Vanessa Miller

Cedar Rapids Gazette

IOWA CITY — More than 60 University of Iowa Health Care employees to date have tested positive for COVID-19, a total number that the system disclosed to its staff for the first time Friday.

Because tracking the virus and its transmission is challenging, UI Hospitals and Clinics CEO Suresh Gunasekaran conceded administrators don’t know for sure how or where the 64 infected employees were exposed. COVID-19 is the respiratory disease caused by the highly contagious novel coronavirus.

“It’s been so prevalent in different parts of the community that we’re just unclear,” he told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

A statement issued late Friday by University of Iowa Health Care said, "The overwhelming majority of these individuals appear to have acquired COVID-19 via community transmission."

Gunasekaran said the loss of sickened employees has not affected his campus’ staffing levels or ability to adequately meet patient needs and demands.

“It hasn’t yet,” he said, noting that it's a small portion of the staff who have been infected. “And that’s been over the course of a month. So, we’ve been able to handle it pretty well.”

The UIHC statement underscored the small percentage of employees involved.

“Today was the first time we shared with our staff the total number of employees who have self-reported … that they tested positive for COVID-19,” the statement said. “The 64 number is an aggregate number that might look or feel high because it’s the first day that we’ve shared this total, however, it represents only 0.4% of our total employee population” of about 15,000.

In a message Thursday to UIHC staff, Gunasekaran noted that temporary reassignments were coming, with workers being asked to either volunteer or be assigned.

As is the process nationally, UIHC knows if one of its workers tests positive for COVID-19 only if he or she tells a superior — due to privacy laws.

“We think the majority of employees have been telling us,” Gunasekaran said.

UIHC-issued guidance directs employees to notify supervisors if they even undergo a COVID-19 test, regardless of its outcome. Employees who test positive should not only tell a supervisor but also call a UIHC Employee Health Center and stay home and isolate, according to the guidance.

Employees who test positive also are asked to call the center before returning to work.

The UIHC statement said the total number of staff testing positive for COVID-19 would become part of its daily reporting and provide “an additional element of transparency.”

Workers were advised to conserve PPE

Hospital administrators believe the numbers of positive COVID-19 tests among staff are not related to the system's policies on using personal protective equipment.

“When our employees have worn (personal protective equipment) with known COVID-positive patients, we are not aware of any transmission,” Gunasekaran said.

On March 22, the hospital system made what it called "an urgent request" for Iowa businesses and others to donate protective face shields. The hospital earlier instructed its health care workers to reuse face masks when treating patients not infected with COVID-19 in an effort to conserve supplies. In such cases, workers were told to use one surgical mask per day, “which will be reused throughout the day unless the mask becomes visibly contaminated," according to an email from Gunasekaran.

His directives aligned with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for optimizing the supply of PPE.

The UIHC statement issued late Friday said the health system is a safe place to deliver and receive care.

“All of our staff have face coverings, know how to follow social distancing guidelines, and we screen employees and the limited visitors we have for symptoms,” the statement said. “All of our COVID-19 patients are isolated and all of our staff who treat these patients are provided with the appropriate PPE every time.”

Of the 64 UIHC employees who have been infected to date, four tested positive Thursday. Administrators, in communicating those figures to their workforce Friday, noted health care workers — per federal guidance — often are prioritized for COVID-19 testing.

“For that reason, the population tested for COVID at UI Health Care represents a larger proportion of (health care workers) compared to the community population,” according to the administrative message.

UIHC administrators two weeks ago told the Board of Regents more than 20 UIHC employees had been infected with COVID-19 — and none was thought to have contracted the sickness from a patient.

The campus as of Thursday was treating 25 COVID-19 inpatients, including two under age 18. To date, the campus has cared for 71 total COVID-19 inpatients, including four under age 18.

To minimize coronavirus spread, UIHC — like other businesses and institutions — has allowed and encouraged many of its employees to work remotely.

“Easily one quarter of our staff is working from home, maybe even slightly more than a quarter of our staff is working from home,” he said. “So it’s a pretty significant number.”

Because UIHC is on the front lines of Iowa’s fight against COVID-19, however, many UIHC employees are needed on campus.

“We have a lot of folks that just need to come in, because the job is here,” Gunasekaran said.

But while some roles and hospital operations have ramped up in response to the coronavirus, many of its departments and clinics have canceled elective procedures and visits — significantly slowing the workload.

Reassignments part of 'timely staffing'

Gunasekaran's notice Thursday about temporary reassignments follow earlier requests for volunteers to take additional shifts and fill critical roles.

“During times of emergency operations, it is important that we have timely staffing of new mission critical functions,” according to the message. “Starting today, some UI Health Care staff will be temporarily reassigned to fill these emergency operations needs.”

Gunasekaran said in the message that the hospital system was "now in a more systematic reassignment process of staff.”

“If we do not have enough employees who voluntarily accept a temporary reassignment, we will select employees based on their university seniority date (with least senior being selected first)” the message said.

Reassignment, he explained, is defined as a schedule change of two or more hours — like reporting at 5 a.m. rather than the usual 7 a.m., for example.

“The goal is to make every effort to maintain the work hours, schedule preferences, and location of employees who are reassigned,” he said. “However, it may not always be possible to do so, given the 24/7 nature of patient care and the fluidity of the current crisis.”

Reassignment is to come with appropriate reimbursement. And workers will be eligible for financial recognition — such as through “spot awards.” Employees can earn up to eight awards a year, earning up to $300 per award.

► More:Updated COVID-19 maps and charts track cases and data in Iowa and across the U.S.

The Des Moines Register contributed to this report.