Healthcare worker mask reuse in a global pandemic: Using idle resources to create an inexpensive, scalable, and accessible UV system for N95 sterilization

ABSTRACTAs the current COVID-19 pandemic illustrates, not all hospitals and other facilities are equipped with enough personal protective equipment to meet the demand in a crisis. Healthcare workers around the world utilize N95 masks to protect themselves and their patients, yet during this global pandemic they are forced to re-wear what is intended to be single-use masks. This poses significant risk to these healthcare workers along with the populations they are trying to protect. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) has been validated previously as a way to effectively sterilize these masks between use, however, not all facilities have access to the high cost commercial UV-C lamp sterilization equipment. However, UV-C bulbs are sitting idle in biosafety cabinets (BSCs) at universities and research facilities around the globe that have been shuttered to slow the spread of COVID-19. These bulbs may also be available in existing medical centers where infectious diseases are commonly treated. Therefore, we have developed a method to modify existing light fixtures, or create custom light fixtures compatible with new or existing common UV-C bulbs. This system is scalable and can be created for less than 50 US dollars, on site, at the point of need, and leverages resources that are currently untapped and sitting unused in public and private research facilities. The freely-accessible design can be easily modified for use around the world. Hospitals can obtain this potentially life-saving UVGI resource with minimal funds, via collaboration between research facilities to obtain the UV-C meters and limited availability UVGI bulbs. While mask reuse is not ideal, we must do what we can in emergency situations to protect our frontline healthcare workers and the communities they serve.

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SARS-CoV-2 in Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Summary of Current Guidelines

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm9051521 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 1521 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kavita Narang ◽

Eniola R. Ibirogba ◽

Amro Elrefaei ◽

Ayssa Teles Abrao Trad ◽

Regan Theiler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

World Health ◽

Limited Data ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Serious Infection ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Current Guidelines ◽

In Pregnancy

Since the declaration of the global pandemic of COVID-19 by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, we have continued to see a steady rise in the number of patients infected by SARS-CoV-2. However, there is still very limited data on the course and outcomes of this serious infection in a vulnerable population of pregnant patients and their fetuses. International perinatal societies and institutions including SMFM, ACOG, RCOG, ISUOG, CDC, CNGOF, ISS/SIEOG, and CatSalut have released guidelines for the care of these patients. We aim to summarize these current guidelines in a comprehensive review for patients, healthcare workers, and healthcare institutions. We included 15 papers from 10 societies through a literature search of direct review of society’s websites and their journal publications up till 20 April 2020. Recommendations specific to antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum were abstracted from the publications and summarized into Tables. The summary of guidelines for the management of COVID-19 in pregnancy across different perinatal societies is fairly consistent, with some variation in the strength of recommendations. It is important to recognize that these guidelines are frequently updated, as we continue to learn more about the course and impact of COVID-19 in pregnancy.

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Construction and validation of an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation system using locally available components

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0255123 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. e0255123

Author(s):

Eric Schnell ◽

Elham Karamooz ◽

Melanie J. Harriff ◽

Jane E. Yates ◽

Christopher D. Pfeiffer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Respiratory Protection ◽

Exposure Risk ◽

High Demand ◽

Industrial Facilities ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The Face ◽

Ultraviolet C ◽

Local Construction ◽

Uv C

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, is responsible for a global pandemic characterized by high transmissibility and morbidity. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of contracting COVID-19, but this risk has been mitigated through the use of personal protective equipment such as N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs). At times the high demand for FFRs has exceeded supply, placing HCWs at increased exposure risk. Effective FFR decontamination of many FFR models using ultraviolet-C germicidal irradiation (UVGI) has been well-described, and could maintain respiratory protection for HCWs in the face of supply line shortages. Here, we detail the construction of an ultraviolet-C germicidal irradiation (UVGI) device using previously existing components available at our institution. We provide data on UV-C dosage delivered with our version of this device, provide information on how users can validate the UV-C dose delivered in similarly constructed systems, and describe a simple, novel methodology to test its germicidal effectiveness using in-house reagents and equipment. As similar components are readily available in many hospitals and industrial facilities, we provide recommendations on the local construction of these systems, as well as guidance and strategies towards successful institutional implementation of FFR decontamination.

