Oh no! I think I’ve infected everyone at work

[JuliTooley]

Hi,

I had a mild cough yesterday. I assumed it was a cold as a member of my household has been coughing for about 5 days yet has been testing negative every day and I had heard colds were going around.

Ordinarily, I would not have WFH but there was a really important (expensive!) event that we had to attend and I am fairly new so did not want to seem flaky. There was also an after work party we hold once a month to get everyone in the office together as the majority of people are still mostly WFH. I tested myself yesterday morning and it was negative.

You can guess where this is going….

Turns out I am positive this morning. I feel incredibly stupid and guilty. How do I let my colleagues know? Do I send a mass email or just speak with my line manager?

Thanks

I'd email your line manager. Explain that you felt fine and as far as you knew you had no contact with anyone who was positive.
Be apologetic, but actually on the information you've given I don't think you need to feel guilty.

I've had a cold for a week. Cvid us rie in the DC school. I've tested 6 times, all negative. Tested DC 3 times, all negative. People still have colds.

Dont feel guilty - at the time you had no reason to believe you were positive. These things happen. Just speak to your manager. We are all learning to live with covid this sort of thing will happen all rhe time. Get well soon

As I understand it you can carry the virus and still test negative. If you tested negative it means there probably wasn't enough of a viral load within yr body for you to be contagious yesterday.....but in the 24hrs since the viral load has now increased so you are now contagious hence the positive result. Hope that reassures a little bit.

Oh this is me! Except it was a wedding! God the guilt! But not your fault. You tested negative, as did I. That was one tricky call to bride and groom. "Have a lovely honeymoon, hope we haven't given you covid" 🤦

I'd send a message to everyone. At least that way you can say that you tested negative yesterday and they'll know that you'd done everything you could.

It's just one of those things! Not your fault OP. I hope you feel ok and have a very mild case.

Just stop testing - it's really not necessary!

I'd just email your line manager. Sorry got covid.

You still don't if your family member is covid positive.

The evidence you have says they are negative and have a cold so you must have picked up covid elsewhere.

Not your fault. Its a virulent airborne virus, we're all going to be exposed to it multiple times. You didn't knowingly go in and cough all over people. Rest up. Relax.

Speak with your line manager.

My other thought was how idiotic of your employer to have such an event in the first place.

It sounds like you have done everything right - if you tested and was negative than it makes sense you went to work. Just tell your manager and let them decide next steps.

Not your fault, just email your manager. I feel similarly guilty as only tested my DS after he got sent home from school poorly (even then without the listed symptoms). I know at least two of his classmates have since tested positive, but he was absolutely fine when I'd sent him to school in the morning so without a crystal ball there's nothing I could've done differently.

I'm CEV and shielded, my husband recently caught it from the pub and despite our best measures did pass it on to me. Its nit his fault at all, its all over the place. you tested before you went, what else can you do!

I’d email everyone (or immediate team if the event was huge?) so they know to test if they’re seeing anyone vulnerable.

But don’t give yourself a hard time. You tested and were negative, and have tested again for completeness.

I’m CEV and would just be grateful that you were testing.

Not your fault don't worry. We all caught covid at a bbq last summer, turns out at least 4 people had covid on the day but didn't develop symptoms till the evening/next day. Nobody blamed anybody.

Thanks everyone. I messaged everyone individually only for the boss of the whole organisation to send out a mass email. I am so glad I did. My boss was planning on visiting his clinically vulnerable, 95 year old mother this weekend.

@SummerHouse Oh no, I hope the bride and groom did not get it!

You didn't know, OP and you'd taken steps to check whether you had it before attending.

There are a load of people from DS school ill with it right now (DS included) and none of them have tested positive until around day 3-4.

Just stop testing - it's really not necessary!

"Ignore it and then its like it doesn't exist!" is not good medical advice.

Me and my sister both tested negative for over a week with head colds before we got a positive (independently, we haven't had contact with each other), and I've heard of other people with the same experience.
I didn't go out as I was too poorly, but I believe mmy sister was.

There isn't much you could have done if you were testing negative. You weren't to know.
It's rife everywhere at the moment, I doubt you will have been the only person there with covid.

I'm 2.5 weeks in now and still feeling awful and still testing positive. I hope you have a speedier recovery.

Someone inadvertently brought covid to our wedding last week, it wasn't me (I tested positive 5 days later) but even with that the guilt I feel about people getting it because they came to celebrate with us is immense, so I know how bad you must be feeling OP!

Sorry, my thread killing power is on point today 🤦‍♀️

I was half watching the news earlier and I am sure they said that currently in England 1 in 14 people have covid.
If this is the case then you will not have been the only at the event with covid.

I read today that a town near me has had a 70% increase in covid cases in the last week.

It's everywhere, it can't be helped, so just let your manager know.

Update: My boss and at least one other colleague that I know of has tested positive. Eek