Disaster medicine and public health preparedness
-
Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Jun 2020
COVID-19 Epidemic in the Middle Province of Northern Italy: Impact, Logistics, and Strategy in the First Line Hospital.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) began in China in early December 2019 and rapidly has spread to many countries around the globe, with the number of confirmed cases increasing every day. An epidemic has been recorded since February 20 in a middle province in Northern Italy (Lodi province, in the low Po Valley). The first line hospital had to redesign its logistical and departmental structure to respond to the influx of COVID-19-positive patients who needed hospitalization. Logistical and structural strategies were guided by the crisis unit, managing in 8 days from the beginning of the epidemic to prepare the hospital to be ready to welcome more than 200 COVID-19-positive patients with different ventilatory requirements, keeping clean emergency access lines, and restoring surgical interventions and deferred urgent, routine activity.
-
Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Jun 2020
COVID-19 Response in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons From Uganda.
The prolongation of the Ebola epidemic may have allowed some countries to prepare and respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. In Uganda, the surveillance structure built for Ebola virus disease (EVD) has become a pillar in the COVID-19 response. ⋯ However, having a decision-making matrix would better guide the response team. These initial lessons from EVD-experienced Uganda may be helpful to other countries in the region.
-
Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Jun 2020
LetterDelayed Primary and Specialty Care: The Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic Second Wave.
Time is of the essence to continue the pandemic disaster cycle with a comprehensive post-COVID-19 health care delivery system RECOVERY analysis, plan and operation at the local, regional and state level. The second wave of COVID-19 pandemic response are not the ripples of acute COVID-19 patient clusters that will persist until a vaccine strategy is designed and implemented to effect herd immunity. The COVID-19 second wave are the patients that have had their primary and specialty care delayed. This exponential wave of patients requires prompt health care delivery system planning and response.
-
Disaster Med Public Health Prep · Jun 2020
LetterPooled Testing for Expanding COVID-19 Mass Surveillance.
Diagnostic testing to identify patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) plays a key role to control the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. While several countries have implemented the use of diagnostic testing in a massive scale as a cornerstone for infection control and surveillance, other countries affected by the pandemic are hampered by its limited testing capacity. Pooled testing was first introduced in the 1940s and is now used for screening in blood banks. ⋯ Studies have shown that an individual positive sample can still be detected in pools of up to 32 samples, and possibly even 64 samples, provided that additional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification cycles are conducted with a sensitivity of 96%. Simulation studies to determine optimal pool size and pooling techniques have also been conducted. Based on these studies, pooled testing is shown to be able to detect positive samples with sufficient accuracy and can easily be used with existing equipment and personnel for population-wide screening.