After more than six months dealing with the COViD-19, we seem to have an endless supply of questions. During the August Biz Times webinar, “You’re Informed of a Positive test – Now What?,” experts on the testing, insurance and legal issues of associated with doing business during the pandemic (Maureen Joy, OTR, Health Care Specialist for R&R Insurance Services; David Metzger CEO/President of Accelerated Analytical Laboratories Inc. and Brittany Lopez Naleid, a Shareholder at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, s.c. ) answered many of these questions.
Here are three of the most crucial ones covered in the webinar:
1.What are your options for COVID testing for employees? You and your employees can be tested at a number of public facilities — Walgreens, CVS, drive-through test sites or local healthcare.
Or the National Guard can come to your facility (usually after a problem has been identified) and test your employees. Another option — you can arrange for onsite testing, that can be scheduled at your convenience and comes with 48- to 72-hour turnaround for results.
“The lab was able to process results within two days for over 140 tests and ensured there was a service available for immediate pick-up of kits,” according to Alison Hanold of Cargill, which used Accelerated Analytical Labs testing capabilities.
Another benefit of onsite private testing is, not surprisingly, privacy. “When the National Guard come out, they’re going to be out front and center of your building and everybody’s going to be able to see it, so it can be a bit of a PR nightmare,” said Metzger.
2.How often do you need to test? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends testing every 14 days. When deciding on a protocol, compare your workplace’s positive percentages to the community percentages and compare the cost of testing to that of a partial or full shutdown.
“Typically, we are conducting repeat testing every two weeks until the infection rate is under control. Once the infection rate shows a decreasing trend or approaches zero, we have been extending the time between events to every 4 weeks, with the option available to return in two weeks should we see a spike in positive results, “said Robert Cigale, owner of Endpoint Solutions Corp., which works with Accelerated Analytical Laboratories Inc. for onsite testing.
“I absolutely believe regular testing provides a “peace-of-mind” to the employees that their employer cares about them and is doing everything they can to keep them safe at work. I think there is also a comfort factor provided to the employees that they are not bringing COVID home to their families from work,” Cigale said.
3.What can we expect from the second wave. “I don’t think there’s going to be a second wave,” Metzger said, “because we haven’t gotten rid of the first wave. Because of the fatigue we’re all experiencing, I think that we’re going to see numbers continue to increase. So, we’re not going to see a clear trend towards a decrease and then a second upswing here in Wisconsin.”
To take a proactive approach to COVID-19 and reduce the risk of a breakout at your company, CLICK HERE to get our guide to Keeping Control During COVID-19.
