Novel Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Plan- fbg-2

Health care workers are advised to wear masks.
Particulate filter personal respiratory protection devices capable of filtering 0.3um particles (N95)
should be worn at all times when attending patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Standard precautions should be applied when handling any clinical wastes.
All waste should be handled with care to avoid injuries from concealed sharps which may not have
been placed in sharps containers. Gloves and protective clothing should be worn when handling
clinical waste bags and containers. Where possible, manual handling of waste should be avoided.
Clinical waste must be placed in appropriate leak-resistant biohazard bags or containers, labeled,
and disposed of safely.
Laboratory Safety Guidelines for Handling Suspected Samples 9
Specimen may be processed for packaging and distribution to reference laboratories for further
testing in a containment Level 2 laboratory.
When handling theCOVID-19 specimens, the following should be implemented:
• The use of respirators which filter >90% of particles ranging from 0.5 um to 1.0 um e.g. N95
respirators from 3M.
• Safety glasses or eye shields as necessary
• Laboratory coats
• Gloves
• Manipulations that may produce aerosols should be carried out in a certified biological
safety cabinet (BSC)
• Centrifugation of blood should be carried out using sealed centrifuge cups and unloaded in a
BSC
• Any activities that bring hands into contact with mucosal surfaces such as eating, drinking,
smoking, or applying make-up are prohibited in the laboratory.
• Protective clothing must not be worn outside the work area and must be placed in separate
containers or laundry bags and autoclaved before being washed or discarded. Under no
circumstances must protective clothing be taken home to be laundered.
• Proper hand washing is required before leaving the laboratory.
Decontamination
• Commercially available household bleach solution containing 5.25% hypochlorite, when
diluted 1:10 is effective in routine decontamination of surfaces and instruments after
working with materials possibly infected with COVID-19.
• Contaminated items such as pipettes, disposable loops etc. should be immersed in
decontamination solution until autoclaving.
• Spills involving samples should be flooded with decontamination solution and soaked for
20-30 minutes before clean-up
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Infection prevention and control during health care when novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection is suspected:
interim guidance
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