Infection prevention, the control measures, special and standard precautions to manage covid-19 and its spread
Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) has become an important metric of infection prevention and control quality in order to assure safety and therapeutic effectiveness. Effective IPC treatments can aid in maintaining high-quality healthcare. To enhance IPC, defined standards for expected clinical services, audit, and monitoring approaches may be used. Research can provide technical skills to help in increasing public health measures, recommendations, and policy to limit COVID-19 spread and the virus’s effect (Escandón et al., 2021). Disease research helps to improve practice by refining recommendations and policy. Efficient communication can promote public understanding and participation in preventative behaviors and proposals. There is insufficient empirical data to indicate the efficiency of a single use of certain metrics in COVID-19 IPC intervention techniques. Based on empirical findings, the WHO modified its advice to nations to encourage the people to use masks in specific situations or settings as part of a holistic approach to preventing transmission. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding about the minimal ventilation requirements for limiting viral transmissions, as well as efficacy evaluations of the N95 respirator vs. mask when performing AGPs for COVID-19 training.
The information on covid-19 prevention and management that is now accessible is insufficient. However, while additional study is being undertaken, it is necessary to control the infection. Since the discovery of the SARS COV-2 virus, a large amount of studies have been done in an attempt to better understand this lethal virus and the respiratory illness, including infection origin, virus pathogenesis, route of exposure, risk factors, monitoring equipment, lab tests, medication diagnosis, and the effectiveness of preventive and control (WHO,2020). Monitoring, epidemiology research, lab diagnostic improvement, patient and health professional protection, as well as community IPC interventions and communication were all studied (WHO, 2020). Better understanding of transmission mechanisms, such as the role of droplets vs. aerosols, as well as non-respiratory transmission channels, such as the fecal-oral route, are just a few examples.
Organizational issues related to covid-19 prevention and control policy and practices and Hong Kong
Local-level
Because Covid-19 is a new problem, there haven’t been many studies done yet. Citizens in Hong Kong rely on hospital officials’ guidance or WHO standards at the local level. Many residents have obtained information that is important for their life in order to be able to survive with the virus till it is eradicated after some time has passed. The typical practices of masking, social rejection, hand, and respiratory cleanliness, among other things, are most of the primary difficulties surrounding the extremely infectious lethal illness.
Government level
Many countries have asked the WHO for help with pandemic IPC measures, such as comprehending respiratory droplets contact and respiratory transmission. The Hong Kong government is already in responsibility of public outbreak management and prevention, including supervising, reacting to, and directing it. To assist restrict the transmission of illness, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) works with the hospital authorities and infection prevention and control team to develop risk control and oversight in a track-and-trace system. By collaborating with the state’s epidemic management strategy, the hospital authority adds to the CHP’s infection prevention and control efforts (Kwok, 2021).
Relevant policies and public health guidelines
The Hong Kong government and other hospital organizations have been working together to build necessary regulations to stem the transmission of the deadly virus since the covid-19 virus was designated a pandemic on March 11, 2019. This involves adhering to the IPC’s epidemiologic policies and standards. The governmental and human authorities focus on behaviours in the majority of policies, therefore normal processes are promoted to Hong Kong inhabitants. Respiratory as well as hand hygiene, social separation, living in well ventilated rooms, disinfecting surfaces and equipment, and so on are all examples.
According to Kwok et al. (2020), the Hong Kong government implemented many initiatives after the revelation of the covid-19 epidemic. Measures including travel limitations were altered under Cap. 599 regulation to meet the pandemic scenario. There were also limits on entering the nation. Border crossings to or from Hong Kong remained blocked, according to Xue et al. (2020). Citizens visiting the nation were required to undergo obligatory quarantine and testing in order to guarantee that they w