COVID19 or Coronavirus

What Is The Mode Of Transmission? How (Easily) Does It Spread?

While animals are believed to be the original source, the virus spread is now from person to person (human to human transmission). Insufficient epidemiological data available about how quickly this virus spreads between people, but it is estimated that on average that one infected person will infect between two and three people.

The virus is transmitted mainly via small respiratory droplets through sneezing, coughing or when people interact with each other for some time in close proximity (usually less than 2 meter).

These droplets can then be inhaled, or they can land on surfaces that others may encounter, who can then get infected when they touch their nose, mouth or eyes. The virus can survive on different surfaces from several hours (copper, cardboard) up to few days (plastic, stainless steel). The amount of viable virus declines overtime.

The incubation period for COVID-19 is currently estimated between one to fourteen days. The virus can be transmitted when people who are infected show symptoms such as coughing.

Is There A Treatment For The COVID-19 Disease?

There are no specific treatment or vaccine for this disease.

Healthcare providers isolate confirmed cases and manage them symptomatically. Severe cases are usually managed in tertiary centers.

How can I avoid getting infected on infecting others?

• Wash your hands with soap and water regularly for 20seconds
• Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands
• Use hand sanitisers (alcohol based), gels or tissues in all settings
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow
• Stay 1 meter or more away from people
• Voluntary self-isolation

Can I get tested for COVID-19?

The current tests for COVID-19 is provided by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Fiji. The current advice is that those that fulfil the criteria will be tested.

People with a fever or respiratory illness who:
• Have been in contact with a COVID-19 case
• Return travellers including on cruise ship
• Being hospitalised with pneumonia or a respiratory illness of unknown cause
• Are in a high risk setting where at least 1 COVID-19 case have been confirmed, such as an aged care facility, prison, boarding school, detention centre or a military base.

For those that do not qualify to the above criteria, Rapid tests can be accessed from our Centre. Please inquire on speed dial 5919 in its availability

1.  Stock piling of personal protective equipment (PPE) at all Zens Medical Centres.
2. Work tasks must be delineated by segregating health-care teams caring for suspect and confirmed cases of COVID-19 from teams managing other patients. This minimizes the risk of cross-infection of patients and health-care workers.
3. As part of hospital contamination strategies, these patients are treated in negative pressure isolation rooms, which prevent the spread of the infectious pathogen to the rest of the observation unit environment and twice daily temperature monitoring of all health-care workers is made mandatory to identify those who are unwell and prevent intra-hospital propagation of disease.
4. To minimize the risk of occupational exposure, care teams are segregated in 2 dimensions. Cross-institution coverage by doctors is suspended, and medical staff members are limited to practise in 1 primary institution. Care teams are also kept small to reduce the impact of any inadvertent occupational exposure on personnel downtime owing to the need to quarantine contacts.
5. The most tangible organizational measure is to avail manpower and PPE resources to frontline health-care workers. In a public health crisis, there is global demand for PPE resources but often insufficient supplies, as is the case for COVID-19.
6. All Zens Medical Centre working area together with its assets are sterilized after every procedures.

Reference

Preventing Intra-hospital Infection and Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Health-care Workers: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7102575/