from the editor
Prevention and Mitigation Strategies Provide a Bridge to the Future , Experts Say
We are almost to the finish line of
2020 and it ’ s debatable if the year has indeed finished most of us off . We are weary from SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 , with no real end in sight , and we are fatigued by the continual issuance and reversal of guidance around how to combat this microbial foe .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) recommendations have been a bit of a crap shoot all year , but that guidance , and the emerging literature , is what we have for now . Recently , Honein , et al . ( 2020 ) highlighted in MMWR evidence-based CDC recommendations and sustainable strategies to reduce COVID-19 transmission . These strategies include :
● universal face mask use
● maintaining physical distance from other persons and limiting in-person contacts
● avoiding nonessential indoor spaces and crowded outdoor spaces
● increasing testing to rapidly identify and isolate infected persons
● promptly identifying , quarantining , and testing close contacts of persons with known COVID-19
● safeguarding persons most at risk for severe illness or death from infection with SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19
● protecting essential workers with provision of adequate personal protective equipment and safe work practices
● postponing travel
● increasing room air ventilation and enhancing hand hygiene and environmental disinfection
● achieving widespread availability and high community coverage with effective COVID-19 vaccines
As the authors of the report in MMWR note , “ In combination , these strategies can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission , long-term sequelae or disability , and death , and mitigate the pandemic ’ s economic impact . Consistent implementation of these strategies .”
The researchers add , “ No single strategy can control the pandemic ; rather , a multipronged approach using all available evidence-based strategies at the individual and community levels can break transmission chains and address high levels of community transmission ; reduce related illnesses , longterm sequelae , and deaths ; and mitigate the pandemic ’ s economic impact . Because COVID-19 has disproportionately affected persons with certain risk factors ( e . g ., age and some underlying medical conditions ) and racial / ethnic minorities , implementing public health prevention strategies in a manner that assures health equity is imperative to safeguard those who have borne the worst of the pandemic ’ s impact … As communities respond to high levels of SARS-CoV-2 transmission , these strategies will also provide the necessary bridge to a future with wide availability and high levels of coverage with effective vaccines , and thereby a safe return to more everyday activities in a range of settings .”
We sincerely hope this to be true , and look to 2021 with equal parts trepidation and confidence .
Wishing you and yours all the best of this season , despite the pandemic , and thank you for reading HHM . We ’ ll see you next year !
Until next month , bust those bugs ! Kelly M . Pyrek Editor & Publisher kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine . com healthcarehygienemagazine
A . G . Hettinger , CPA president & CFO
Patti Valdez art director
J . Christine Phillips customer service manager
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