Coronavirus: A vigilant and strategic plan to combat the pandemic

I live in the United States of America (USA) but I belong to Nagpur in Maharashtra. The purpose of writing this is not to criticize any country or its systems but to be aware of the response action given the current situation of the huge outbreak of virus ? Coronavirus! Yes, there are numerous speculations doing rounds about the virus being just another flu, etc. And, I do agree that there is no reason for anyone to really panic but what is alarming is the preparedness of the residents of Nagpur when the single-digit case might spread across the community and multiply, which most seems to be inevitable.

What concerns me most is the authorities being vigilant enough to combat the situation if the outbreak turns into a pandemic in our country especially in my city. While speaking to my friends back in Nagpur especially the ones who belong to a supposed aware and responsible? category, I realised that the awareness about something as basic as where are the cases of Coronavirus getting monitored or what are the measures adopted for suspects to be quarantined, the answer was no idea!

If the educated lack basic awareness for something as important as where to get yourself tested if you show any symptoms, what are the measures to be adopted for self-quarantine etc., there is little hope of containment if Coronavirus becomes a widespread.

Another underlying concern is the action response adopted by the authorities in-charge and the preparedness of the local health department to combat in case the numbers shoot up.

As what looks fancy on a piece of a paper released by the Ministry of Health department, as the measures taken by them for containment, I am highly concerned about the real scenario and ground reality being anywhere close it.

Again, the point is not to criticise but to actually give a comparative study of the ground measures taken by the US officials, which by far has proved successful in at least containing the number by some proportion.

This is as per the print release on the website of the CDC (Centers for disease control and prevention) US the measures adopted and what the local department could follow to curb Coronavirus are:

• Preparing first responders, healthcare providers, and health systems establishing visibility across healthcare systems to understand healthcare use, particularly surges in demand for medical care and associated resources. Conducting extensive outreach to clinical and hospital professional organisations to ensure health system preparedness.

Recommendations for Reporting, Testing, and Specimen Collection

• Clinicians should immediately implement recommended infection prevention and control practices if a patient is suspected of having COVID-19. They should also notify infection control personnel at their healthcare facility and their state or local health department if a patient is classified as a PUI for COVID-19. State health departments that have identified a PUI or a laboratory-confirmed case should complete a PUI and case report form through the processes identified on CDCs Coronavirus Disease 2019 website. State and local health departments can contact CDCs Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 770-488-7100 for assistance with obtaining, storing, and shipping appropriate specimens to CDC for testing, including after hours or on weekends or holidays.

• For initial diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2, CDC recommends collecting and testing upper respiratory tract specimens (nasopharyngeal and pharyngeal swabs). CDC also recommends testing lower respiratory tract specimens, if available. For patients who develop a productive cough, sputum should be collected and tested for SARS-CoV-2. The induction of sputum is not recommended. For patients for whom it is clinically indicated (eg: those receiving invasive mechanical ventilation), a lower respiratory tract aspirate or bronchoalveolar lavage sample should be collected and tested as a lower respiratory tract specimen. Specimens should be collected as soon as possible once a PUI is identified, regardless of the time of symptom onset.

Along with the health providers, what would eventually aggravate the situation would be the work environment of various companies as well as businesses.

Developing Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers:

• Actively encourage sick employees to stay home
• Employees who have symptoms of acute respiratory illness are recommended to stay home and not come to work until they are free of fever (100.4° F [37.8° C] or greater using an oral thermometer), signs of a fever, and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medicines (e.g. cough suppressants). Employees should notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
• Ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies.
• Talk with companies that provide your business with the contract or temporary employees about the importance of sick employees staying home and encourage them to develop non-punitive leave policies.

Also read: Nagpur man tests positive for Coronavirus

• Do not require a healthcare providers note for employees who are sick with acute respiratory illness to validate their illness or to return to work, as healthcare provider offices and medical facilities may be extremely busy and not able to provide such documentation in a timely way.
• Employers should maintain flexible policies that permit employees to stay home to care for a sick family member. Employers should be aware that more employees might need to stay at home to care for sick children or other sick family members than is usual.
• Separate sick employees:
• CDC recommends that employees who appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day should be separated from other employees and be sent home immediately. Sick employees should cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or an elbow or shoulder if no tissue is available).
• Emphasize staying home when sick, respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene by all employees:
• Place posters that encourage staying home when sick, cough and sneeze etiquette, and hand hygiene at the entrance to your workplace and in other work areas where they are likely to be seen.
• Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles for use by employees.
• Instruct employees to clean their hands often with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60-95% alcohol or wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Soap and water should be used preferentially if hands are visibly dirty.
• Provide soap and water and alcohol-based hand rubs in the workplace. Ensure that adequate supplies are maintained. Place hand rubs in multiple locations or in conference rooms to encourage hand hygiene.
• Visit the coughing and sneezing etiquette and clean hands webpage for more information.
• Perform routine environmental cleaning.
• Routinely clean all frequently touched surfaces in the workplace, such as workstations, countertops, and doorknobs. Use the cleaning agents that are usually used in these areas and follow the directions on the label.
• No additional disinfection beyond routine cleaning is recommended at this time.
• Provide disposable wipes so that employees before each use can wipe down commonly used surfaces (for example, doorknobs, keyboards, remote controls, desks).

Advise employees before travelling to take certain steps to avoid Coronavirus:

• Check the CDCs Travelers Health Notices for the latest guidance and recommendations for each country to which you will travel. Specific travel information for travellers going to and returning from China, and information for aircrew, can be found at on the CDC website.
• Advise employees to check themselves for symptoms of acute respiratory illness before starting travel and notify their supervisor and stay home if they are sick.
• Ensure employees who become sick while travelling or on temporary assignment understand that they should notify their supervisor and should promptly call a healthcare provider for advice if needed.
• If outside the United States, sick employees should follow your companys policy for obtaining medical care or contact a healthcare provider or overseas medical assistance company to assist them with finding an appropriate healthcare provider in that country. A consular officer can help locate healthcare services. However, US embassies, consulates, and military facilities do not have the legal authority, capability, and resources to evacuate or give medicines, vaccines, or medical care to US citizens overseas.
• Employees who are well but who have a sick family member at home with COVID-19 should notify their supervisor and refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.
• If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, employers should inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees exposed to a co-worker with confirmed COVID-19 should refer to CDC guidance for how to conduct a risk assessment of their potential exposure.

The ideas and information expressed are solely by the blogger and not by Nation Next.