Keep the workplace bugs at bay
It’s that time of year when people in the workplace start to sneeze and cough with the onset of winter illnesses such as the common cold and influenza (the flu). This year, the added threat of coronavirus Covid-19, although well-contained in New Zealand at this stage, provides another significant reason to look at ways of keeping yourself well and not infecting others at work.
Keeping your immune system strong with healthy eating, moderate exercise and plenty of rest and sleep are good places to start, but is the flu injection really necessary and do we need to wear face masks at work and use hand sanitiser every five minutes?
Influenza and Covid19 are both spread from person to person by coughing, sneezing and close personal contact, and can result in pneumonia.
Do get vaccinated against the flu Although the number of Covid-19 cases in New Zealand is low at present, an outbreak amid our normal flu season would put pressure on hospitals and healthcare professionals. The flu is a serious illness that infects 10 to 20 per cent of the population and causes about 500 deaths in New Zealand each year.
Nelson-Marlborough’s medical officer of health, Dr Nick Baker, says employers should be encouraging staff to get vaccinated against the flu this winter. He says this would help health workers distinguish between the common flu and the coronavirus if people presented with symptoms, and would also help businesses to reduce potential disruptions.
“Getting early, complete uptake is likely to enable employers with their business continuity plans, and it will make life a lot less confusing for us in health, as we try to distinguish between coronavirus and flu.”
Many larger workplaces now offer free flu vaccinations, rolling out from April 1, and they are funded for pregnant women, people aged 65 years and older, and people aged under 65 years with certain medical conditions (see the Immunisation Advisory Centre’s website for a full list).
Keep yourself safe
The flu and Covid-19 are both respiratory tract viral infections, similar in that both can cause fever, cough, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea. Both are spread from person to person by coughing, sneezing and close personal contact, and can result in pneumonia. The Ministry of Health’s guidelines to reduce the risk of Covid19 will also be effective in preventing colds and flu, and are worth undertaking even if you don’t feel at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus.
The ministry is urging people to cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues, and to wash hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water and drying them thoroughly before eating or handling food, and after using the toilet, coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose. People should avoid close contact with workmates who have cold- or flu-like symptoms. The World Health Organisation recommends maintaining a least a 1m distance between yourself and anyone coughing or sneezing.
Other precautions to take at work are to wipe down kitchen benchtops and meeting room tables after use and to clean your desktop, keyboard and phone regularly with alcohol wipes. If you’re using street crossing buttons, lift buttons and communal touch screens, wash your hands after each use.
Hand sanitiser
Don’t worry if the hand sanitiser shelves at the supermarket are bare — handwashing with soap and water is just as effective. Sanitiser is convenient for your desk or your bag, but Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist in Canberra, says “It’s not the end of the world if you miss out on buying alcohol hand rub because washing your hands with soap and water is also very effective.”
Face masks
Wearing a face mask at work won’t protect you from getting a virus but it will stop somebody who is coughing and sneezing from spreading the large particles that contain the virus. Infectious diseases expert Dr Siouxsie Wiles says, “It’s not very good at blocking viruses coming in. People don’t wear them properly, so they don’t make a good fit. If you have a gap, you’re breathing in stuff.”
The hands-free greeting Handshakes, hongi and hugs may be out of favour in the workplace this winter. Dr Sylvie Briand, director of the Department of Pandemic and Epidemic diseases at the World Health Organisation, has urged people to greet others in different ways. Fun handshake alternatives include the wave, the Thai wai (a slight bow with hands pressed together) the elbow bump, and the “Wuhan shake”, which involves tapping feet together.
When to stay home
If you’re feeling ill, stay home from work. If you have good reason to suspect you have the coronavirus, ring Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice and be prepared to self-isolate for 14 days. If Covid-19 becomes more widespread, try to negotiate workfrom-home options .