Facility-Level Approaches for COVID-19 When Caseload Surpasses Surge Capacity

Area of Science:

• Public Health and Epidemiology
• Infectious Disease Management
• Healthcare Infrastructure Design

Background:

• Global increase in COVID-19 cases strains fragile health systems.
• Limited diagnostic capacity (e.g., reverse transcriptase PCR for SARS-CoV-2) and hospital beds challenge patient care, as exemplified by Haiti.
• Existing infrastructure is often insufficient to manage pandemic-level patient surges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose innovative COVID-19 treatment center designs for overwhelmed healthcare systems.
• To offer solutions for patient care during pandemics, with or without SARS-CoV-2 testing availability.
• To provide adaptable models for diverse local conditions and resource constraints.

Main Methods:

• Development of two distinct COVID-19 treatment center designs.
• Leveraging lessons learned from managing previous communicable infectious disease outbreaks.
• Focus on adaptability to local contexts and mitigation of nosocomial transmission.

Main Results:

• Proposed designs offer scalable solutions for acute care when existing capacity is exceeded.
• Designs address scenarios with and without access to SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing.
• Emphasis on creating safe patient care environments and preventing healthcare-associated infections.

Conclusions:

• The presented treatment center designs provide viable options for managing COVID-19 patient surges in resource-limited settings.
• Adaptable infrastructure is crucial for maintaining healthcare system functionality during pandemics.
• Mitigating nosocomial transmission is a key component of effective pandemic response strategies.