What is COVID? Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.
What are COVID Precautions? These are personal protective equipment measures put in place to reduce risk of transmission when you may or do have COVID-19. Reasons you may be on COVID precautions:
If you test positive OR
If you have any symptoms of COVID and haven’t been tested negative yet OR
There is a known exposure to that you OR
You are living with someone with exposure or with COVID
COVID Precautions mean:
You must self-quarantine - no contact with anyone should occur
You should not leave your home for any reason beyond an emergency or at direction of your health care provider (ie for an appointment or to get repeat testing done)
Your healthcare workers need to wear a mask, gown and gloves at a minimum
We will ask that you provide a trash can outside of your home for use by the caregivers when they leave your home.
So a client may not have COVID, but may be on COVID precautions.
More Frequently Asked Questions
What risk do I have of getting COVID? This totally depends on your contact with other people. If you stay in your home and have no contact with others and others do not come to your home, you have no risk of exposure. While we don’t know exactly how COVID is transmitted, it appears to be through droplets (coughing, sneezing) and can last up to 3 days on hard surfaces. Thus, hand hygiene, good cleaning and minimizing contact with others assists in prevention of getting the virus.
If I have the virus, will I definitely die? No. Thousands of people around the world have successfully recovered. Factors that affect your prognosis include if you’re in a high risk group (ie over age 65) and have a lot of comorbidities (different diagnoses). Access to good health care and early intervention matter as well.
How will I know my caregivers don’t have COVID? We have several protocols in place to ensure that no caregiver transmits COVID. All caregivers are required to screen themselves daily, and screen each client daily. Additionally, no caregiver can work if he/she has any symptoms (including a fever in the last 24 hours or a cough) until they are cleared to work again by a physician.
Why do I pay more when I have COVID?
We pay our caregivers more since it is a situation where you could potentially transmit a disease to them;
We have a great increase in supply use when you are on COVID precautions, so we must pay for these supplies (gloves, gowns, masks, etc);
There is always a lot more nursing oversight needed in these cases; assisting to understand when you need to get retested, ensuring appropriate equipment is available, making sure caregiver training happens thoroughly are just a few of the increased tasks necessary.
You’ll only pay more while you’re on COVID precautions; once those come off, you’ll
resume a base pay rate.
How long do I have to be on COVID precautions?
This depends on the reason that you’re on COVID precautions to begin with.
If you had a known exposure or a potential exposure, then you will be on COVID precautions for 14 days and are required to exhibit no symptoms in that time.
If you tested positive, then you need to be symptom free for 72 hours and have two negative COVID tests completed. These two tests need to be 24 hours a part.
You can always call 302.724.7902 with any questions! Amy Clark is our Clinical Director and is overseeing all cases. Allison Brooks, Tiffany Rubin, Shinera DeCoursey and Dorrina Lilley are all up to date on appropriate regulation and implementation and can also assist you when needed.