Rapid diagnostic tests for covid-19—as quick to carry out as pregnancy tests—are a top priority
in Atlanta. It will be several months before commercial tests are available.
As with other contagious diseases, covid-19 patients in hospitals must be isolated to prevent its spread. When patients become too numerous to contain in isolation rooms, shared rooms, wings or entire floors may be set aside for covid-19 patients only. The Vrije University hospital in Amsterdam has dusted off its plans for doing this, including where to put “do not cross” lines to separate such sections, says Rosa van Mansfeld, who oversees infection prevention there.
Hospitals will encourage people who do not seem to be seriously ill to stay away, as they do during the peak of seasonal flu. In part, that is to prevent them from straining the capacity of hospitals that are already overwhelmed. Doctors have no treatment to offer those with mild symptoms but in a hospital they can infect other patients or medics. Such people will be advised to isolate themselves at home.
Some hospitals are trying to conserve supplies. Dr van Mansfeld says that nurses in her hospital in Amsterdam are being reminded not to use the high-protection respirator masks if they are caring for patients for whom the guidelines say ordinary surgical masks suffice. At some point, says Dr Hick, medics may have to start reusing respirator masks judiciously.
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