Is the Workers' Compensation System Prepared for Omicron (Updated 12/10/21)

As this holiday season approaches, employers, insurance companies, and employees will be facing what may be the biggest COVID challenges of the year. The highly infectious disease variant Omicron detected initially in South Africa is spreading worldwide, including reported cases in the US.

National Strategy for The COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness

“Our national strategy will be driven by scientists and public health experts who will regularly speak directly to you, free from political interference as they make decisions strictly on science and public health alone.”  President Joe Biden, January 21. 2021

NJ Announces COVID-19 Worker Protection Complaint Form

NJ Executive Order 192 imposes requirements on every employer-business, non-profit, governmental and educational entities to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to employees, customers and others who come into physical contact with its operations. 

Testing Can’t Promise You a Rose Garden. But What Can It Promise?

Developing a pandemic preparedness strategy for the workplace is critical in control of COVID-19. Today's guest author, Michael Gelman, MD PhD, discusses the how the application of the latest medical information can achieve that goal.

The events of the past week have made it very clear:

Michael A Gelman MD PhD

there is no testing strategy that, alone, can guarantee safety from COVID-19. Rather, a strategy of targeted layered containment represents the best hope for reducing the risk of transmission. Even with the best testing achievable, masks help; distancing helps; being outdoors helps; reducing mass gatherings definitely helps; and in extremis, closing in-person schools and non-essential businesses helps. That’s why Governor Cuomo’s cluster action initiative, as advised by multiple nationally-recognized epidemiologists, is being implemented. It’s uncomfortable and onerous - but the shutdown in March and April was uncomfortable and onerous, and until there’s a lot more immunity than there is now, it’s the best we can do.

The Perfect Pandemic Storm

It has now been 220 days since, January 29, 2020, when I first posted my initial article on the COVID-19 Pandemic. It has been updated many times since. At that time I raised the issue, whether the workers’ compensation system was prepared for the COVID-19 Pandemic.