Authors: Manca ALIČ, Andrej Ovca*
Corresponding author: Andrej Ovca
Type of paper: Original scientific article
Issue: Volume 14 | number 1 – 2020
Abstract:
The year 2020 has been marked by the novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic on the 11th of March 2020 due to the spread of this very contagious virus throughout the world. Since the outbreak, we have gained many insights about the virus, its presence and persistence in the environment and its possible and most common transmission routes. Such knowledge about the virus is invaluable for establishing effective preventive and control measures (also referred to as Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs)) that have become a key to tackling this pandemic in the absence of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. In this review, we discuss five main groups of NPIs: 1) ventilation, 2) cleaning and disinfection, 3) hand hygiene, 4) physical distancing, and 5) protective masks. We explore their shortcomings and potential negative consequences that might occur as unwanted side effects.
Key words: SARS-CoV-2; transmission routes; presence; persistence; preventive measures; NPIs
POVZETEK
Leto 2020 je pomembno zaznamovano z novim korona virusom, imenovanim akutni respiratorni sindrom 2 (SARS-CoV-2), ki povzroča korona-virusno bolezen COVID-19. Zaradi hitrega in obsežnega širjenja je Svetovna Zdravstvena Organizacija (SZO) 11. marca 2020 razglasila pandemijo. Od pojava bolezni smo pridobili veliko informacij o virusu, njegovi obstojnosti v okolju ter o možnih poteh prenosa. Pridobljeno znanje o karakteristikah SARS-CoV-2 je ključno za vzposta- vitev učinkovitih preventivnih ukrepov (angl. Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions), ki so ključni za obvladovanje te pandemije ob odsotnosti cepiva. Članek obravnava pet ključnih preventivnih ukrepov: 1) prezračevanje, 2) čiščenje in dezinfekcija, 3) higiena rok, 4) fizična razdalja in 5) zaščitne maske. Ob pregledu študij smo raziskali njihove omejitve ter identificirali možne negativne posledice.
Ključne besede: SARS-CoV-2; poti prenosa; prisotnost; obstojnost; preventivni ukrepi
