Some Quebec health workers sick with COVID-19 asked to work: Union

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MONTREAL — Some Quebec well being employees have been requested to report back to work in current days whereas affected by severe signs of COVID-19, together with nausea, vomiting, complications and severe fatigue, the pinnacle of a significant Quebec nurses union stated Monday.

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Bringing a symptomatic, COVID-19-positive employee again on the job is “utterly unacceptable” and runs counter to public well being suggestions, Julie Bouchard of the Federation Interprofessionnelle de la sante du Quebec stated.

“Whereas the complete inhabitants is requested to remain dwelling and isolate to keep away from contamination after they have signs or are constructive for COVID-19, employees within the well being community can nonetheless go to work, threat contaminating our colleagues, make already weak sufferers even sicker,” she stated in a cellphone interview.

“It goes utterly counter to what public well being has been saying to the Quebec inhabitants for weeks.”

Bouchard stated she’s solely heard of about 10 sick well being employees affected thus far, including that the observe appears to be restricted to a small variety of employers. Nonetheless, she stated she worries extra well being services could attempt to do the identical because the community grapples with severe employees shortages.

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The Well being Division confirmed in an e-mail that it’s attainable for employees who take a look at constructive to be requested again to work, even when they’ve signs, however solely in instances of “persistent compromise of entry to companies” and when all different choices have been exhausted.

Any contaminated workers should work solely with much less weak sufferers or on COVID-19-positive items and should put on protecting tools, spokesperson Robert Maranda wrote in an e-mail. Maranda added that measures have to be put in place in widespread areas to keep away from sick employees contaminating different workers.

Bouchard stated the federal government up to date its insurance policies to permit COVID-19-positive well being employees to return to work in the course of the fifth wave, which began in December, however she stated that on the time the directive solely utilized to asymptomatic employees.

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Rejean Leclerc, head of one other union representing well being employees, says he has but to listen to first-hand of any instances of symptomatic well being employees being known as in. Nonetheless, he stated his union has lengthy been involved that the coverage of calling in asymptomatic COVID-19-positive employees may “backslide” into calling in those that are nonetheless sick.

Asking a sick particular person to return to work is harmful for sufferers, colleagues and for the employee, who wants all their vitality to battle the virus, he stated Monday in a cellphone interview.

“We’re towards (bringing COVID-19-positive employees again to the job) as a result of it’s exacerbating the pandemic; it’s delaying its finish as a result of we expose weak individuals, sufferers, colleagues,” stated Leclerc, who’s president of the FSSS-CSN. “It’s a wheel that turns.”

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As a substitute, he stated the federal government ought to handle employees shortages by higher incentivizing employees who’ve give up the sphere to return and by bettering working circumstances. One other method to ease the stress on the well being system is to cut back COVID-19 transmission among the many basic public, he added.

In the meantime, the Quebec authorities on Monday reported no new deaths because of COVID-19 and dozens fewer individuals hospitalized with the illness. The Well being Division stated there have been 2,125 individuals in hospital with COVID-19, which is 51 fewer than its final report revealed Friday. The variety of individuals in intensive care dropped by one, to 67.

The federal government stated there are at the moment 5,014 health-care employees off the job for causes linked to COVID-19.