Amazon employee in Seattle has tested positive for illness caused by coronavirus

Seatle Times ^ | 03 03 2020 | Benjamin Romano

[yesthatjallen]

An Amazon employee in Seattle tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, according to a message sent to Amazon employees Tuesday in Seattle and Bellevue.

The message, viewed by The Seattle Times, said the employee worked out of the company’s Brazil office building, at Ninth Avenue and Republican Street in South Lake Union.

“We’re supporting the affected employee who is in quarantine,” the company said in a statement.

The employee went home feeling unwell on Tuesday, Feb. 25, and has not returned to work since, the message said. The message said Amazon received word Tuesday that the employee tested positive for COVID-19.

Other employees working in close contact with the affected employee — defined as closer than 6 feet for a prolonged period of time — have been notified, the message said.

The message added that the risk of transmission for employees not in close contact with the stricken individual “is assessed to be low.” It instructs employees experiencing symptoms to stay home and seek medical attention.

SNIP

[samadams2000]

So has someone at Foxconn in San Jose. What does it mean? Hysteria?

[LeoWindhorse]

There goes AMAZON... YEAH!

[LeoWindhorse]

There goes AMAZON... YEAH!

[Truthoverpower]

Who gives a Shiite ?

[riri]

My daughters’s BF works at the Amazon HQ in downtown Seattle.

[datura]

Well, Kent (SeaTac) is Amazon’s original fulfillment center. If that employee worked there, I’m concerned with some things I ordered now.

[LouieFisk]

While you were typing this post, someone else beat you to posting it by a few minutes.

[Vendome]

Did they test him twice? /S

[familyop]

As long as there are no wet spots on the item delivered, that’s okay. :)

[StolarStorm]

Wife got word that her tech company today (not Amazon, but another big one) is now allowing remote work full time. All international travel is banned unless approved by a Senior Exec. Domestic travel strong discouraged.

[livius]

This is the only disease I have ever seen reported nationally on a case by case basis. Totally insane. Imagine reporting every case of the flu this way. Or even every random heart attack. Or automobile accident...you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the first fifteen minutes.

And yet people are in full blown panic mode over this.

[sauropod]

.

[HollyB]

Well to be fair, it has a 3.4% transmission rate. The flu is .1%. It’s a new virus and all the chaos in China created a lot of fear.

[FightforFreedomCA]

Agree, ridiculous- and every one posted here on CoronaRepublic.

[tired&retired]

My son works in that office!

[Cvengr]

Was he in Shipping?

[Cvengr]

How long until the Coronavirus becomes artificially intelligent and corrupts Personal Computer hard drives with all their hard shiny curved surfaces. Windows 10 antivirus doesn’t protect us...../s

[RummyChick]

It's okay to ignore it and not read the threads if that is what you want to do. But other people recognize that this could be a serious issue. Here is what one poster had to say who has some understanding of the issues:

People should be “all over” this thing. It is very serious. You cannot compare it to influenza because we have been exposed to influenza A and B and have built up some immunity to “the flu.” We have not been exposed to this particular coronavirus. That is why younger health care workers have died from this in China. These are CDC guidelines for hospitalized covid-19 patients:

“Currently, hospitalized patients with COVID-19 should be cared for in an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR) using Standard, Contact, and Airborne Precautions with eye protection. If an AIIR is not immediately available, consideration should be given to transferring the patient to a facility that has an available AIIR. If transfer is impractical or not medically appropriate, the patient should be cared for in a single-person room and the door should be kept closed. The room should ideally not have exhaust that is recirculated within the building without high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration. Healthcare personnel should still use gloves, a gown, respiratory and eye protection and follow all other recommended infection prevention and control practices when caring for these patients. If there are not enough AIIRs to care for patients with COVID-19, existing AIIRs should be prioritized for the care of patients who are symptomatic with severe illness (e.g., those requiring ventilator support).”
There are not a lot of these types of hospital rooms. And if nurses and physicians fall ill because of continued exposure and increased viral loads, we will have many deaths. The hospitals will be short of staff. Protective gear should be reserved for hospital workers first. If you have no hospital staff, the country will be screwed.

57 posted on 3/3/2020, 10:21:08 PM by doc maverick (I) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies | Report Abuse]

[Rebelbase]

Beezos looking for a way to charge customers extra for COVID-19 tainted packages.