ABSTRACT
Background: Considering the adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic, the present study aimed to explore the barriers and facilitators of perceived social support to prevent the further spread of the disease. Methods: In the present qualitative study, a content analysis was done. To this aim, 37 Iranian subjects who had active accounts on Instagram were initially invited to participate in the study. The data were collected through face-to-face (n = 25) and telephone conversations (n = 12). A purposive sampling was used and the data collection continued until data saturation. Finally, 41 interviews were held which took 17-48 min. Results: The data analysis led to the extraction of two main categories, the barriers and facilitators of perceived social support, as well as 12 subcategories. Economic issues, familial factors, socio-cultural factors, personal and psychological factors, ineffective quarantine rules, and poor management were the main barriers to perceived social support. The facilitators were divided into six categories, including familial influences, personal factors, government support, and improved occupational, social, spiritual, and emotional condition. Conclusion: The findings showed that a combination of environmental and social variables might influence the COVID-19 disease, either decreasing or increasing its spread. A sound knowledge of these variables, influenced by the social context and real-life experiences during the pandemic, allows to take the right measures and enrich training programs. The prevalence of the disease can be controlled by increasing environmental and social facilitators and decreasing the influence of barriers.
ABSTRACT
There is ambiguity about the airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2. While a distance of 6 feet is considered a safe physical distance, new findings show that the virus can be transmitted more than that distance and cause infection. In hospitals, this may cause the virus to be transmitted from the treatment wards of COVID-19 patients to adjacent wards and infect medical staff, non-COVID-19 patients, and patient companions. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of coronavirus in the air of ICU and adjacent wards. The low volume sampler (LVS) with two separate inlets for PM2.5 and PM10 was applied to collect indoor air of intensive care unit (ICU) with confirmed COVID- 19 patients and its surroundings. The samples were collected on 0.3µ PTFE filter fitted to the holder. Sampling was done at flow rate of 16.7 l/min for 24 h. The SRAS-CoV-2 virus was isolated using a SinaPure™ Virus Extraction Kit (SINACLON, Iran). The presence of SARS-CoV-2 genome was assessed using a commercially available SARS-CoV-2 Test Kit (Pishtaz-Iran), according to the manufacturer's instructions using One Step plus Real-Time PCR system tool (Applied Biosystems, USA). A total of sixteen samples were taken, and the positive test rate for SRAS-CoV-2 was 12.5 % (2/16). All samples from surrounding (rest room and hallway) were negative, but two air samples from indoor of ICU (next to the patient bed and nursing station) were found to be positive. The results support the possibility of transmitting the SRAS-CoV-2 through the air at a greater distance than what is known as a safe physical distance. Therefore, in addition to maintaining a safe physical distance, other precautions including wearing a face mask, preventing air recirculation, and maximizing the use of natural ventilation should be considered, especially in crowded and enclosed environments.