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Remote work : the necessity of today

10.22364/ncebd.2021.01 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Inese Abolina ◽

◽

Andzela Veselova ◽

Keyword(s):

Work Organization ◽

Secondary Data ◽

Professional Lives ◽

Remote Work ◽

Public And Private ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

Private Sector Organizations ◽

Public And Private Sector ◽

The Impact

Global pandemic COVID-19 has increased the level of digitalization which allows public and private sector organizations in the world to employ people remotely outside office premises and crossing borders of the world. Remote work is one of the new employment forms caused by the impact of digitalization, which keeps conquering and strengthening the positions on our daily professional lives. It means extended use of different new employment forms, including the digital transition of administration processes and business management, improvement of digital skills and competences, contributing to development of areas of services and products with higher benefit (Breaugh, Farabee, 2012). Research aims to study basic principles and tendencies of remote work organization based on theoretical aspects, draw conclusions and elaborate proposals for improvement of remote work. In order to achieve the goal, the tasks are as follows: 1) provide the explanation of remote work organization; 2) describe secondary data from a conducted survey by Milasi, S., Fernandez – Macias, E., Gonzalez-Vazquez, I. 2020, European Commission; 3) conduct survey about remote work

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Ethical rationale for better coordination of clinical research on COVID-19

Research Ethics ◽

10.1177/1747016120931998 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (3-4) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francois Bompart

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Clinical Research ◽

Ethics Committees ◽

Active Involvement ◽

Emergency Situations ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Life Saving ◽

Ethical Rationale ◽

Global Coordination ◽

Set Up

Hundreds of clinical trials of potential treatments and vaccines for the “coronavirus 19 disease” (COVID-19) have been set up in record time. This is a remarkable reaction to the global pandemic, but the absence of a global coordination of clinical research efforts raises serious ethical concerns. Some COVID-19 patients might carry the burden of clinical trial involvement even though their trial cannot be completed as researchers are competing for patients. A shortage of medicines can occur when existing drugs are diverted for clinical trials. Research ethics committees are overburdened with multiple applications. A multitude of trials can also overstretch medical staff and risk neglecting non-COVID-19 patients. And finally, conflicting conclusions from a multitude of heterogeneous trials might lead to delays in public health decisions about life-saving issues. These challenges are made worse by the unpredictable evolution of epidemics, the active involvement of political decision-makers in scientific issues and the pressure of social media globally. While freedom to conduct research must be safeguarded, global health emergency situations would greatly benefit from effective international coordination mechanisms for clinical research.

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SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Formation Among Healthcare Workers

10.1101/2020.09.10.20192104 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas Birch ◽

Ravit Barkama ◽

Joanna Tyszkiewicz Georgescu ◽

Emma Yamada ◽

Drew Olsen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Community Hospital ◽

Support Staff ◽

Care Community ◽

Frontline Workers ◽

The Us ◽

The World ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers

Many frontline healthcare workers throughout the world have been exposed to COVID-19 infection in the workplace and the community. We describe the nature of infection and the durability of antibodies among various types of healthcare workers at an acute care community hospital in northern New Jersey adjacent to New York City, part of the epicenter of the first wave of the US epidemic. Exposure was concentrated among frontline workers and in clusters among support staff. The antibody response correlated with symptoms and job type.

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India and Pakistan: United by Covid-19

Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association ◽

10.47391/jpma.013935 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 71 (11) ◽

pp. 2695-2695

Author(s):

Syeda Sidra Fatima ◽

Samar Faheem

Keyword(s):

Adverse Effects ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Safety Review ◽

Initial Block ◽

The World ◽

Frontline Healthcare Workers

Madam, the number of new Covid-19 cases in India peaked at 362,902 on the 27th of April, 2021.1 This is the highest single day total for the world. India sold double the oxygen in 2020-21 than the previous year, now it faces a shortage of medical oxygen as it struggles with rising cases.2 Additionally, it struggles with the vaccine drive. In an article, Kamala Thiagarajan states that the initial block was mistrust of local vaccines, even among frontline healthcare workers. Other conspiracies followed, including fear of price hikes and reports about adverse effects, as approval for its own vaccines was rushed without proper evaluation to ensure safety.3 When adverse effects were observed in AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson trials, they were paused to conduct a safety review. However, no such thing occurred during the Covaxin trial.4 Continuous...

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Electroconvulsive Therapy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Archives of Psychiatry Research ◽

10.20471/dec.2021.57.02.14 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 (2) ◽

pp. 187-190

Author(s):

Mislav Škrobo ◽

Vjekoslav Peitl ◽

Ante Silić ◽

Ana Matošić ◽

Branka Vidrih ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disease Prevention ◽

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

The Novel ◽

Chinese City ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

A Priority ◽

Novel Coronavirus

In March 2020, three months after the first cases surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan, WHO declared a global pandemic of the novel coronavirus, which by than had already spread through a great number of countries all over the world. In order to protect the health of healthcare workers and patients, activities and measures of disease prevention have been taken; in such circumstances, psychiatry found itself faced with various challenges, one of them being the preservation of the continuity of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with severe or refractory psychiatric disorders. Such patients are a priority and demand immediate treatment in hospital settings adapted to epidemiological circumstances. Having studied the instructions and recommendations of the competent authorities, as well as reviewing available literature, this paper presents the most important measures for the smooth performance of ECT in conditions associated with the COVID-19 disease.

