Posted on 10/05/2021 5:19:28 PM PDT by lightman
It once may have been seen as a sign of strength and dedication to show up at work with the flu. It was never smart, given the possibility of infecting co-workers.
But the era of COVID-19 has put an end to those times. Symptoms of COVID-19 and flu can be similar. Someone who guesses wrong could spread COVID-19. The only way to be sure is to get tested.
“Gone are the days when you can have the flu symptoms and still go to work and be out in public,” said Dr. Denise Johnson, Pennsylvania’s acting physician general.
Johnson further urged people to get vaccinated against the flu as well as COVID-19, saying that’s the best way to avoid getting and spreading the illnesses.
Flu symptoms often include fever, chills and body aches. COVID-19 symptoms are often similar but might include shortness of breath and loss of sense of taste and smell.
While it’s possible for vaccinated people to become infected, vaccines can lessen the severity of both COVID-19 and flu, she said.
Flu season officially began on Sept. 26 in Pennsylvania, so now is the time to get a flu shot, Johnson and other officials said Tuesday. Flu shots are recommended for most people aged six months or older.
Flu shots take about two weeks to become fully effective.
Flu season typically continues into spring in Pennsylvania, with cases usually peaking in mid-winter following the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Last year was a light year for the flu in Pennsylvania, which saw only about 4,000 cases, compared to about 130,000 in a normal year. It was attributed to all the masking, social distancing and closed schools and workplaces, which are also credited with shutting down many other illnesses that commonly circulate during the colder months.
With more people back to school and work and fewer wearing masks, scientists say those illnesses could roar back this year.
“This year is really full of a lot of unknowns,” she said.
• "Perfect Attendance" awards
• Penalizing use of sick leave on annual reviews
• Creating a pool of Paid Time Off combining sick & vacation days
• Allowing a large cash-out at separation or retirement for unused leave.
I HOPE these malpractices become casualties of COVID!
I hope employers realize that working from home when sick is OK, and ee's don't get financially punished for working when home when sick.
It’s never been ‘wise’.
The worst ‘flu I ever had I caught from my boss, after he’d flown back from a vacation in Mexico. He was always telling the rest of us to stay home if we were sick - we worked with susceptible animals.
But did he follow his own advice? No. He gave that nasty bug to everyone in the facility.
When I finally catch Covid, I’m hoping it’s not as bad as that was.
I went to work with the flu back in 1977. No sick pay so if you did not show up for work you did not get paid.
Bad mistake! Just as I was getting over the flu, I came down with pneumonia. Spent a week in the hospital!
Not long after, I was offered a great job with sick pay and other great benefits! I grabbed it!
A year later I was again in the hospital with quinzy, an inflamation of the tonsils. That sick pay came in handy! It took two years to pay off all the hospital bills I had, but I paid them ALL off.
Unfortunately I was working under THE PLANT MANAGER FROM HELL! but survived and kept my job for the next 30 years.
When I was a supervisor I positively hated needing to “ding” employees on their annual reviews for simply USING...not MISUSING...even some of their allotted and entitled sick days.
Post-COVID we should be dinging folks severely—even writing up—for “working while sick”!
Or telling the other 126K people they had COVID instead.
Was it the type of flu where you have diarrhea for days? I’ve had that twice. Awful.
I also had the covid. It started with a burning ball in my chest. I was very sick. I didn’t realize how sick I actually was. That said, the top flu was worse, because I knew what was happening to my body...
Chicago Bear great Walter Payton of the ran for a then record 275 yards in a 10 - 7 win against the Vikings with a bad case of the flu. Michael Jordan won a huge NBA Finals playoff game against Utah with a bad case of the flu. Please it’s just the flu...
Yeah, I love that. We’ll sell sick time as a perq when we’re trying to hire you, but if you actually use it, it’s a bad thing. Next they’ll be dinging you for cashing your paycheck. Shit like this is why I’ve been working for myself for 25 years.
I don’t think I’ve ever had the ‘diarrhea’ ‘flu - I think all of mine have been respiratory.
But usually they last for a day or two of fever, sore throat, congestion - and then resolve in a few days; sometimes, there has been a lingering cough/bronchitis.
That ‘Mexico’ ‘flu laid me out for a solid week, with sheer fatigue.
It never was responsible.
Was it the type of flu where you have diarrhea for days?
Stomach flu is a misnomer....really food poisoning or gastroenteritis.
Now if you are really sick from covid or influenza...you can have loose stools.....but never isolated diarrhea or vomiting from C19 or flu.
If someone truly has influenza they certainly won’t be going to work, they’ll be too sick.
But these days, a common cold is being counted as covid, as well as the flu.
Extra dose of Ivermectin, please.
Unless you hate your cow-orkers.
Can you imagine if the CDC decided we should start testing people for being exposed to flu, like we have for CoVid? Asymptomatic flu tests. That’s what I’m waiting for. Then we can apples to apples comparisons on numbers between the flu and CoVid.
The PCR test covers everything and differentiates nothing.
Well we need something that does differentiate. And then we need to test every asymptomatic person for the flu just to slow the spread of it, especially if you have been in the same building with someone who had the flu in the last two weeks. Test every college kid each week, just in case. Oh, and every person on every sports team, from high school all the way to the professional leagues. Test everyone! Test often! Then we will have apples to apples comparisons. In the name of science, get rid of just one of the variables!
Actually, in the name of science we need to reduce to only ONE variable.
That would be awesome!
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