DIAM: COVID-19 Weekly Case Count & Vaccine Info (March 12-19, 2021)

DENSO International America, Inc.
Weekly COVID-19 Case Update

Late yesterday, we learned that four (4)  DIAM associates were diagnosed with COVID-19.

• One associate was last on site in DIAM Southfield DN1 and at DIAM Novi campus on March 15 and received a positive diagnosis on March 17
• One associate was last on DIAM’s Southfield campus in October and received a positive diagnosis on March 12.
• One associate was last on DIAM’s Southfield campus on March 3 and received a positive diagnosis on March 17.
• One associate was last on site in DIAM Southfield DN1 on March 15 and received a positive diagnosis on March 17.

Following our guidelines, we have thoroughly cleaned and sanitized all areas where these associates had prolonged contact, including the common spaces in all buildings. Everyone who needs to quarantine due to close contact with this associate has been notified. Please respect confidentiality, even if you believe you know who these individuals are.

Please continue to closely monitor your personal health at home and follow screening procedures before entering the facility. This is a requirement from the state of Michigan. Not complying puts DENSO at risk of potential fines from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Department, and associates at risk of disciplinary action.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms:

• Do not come to any DIAM campus
• Inform your manager or chain of command
• If you have been at a DIAM campus in the last seven (7) days, send an email to covid@na.denso.com with the following details: dates symptoms started, and date of last day onsite
• Someone will follow up with you to gather additional information

Some symptoms may include: fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, chills, persistent headache, loss of smell or taste. For a complete list of COVID-19 symptoms, visit the CDC website.

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19:

• Do not come to any DIAM campus
• Inform your manager or chain of command
• You or your manager needs to send an email to covid@na.denso.com with the following details: date symptoms started, date of last day onsite, date of COVID-19 test results
• Someone will follow up with you to gather additional information

DENSO North America
Weekly COVID-19 Case Update

At DENSO affiliates in North America, 24 positive COVID-19 diagnoses were reported this week. Throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States (U.S.), DENSO has reported 2,858 total positive diagnoses to date.

Following local investigations into cases at DENSO facilities this week, all were classified as community spread (household, gatherings, travel, etc.).

Exposed in Community – transmission attributed to community or home

Exposed at DENSO – transmission attributed to DENSO site contact

Unable to Determine – cannot confidently determine the source of exposure after thorough investigation (may have been exposed outside or inside of work)

Under Investigation – investigation is on-going both internally as well as with county health departments

COVID-19 Vaccine: Should I Sign Up for a Community Vaccination Event?

Yes! Eligibility for vaccination based on age, health conditions and work environment continues to expand… so don’t wait for DENSO! While we continue to work closely with local health departments to secure vaccination information and updates, please use all of your available resources to get vaccinated when you are eligible. The CDC has issued a helpful web site at www.vaccinefinder.org, which shows locations that may have vaccine in stock near you, and links that will help you schedule appointments with those providers.

Let’s Learn Together:  What are the differences between the different vaccines?

A quick scan of news headlines can be deceiving—shouldn’t we choose a vaccine that prevents nearly all COVID-19 infection? This is less important than it may sound. The world will not completely eliminate all coronaviruses anytime soon. Instead, think about COVID vaccinations like the seasonal flu shot. You may still get the flu, but it will be much less severe. All three vaccines being used in the United States protect you against serious illness, hospitalization or death. In research trials, none of the people who received a vaccine died of COVID. After vaccines had taken full effect, none were hospitalized either.

So, what’s the difference? There are two main types of COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized and recommended. Each type of vaccine prompts our bodies to recognize and protect us from the virus that causes COVID-19; none of these vaccines can give you COVID-19.

• mRNA vaccines(Pfizer, Moderna) contain instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the COVID-19 virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future. This CDC infographic visually explains how mRNA vaccines work.
• Vector vaccines(Johnson & Johnson, Astra Zeneca (still in clinical trials)) contain a modified version of a different virus than the one that causes COVID-19. Inside the shell of the modified virus, there is material from the virus that causes COVID-19. This is called a “viral vector.” Once the viral vector is inside our cells, it instructs our cells to make a protein that is unique to the virus that causes COVID-19. Our cells make copies of that protein, which tells our bodies how to fight that virus if we are infected in the future. Learn more about how viral vector vaccines work from this CDC infographic.

A third type of vaccines undergoing large-scale clinical trials in the United States are protein subunit vaccines. These include harmless pieces (proteins) of the virus that causes COVID-19 instead of the entire germ. Once vaccinated, our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and antibodies that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future.