Covid-like symptoms prompt absenteeism at offices, schools

However, the situation on the ground is different with absenteeism at workplaces and educational institutions owing to Covid and Covid-like symptoms including fever, body ache, cold and sore throat

Mumbai If one looks at the daily caseload of new Covid infections in the city, the situation doesn’t appear worrisome. After a surge in June, July has recorded a decline in both new and active cases.

At Morpheus Human Consulting, a recruitment consultancy in Bandra Kurla Complex, 11 out of its staff strength of 16 are unwell with symptoms that mimic those of Covid (HT File)

However, the situation on the ground is different with absenteeism at workplaces and educational institutions owing to Covid and Covid-like symptoms including high-grade fever, body ache, cold and sore throat.

“At least 10-12 people in the company have tested positive for Covid in the last week. Company policy allows them to take three to four days off, and then return to work virtually. We would have lost around 30-35 working days in total,” said an employee at a popular audio-streaming service in Mumbai.

At Morpheus Human Consulting, a recruitment consultancy in Bandra Kurla Complex, 11 out of its staff strength of 16 are unwell with symptoms that mimic those of Covid. “Last Thursday, a staffer from Kalyan came to work with fever and a runny nose. While we sent her home, the next day onwards, one colleague after the other started falling ill. Fifty percent have fever and body ache and the other 20% have body ache and cold,” said Kailash Shahani, founder and CEO.

Shahani added, “We returned to100% work-from-office mode a few weeks back. But given the rate at which my staff was falling ill, we decided to go back to work-from-home mode for the next few days so that work does not suffer.”

A senior employee in the marketing department at a multi-national over-the-top (OTT) media service also confirmed a significant increase in the number of people testing positive. “Over the last two weeks, three people out of my seven-member team have come down with Covid. Even though they are not seriously ill, it is protocol to give them a week off work. This definitely affects our targets because our work is collaborative,” the employee said.

While corporate houses mandate that employees must report on testing positive for Covid, city doctors said a large number of cases continue to go under the radar owing to either lack of large-scale testing or resorting to home test kits despite clinical presentations of the infection. From conducting up to 50,000 tests (including random testing and contract tracing) daily at the peak of the second and third waves, the civic body now undertakes between 7,ooo-10,000 tests every day.

Dr Kishor Sathe, specialist, emergency medicine at PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre said, apart from Covid-19, other respiratory illnesses are also on a rise. “Absenteeism at the workplace is a result of symptoms like high grade fever (102 degrees) with severe body ache, cough and cold. However, many are testing negative for Covid and positive for H1N1 (swine flu) which is also an infectious disease. We normally see a rise in H1N1 in monsoon,” he said.

Dr Sathe added, “It is spreading with people not following the mask mandate or hand hygiene. Luckily, like the present Covid strains in circulation, H1N1 strain too is milder and people aren’t requiring hospitalisation,” he said.

In addition to workplaces, city schools are also seeing a rise in viral infection among students.

While Anahita Lander, principal, Avalon Heights International School, Navi Mumbai said there is absenteeism among students and teachers on account of a mix of Covid and flu, the principal of Kurla-based state board school said many students are down with viral infection and seasonal flu. “There’s no Covid case. At least here no one is testing even if they have Covid,” he said.

Dr Gautam Bhansali, the chief coordinator of private hospitals for vaccination and Covid said many are still not testing for Covid. “Since fever lasts for a day and symptoms are milder, many do not test or take a day or two off. Though Covid strain is milder, transmissibility is very high. We should be cautious by wearing masks in crowded and indoor spaces. While a healthy adult may not have much of a problem, senior citizens and children back home are at risk. We need to be mindful of Covid-appropriate behaviour,” he said.

Amidst continuing Covid infections and the Centre reducing the interval between the second jab and booster dose from existing nine months to six months, private Covid-19 vaccination centres in Mumbai have witnessed a rise in beneficiaries.

“The number of people taking booster doses from the age group 18-44 is almost double from the ones in the age 44-59. For example, on July 11, 3,018 in the age group 18-44 took the booster dose while 1,093 from the age group of 44-59 took the booster shot,” said a BMC health official.

Added Joy Chakraborty, COO, PD Hinduja Hospital, “On weekdays, we do on average 70-80 booster doses a day. On Saturdays, we see the numbers going up to 120. We get a sense that people want to take the booster dose and rest it out on Sundays in case they side effects like fever, body ache,” said