Infection Prevention and Control for Covid-19 | Study notes Public Health

Infection Prevention and Control for Covid-19

I. Summary

This is a summary of Department of Health (DOH) Academy online course on Infection

Prevention and Control for Covid-19.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is critical for understanding and managing

transmissible diseases, particularly given that there is an ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19

IPC measures were primarily implemented to detect and prevent the spread of the said virus. It

was stated that covid-19 signs and symptoms were classified into two stages: early and advanced.

Cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste or

smell are examples of early-stage signs and symptoms. While advanced stage signs and symptoms

includes difficulty in breathing, persistent pain, inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face.

The covid-19 has a chain of transmission which starts from the infectious agent, reservoir, port

exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Medical workers play a critical

role in breaking or stopping the transmission by intervention. Similarly, standard IPC precautions

such as proper hand and respiratory hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, cough

etiquette, and cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces should be followed. To reduce

the health risks on medical workers, airborne precautions should also be used in aerosol-generating

procedures (AGPs) performed in adequately ventilated or negative pressure rooms.

The frequency of environmental disinfection for covid-19 is always determined by the local

IPC risk assessment for environmental cleaning. For disinfection, sodium hypochlorite solutions

are most commonly used, but ethyl alcohol is also used in some cases. It was stated that

implementing timely relevant IPC measures and precautions prior to having contact with patients

is critical in ensuring their safety. Covid-19 inpatients and outpatients are primarily managed

first in the triage area, where they are screened and separated from those with acute respiratory

symptoms. In practice, there is in-depth IPC guidance in the triage area to avoid the risk of

spreading covid-19.

Furthermore, IPC for covid-19 revolves around education about the signs and symptoms,

standard precautions, and patient management measures. It is critical to familiarize and practice

IPC measures and precautions in any setting, such as laboratories or hospitals, because covid-19

is easily transmitted.

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Infection Prevention and Control for Covid- 19 I. Summary This is a summary of Department of Health (DOH) Academy online course on Infection Prevention and Control for Covid- 19. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is critical for understanding and managing transmissible diseases, particularly given that there is an ongoing covid-19 pandemic. Covid- 19 IPC measures were primarily implemented to detect and prevent the spread of the said virus. It was stated that covid-19 signs and symptoms were classified into two stages: early and advanced. Cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell are examples of early-stage signs and symptoms. While advanced stage signs and symptoms includes difficulty in breathing, persistent pain, inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face. The covid-19 has a chain of transmission which starts from the infectious agent, reservoir, port exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Medical workers play a critical role in breaking or stopping the transmission by intervention. Similarly, standard IPC precautions such as proper hand and respiratory hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, cough etiquette, and cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces should be followed. To reduce the health risks on medical workers, airborne precautions should also be used in aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) performed in adequately ventilated or negative pressure rooms. The frequency of environmental disinfection for covid-19 is always determined by the local IPC risk assessment for environmental cleaning. For disinfection, sodium hypochlorite solutions are most commonly used, but ethyl alcohol is also used in some cases. It was stated that implementing timely relevant IPC measures and precautions prior to having contact with patients is critical in ensuring their safety. Covid-19 inpatients and outpatients are primarily managed first in the triage area, where they are screened and separated from those with acute respiratory symptoms. In practice, there is in-depth IPC guidance in the triage area to avoid the risk of spreading covid-19. Furthermore, IPC for covid-19 revolves around education about the signs and symptoms, standard precautions, and patient management measures. It is critical to familiarize and practice IPC measures and precautions in any setting, such as laboratories or hospitals, because covid- 19 is easily transmitted.

II. Reflection Infection control and prevention (IPC) for covid-19 online course by the Department of Health (DOH) Academy is a timely relevant course module. It has a very useful information and it actually gave me more in-depth understanding on how to manage covid-19. Also, the content was sufficiently presented and well-delivered. It was discussed that the early stage of covid- 19 may experience between two days to two weeks after the exposure while advanced stage includes emergency signs and symptoms. To be honest, I didn't fully comprehend the stages of covid-19 and had misconceptions about it. I assumed that after being exposed to covid-19, experiencing signs and symptoms would be observe immediately, but I was mistaken. Symptoms usually appear after a few days or weeks. Aside from that, frontline workers or medical workers are also responsible for strengthening the medical response system, controlling the speed of increasing patient numbers, and protecting the community from covid-19 exposure. This means that the work and scope of responsibility of medical workers are extremely important in the eyes of the public and patients. They also help to prevent or break the chain of transmission of covid-19. Basically, it is not novel to recognize that standard IPC precautions and measures should be followed at all times. I believe that all medical professionals practiced it as soon as they began their careers. Hand hygiene is an important standard precaution that takes about 40 to 60 seconds if soap and water are used, and 20-30 seconds if an alcohol-based formulation is used. I remembered that handwashing is required if hands are visibly soiled; otherwise, hand sanitizer or ethyl alcohol will be used. If there is a confirmed covid-19 patient, all individuals must use contact and droplet precautions. Not only should precautions be used in hospitals or laboratories, but also in public places, such as the implemented public health protocols. Wearing personal protective equipment is obviously required in health care facilities, and I believe that properly putting on the medical mask is critical. Every day, environmental surface disinfection is performed in health care facilities. Overall, IPC precautions and measures for covid-19 are crucial for controlling and managing its exposure to medical workers, patients, and the general public. I believe it should continue to be practiced even if the number of covid-19 cases decreases or the pandemic ends. Moreover,

Infection Prevention and Control for Covid-19, Study notes of Public Health

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