My regular readers know that I have always been concerned over the impact of infectious disease on the workers’ compensation system.The system has for decades, been lucky and squeezed by without much impact.
This time, that is not the case. COVID-19, is still not contained. With barely 20% of the US population infected, and no
vaccine in sight, lack of
therapeutics, there maybe a long-way to go with this disease. Some experts indicate that if the pandemic continues on its present course,
herd immunity will be
achieved with an estimated total of 9,000,000 US
deaths. It has already caused major consequences, including the significant loss of life and widespread illness and a major
disruption in the social and economic aspects of society. The long term health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to emerge, ie. See
long-haulers. The nation’s fragmented response has complicated and compounded the adversity even further.
As Labor Day approached, and “
the lost summer” is behind us, we must now come to the realization that the nation is facing “the perfect storm.” With no therapies or vaccines available, lack of national compliance to
social distancing recommendations, the
lack of a coordinated strategy for the production of
personal protective equipment, lack of a national mask mandate, the return of students to schools and
colleges, the onset of the fall flu season, no uniform standard for
testing, no uniform standard for compensability (
presumption statutes), and no Federal effort to fiscally backstop the economic cost of workers’ compensation programs, the future is very
uncertain.
Complicating the situation even further is an
announcement from three major international organizations, Food and Agricultural Organizations of the United Nations [FOA}, World Organization for Animal Health [OIE], and the World Health Organization [WHO], that, “the circulation of
A(H1N1) subtype influenza viruses in the swine population in China with evidence of zoonotic potential has alerted the world to the pandemic risk associated with swine influenza viruses.”
“Although there is limited data assessing human infections and circulation of these viruses in pigs, awareness and vigilance is strongly advised for a number of reasons” says
Keith Sumption, Chief Veterinary Officer of the FAO. “The viruses analysed in the recent report from China show characteristics associated with increased ability for
zoonotic transmission – the potential ability to infect humans. The viruses have some genetic markers to suggest human infection is possible; they can replicate in human airway cells, and viruses can be spread via respiratory droplets passed between ferrets.”
Pandemic preparedness is the new normal for workplace health and safety. It is crucial that employers, workers’ compensation insurance companies and employees, take a centralized and major roll in the effort to contain pandemics and infectious disease going forward.
