ABSTRACT
IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) played a key role in the management and mitigation of the virus transmission which consequently placed them at high risk of infection. As per World Health Organization, by May 2021, 6.2% of global COVID-19 infections and 115,000 deaths were among HCWs. This study was carried out to assess the demographic and work factors, vaccination status and symptom patterns of HCWs with COVID-19 infection in Brunei Darussalam.Material and MethodsA cross-sectional study using a self-administered, web-based questionnaire was conducted on HCWs from government and private sectors in Brunei Darussalam with positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or antigen rapid test for COVID-19 from August 2021 to May 2022. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and Chi-square test was used for statistical significance.ResultsA total of 1483 HCWs participated in the study. 232 (15.6%) had COVID-19 infection during the second wave (dominated by Delta variant) and 1251 (84.4%) were infected during the third wave (dominated by Omicron variant). 70% were female, 81.4% from government health facilities, 73.6% were working in hospitals and 45.4% were nurses. 97.7% had at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccination, 81.7% were symptomatic, and cough (61.2%) and fever (56%) were the commonest symptoms. 5.1% needed hospitalization, which was significantly higher during the Delta wave (20.7%) and in those without booster vaccination (11.8%).ConclusionMajority (84.4%) of HCW cases were reported during the third wave, and this was proportionately similar to 88.9% of the total 148,674 cases in the country recorded during the third wave by 31 May 2022. There was a high coverage of HCWs (>97%) with at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccination. A high proportion (81.7%) were symptomatic and managed conservatively at home whilst 5% required hospitalization. COVID-19 booster vaccination showed significant protection against hospitalisation.Disease Surveillance
ABSTRACT
The economic prosperity plus technological growth of each & every county depend heavily on energy security, and the energy availability portrays the quality of life in that country. Solar energy is an alternative energy source for cooling systems where power is costly, unreliable, and unsustainable—the main options for electrically-powered refrigeration systems available for several years;are our gas and kerosene-driven refrigerators. The solar refrigeration system was a promising advancement in the early 1980s, creating an alternative to absorption technology to cater to the cold chain requirements in off-grid areas. The main objective of this research is to determine the feasibility of solar-powered refrigeration systems for rural dispensaries, sub-counties health centers, and health posts in Kenya;this is in line with the current COVID-19 pandemic, which demands that the vaccine be supplied to the local populace. This article provides essential recommendations on the solar-powered refrigeration system and highlights some critical parameters for the successful implementation of solar-powered refrigeration units into vaccination programs in the future, including;The supply chain of the vaccines in the country, the current state of the health system at sub-county hospitals, areas of improvements, and the recommendations
ABSTRACT
In early March, Indonesia had reported the first two cases of COVID-19 and this was the beginning for the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia. The need for health services is increasing along with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia. DKI Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia and is a city with a dense population, causing the transmission of the COVID-19 to be faster than other areas. An assessment of the capacity of health facilities which includes infrastructure and resources is very important to determine the ability of health facilities to manage the rate of spread of COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the capability of health facilities using the COVID-19 referral hospital readiness index in DKI Jakarta. The data used is the availability of human resources and infrastructure for COVID-19 referral hospitals. Analysis of Geographic Information Systems and Multi-criteria was used to map the readiness index of COVID-19 referral hospitals. The results show that there are no referral hospitals with a high readiness index. There are only 10 referral hospitals with a medium and 92 referral hospitals with a low readiness index. The lack of referral hospitals with a medium readiness index in areas of high vulnerability can have serious consequences in handling COVID-19 cases. Most of the referral hospitals have a low readiness index. However, referral hospitals are capable to reach almost all areas of DKI Jakarta in an emergency condition. It can be concluded that most of the referral hospitals do not have adequate facilities for handling COVID-19 patients.
ABSTRACT
Jan Egeland, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, told The Lancet, “As humanitarians, we have high expectations of Volker Türk, especially that his office will be present in the field—with us—so that they can document atrocities, like attacks on hospitals and relief workers, publish them, and push decision makers to end these violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. “Human rights violations in conflict areas—from forced displacement to atrocities to attacks on health facilities and health workers—are such a pervasive feature of conflicts in today's world that they demand greater attention from the High Commissioner for Human Rights, including new forms of collaboration with other UN agencies including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.” Kenneth Roth, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, told The Lancet, “He has a background as a quiet UN diplomat.
ABSTRACT
Our world is resisting the new pandemic “severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2) causing the disease known as COVID-19. To date, more than two hundred and three million cases were confirmed out of who more than four million died. Sharing data that will help the community to intervene with measures that will decrease the spread of the virus and protect the population is an obligation. This will help the world cope with this pandemic. This research aims to highlight the different criteria that will determine that the building of a health facility is ready to control the infection of this virus and similar airborne viruses. The research developed an evaluation tool that can be used by hospital administration to assess the hospital building readiness to prevent and control airborne infection from the viewpoint of architecture if it is an existing one or alternatively it can assess the design in case of a new hospital building, determining required roles and responsibilities.
