How Business Can Thrive in 2022 despite COVID-19 with Heather Saunders

Heather Saunders is the Director of Infection Control at the Johns Hopkins Office of Population Health. Her background is in nursing and epidemiology, and she holds a Master of Public Health degree. When Saunders isn't performing research at Johns Hopkins and informing our leading decision-makers, she runs her business which assists entities in controlling infectious diseases.  

This episode contains expert insights into how businesses can manage COVID-related disruptions, prevent the cessation of operations, and simultaneously ensure stakeholders' safety. Additionally, we learn what is meant by infectivity, the ultimate fate of COVID-19, and how we assess our risk tolerance in the context of the virus.

Saunders also sheds light on a program she helped develop, the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) For Business. This state-of-the-art certification allows companies to show customers and staff alike that they are committed to the health, safety, and wellbeing of all stakeholders.  

Listen as Saunders provides her invaluable perspective on the Omicron variant, how to separate the wheat from the chaff when choosing a source of information, and much more.

"Omicron does seem to be more infectious. What does that mean? That means that for every person that has COVID-19, with the Omicron variant, they are infecting more people than previous variants and more quickly."

"I think another important way that businesses can ensure that they're continuing their operations is by leaning into prevention."

"If everyone is on board with prevention and control measures and can avoid infection, then we won't have to worry about the staffing shortages."

"It is an employee's world right now, and it's all about retention. So if you want to retain good employees, we need to show them that we care about them, their wellbeing, their health, and their safety."