Will this Flu Season Bring With It A Perfect Storm?
Not if we work together.
Now, we don’t think that we’re alarmist. But we’ve all been through the Seasonal Flu. Several times. But in the middle of a severe pandemic?
Never.
Here in the US, back in the early part of Summer 2020, there was a hope – misguided perhaps, but a hope nonetheless – that Covid-19’s days were severely numbered. According to some, it should have been over by now. But as numbers continued to spiral out of control, and with infection rates and the number of infected people skyrocketing, the reality of Covid-19 ‘just going away’ has never materialized.
Quite the opposite, actually.
To date, the US leads the world in both the number of infections ( Over 6 million confirmed cases) and the number of Covid-19 deaths (more than 189,000). And the 2020-2021 flu season is still ahead.
Covid-19 Prevention Measures Also Help Prevent Seasonal Flu.
While the seasonal flu and Covid-19 are distinct and different viruses, they do share a number of similarities:
- Both are airborne: they are transmitted by breathing in virus particles present in microdroplets of moisture produced by an infected person when they cough, sneeze, talk or otherwise exhale.
- Both enter and infect a human being via the eyes, nose and mouth.
- Both can spread between people who are within close contact with each other, that is, within about 6 feet of each other.
- Symptoms are largely respiratory in nature, and can vary from mild to severe.
- Both can be fatal.
As we face a potential collision between the seasonal flu and Covid-19, it makes sense that preventive steps for one would also work with the other. And Modjoul™ helps with both.
Social Distancing & Contact Tracing: Protect Against Both Covid-19 & Flu
At the end of the day, it’s about protecting the health and safety of the workforce. The Modjoul™ device is a wearable that supports companies in their social distancing and contact tracing efforts and initiatives.
To help protect individuals from breathing in virus particles, Modjoul™ sets the default distance between 2 employees at 6 feet, and the default limit for duration of contact at 30 seconds. Both parameters can be adjusted (within reasonable boundaries) to suit an organization’s needs. The wearable registers a contact when 2 devices come within proximity for longer than the threshold length of time. It then stores that information. The stored information is uploaded via a wifi-equipped charging base to secure servers, then generates a report that appears on the dashboard.
Traffic and scheduling patterns can then be adjusted by management and supervisory personnel using the information.
Social Distancing:
The wearable unit is able to detect another unit when it comes inside the predetermined proximity. If the 2 units are within proximity for longer than the recommended duration, haptic feedback warns the wearer(s) of the violation, and stores the incident as a contact. This is true only if 2 units belonging to the same organization are within range of each other. If 2 Modjoul™ wearers from different companies happen to encounter each other, perhaps at a grocery store, the units will not activate.
Contact Tracing:
Each ‘contact’ is stored in the Modjoul device until they are placed in the charging unit. Management and supervisors can easily determine if a contact between 2 people happens more frequently than others, which can support leadership with adjusting schedules and traffic patterns. Contact tracing becomes especially important if and when someone at the organization becomes infected with Covid-19. At a glance, leadership can see who has been in contact with the infected individual, and plan accordingly. Quarantine and isolation efforts can then be more effectively and efficiently directed.
A Healthy and Safe Workforce is More Important Than Ever
As we approach the holiday rush, employers have already begun to hire seasonal workers. With more people potentially coming into contact with each other, health experts and scientists warn that the Covid-19 pandemic could increase in severity as we move into the Fall, and into the Winter of 2020 – 2021. While there is no such thing as a total guarantee against any illness, Social Distancing and Contact Tracing, along with other hygiene and health measures, can help with both Covid-19 and the Seasonal Flu.
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How Can We Support You?
It has never been more important to keep our workforce healthy. And like you, we understand that a healthy work community is a happy work community. We are committed to the health and well-being of you and your employees. Please let us know how we can best serve you.
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