Coronavirus: Infection prevention and control

Earlier this month, a brand new coronavirus was identified in town of Wuhan in Hubei Province, China. The recent coronavirus, or COVID-19, belongs to a bunch of viruses known to cause symptoms starting from the common cold to severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). The two previous coronaviruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), have collectively infected greater than 10,000 people and caused greater than 1,600 deaths. COVID-19 spreads between people in close contact (inside 6 feet) via respiratory droplets, normally when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

If you observed a patient could also be infected with the COVID-19 virus, immediately implement appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures (World Health Organization, 2020).

• • Follow strict hand washing and respiratory hygiene
  • Put masks on suspected patients and if possible place them in isolation
  • Instruct patients to cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
  • Hand hygiene ought to be performed after contact with respiratory secretions.
  • Use personal protective equipment (PPE) [mask, gown, gloves] to avoid contact with the patient’s blood and other body fluids
  • Prevent needle sticks or sharp object injuries
  • Ensure protected waste management, environmental cleansing and sterilization of patient equipment
• • Patients ought to be placed in adequately ventilated single rooms.
  • Put on personal protective equipment: medical mask, safety glasses or face shield, clean, non-sterile, long-sleeved, fluid-resistant gown, and all the time wear gloves; remove personal protective equipment when leaving the room.
  • Use disposable equipment or equipment designed specifically for this purpose; if equipment have to be shared, clean and disinfect it with 70% ethyl alcohol between each patient use.
  • Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces that come into contact with the patient
• • Use a particulate respirator (e.g. N95, FFP2 or equivalent)
  • Put on personal protective equipment: eye protection, apron, gloves
  • Performing treatments in a negative pressure room
  • Limit the number of individuals within the room to the minimum vital to supply care and support to the patient.

Patient Education

The only approach to avoid the COVID-19 virus is to forestall exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2020) recommends the next day by day actions to assist stop the spread of all respiratory viruses:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water usually are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you might be sick, stay home.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing with a tissue, then throw it within the trash.
• Frequently clean and disinfect objects and surfaces you touch.

Anyone who can have had contact with an individual infected with COVID-19 should contact their doctor immediately.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). About 2019-nCov: Prevention and Treatment. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

World Health Organization (2020a). Clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection when novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection is suspected. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications-detail/clinical-management-of-severe-acute-respiratory-infection-when-novel-coronavirus-(ncov)-infection-is-suspected