On July 20, 2023 a letter was sent to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requesting the agency\'s Healthcare Infection Control Practice Advisory Committee seek input from more stakeholders and the public, recognize the importance of infectious disease transmission by inhalation of human-generated aerosols, and ensure the application of interventions from all levels of the control hierarchy.

UNASSIGNED: Personal protective equipment (PPE) complements the safety measures required for working in various laboratories. The main purpose of PPE is to limit the exposure of laboratory personnel and the environment to hazardous chemicals and biological materials. Despite the wide acceptance of PPE, limited accommodation exists for customization of these items based on personal or cultural preferences.
UNASSIGNED: This article describes the basic recommendations and specifications for Muslim women\'s head covers as a part of PPE requirements in chemical and biological laboratories.
UNASSIGNED: These guidelines will significantly help safety professionals, laboratorians, and teachers to plan accordingly and customize PPE that will not only be safe but also fit the needs of scientists of varying cultural backgrounds.

Resuscitation is a niche example of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected society in the long term. Those trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) face the dilemma that attempting to save a life may result in their own harm. This is most of all a problem for drowning, where hypoxia is the cause of cardiac arrest and ventilation is the essential first step in reversing the situation.
To develop recommendations for water rescue organizations in providing their rescuers with safe drowning resuscitation procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two consecutive modified Delphi procedures involving 56 participants from 17 countries with expertise in drowning prevention research, resuscitation, and programming were performed from March 28, 2020, to March 29, 2021. In parallel, PubMed and Google Scholar were searched to identify new emerging evidence relevant to each core element, acknowledge previous studies relevant in the new context, and identify knowledge gaps.
Seven core elements, each with their own specific recommendations, were identified in the initial consensus procedure and were grouped into 4 categories: (1) prevention and mitigation of the risks of becoming infected, (2) resuscitation of drowned persons during the COVID-19 pandemic, (3) organizational responsibilities, and (4) organizations unable to meet the recommended guidelines. The common measures of infection risk mitigation, personal protective equipment, and vaccination are the base of the recommendations. Measures to increase drowning prevention efforts reduce the root cause of the dilemma. Additional infection risk mitigation measures include screening all people entering aquatic facilities, defining criteria for futile resuscitation, and avoiding contact with drowned persons by rescuers with a high-risk profile. Ventilation techniques must balance required skill level, oxygen delivery, infection risk, and costs of equipment and training. Bag-mask ventilation with a high-efficiency particulate air filter by 2 trained rescuers is advised. Major implications for the methods, facilities, and environment of CPR training have been identified, including nonpractical skills to avoid being infected or to infect others. Most of all, the organization is responsible for informing their members about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and taking measures that maximize rescuer safety. Research is urgently needed to better understand, develop, and implement strategies to reduce infection transmission during drowning resuscitation.
This consensus document provides an overview of recommendations for water rescue organizations to improve the safety of their rescuers during the COVID-19 pandemic and balances the competing interests between a potentially lifesaving intervention and risk to the rescuer. The consensus-based recommendations can also serve as an example for other volunteer organizations and altruistic laypeople who may provide resuscitation.

OBJECTIVE: Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a promising treatment for peritoneal cancer that entails, however, potential risks for the caregivers in the operating room (OR). This study aimed to reach a consensus within the PIPAC community on a comprehensive safety protocol.
METHODS: Active PIPAC centers were invited to participate in a two-round Delphi process on 43 predefined items: concise summaries of the existing evidence were presented together with questions formulated using the population, intervention, comparator, and outcome framework. According to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation, the strength of recommendation was voted by panelists, accepting a consensus threshold of ≥50% of the agreement for any of the four grading options, or ≥70% in either direction.
RESULTS: Forty-seven out of 66 invited panelists answered both rounds (response rate 76%). The consensus was reached for 41 out of 43 items (95.3%). Strong and weak recommendations were issued for 30 and 10 items, respectively. A positive consensual recommendation was issued to activate laminar airflow without specific strength, neither strong nor weak. No consensus was reached for systematic glove change for caregivers with a high risk of exposure and filtering facepiece mask class 3 for caregivers with low risk of exposure.
CONCLUSIONS: A high degree of consensus was reached for a comprehensive safety protocol for PIPAC, adapted to the risk of exposure for the different caregivers in the OR. This consensus can serve as a basis for education and help reach a high degree of adherence in daily practice.

