Articles: coronavirus.
-
Paediatric anaesthesia · Aug 2020
Enclosure with augmented airflow to decrease risk of exposure to aerosolized pathogens including coronavirus during endotracheal intubation. Can the reduction in aerosolized particles be quantified?
As the pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) has impacted hospital routines in recent weeks, recommendations to reduce healthcare worker infections are being developed. ⋯ Aerosolized particulate contamination in the operating room can be decreased using a clear plastic enclosure with minimal openings and augmented airflow. This may serve to decrease the exposure of healthcare providers to aerosolized pathogens.
-
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance of intensive care unit (ICU) beds in preventing death from the severe respiratory illness associated with COVID-19. However, the availability of ICU beds is highly variable across the US, and health care resources are generally more plentiful in wealthier communities. ⋯ Income disparities in the availability of community ICU beds were more acute in rural areas than in urban areas. Policies that facilitate hospital coordination are urgently needed to address shortages in ICU hospital bed supply to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality rates in low-income communities.
-
Am J Infect Control · Aug 2020
Absence of nosocomial transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 in the prepandemic phase in Hong Kong.
To describe the infection control strategy to achieve zero nosocomial transmission of symptomatic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 during the prepandemic phase (the first 72 days after announcement of pneumonia cases in Wuhan) in Hong Kong. ⋯ Administrative support to infection control could minimize the risk of nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
-
During the COVID-19 pandemic, experience-based guidelines are needed in the pediatric population in order to deliver high quality care in a new way that keeps patients and healthcare workers safe and maximizes hospital resource utilization. ⋯ Clinical research paper LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.
-
J Epidemiol Community Health · Aug 2020
ReviewImportance of collecting data on socioeconomic determinants from the early stage of the COVID-19 outbreak onwards.
Disadvantaged socioeconomic position (SEP) is widely associated with disease and mortality, and there is no reason to think this will not be the case for the newly emerged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has reached a pandemic level. Individuals with a more disadvantaged SEP are more likely to be affected by most of the known risk factors of COVID-19. SEP has been previously established as a potential determinant of infectious diseases in general. ⋯ This brief overview of the literature highlights that important socioeconomic characteristics are being overlooked when data are collected. As COVID-19 spreads worldwide, it is crucial to collect and report data on socioeconomic determinants as well as race/ethnicity to identify high-risk populations. A systematic recording of socioeconomic characteristics of patients with COVID-19 will be beneficial to identify most vulnerable groups, to identify how SEP relates to COVID-19 and to develop equitable public health prevention measures, guidelines and interventions.