Stats and Facts: How Many Survey Participants are Reporting Positive COVID-19 Tests?
A survey conducted shows percentages of people who reported being sick, exposed to COVID-19 and why some aren’t reporting it.
- By Shereen Hashem
- Apr 21, 2021
Feeling sick and entering the workplace used to be a different ballgame. You would toughen up if you felt uneasy and go into work anyway. Now, if you feel sick, it’s considered selfish.
Due to COVID-19, this all goes past feeling sick. The status quo comes with exposure to others who have the disease, not just having it yourself. According to the CDC, even if you are asymptomatic, you still have to quarantine.
A variety of jobs allow employees to work from home, but many do not. For the 75 percent who don’t work from home, however, the need to call in sick or quarantine could possibly lead to reduced pay or job loss.
According to an article, more than 26 million Americans tested positive for COVID-19 and 28 percent of Americans know someone who tested positive. According to a survey, 49 percent of people say they’ve been exposed or possibly been exposed to the disease.
How easy is it for essential workers to skip out on work when they’re exposed?
To find out, the survey asked workers of all sorts how many times they’ve been exposed, experienced symptoms and what they did about it. It asked if they ignored that cough or fever and headed to work or if they stayed home. Are essential workers more likely to sneak past it than nonessential workers?
According to an article:
• 16 percent of respondents did not tell their employers when they had it because they did not want to take PTO.
• 10 percent of respondents did not notify their employers when they were exposed because they did not want to take PTO.
• Out of the respondents who didn’t tell their employer, 33 percent didn’t tell because they didn’t think it was a big deal, 26 percent didn’t think their employer would think it was a big deal and 17 percent were worried about losing their jobs.
• 39 percent of respondents who had symptoms did not take the COVID-19 test because they didn’t think it was necessary or serious enough to tell their employer.
• 9 percent of the respondents who tested positive and didn’t tell their employers claim they would lose their job if they took a sick day.
For more information about these COVID-19 statistics, click here.
About the Author
Shereen Hashem is the Associate Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety magazine.