Preliminary information on prevention of infections caused by SARS-COV-2 virus in endoscopic laboratories.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: On 11 March 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) as a global pandemic Currently, no vaccines are available and there is little evidence of the efficacy of potential therapeutic agents. Furthermore, there is presumably no pre-existing immunity in the population to the new coronavirus, and it is as-sumed that everyone in the population is susceptible. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the procedures described in the article is to minimize the risk of human-to-human transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome - coronavirus 2) virus during procedures carried out in endoscopic laboratories. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE STATE OF THE ART SARS-CoV-2 infection can be asymptomatic, cause severe pneumonia, or lead to death. Symptoms of COVID-19 range from none (asymptomatic) to severe pneumonia and it can be fatal. Case studies to-date indicate that this infection causes a mild illness (i.e. pneumonia or mild pneumonia) in approximately 80% of cases, and most cases recove; 14% have a more severe illness, 6% experience a critical illness. The vast majority of the most serious illnesses and deaths have occurred among the elderly and people with other chronic underlying diseases. Average progression times include • in mild cases from the onset of symptoms to recovery in almost 2 weeks; • in severe cases from the onset of symptoms to recovery in 3-6 weeks, and from symptoms to death in 2-8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Special precautions should be taken and procedures followed when performing invasive medical procedures in endoscopic laboratories in patients with specific or clinically probable SARS-CoV-2 infection. This article contains up-to-date information as at 04/04/2020.