Health & Wellness
January 10th, 2022
Hello D6 Staff
Frequently Asked Questions
- Vaccination status does not matter if you test positive.
- If you test positive, you cannot provide a negative in order to return sooner.
- You DO NOT need to test again after you test positive. You do not need to provide a negative test in order to return to work after you have tested positive.
- You should not be testing for 90 days after a positive COVID-19 test as you can continue to test positive for up to 2 weeks after you are no longer contagious.
- To test positive, the viral load in your body must be high enough to detect. It can take several days after being infected to have a high enough viral load to be detectable. Rapid tests are less sensitive and therefore, require a higher viral load than a PCR to be detectable.
- Vaccinated people may take longer to test positive because your body is able to fight the infection initially, which does not allow the viral load to get to a detectable point as soon.
- You should test 3-5 days after exposure.
COVID-19 Variants
As we have seen with the Delta variant, the virus was able to mutate and cause more serious illness than all other variants. Omicron is showing us that the latest mutation has caused the virus to be the most contagious that it has been to date.
Scientist are predicting that a variant will soon emerge that is a combination of Delta and Omicron. Meaning it will cause severe illness and be highly contagious.
How do we stop variants? We cannot completely stop variants without eradicating the virus. We can however, slow the process until we are able to eliminate this virus. High numbers of vaccinated people make it hard for a virus to mutant and thus we will see less variants.
Masks
1. Is a cloth mask adequate to protect against the Omicron variant?
- A cloth mask is better than no mask but not as good as a three layer surgical mask, a KN95, or a N95 mask. The Omicron variant is smaller molecules than previous variant. This allows it to pass easily through some cloth masks. It also means it is able to stay suspended in the air for longer periods of time.
2. If you purchase a N95 mask, look to see if it is FDA and NIOSH approved to avoid buying counterfeit N95 masks. You can use the following link to check if your mask is NIOSH approved. https://wwwn.cdc.gov/niosh-cel/
3. KN95 masks are tested by the CDC. You should verify that the brand you are purchasing has been tested. You can use this link to check the CDC's list of potential counterfeit masks. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/respirators/testing/NonNIOSHresults.html
New Guidance
COVID-19 Positive
- Staff that test positive for COVID-19 will quarantine for 5 days.
- Vaccination status does not affect your quarantine time.
- To return after 5-days, you should be fever free for 24-hours and symptoms should be improving. This does not mean you have to be symptom free.
- For the 5 days following your return, you must be 6 feet from anyone while unmasked. This includes during your lunch break.
Close Contacts
- Staff that are identified as close contacts, outside of the school setting will quarantine for 5-days.
- If you are unable to isolate from the COVID-19 positive person you will quarantine for 10-days.
- Staff that are identified as close contacts in the school setting will participate in the TTS program.
- For the 5 days following your return, you must be 6 feet from anyone while unmasked. This includes during your lunch break.
Who is considered a close contact?
- Unvaccinated staff that have been within 3-6 feet of a COVID-19 positive person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period
- Vaccinated staff that are eligible for a booster but not yet received the booster and have been within a COVID-19 positive person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24 hour period
Who is eligible for a booster?
- If you received the Moderna vaccine series and it has been 6 or more months since your second vaccine, you are eligible for a booster.
- If you received the Pfizer vaccine series and it has been 5 or more months since your second vaccine, you are eligible for a booster.
- If you received the J&J vaccine and it has been 2 or more months, you are eligible for the booster.
***Staff that is vaccinated and received a booster or are not yet eligible for a booster will not need to quarantine if exposed to a COVID-19 positive person UNLESS they become symptomatic.
Cheri Sinkovec BSN RN
Email: csinkovec@zion6.org
Location: 2800 29th Street, Zion, IL, USA
Phone: 847-379-0093