Primary ciliary dyskinesis (PCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder associated with impaired mucociliary clearance caused by defects in ciliary structure and function. The major clinical feature of PCD is recurring or persistent respiratory tract infection. Respiratory tract colonization with drug-resistant organisms impacts the frequency of infections and lung function decline. Protective gear has been employed by caregivers in an attempt to control respiratory tract bacterial spread between patients with cystic fibrosis, but use in PCD is not known. We conducted a web-based survey to investigate infection control and prevention practices of PCD centers in North America, and how practices have been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The response rate was 87.0%. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, glove, gown, and mask use were variable, and only 3.7% of centers used masks during encounters with PCD outpatients. After COVID-19 mandates are lifted, 48.1% of centers plan to continue to use masks during outpatient care, while the practice regarding the use of gloves and gowns was not influenced by the current pandemic. There is no uniform practice for infection control in PCD care indicating the need for practice guidelines. Mitigation of respiratory virus transmission learned during the COVID-19 pandemic may impact future infection control approaches used for patients with PCD and other lung diseases.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers and uninfected patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 as a result of transmission from infected patients and health-care workers. In the absence of high-quality evidence on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, clinical practice of infection control and prevention in ICUs varies widely. Using a Delphi process, international experts in intensive care, infectious diseases, and infection control developed consensus statements on infection control for SARS-CoV-2 in an ICU. Consensus was achieved for 31 (94%) of 33 statements, from which 25 clinical practice statements were issued. These statements include guidance on ICU design and engineering, health-care worker safety, visiting policy, personal protective equipment, patients and procedures, disinfection, and sterilisation. Consensus was not reached on optimal return to work criteria for health-care workers who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 or the acceptable disinfection strategy for heat-sensitive instruments used for airway management of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Well designed studies are needed to assess the effects of these practice statements and address the remaining uncertainties.

This study reviewed state and District of Columbia (DC) health department guidelines for the use of face masks by healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic via an October 2020 internet search and compared these guidelines to those from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Guidelines varied between states and DC with respect to N95 face mask and surgical mask use, as well as to extended use and re-use of N95 masks. Uniform guidance based on emerging evidence should be required for creating policy and procedures for healthcare workers during this and future pandemics.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the degree of dental practitioner adherence to recommendations made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS: An online questionnaire was distributed via social media among dental practitioners in Israel who worked during the COVID-19 outbreak.
RESULTS: In total, 144 dental practitioners completed the survey; it was found that dental practitioner adherence to all the official PPE use recommendations was 69.8%, whereas 36.8% of dental practitioners reported the use of N95 when needed. Knowledge of self-protection against COVID-19 was rated as \"very good\" by 37.5% of responders. However, only 25.7% felt \"highly protected\" by personal protective equipment. Interestingly, many dental practitioners (46.8%) reported adherence to extra protection in addition to the required PPE communicated by the Ministry of Health guidelines.
CONCLUSIONS: Stricter regimens should be applied for dealing with the current challenging pandemic, especially in clinical work with a higher risk for viral transmission. Specific strategies should be followed to ensure good practice to improve dental practitioners\' and patients\' safety.