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Scenario planning for the development of foreign economic activity of the hotel business enterprise in the conditions of the world pandemic

Economics. Finances. Law ◽

10.37634/efp.2021.6.2 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 9-13

Author(s):

Iryna PSHENYCHNA ◽

Yuliia PRODIUS ◽

Serhii IZOTOV

Keyword(s):

Strategic Planning ◽

Economic Activity ◽

Significant Risk ◽

Scenario Planning ◽

Business Enterprise ◽

Economic Uncertainty ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

The Difference ◽

Crisis Conditions

Introduction. The hotel business is traditionally considered a highly profitable area of foreign economic activity. The most significant risk factors are considered to be economic, political and social instability in countries and regions. In 2020, almost all global tourism and hotel businesses faced a serious challenge in their development – a severe crisis caused by the rapid spread of a pandemic of a new species of coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world. In the context of a global pandemic, to support the activities of the hotel business, it is necessary to clearly define the content and sequence of certain actions to achieve the goals, which determines the process of planning and forecasting the activities of the enterprise. Scenario planning is a fairly flexible process of describing possible future scenarios. This is part of strategic planning, which refers to the tools and technologies that manage future uncertainty. The purpose of the paper is to consider the scenario planning of the development of foreign economic activity of the hotel-type enterprise in conditions of economic uncertainty. The paper considers scenario planning as one of the most effective tools of strategic planning at the enterprise, which allows to forecast the development of events in the shortest possible time and update the planned indicators for its effective management. Results. In the course of this research the method of strategic planning is used – scenario planning, with the help of which all possible forecasts of events at the enterprise in crisis conditions are built. An analysis of hotel activities during the pandemic. The methods of scenario planning at the hotel business enterprise in the conditions of economic uncertainty are investigated. The difference between traditional and scenario approaches to strategic planning is clarified. Scenarios of possible events of the hotel business enterprise in the future in the conditions of a pandemic on the example of a scenario cross are developed. Conclusion. Scenario planning proved its effectiveness during the global pandemic, when hotel enterprises that applied scenario planning were ready for change and simply applied a different scenario, continuing to go with the flow. Scenarios for further development of foreign economic activity of the enterprise are determined.

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Plastic Surgery in the Time of COVID-19

Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1714378 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

David Chi ◽

Austin D. Chen ◽

Miguel I. Dorante ◽

Bernard T. Lee ◽

Justin M. Sacks

Keyword(s):

Health Care Systems ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Difficult Decision ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Life Saving ◽

The World ◽

Future Challenges ◽

Care Systems ◽

To Come ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Background The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has swept the world in the last several months, causing massive disruption to existing social, economic, and health care systems. As with all medical fields, plastic and reconstructive surgery has been profoundly impacted across the entire spectrum of practice from academic medical centers to solo private practice. The decision to preserve vital life-saving equipment and cancel elective procedures to protect patients and medical staff has been extremely challenging on multiple levels. Frequent and inconsistent messaging disseminated by many voices on the national stage often conflicts and serves only to exacerbate an already difficult decision-making process. Methods A survey of relevant COVID-19 literature is presented, and bioethical principles are utilized to generate guidelines for plastic surgeons in patient care through this pandemic. Results A cohesive framework based upon core bioethical values is presented here to assist plastic surgeons in navigating this rapidly evolving global pandemic. Conclusion Plastic surgeons around the world have been affected by COVID-19 and will adapt to continue serving their patients. The lessons learned in this present pandemic will undoubtedly prove useful in future challenges to come.

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The relevance of dietetic approach of Ayurveda from the perspective of COVID-19 pandemic

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.26452/ijrps.v11ispl1.3077 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽

pp. 748-752

Author(s):

Swapnali Khabade ◽

Bharat Rathi ◽

Renu Rathi

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Healthy Person ◽

World Health ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Leading Role ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The People ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Individual

A novel, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and spread globally from Wuhan, China. In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared the SARS-Cov-2 virus as a COVID- 19, a global pandemic. This pandemic happened to be followed by some restrictions, and specially lockdown playing the leading role for the people to get disassociated with their personal and social schedules. And now the food is the most necessary thing to take care of. It seems the new challenge for the individual is self-isolation to maintain themselves on the health basis and fight against the pandemic situation by boosting their immunity. Food organised by proper diet may maintain the physical and mental health of the individual. Ayurveda aims to promote and preserve the health, strength and the longevity of the healthy person and to cure the disease by properly channelling with and without Ahara. In Ayurveda, diet (Ahara) is considered as one of the critical pillars of life, and Langhana plays an important role too. This article will review the relevance of dietetic approach described in Ayurveda with and without food (Asthavidhi visheshaytana & Lanhgan) during COVID-19 like a pandemic.

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