The novel coronavirus – should we be worried?
Dr. Wolfgang Kohnen, Schriftleiter
The start to the new year was kicked off with an unpleasant surprise. A novel coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, is spreading very rapidly. So far, it has affected mainly people in the Hubei province of China. A few days ago the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). That sounds alarming. The hygiene measures taken to control the outbreak are accordingly radical. What does this virus really mean?
In healthcare settings where there is close contact between healthcare workers and persons infected with the virus or with suspected virus infection, in addition to basic medical hygiene other measures are taken such as isolation of patients and the use of protective gowns, goggles, oronasal masks and gloves.
But what additional measures should be taken when reprocessing medical devices?
Image Source: Instruclean