You were exposed to an asymptomatic person who had risks for being covid positive.  The level of exposure you described is now so common, that if employers called it "exposure", nobody would be working.

 

On 4/13/2021 at 6:08 PM, CardiTeleRN said:

I became symptomatic including a low grade fever that has not broke.

Take covid out of the equation.  People who are sick should not go to work, as they make other people sick.  Nurses who work with vulnerable patients should not go to work as this might kill the patients.  It is unprofessional and irresponsible for a sick nurse to go to work and expose patients to illness. 

On 4/13/2021 at 6:08 PM, CardiTeleRN said:

I’m fine and to get vaccinated

You work for people who think that those with covid symptoms are eligible for vaccination?

On 4/13/2021 at 6:08 PM, CardiTeleRN said:

I am not vaccinated. 

Why not?  Obviously you can't go now, as you have covid symptoms.  But prior to becoming ill, what kept you from getting vaccinated?

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