COVID-19 and Beyond: Safety and Design Considerations for the Development of a Mobile Biocontainment Laboratory

Introduction: An infectious disease outbreak like the current COVID-19 pandemic can lead to particularly high infection rates in areas where diagnostic laboratory support is limited. The deployment of mobile laboratories can help to detect pathogens, monitor the presence in a population, and inform public health authorities to take measures aimed at reducing pathogen spread. Materials and Methods: Available layouts and operational descriptions of mobile laboratories were analyzed for their suitability for the envisioned purpose and to assure high standards of biosafety and biosecurity.

Lessons learned for COVID-19 in the cruise ship industry

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created widespread disruption in individuals’ personal and occupational lives all around the world. Vacationers and tourism, recreation, and leisure employees were among those who experienced substantial disruption. Cruise ships, especially, faced turmoil on a global scale for both their customers and workers. COVID-19 outbreaks were reported on cruise ships beginning in February 2020, presenting new and unique challenges for the industry.

COVID-19 response in Nigeria: Health system preparedness and lessons for future epidemics in Africa [La réponse à la COVID-19 au Nigéria: préparation des systèmes de santé et leçons pour de futures épidémies en Afrique]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will continue to have a significant impact on the way we live for at least the next few years until the scale-up of production and administration of an effective vaccine. Unfortunately, this will not be the last pandemic of infectious diseases the world will experience, and the next one may have more devastating consequences in Africa than COVID-19, unless critical lessons for the future are learnt now for more rapid and robust containment measures.

Impact of Telemedicine on Hospitalisation and Mortality Rates in Community-Based Haemodialysis Centres in Singapore during the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION: With the unprecedented challenges imposed on the modern healthcare system due to the COVID-19 pandemic, innovative solutions needed to be swiftly implemented to maintain clinical oversight on patient care. Telemedicine was introduced in Singapore in community-based haemodialysis (HD) centres to comply with the Ministry of Health's directives on movement restriction of healthcare workers and related measures to minimise the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare facilities.

Reorganization of the endoscopic activity of Cancer Institutes during phase II of the Covid-19 emergency

After the lockdown during the emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have to deal with phase 2, a period of uncertain duration, with a controlled and progressive return to normalization, in which we need to reconcile our work and our movements with the presence of the virus on our territory. Digestive endoscopic activity is a high-risk transmission procedure for Covid-19. The measures put in place to protect healthcare personnel and patients are stressful and “time-consuming” and lead to a reduction in the number of endoscopic procedures that can be performed.

Liver transplantation in Italy in the era of COVID 19: reorganizing critical care of recipients

Transplant programs have been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy was one of the first countries with the highest number of deaths in the world due to SARS-CoV-2. Here we propose a management model for the reorganization of liver transplant (LT) activities and policies in a local intensive care unit (ICU) assigned to liver transplantation affected by restrictions on mobility and availability of donors and recipients as well as health personnel and beds.

Follow up of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Pulmonary and extrapulmonary disease sequelae

Background: Since December 2019 the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been burdening all health systems worldwide. However, pulmonary and extrapulmonary sequelae of COVID-19 after recovery from the acute disease are unknown. Material and methods: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients not requiring mechanical ventilation were included and followed 6 weeks after discharge. Body plethysmography, lung diffusion capacity (DLco), blood gas analysis (ABG), 6-min walk test (6MWT), echocardiography, and laboratory tests were performed.

Caught off guard by covid-19: Now what?

Human beings are social in nature and maintaining social interactions, relationships and intimacy are fundamental needs of older adults (OAs) living in assisted living (AL) communities. Yet, these very basic human needs have been impeded by quarantine mandates imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The socialization aspect offered in AL, allows for an integration of the whole person: body, mind, and spirit and is beneficial in mitigating the development of co-morbidities and negative patient outcomes.

COVID in crisis: The impact of COVID-19 in complex humanitarian emergencies

Introduction: Two billion people are currently affected by complex humanitarian emergencies (CHEs) resulting from natural disasters and armed confl ict. Many have been displaced into crowded camps with poor access to water, sanitation, and health care. Humanitarian response is challenging under these circumstances, raising concern about the impact of COVID-19 on crisis-aff ected populations. Methods: This article examines CHEs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, and Yemen, where protracted crises have displaced millions of people.