The COVID-19 has spread to more than 200 countries, keeping healthcare workers across the globe on edge. COVID-19 relief teams worldwide are equipped with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits for protection against the coronavirus.
The objective of this research is to ascertain the protective effects of PPE kits for frontline healthcare professionals.
This research was conducted in the form of a cross-sectional study in four hospitals in Wuhan, China. It included 420 healthcare professionals (116 doctors and 304 nurses). The participants used appropriate personal protective equipment to deliver healthcare services to the COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospitals.
77 healthcare professionals with no COVID-19 history, and 80 recovered patients were recruited to verify the accuracy of antibody testing. The average age of the participants was 35.8 years, and 68.15% of them were women. All 420 participants had direct contact with the patients.
During the deployment period, none of the participants reported COVID-19-related symptoms. When they returned home, all tested negative for the COVID-19.
The study concluded that PPE kits appropriately protected the participants as they did not contract any infection or develop immunity against the disease. Therefore, healthcare systems across the globe must prioritize the procurement and distribution of personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2195