ABSTRACT
Background: The world faces vast health challenges, and urban residents living in high-density areas have even greater demand for healthy lifestyles. Methods: Based on the data of points of interest, a field survey, and an interview, we explored the healthy community-life circle in the downtown area of Chengdu, China from two perspectives: objective measurement and subjective perception of residents. We evaluated the coverage rate and convenience in accessing eight types of health service facilities within a 15-min walk using linear and logistics regression models to explore the degree of resident satisfaction with facilities and influencing factors. Results: Results showed significant differences in coverage rates between different districts. The overall convenience in accessing health service facilities decreased gradually from the city center to the outskirts. The social environment, the layout of health service facilities, and residents’ travel habits were related to health service facility satisfaction. Results also showed significant differences in various facilities’ accessibility satisfaction between objective measurement and residents’ perception measurement. Compared with subjective measurement, the objective measurements of accessibility for sports venues (objectively measured average minus perceived average: −1.310), sports zones (−0.740), and specialized hospitals (−1.081) were lower;those for community hospitals (0.095), clinics (1.025), and pharmacies (0.765) were higher;and facility accessibility measured by subjective perception had a more significant impact on health facility satisfaction. Pharmacies (OR: 1.932) and community hospitals (OR: 1.751) had the largest impact among the eight types of facilities. Conclusion: This study proposed to construct a healthy community-life circle with a category and hierarchy system.
ABSTRACT
Settlements in the city of Surabaya are growing rapidly along with the increasing number of residents in the city of Surabaya. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the population in the city of Surabaya has decreased. The city of Surabaya is included in the top 10 districts/cities with the highest cumulative number of deaths and the highest death rate per 100 thousand inhabitants. The widespread use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and technological developments in obtaining, recording, and collecting spatial data can be utilized to solve current problems. The purpose of this study is to develop a geographic information system for the coverage of health facilities for residential areas in the city of Surabaya. The first stage is to identify the location points for the distribution of COVID-19 health facilities and residential areas, analyze the reach of COVID-19 health facility services, and analyze the service coverage of settlements to the services of COVID-19 health facilities. The method used in this research is spatial analysis using the Multiple Ring Buffer method. The output is the service covergae of settlements to hospitals is divided into two categories, namely the medium category by 98% and the distant category by 2%. Meanwhile, for the housing service covergae of the health community centre is 100% in the medium category.
ABSTRACT
Modernization of hospital facilities is one of the objectives of administrators and decision-makers of healthcare systems. Hospital facilities are both complex and critical infrastructures, because they are characterized by high level of interconnections, dynamism, technological innovation, and because they offer health and social essential services. Decision-makers have to implement modernization strategies of hospital facilities in order to guarantee a high standard of care and a resilient response during disasters and emergencies. The critical role played by hospital facilities is acknowledge by the international action programs, including the 2030 Agenda of United Nations for Sustainable Development, and it has been emphasized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper illustrates the RADAR-Hospital Facilities methodology (RADAR-HF) developed for the situational assessment of the physical environment of hospital facilities. RADAR-HF provides the decision-makers with an overview of the main aspects for modernization (safety, functionality, sustainability, adaptability, comfort) and substantial information for planning interventions, considering hospital facilities as interconnected systems. The outcomes are represented by ad-hoc designed graphical indicators and overview-tools, that summarize the status-conditions of one or a set of existing hospital facilities, the upgrading needs, and the best occupancy of facilities. Decision-makers could use RADAR-HF to define integrated modernization strategies with resilience improvement, monitor the situation of the facilities, and understand the effectiveness of interventions. The paper ends showing the results obtained in a research project, in which RADAR-HF has been applied to assess the existing hospital facilities of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (North-East of Italy).
ABSTRACT
Although much has been discovered regarding the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, its presence in aerosols and their implications in the context of the pandemic is still controversial. More research on this topic is needed to contribute to these discussions. Presented herein are the results of ongoing research to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosol in different hospital facilities (indoor environments) and public spaces (outdoor environments) of a metropolitan center in Brazil. From May to August 2020, 62 samples were collected using active sampling method (air samplers with filters) and passive method (petri dishes) in two hospitals, with different occupancies and infrastructure for contamination control. Outdoor public spaces such as sidewalks and a bus station were also investigated. Five air samples from four facilities in a hospital tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in suspended and sedimentable particles. SARS-CoV-2 was found in aerosols inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), in the protective apparel removal room, in the room containing patient mobile toilets and used clothes (room with natural ventilation) and in an external corridor adjacent to the ICU, probably coming from infected patients and/or from aerosolization of virus-laden particles on material/equipment. Our findings reinforce the hypothesis of airborne transmission of the new coronavirus, contributing to the planning of effective practices for pandemic control.