The burden of COVID-19 infection on medical doctors in the first year of the pandemic in Ghana.

Objective: To quantify and describe the burden of COVID-19 infection amongst doctors in Ghana. Design: A quantitative and qualitative analysis of cross-sectional data was performed. Setting: All 16 regions in Ghana. Participants: Participants were medical doctors diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 2020 and March 2021. Main outcome measures: Data sources were Ghana Medical Association and Ministry of Health records. Demographics and workplace data included age, gender, the rank of the doctor, and location and type of current facility. Characteristics of the COVID-19 infection included the likely source, clinical and recovery status, and place of management. Doctors reported their desire for a general checkup and psychological support and described the challenges encountered. Results: The prevalence of COVID-19 infection was 88.9 cases per 1000 doctor-population. Of 544 infected doctors, 59.2% were stable but symptomatic, and 1.7% were in critical condition, with a case fatality rate of 1.7%. Overall, 31.6% had recovered from their COVID-19 infection, and the majority (82.4%) were managed at home in self-isolation. Compared to medical officers, house officers (OR 1.36, p=0.03), senior house officers (OR 7.60, p<0.001), and consultants (OR 2.94, p=0.001) were more likely to have a COVID-19 infection. Desire for support was varied, with 13.0% desiring someone to check on them and 9.7% desiring psychological support. The majority (75.3%) reported facing a challenge, including difficulty obtaining needed vitamins and medications, and accessing daily necessities like groceries. Conclusions: In Ghana, COVID-19 infections greatly burden medical doctors. Funding: None declared.

Biosafety of personnel of microbiological laboratories in the context of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation № 492-FZ of December 30, 2020 «On the biological safety of the Russian Federation¼.

One of the most important requirements for the personnel of microbiological laboratories working with pathogenic and infectious agents is the observance of precautionary measures and the implementation of a set of preventive measures, collectively interpreted as biological safety (biosafety). To a large extent, biosafety problems are also relevant for all clinical laboratories working with biosubstrates, with the potential threat of containing pathogens of bloodborne infections in them. On December 30, 2020, the President of the Russian Federation signed Federal Law № 492 «On the Biological Safety of the Russian Federation¼ (№ 492-FZ), which regulates the basic legal norms and regulation of biosafety issues, as well as a list of measures to prevent the risks of the spread of infections due to accidents, bioterrorist acts and sabotage. The current pandemic of the coronavirus infection COVID-19 has demonstrated, on the one hand, the epidemiological vulnerability of the single world space, and on the other hand, the decisive influence of biological emergencies on the emergence of negative political and economic processes in the world community. In this regard, the issues of ensuring biosafety in the work of microbiological laboratories in the context of protecting personnel and the environment from accidental or unintentional spread of infections are relevant. Working with pathogenic biological agents in microbiological laboratories is constantly associated with the risk of accidents and possible laboratory infection (laboratory-acquired infections) of employees, environmental pollution if the requirements of regulatory documents on biological safety are not met. In accordance with the requirements of № 492-FZ, in order to prevent biological threats, it is necessary to create a system for monitoring biological risks in microbiological laboratories when working with any infected material.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in public hospital medical doctors in an Eastern Cape metro.

Background: Evidence-based Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures are critical in protecting medical doctors from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Concerns surrounding access to personal protective equipment (PPE), compliance with IPC measures and the quality of available PPE have been raised as possible causes for high rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in medical doctors in high transmission settings. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the risk factors for occupational infection in doctors in the hospitals in Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study wherein we electronically surveyed medical doctors in public-sector NMB hospitals from 01 March 2020 to 31 December 2020. We collected demographic, health, occupational and SARS-CoV-2 infection and exposure data. Categorical data were described as proportions and a multiple variable logistic regression model was used to identify risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: The survey was distributed amongst 498 doctors, 141 (28%) of whom replied. Forty-three (31%) participants reported that they had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the study period. Eighty-nine participants (64%) reported inadequate access to PPE whilst only 68 (49%) participants adhered to PPE recommendations when interacting with patients with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. We were unable to identify any significant predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in public hospital doctors in NMB. Most participants reported inadequate access to PPE and poor compliance with IPC protocols. These findings suggest an urgent need for the improved implementation of IPC measures to protect doctors from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Checklist for infection control in the emergency department.

The risk of encountering human-to-human infections, including emerging infectious diseases, should be adequately and appropriately addressed in the emergency department. However, guidelines based on sufficient evidence on infection control in the emergency department have not been developed anywhere in the world. Each facility examines and implements its own countermeasures. The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine has established the "Committee for Infection Control in the Emergency Department" in cooperation with the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine, and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology. A joint working group has been established to consider appropriate measures. This group undertook a comprehensive and multifaceted review of infection control measures for emergency outpatients and related matters, and released a checklist for infection control in emergency departments. This checklist has been prepared such that even small emergency departments with few or no emergency physicians can control infection by following the checklist, without committing any major errors. The checklist includes a control system for infection control, education, screening, and vaccination, prompt response to suspected infections, and management of the risk of infection in facilities. In addition, the timing of the check and interval at which the check is carried out are specified as categories. We hope that this checklist will contribute to improving infection control in the emergency department.

COVID-19 with acute cerebral infarction: one case report / 中华神经科杂志

COVID-19 is caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus, which is characterized by hidden onset, long incubation period, and high contagion. The study found that the COVID-19 not only attacks the respiratory system, but also affects other systems such as the heart, kidney, and digestive tract, and could be combined with multiple system diseases such as acute cerebrovascular disease. If doctors, especially non-infective or respiratory doctors, do not pay great attention to the patient when they are receiving patients, and take good care of them, they may easily cause their own infection. This article summarizes the case of a concealed onset COVID-19 patient with cerebral infarction, which caused a medical staff infection after intravenous thrombolytic therapy, explores its clinical characteristics, treatment process and analyzes its prevention and control links to help the epidemic situation. In the prevention and control, the first-time doctor should pay attention to identification, reduce missed diagnosis, and scientific investigation to reduce occupational infection.