New measures and concepts in the control and prevention of COVID-19 :What we need to know
Running Head: A review on the prevention of COVID-19
Gaohong Wu, MM1*, Ping Jiang, MB1,2, Huan Yuan, MB1, Xueping Zhu, MD1, Yuan Shi, MD, PhD1.3
1 Department of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University, China
2 Department of pediatrics, Bayingolin Mongolian autonomous prefecture people’s hospital, Korla, Sinkiang 841000, China
3 Department of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Key Laboratory of Pediatrics in Chongqing, Chongqing, China Chongqing 400014, China
1These authors contributed equally to this work and wish to be considered as co-first authors
*Corresponding author:
Gaohong Wu, M. M., Department of Neonatology, Children’s Hospital of Soochow University
NO.92 Zhongnan Street, Industrial Park, Suzhou 215025, Jiangsu, China
Tel: +86-13041850698
Email: 1217555215@qq.com
Abstract: The emergence and outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses great challenges to our society, economy, and public health, and has already become an international public health emergency. The prevention and control of COVID-19 requires early detection and the timely and effective control of virus dissemination. Front-line medical personnel in the outpatient and emergency departments of hospitals, quarantine centers, and entry and exit ports are key to the early detection and control of COVID-19. Based on experiences in the prevention and control of other new and recurrent infectious diseases, epidemiologists previously proposed the concept of “vital sign zero” and the “Identify-Isolate-Inform” (3I) system for the detection and control of infectious diseases. The use of “vital sign zero” and the “3I system” for COVID-19 will facilitate the prevention and control of new infections, provide more timely treatment and effective isolation of patients, and protect the safety and health of medical workers. These concepts will also prevent the spread of COVID-19 and help to ensure public health and safety.
Key words: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Coronavirus disease 2019; Control and prevention; vital sign zero; identify-isolate-inform system
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which originated in Wuhan, China, has become a major global health issue. This novel coronavirus can cause severe respiratory tract infections and lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia, a disease named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Feb 12, 2020. Because of the high prevalence of SARS-Cov-2 infections, the WHO declared this an international public health emergency on Jan 30, 2020 (Huang et al., 2020). This virus is highly contagious and its basic reproduction number (R0) is 3.58 (Chen et al., 2020). By Mar 16, 2020, this virus infected more than 81,000 people world-wide and caused 3200 deaths, corresponding to a mortality rate of approximately 4.0%. So far, there are no specific treatments for COVID-19, but many public health measures have been implemented to improve control and prevention. Because health care workers are facing the potential need to assess many patients with COVID-19 new measures and concepts —“vital sign zero” and the “Identify-Isolate-Inform” (3I) system — will help to assure the timely treatment and isolation of patients, guarantee the safety and health of medical staff, more closely monitor and prevent the spread of this infectious disease, and ensure public health and safety.