Challenges around COVID-19 at a tertiary-level healthcare facility in South Africa and strategies implemented for improvement

SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a global pandemic within months following its initial detection. South Africa (SA), like many other countries, was not prepared for the impact this novel infection would have on the healthcare system. In this paper, the authors discuss the challenges experienced while facing COVID-19 at a tertiary-level institution in Gauteng province, SA, and the dynamic strategies implemented to deal with the epidemic

Učinkovitost aerosolne škatle za preprečevanje okužb pri posegih, pri katerih nastajajo aerosoli

Izpostavljenost okužbi zdravstvenih delavcev zaradi pandemije covida-19 je privedla do razvoja novih oblik osebne varovalne opreme. Ena od njih je aerosolna škatla, ki je bila zasnovana z idejo, kako varneje vstaviti dihalno cevko v sapnik bolnikom, okuženim z virusom SARS-CoV2. Uporaba aerosolne škatle ne sega samo v področje anesteziologije, ampak tudi v druga področja medicine. Številne kritike na račun prvotne zasnove so vodile v izdelavo novih oblik, ki postopoma izboljšujejo prvotne pomanjkljivosti. Razvoj se usmerja predvsem v okoliščino, kako zmanjšati oviranost kirurga (ali izvajalca) pri posegih ter kako zagotoviti varnejšo, enostavnejšo in hitrejšo možnost uporabe. Številnim avtorjem je uspelo pokazati, da uporaba aerosolne škatle pomembno vpliva na hitrost vstavitve dihalne cevke v sapnik, zato v urgentnih primerih odsvetujejo uporabo aerosolne škatle. Ob primerni uporabi ter ustreznem urjenju zdravstvenega delavca pa se je izkazala kot učinkovita osebna varovalna oprema, ker zdravstvene delavce dobro zaščiti pred velikimi in majhnimi vodnimi kapljicami. Pravilno posodobljena oblika aerosolne škatle dobro varuje tudi pred aerosolnimi delci, medtem ko uporaba izvorne oblike lahko tveganje za okužbo zdravstvenega delavca z aerosolnimi delci še poveča

COVID-19 Vaccines as Global Public Goods

Vulnerable: The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19 confronts the vulnerabilities that have been revealed by the pandemic and its consequences. It examines vulnerabilities for people who have been harmed or will be harmed by the virus directly and those harmed by measures taken to slow its relentless march; vulnerabilities exposed in our institutions, governance, and legal structures; and vulnerabilities in other countries and at the global level where persistent injustices affect us all. COVID-19 has forced us to not only reflect on how we govern and how we set policy priorities, but also to ensure that pandemic preparedness, precautions, and recovery include all individuals, not just some