International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
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To compare the mental health burden before and during the COVID-19 outbreak and identify the vulnerable groups by sociodemographic factors. ⋯ Hong Kong had a mental health emergency even with no lockdown and well-managed outbreaks. Older and under-privileged people will suffer most. Public mental health interventions are urgently needed particularly for the older adults and individuals with primary or lower education attainment.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Nov 2020
The effect of ultraviolet C radiation against different N95 respirators inoculated with SARS-CoV-2.
There are currently no studies that have examined whether one dosage can be uniformly applied to different respirator types to effectively decontaminate SARS-CoV-2 on N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Health care workers have been using this disinfection method during the pandemic. Our objective was to determine the effect of UVC on SARS-CoV-2 inoculated N95 respirators and whether this was respirator material/model type dependent. ⋯ This dose is an appropriate decontamination method to facilitate the reuse of respirators for healthcare personnel when applied to specific models/materials. Also, some straps may require additional disinfection to maximize the safety of frontline workers. Implementation of widespread UVC decontamination methods requires careful consideration of model, material type, design, and fit-testing following irradiation.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Nov 2020
COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers in a national healthcare system: The Qatar experience.
Our aim was to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers (HCWs) in a national healthcare system and to understand the risk factors for infection. ⋯ COVID- 19 infection among HCWs often occurs among those not directly working with COVID-19 patients. PPE use is less stringent in such settings. Risk of exposure and need for strict PPE must be stressed upon all HCWs in all settings.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Nov 2020
ReviewBuilding resilient and responsive research collaborations to tackle antimicrobial resistance-Lessons learnt from India, South Africa, and UK.
Research, collaboration, and knowledge exchange are critical to global efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Different healthcare economies are faced with different challenges in implementing effective strategies to address AMR. Building effective capacity for research to inform AMR-related strategies and policies is recognised as an important contributor to success. ⋯ We describe the steps undertaken to develop robust, agile, and flexible AMS research and implementation teams. Notably, investing in capacity building ensured that the programmes described in these case studies were sustained through the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus pandemic. Describing the strategies adopted by a local and an international collaboration to tackle AMR, we provide a model for capacity building in LMICs that can support sustainable and agile AMS programmes.
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Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Nov 2020
Timing of national lockdown and mortality in COVID-19: the Italian experience.
To evaluate if the pandemic mitigation effects of lockdown in Italy have been influenced by the level of penetration of COVID-19 in Italian Regions at the onset of containment (March 9, 2020). ⋯ Every new infected subject before lockdown counted on the death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.