Some Quebec health workers sick with COVID-19 being asked to return to work, union says

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Some Quebec well being staff have been requested to report back to work in latest days whereas affected by critical signs of COVID-19, together with nausea, vomiting, complications and critical fatigue, the top of a significant Quebec nurses union mentioned Monday.

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Bringing a symptomatic, COVID-19-positive employee again on the job is “fully unacceptable” and runs counter to public well being suggestions, Julie Bouchard of the Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec mentioned.

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

“It goes fully counter to what Public Well being has been saying to the Quebec inhabitants for weeks.”

Bouchard mentioned she’s solely heard of about 10 sick well being staff affected thus far, including that the observe appears to be restricted to a small variety of employers. Nevertheless, she mentioned she worries extra well being amenities might attempt to do the identical because the community grapples with critical employees shortages.

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

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

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

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

Asking a sick individual to return to work is harmful for sufferers, colleagues and for the employee, who wants all their vitality to combat the virus, he mentioned Monday in a telephone interview.

“We’re in opposition to (bringing COVID-19-positive staff 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,” mentioned Leclerc, who’s president of the FSSS-CSN. “It’s a wheel that turns.”

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As a substitute, he mentioned the federal government ought to deal with employees shortages by higher incentivizing staff who’ve stop the sector to return and by bettering working circumstances. One other method to ease the strain 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 attributable to COVID-19 and dozens fewer individuals hospitalized with the illness. The Well being Division mentioned 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 mentioned there are presently 5,014 health-care staff off the job for causes linked to COVID-19.

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