Happy Worker Wednesday! Summarizing my OSHA comments & Immense Appreciation for workers
1⃣ People who work in health care are essential to the function of our society. They help us live longer, better, & healthier before & during the COVID-19 pandemic
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2⃣ Health care workers face high exposure to COVID through shared indoor air in crowded settings.
Workers have little choice but to be at work & face exposure, even if they are high risk.
Workers should have standards to protect their health. academic.oup.com/aje/article/19
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3⃣ COVID is harmful.
COVID has killed nearly 1M in US
Vaccines reduce severe disease & death but are not perfect. Death, severe disease, hospitalization, & long COVID are possible.
documents how one physician was affected & not supported
washingtonpost.com/business/2021/
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COVID is harmful.
Many people who miss work due to COVID do not have enough food to eat when they miss work, especially if they do not have paid sick leave
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Paid Leave:
Low-income workers have been most likely to report missing work due to COVID-19 but least likely to have paid sick leave when they do miss work.
Workers without paid leave were more likely to report food insufficiency on top of being sick.
healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hbl
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COVID is harmful.
Just like Dr. Buccellato, many with long COVID have not been able to get disability benefits.
washingtonpost.com/business/2022/
Thank you for your coverage,
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COVID is harmful, and the pandemic continues.
New variants continue to emerge and spread. A variant that causes even more severe illness and deaths than prior variants could emerge.
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UPDATE: New Omicron subvariants BA4 & BA5 are causing a rapid rise in cases in S Africa. Graph by @TWenseleers
...and S Africa still has mask mandate in public places eg grocery stores, buses & planes. Buckle up, America. twitter.com/amymaxmen/stat…
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4⃣ Vaccines, masks, tests, & ventilation reduce COVID spread & harms
Workplaces should provide COVID vaccines, time off for vaccination & recovery, N95 masks, tests, & access to treatment & paid leave for workers who get sick -- until they test neg.
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5⃣ OSHA should explicilty consider income inequities in exposure to COVID and access to vaccines, N95s, tests, and treatments.
OSHA should especially ensure lower-income workers in health care settings, such as cleaning staff, have access to N95s & tests
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6⃣ OSHA should establish own guidance & not link regulations to CDC guidance.
CDC guidance has been politicized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Linking OSHA regulations to CDC guidance may leave workers vulnerable to high risk of COVID-19 transmission.
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7⃣ Need for better data:
📊 We need data on infections by occupation for all health care workers & staff in health care settings.
These data will inform which occupations are most at risk of infection & how to most effectively protect & support workers and their households.
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8⃣ We need health care workers to be happy and healthy at work. We are asking a lot of them, but without protections. Many are quitting.
Workers in health care settings need our govt to provide evidence-based, equity-oriented workplace safety standards.
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I was also proud to sign this letter, joining 100+ public health colleagues
mediarelations.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/
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You can watch the OSHA hearings at these links
twitter.com/watermelonpunc
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Thank you to everyone at OSHA working to protect workers, to all those testifying on behalf of workers & evidence today, and to for ensuring that this hearing and important discussion took place.
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