The complete picture regarding transmission modes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unknown. This review summarises the available evidence on its transmission modes, our preliminary research findings and implications for infection control policy, and outlines future research directions. Environmental contamination has been reported in hospital settings occupied by infected patients, and is higher in the first week of illness. Transmission via environmental surfaces or fomites is likely, but decontamination protocols are effective in minimising this risk. The extent of airborne transmission is also unclear. While several studies have detected SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid in air samples, none has isolated viable virus in culture. Transmission likely lies on a spectrum between droplet and airborne transmission, depending on the patient, disease and environmental factors. Singapore's current personal protective equipment and isolation protocols are sufficient to manage this risk.
COVID-19 ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infection Control/methods* ; Personal Protective Equipment ; SARS-CoV-2

COVID-19/virology* ; Cities ; Environmental Monitoring ; Genome, Viral ; Humans ; Infection Control/methods* ; Pakistan ; RNA, Viral/genetics* ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Sewage/virology*

COVID-19/transmission* ; COVID-19 Testing ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional/prevention & control* ; Intraoperative Care ; Pandemics ; Personal Protective Equipment ; Postoperative Care ; Preoperative Care ; Tracheostomy/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the preventing infection measures of new coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) patients during mechanical ventilation, and to provide reference for the safe application of mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Retrieved from PubMed, Ovid and other databases, and combined with the application experience of mechanical ventilation were collected to explore the preventing infection measures of COVID-19 patients during mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: This paper put forward the preventing infection measures of external circuit, internal circuit, outer surface, filter and special parts in ventilator. The preventing infection measures of sputum suction and nebulization were summarized. CONCLUSIONS The preventing infection measures of COVID-19 patients during mechanical ventilation are successfully completed, which can provide suggestions for the application and maintenance of mechanical ventilation.
Betacoronavirus ; COVID-19 ; Coronavirus Infections/therapy* ; Humans ; Infection Control/methods* ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; Pneumonia, Viral/therapy* ; Respiration, Artificial ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Ventilators, Mechanical

Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; prevention & control ; Guidelines as Topic ; Humans ; Infection Control ; organization & administration ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Personal Protective Equipment ; standards ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Primary Prevention ; methods ; standards ; Safety ; standards ; Safety Management

COVID-19 has been included in Category B infectious diseases and is prevented and controlled according to Category A infectious diseases. In order to establish a diagnosis or conduct further research, a post-mortem examination may be desired on a possible COVID-19 death. To guide the personnel engaged in the autopsy to carry out the correct operation, and ensure the safety of the pathologists and disease control staffs during the epidemic, the Chinese Pathological Society, the Chinese Pathologist Association and the Pathology and Pathophysiology national key discipline at Shantou University Medical College, formulated this guidance for the autopsy for deaths associated with COVID-19 during the prevention and control period of COVID-19 in China.
Autopsy ; methods ; standards ; Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Infection Control ; methods ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

Severe cases infected with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), named by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Feb. 11, 2020, tend to present a hypercatabolic state because of severe systemic consumption, and are susceptible to stress ulcers and even life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding. Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment constitute an irreplaceable part in the handling of severe COVID-19 cases. Endoscopes, as reusable precision instruments with complicated structures, require more techniques than other medical devices in cleaning, disinfection, sterilization, and other reprocessing procedures. From 2016 to 2019, health care-acquired infection caused by improper endoscope reprocessing has always been among the top 5 on the list of top 10 health technology hazards issued by the Emergency Care Research Institute. Considering the highly infective nature of COVID-19 and the potential aerosol contamination therefrom, it is of pivotal significance to ensure that endoscopes are strictly reprocessed between uses. In accordance with the national standard "Regulation for Cleaning and Disinfection Technique of Flexible Endoscope (WS507-2016)," we improved the workflow of endoscope reprocessing including the selection of chemicals in an effort to ensure quality control throughout the clinical management towards COVID-19 patients. Based on the experience we attained from the 12 severe COVID-19 cases in our hospital who underwent endoscopy 23 times in total, the article provides an improved version of endoscopic reprocessing guidelines for bedside endoscopic diagnosis and treatment on COVID-19 patients for reference.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Cross Infection ; prevention & control ; Disinfection ; methods ; Endoscopes ; virology ; Equipment Contamination ; prevention & control ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Peracetic Acid ; Personal Protective Equipment ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Sterilization ; methods ; Workflow

Since its emergence in December 2019, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted several countries, affecting more than 90 thousand patients and making it a global public threat. The routes of transmission are direct contact, and droplet and possible aerosol transmissions. Due to the unique nature of dentistry, most dental procedures generate significant amounts of droplets and aerosols, posing potential risks of infection transmission. Understanding the significance of aerosol transmission and its implications in dentistry can facilitate the identification and correction of negligence in daily dental practice. In addition to the standard precautions, some special precautions that should be implemented during an outbreak have been raised in this review.
Aerosols ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Cross Infection ; prevention & control ; Dentistry ; Hand Hygiene ; Humans ; Infection Control ; methods ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Personal Protective Equipment ; Pneumonia, Viral ; prevention & control ; transmission

Aged ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; methods ; Cholelithiasis ; complications ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; Coronavirus Infections ; complications ; diagnosis ; Elective Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infection Control ; methods ; Male ; Pandemics ; Patient Safety ; Pneumonia, Viral ; complications ; diagnosis ; Postoperative Care ; methods ; Risk Assessment ; Singapore ; Treatment Outcome

Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Elective Surgical Procedures ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Infection Control ; methods ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; prevention & control ; Male ; Occupational Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Orthopedic Procedures ; methods ; statistics & numerical data ; Outcome Assessment, Health Care ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; statistics & numerical data ; Patient Safety ; statistics & numerical data ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Risk Assessment ; Safety Management ; Singapore ; Wounds and Injuries ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; surgery