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has completely transformed the functioning of health care facilities. These changes have also significantly affected the work of dental health professionals. Due to the high infectivity of the virus and the fact that transmission occurs primarily through respiratory droplets, both dental patients and professionals are particularly exposed to coronavirus infection. In order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, a number of medical societies have issued recommendations for the provision of health care services during the pandemic. The article is based mainly on the recommendations of the Polish Ministry of Health, since WHO recommendations underline that following updated local guidelines is of highest importance. It is impossible to outline uniform guidelines for all dental specialists in the world, as the pandemic develops at differing rates in different countries and each country requires guidelines adapted to the current local epidemiological situation. The publication features an additional review of foreign literature and guidelines proposed by individual dental societies. The article presents an overview of guidelines related to the functioning of dental offices, dental treatment procedures and recommended personal protective equipment, as well as underlines the overriding principle that both physicians and dental practitioners should first and foremost take care of their own health in order to be able to protect others. Med Pr. 2021;72(5):561-8.
Szerząca się pandemia COVID-19, choroby wywołanej przez SARS-CoV-2, spowodowała diametralne zmiany w funkcjonowaniu placówek ochrony zdrowia, co wpłynęło także w znacznym stopniu na pracę lekarzy dentystów. Ze względu na wysoką zakaźność i przede wszystkim kropelkową drogę przenoszenia się SARS-CoV-2 pacjenci, tak jak personel gabinetów stomatologicznych, są szczególnie narażeni na zakażenie koronawirusem. W celu ograniczenia ryzyka rozprzestrzeniania się COVID-19 wiele towarzystw medycznych wydało rekomendacje na temat postępowania przy udzielaniu świadczeń zdrowotnych w pandemii. Niniejszy artykuł w głównej mierze został opracowany na podstawie zaleceń polskiego Ministerstwa Zdrowia, ponieważ według rekomendacji Światowej Organizacji Zdrowia przestrzeganie lokalnych zaktualizowanych wytycznych jest najistotniejsze. Nie ma możliwości przygotowania jednolitych wskazówek dla wszystkich lekarzy dentystów na świecie, ponieważ pandemia rozwija się w różnych krajach w innym tempie i każde państwo wymaga wytycznych dostosowanych do aktualnej sytuacji epidemiologicznej. Publikację dodatkowo uzupełniono przeglądem piśmiennictwa zagranicznego oraz wytycznymi proponowanymi przez poszczególne towarzystwa stomatologiczne. W artykule przedstawiono rekomendacje dotyczące funkcjonowania gabinetów stomatologicznych, wykonywania procedur stomatologicznych oraz zalecanych środków ochrony osobistej. Podkreślono nadrzędną zasadę, aby w pierwszej kolejności zarówno lekarze, jak i lekarze dentyści dbali o swoje zdrowie po to, żeby pomagać innym. Med. Pr. 2021;72(5):561–568.

OBJECTIVE: The present work reports the EAO workshop group 5 and consensus plenary discussions and statements based on two reviews summarising European guidelines and experts\' opinion on infection control and prevention (ICP) in dentistry during the pandemic.
METHODS: Two manuscripts were presented at the 6th EAO Consensus Conference. The first study compared the most recent national guidelines/recommendations of European countries. The second paper was an experts\' opinion-based survey on application of ICP regulation during the second wave. The outcome of COVID-19 group discussion was presented to all participants of the consensus to come to an agreement about the consensus statements and clinical recommendation.
RESULTS: The dynamic of the pandemic had an impact on rapidly published and frequently updated national guidelines in Europe. As guidelines were not based on solid evidence, they were supplemented by experts\' opinion on ICP in dentistry. The dental care should be guaranteed during the pandemic; however, in case of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 disease, the treatment should be postponed if possible. Remote triage and patient-related measures (i.e., social distancing, hand hygiene and mask wearing) were recommended to be the most efficient to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The type of personal protective equipment for dental staff should be adequate to the procedure and infection risk.
CONCLUSIONS: Adequate infection control protocols have to be followed by healthcare professionals and patients to minimise the spreading of COVID-19. We foresee the importance of continuously updating the national dental guidelines, considering the evolution of the pandemic and new scientific evidence becoming available.