Q: I was exposed to coronavirus due to negligence as a nurse. What are my options?
I was subjected to a high risk exposure of Covid-19 due to emergency department staff not doing their due diligence. A patient with covid symptoms was not tested and rushed to the floor. During his stay the patient was given an aerosolizing procedure shortly before I entered the room. This is a high risk exposure as I was not aware of his symptoms at the time and spent more than 15 minutes with the patient without proper PPE. The patient ended up testing positive for covid, and I am placed on quarantine. If the patient had been properly screened this would not have occured, and now I worry about possibly infecting my loved ones despite me doing everything right to protect myself.
A:
A Virginia attorney could advise best, but your post remains open for a week. I'm sorry this happened to you and that greater safeguards were not taken to protect your safety. Contact a Virginia employment attorney to see if you could arrange a free initial consult (many attorneys offer that, but that's up to them and between you and them) to discuss the matter in confidence. You could also consider reaching out to a workers' comp attorney. COVID-19 is introducing new legal territory - here is a link to an article whose premise is: "Is coronavirus compensable under WC? The answer to that question is “maybe.”
Here is the address for the link - https://www.ncci.com/Articles/Pages/Insights-COVID19-WorkersComp.aspx
Only a workers' comp attorney is qualified to advise you on this issue, but your own research could make for a more meaningful consult when you meet with an attorney.
Good luck
Tim Akpinar
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