HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
An autumn of COVID?
Following a summer of COVID, will the situation only become worse as winter approaches? Essity’s Liam Mynes reminds us of the simple ways in which hospitals can help to control outbreaks among patients, staff and visitors.
We could be facing an autumn of COVID, but how can we know for sure?
There have been numerous reports of people contracting the illness during the summer, both anecdotally and in the news. At least 40 athletes tested positive for COVID during the Olympics in Paris, for example. However, testing was optional, which means this might have been the tip of the iceberg and many other competitors may have succumbed to the illness during the event.
There was also a small increase in the number of people being admitted to hospital with COVID over the summer. Again, only those patients displaying symptoms were actually tested and many others may have slipped through the net.
In fact, since far less testing is taking place in general, we no longer have access to reliable information on COVID figures. When the data is no longer being routinely collected, we have no idea how bad the situation actually is.
We do know that a new group of variants known collectively as FLiRT has emerged. These are thought to account for many of the current cases, yet the UK Health Security Agency claims it needs more intelligence before it can judge how severe and transmissible these new variants might be.
So, while an autumn of COVID is not currently being predicted, it remains possible. The onset of winter traditionally brings more cases of infectious illnesses as
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people gather together in indoor environments. Meanwhile, the UK government has announced that it is expanding its autumn COVID vaccination programme to include everyone aged 65 and over, rather than just the over 75s who were eligible in the spring. This appears to demonstrate a certain level of concern on the part of the health authorities.
So, there are definite signs that COVID remains a threat and that preparations are being made to protect the vulnerable and elderly this autumn, but how will the healthcare sector fare?
All frontline NHS and social care workers will be eligible for a free vaccine, but it is likely that not everyone will take these up. Younger hospital patients will also remain unvaccinated, which means care will need to be taken to prevent the spread of infection in the wards. Visitors will presumably be allowed to come and go freely, so all efforts should be made to prevent these people from bringing infections into the hospital and transmitting them to the patients.
Hand hygiene was identified early on in the pandemic as an important factor in reducing contamination levels. The need to wash hands frequently for 20 second intervals to ensure they were clean was clearly communicated to all staff members. In order to ensure that hand hygiene compliance stays high, hospitals need to offer a constant supply of user- friendly soap and paper products.
Mild soaps, soft hand towels and moisturisers will make the process more comfortable for healthcare workers who will
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