COVID-19: management and infection control

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused more than 4.5 million deaths worldwide to date. The emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has created immense pressure on health services and complex challenges in public health. Essential features in managing COVID-19 include best-practice care for the individual but also minimizing exposure to uninfected patients, staff and the wider community. The central tenets in limiting disease transmission involves strict infection and prevention control, categorizing COVID-19 cases as possible, probable or confirmed, alongside contact tracing, isolation, hand hygiene and droplet precautions.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; infection and prevention control; public health; vaccines.

Figure 1

Chest X-ray features of severe COVID-19: bilateral multifocal lung changes with ground-glass opacification.

Figure 2

Treatment strategy for COVID-19. CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; HFNO, high-flow nasal oxygen. Source: Image in the figure is reproduced from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).