COVID-19 Risks and Medical Waste Management
2/4/2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many of the world’s healthcare systems have experienced increased burdens, particularly in terms of medical waste. Due to the virus’s highly infectious nature, do healthcare workers in facilities treating COVID-19 patients experience higher than usual risks? How crucial is medical waste management during this pandemic?
The World Health Organization, or WHO, classifies infectious waste as any waste that has been contaminated with blood or other bodily fluids. Infectious waste also includes laboratory work that contains infectious agents like cultures and waste from infected patients.
COVID-19 Risks from Infectious Waste in Facilities
The WHO classified all healthcare waste accumulated during patient care as infectious medical waste during this pandemic.
This includes, but is not limited to, waste generated by COVID-19 patients.
However, the European Commission suggested that any waste generated from cleaning healthcare facilities should also be treated as infectious clinical waste. This is because recent research has indicated that the COVID-19 virus could spread in almost the entire clinical area within 10 hours, infecting anyone coming into contact with infected surfaces.
Moreover, scientists asserted that the coronavirus’s capacity to be airborne shouldn’t be underestimated, especially since waste from facilities with COVID-19 patients have a higher probability of becoming contaminated.
Optimization of Medical Waste Management
Considering the virus’s still-unknown nature and its continuous spread, it has been suggested that any waste generated from healthcare facilities should be labeled and regarded as medical waste.
This is to avoid the possibility of contaminating the general area’s waste collection system and prevent the further spread of the virus.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with the current pandemic requires a certain amount of prudence, especially considering the virus’s quick-spreading nature.
Moreover, many healthcare facilities are not well-equipped to handle the sudden increase in medical waste generation.
As such, both healthcare facilities and government institutions should develop more sustainable ways for medical waste management as the world deals with this public health crisis.
What is Infectious Waste?
COVID-19 Risks from Infectious Waste in Facilities
The WHO classified all healthcare waste accumulated during patient care as infectious medical waste during this pandemic.
This includes, but is not limited to, waste generated by COVID-19 patients.
However, the European Commission suggested that any waste generated from cleaning healthcare facilities should also be treated as infectious clinical waste. This is because recent research has indicated that the COVID-19 virus could spread in almost the entire clinical area within 10 hours, infecting anyone coming into contact with infected surfaces.
Moreover, scientists asserted that the coronavirus’s capacity to be airborne shouldn’t be underestimated, especially since waste from facilities with COVID-19 patients have a higher probability of becoming contaminated.
Optimization of Medical Waste Management
Considering the virus’s still-unknown nature and its continuous spread, it has been suggested that any waste generated from healthcare facilities should be labeled and regarded as medical waste.
This is to avoid the possibility of contaminating the general area’s waste collection system and prevent the further spread of the virus.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with the current pandemic requires a certain amount of prudence, especially considering the virus’s quick-spreading nature.
Moreover, many healthcare facilities are not well-equipped to handle the sudden increase in medical waste generation.
As such, both healthcare facilities and government institutions should develop more sustainable ways for medical waste management as the world deals with this public health crisis.