Managing healthcare personnel with COVID

As the daily positive case numbers increase in Queensland, it is becoming more apparent that our healthcare workers will need to be working whilst having contracted COVID-19, if they are not already doing so. On 6 January 2022, Queensland Health released guidelines for healthcare worker attendance where they have been a close contact in their home or exposed to an outbreak of COVID-19 in the workplace.

As we know, the Omicron variant, has been the strand with greatest concern due to its large number of mutation acts, which in turn, is causing it to act differently to other variants. Omicron, even though seemingly quicker to overcome, is still a mystery with regards to its potential severity of disease, and transmissibility. However, there is emerging evidence the booster doses of vaccines could increase protection against Omicron. It is essential healthcare personnel are keeping up-to-date with their boosters or third vaccination doses.

Queensland Health has put together guidelines and restrictions to follow as an attempt to regulate the spread of the disease throughout both the public and private healthcare sectors. The support of healthcare workers and providing a safe working environment is essential to a sustainable healthcare system. Infection prevention and control guidelines, including the current use of personal protective equipment (PPE), is paramount, as is being vaccinated.

In the updated Queensland Health version 2.2 of Managing healthcare personnel with COVID-19 or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 directive, they outline the general principles and procedures that should be adhered to in order to keep your patients, nurses and other staff members safe and able to work. We have included some key information below:

• General principles
• Practice good hand hygiene
• Minimise social interactions and social gatherings at work
• Practice social distancing, especially when on breaks
• Where possible, have breaks in open areas outdoors
• Practice social distancing in meetings and training environments

Requirements of staff

1. Boosters

Queensland Health employees are to have had an approved COVID-19 vaccination received by 31 October 2021. In addition to this, employees are to receive any prescribed dose/s of a vaccination, such as a booster, within the recommended timeframe following their second dose. The time frame for receiving booster shots has been updated to three months after receiving the second vaccine dose.

Eligible healthcare workers, particularly those performing critical services (including front line direct patient care and support staff) should be prioritised to receive their third dose or booster as soon as practicable.

     2. Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Private sector healthcare workers should follow the standard and transmission-based precautions as described in the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare (2021). This includes the use of P2/N95 face masks.

     3. Eye Protection

If you or your workers are providing direct care to suspected COVID-19 patients, then eye protection should be included as part of the PPE. 

Procedures for staff exposed to COVID-19
If your staff members are exposed to COVID-19, the health directive has enclosed five different tables/frameworks that should be followed to mitigate the risk of staff shortages. These frameworks include:

• Healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 in health care settings
• PPE breach risk assessment and actions
• Risk-based work permissions and restrictions – conventional scenario
• Restrictions and permissions for workers in health care settings when workforce is significantly impacted – healthcare workers with high risk or close contact exposure to COVID-19 (contingency and crisis approach)
• Restrictions and permissions for workers in health care settings when workforce is significantly impacted – healthcare workers who are COVID-19 positive and asymptomatic

Use the following links for further information: 

Managing healthcare personnel with COVID-19 or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Directive;
Pandemic Response Guidance Directive; and
Guidance on the use of PPE for health care workers.

If you require any further information or clarification surrounding personal protective equipment, you can contact the PPE working group via their email: PPEWorkingGroup@health.qld.gov.au