I've a stupid question about the HCP's who carry out covid tests ?

[wonderwhatshappening1978]

Basically, they're in PPE; paper mask/ gown etc.

Has there been known transmission of covid to these testers? Despite the tests being quick / contact minimal.

Is this a low / med / high risk role?

Working in professions where you wear PPE, right now, is known to be its own risk factor for catching covid. They all do other things like go shopping or send their kids to grandparents, they have other ways to be exposed, so hard to quantify what you're after.

Thank you.

Still a bit confused but I am Dippy!

The drive through ibe I went to had minimal risk of infection. You stay in your car and they hold up signs giving you instructions. When you get to the test point they take the swab at arms length and put it straight into a glass tube. The contact is probably about the same as the drive through window at McDonald’s. The walk through sites would have more risk.

If a person has to swab one potentially infectious person after another, at arms length while potentially being coughed on i think they deserve PPE.

They're not wearing masks made of paper

Are these tests such as are done on hospital patients? In which case they'd be wearing proper medical standard PPE. At the drive through centres there is no one administering the test, you have to do it yourself. You're only allowed to open your car window an inch, whilst wearing a mask, and they 'post' the kit into the car. Then you put your window back up. When you're finished, you seal the bag, put your hazard lights on and a staff member comes over with a big bin, stands at arms length, you open your car window an inch (with your mask back on) and post it back out and into the bin.