Frontiers in Public Health (May 2020)

COVID19: A Systematic Approach to Early Identification and Healthcare Worker Protection

  • Yu Zhao,
  • Chong Cui,
  • Kun Zhang,
  • Jialin Liu,
  • Jinfu Xu,
  • Eric Nisenbaum,
  • Yixiang Huang,
  • Guoyou Qin,
  • Bing Chen,
  • Michael Hoffer,
  • Michael Hoffer,
  • Susan H. Blanton,
  • Susan H. Blanton,
  • Fred Telischi,
  • Fred Telischi,
  • Joshua M. Hare,
  • Sylvia Daunert,
  • Bhavarth Shukla,
  • Savita G. Pahwa,
  • Dushyantha T. Jayaweera,
  • Paul E. Farmer,
  • Paul E. Farmer,
  • Paul E. Farmer,
  • Carlos del Rio,
  • Xuezhong Liu,
  • Xuezhong Liu,
  • Yilai Shu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00205
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

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The COVID-19 outbreak spread rapidly throughout the globe, with worldwide infections and deaths continuing to increase dramatically. To control disease spread and protect healthcare workers, accurate information is necessary. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for studies published from December 2019 to March 31, 2020 with the terms “COVID-19,” “2019-nCoV,” “SARS-CoV-2,” or “Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia.” The main symptoms of COVID-19 are fever (83–98.6%), cough (59.4–82%), and fatigue (38.1–69.6%). However, only 43.8% of patients have fever early in the disease course, despite still being infectious. These patients may present to clinics lacking proper precautions, leading to nosocomial transmission, and infection of workers. Potential COVID-19 cases must be identified early to initiate proper triage and distinguish them quickly from similar infections. Early identification, accurate triage, and standardized personal protection protocols can reduce the risk of cross infection. Containing disease spread will require protecting healthcare workers.

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