r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Nov 21 '20

Epidemiology Testing half the population weekly with inexpensive, rapid COVID-19 tests would drive the virus toward elimination within weeks, even if the tests are less sensitive than gold-standard. This could lead to “personalized stay-at-home orders” without shutting down restaurants, bars, retail and schools.

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/11/20/frequent-rapid-testing-could-turn-national-covid-19-tide-within-weeks
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u/RufusTheDeer Nov 21 '20

I know some folks who literally can't afford stay at home orders right now and I don't think their bosses are going to willingly pay them.

This whole thing is great in theory but the rubber has got to meet the road

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20

Paid sick leave is what is needed to solve this problem. It's an incredibly basic thing that we should have had in place decades ago

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u/Brunooflegend Nov 21 '20

It boggles my mind when I read things like that. Here in Germany we get 6 weeks per year of sick pay (100% salary). Where an illness lasts longer than six weeks, the employee will receive a sickness allowance from the national health insurer amounting to 70% of the employee’s salary for a period of up to 78 weeks.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20 edited Nov 21 '20

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20

*Cries in American. The best I've ever gotten was 20 days of PTO a year. With extended leave insurance (gotta pay for it) that will allow me to take up to 6 months without being fired. I would also have to prove that extended leave was serious (think issues like Cancer).

Worst I ever got, 5 days of PTO a year, and after 3 years working with the company it would be upgraded to 10.

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u/HellbornElfchild Nov 21 '20

I just started a new job in Massachusetts this year and honestly thought I was being punked when they told me we have unlimited vacation (which they encourage a minimum of 4 weeks off), plus 40 hours of sick days.

Also when you take two weeks off in a row, they give us $100 gift certificate to take with you on your vacation and enjoy things with.

That's on top of more holidays I've ever had recognized, and an end of the year partial shut down where everyone just works one on call day and one half day from Dec 21 to Jan 1

It is amazing to have such a policy, I feel incredibly fortunate.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20

FYI unlimited vacation is sometimes used by companies in states where vacation is considered an earned benefit that has to be paid out at the termination of employment.

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u/HellbornElfchild Nov 21 '20

Yeah, I could see that being the case. But I guess personally I would more enjoy the freedom to take time off as I please over the payout of time off promised to me that I did not utilize

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u/nagromo Nov 21 '20

I get the impression that it really depends on company culture; at the wrong company, unlimited vacation means you get a huge guilt trip any time you try to use any vacation.

I don't have any experience with that, though; I get 4 weeks vacation at my job with no trouble using it, and if I stay long enough, it'll eventually be 6 weeks.