EHS OutLoud Blog

People Still Worried About Catching COVID at Work

Dec. 7, 2022

A recent Gallup poll found that one in four still say they are "very" (6%) or "moderately" (20%) concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus at work.

EHS Today Staff

COVID-19 has not disappeared.

In fact, cases are on the rise again. According to a New York Times, tracking tool the average test positivity rate is up 40% as reported by Barron's on Dec. 5.

Hospitalizations are up as well. For the week ending on Nov. 29, the CDC's latest data shows that there was a 17.6% increase in new hospital admissions compared to the week prior, as reported by COVID hospitalizations have reached in the last three months, according to Yahoo.

"If we are going to see a big [COVID] surge, it's going to start to ramp up now," Jeffrey Shaman, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Columbia University, told the newspaper. "And it's going to extend and probably peak in late December and early January."

This uptick has sparked discussions in California about bringing back mask mandates. During a press conference on Dec. 1, LA County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said that the largest county in the US had reached "medium" COVID-19 transmission levels and will require face coverings if it reaches the "high category", as reported by ABC News.

Workers have been keeping an eye on this and back in November, a Gallup poll found that nearly two-thirds of employees (64%) said they expect COVID-19 infections in the U.S. to increase in the upcoming fall and winter months. The research showed that 14% of workers expect infections to increase "a great deal" and 50% "a moderate amount," while just 8% think infections will decrease and 29% think they will stay the same.

With that in mind employees still fear that they are concerned about being exposed to the virus at work. While the numbers have decreased, about one in four still say they are "very" (6%) or "moderately" (20%) concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus at work, while a third are "not too concerned" and 41% are "not concerned at all."

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor: Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.