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Today's Recap:

• The US reached 500,000 COVID deaths. That’s equivalent to more than the entire city of Atlanta. It’s more people than the U.S. lost in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. 
• The FDA has taken the first steps to allowing COVID-19 vaccine makers to modify shots as new variants arise and get them to the public without the need for extended clinical trials.
• SafetySpec, a company based in Grand Forks, ND, is working on a hand-held device that can detect and eradicate pathogens, including coronavirus, using UV light. Check out our blog post on UVC lights and other health-tech solutions to figure out which, if any, you actually need. 
• Now, officials are saying it’s better to use leftover COVID-19 vaccines than get rid of them.
• Nine thousand doses of Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine went missing - that is, until the state’s governor and National Guard tracked them down.
• As the Biden administration looks toward reopening schools, CA is allocating 10% of its vaccine doses for teachers.
• It appears that the US is doing something right on the COVID front: We’re vaccinating people faster than any member of the EU. Currently, that’s 15.9 people out of every 100.
• Public shaming of those who’ve survived COVID-19 appears to be becoming more prevalent.
• Johnson & Johnson has asked the FDA for emergency authorization of its single-shot COVID vaccine, and can have 20 million doses by the end of March if approved.
• And Sanofi has announced it will offer J&J manufacturing support if that happens.
• So many of your employees tell us “It’s just a cold.”  This report shows COVID is 3.5x deadlier than the flu. 
• El Abuelito Cheese Inc. has recalled 17 different fresh and soft cheese products after the CDC reported a multi-state listeria outbreak, potentially linked to the brand’s queso fresco. They’ve halted the production and distribution of all products while the FDA and CDC investigate further.

Best Questions:

Does the new reduced need for exclusion for vaccinated individuals mean they don’t need to quarantine after traveling?

Travel quarantines are up to individual states (and countries) - some have them and others don’t. As a result, some states have adopted the reduced exclusions and some have not (Indiana is one that has not).  So the answer is - you’ll need to check and it may change while traveling.

We’re starting to see some possible Noro-like symptoms (like an employee vomiting 8+ times). What should we do?

We’re starting to see a lot more Norovirus-like symptoms cropping up in the past week. Our clinical team tends to use a general rule of thumb that 5x or more vomiting and/or diarrhea in a day should be treated like it might be Noro. Other things to watch out for are 2 or more employees sick with vomiting and diarrhea. First, identify if the employee has worked in the past 24 hours. If they have, use the Noro Sanitizing Punch List (available in our app!). Be sure to also check if they live with any other employees - if so, exclude those household members for 2 days to monitor if any symptoms develop.

Do people who previously had COVID need to be vaccinated? Should they be deprioritized?

Even if you’ve already had COVID, you should get vaccinated. We’ve seen reinfection where someone gets infected with COVID again months after their first infection. Plus, we don’t know how long natural immunity lasts after COVID or how well it protects against other variants. Basically, the vaccine is a better bet than natural immunity for protecting you. Right now, the CDC is not recommending that previously COVID+ people are deprioritized in the vaccination line. Basically, you should get vaccinated regardless of whether you’ve had it or not, and we generally recommend getting vaccinated whenever you’re eligible in your state. A few notable exceptions: if you were treated with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days, and if you’re currently sick with COVID, you should wait until your symptoms are resolved before getting a COVID vaccine.

Best Read:

“There’s light at the end of the tunnel but it’s a long tunnel.”

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Best Laugh:

This 105-year-old beat COVID. She credits gin-soaked raisins. Our clinical experts can’t confirm that this works but they’re definitely interested in testing it out...

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Please Join Us for Our Free Webinar!

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Title: COVID at 1 Year: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Date: Wed., March 3rd
Time: 2 p.m. ET

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Register here

It’s hard to believe but it’s been a whole year of COVID. Please join us as we look back at the lessons learned this year and how we apply them to prepare us for future challenges. We’ll be joined by Patrick Sterling, Senior Director of People and Risk at Texas Roadhouse, to share how they adapted and what changes they foresee becoming permanent fixtures of their operations.

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