COVID-19: The Importance of Infection Control Measures to Prevent the Spread

Course overview

In late 2019, the world became aware of an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown cause. The virus causing this illness was identified as a novel strain from the Coronavirus family, and has since been names SARS-CoV-2, with the associated illness Coronavirus Disease-19 or COVID-19. The virus has now caused over a hundred thousand cases on six continents. On March 11, the WHO declared this a pandemic. The situation is rapidly evolving and by the time you are reading this session description, it will have changed; however what you can do to prevent the spread remains unchanged. This webinar will provide an overview of this Coronavirus and COVID-19 infection control measures including isolation, hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection. Participants will learn: What this Coronavirus is and how it spreads Basic infection control measures Isolation practices/procedures Cleaning and disinfection recommendations a) Products approved for use b) How and when to clean Participants will leave with resources they can use in their respective facilities. The overarching goal of this webinar is to provide evidence based infection control guidance for reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission in Long Term Care facilities. Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to: 1) Describe the SARS-CoV-2 virus including its mode of transmission and the disease (COVID-19) that it causes. 2) Apply infection control measures to prevent the transmission of this pathogen in long-term care settings. 3) Identify disinfectants approved for use against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 4) Apply evidence-based cleaning practices to eliminate the environment and equipment as a source of transmission. 5) Apply the resources provided for problem solving during this outbreak.