Introduction
Respiratory communicable diseases have always challenged the medical community with many risks and unpredictable dangers. New pathogens like the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the catalyst for Covid-19 disease, are a challenge in terms of contagion and cost-effectiveness in neutralizing its harmful effects. As part of this work, it is proposed to characterize the pathogens causing COVID-19, characterize the background of this problem and describe the intervention practices already existing in the medical community, and then propose original ones.
Background
In decision making regarding the management of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, economic constraints always play an important role as they determine the degree of implementation of preventive measures that can work on a cumulative basis. In direct costs’ framework, when accounting for both economic losses and valued health and life loss, it was calculated that COVID-19 might cost $16 trillion for the US (Branch-Elliman et al., 2021). All additional expenses related to illness or the financial impact of behaviors used to prevent infection are referred to as indirect costs. The numbers here vary from $300 to $500 per day for a person, depending on the severity of the disease (Branch-Elliman et al., 2021). State actions to prevent the pandemic include restricting movement, closing public spaces and creating their own list of risky countries.
Cost-effective analysis has traditionally been used to determine the necessary cost of spending by subtracting it from the public and healthcare sectors. Physicians use impact budget analysis to determine the true cost of the entire intervention, including future costs (Branch-Elliman et al., 2021). Preparedness for a sudden disease outbreak has its own high level of uncertainty, with high probability and associated risks, such as the potential mortality of an emerging pathogen. Preventing the possibility of such an outbreak does not carry any financial advantages while having a high cost.
Current Interventions
At the moment, the states are going through a period of normalization after the implemented covid-related interventions that have significantly changed the face of the country’s life. The large-scale state intervention to prevent the spread of the disease was the creation of an adaptive quarantine in which there are different zones depending on the status of the epidemiological situation. All the restrictions were in effect until the rollout of the vaccine in the country, which also had its own progressive order. First, medical personnel were treated with the vaccine, in particular, its fundamentally necessary block, then vaccination already concerns the population from 18 to 59 years old, which primarily affects service workers and teachers (Bavinger et al., 2020). Vaccination takes place in two stages and is finalized during this period, and special covid passports are also created for citizens.
Proposed Intervention
At the moment, it is recommended to use the main measures to reduce the risk of infection and promote them in the corporate culture, especially in winter. The spread of the disease is largely related to the freshness of the air, so in all office buildings and educational spaces, it is required to regularly ventilate the premises. Self-discipline is also to be encouraged and individuals are required to wear a mask in case of the slightest symptoms of a cold. Hand washing and limiting contact on the way to the workplace is also recommended as a measure to be supported in the corporate culture (Nakhaei et al., 2021). Many internal activities, if possible, are recommended to be transferred outside, which can significantly reduce the risk of a mass spread of the disease through the creation of a focus. Increased attention to maintaining distance and respect for other people’s personal space is also recommended as a preventive measure.
Conclusion
The main recommended intervention at the moment is to maintain control over the spread of the disease and maintain basic preventive measures in the corporate environment. The state offers extremely cost-effective initiatives to limit the spread of the disease, many of which are not economically justified. At the moment, it is required to maintain awareness of citizens about the need to independently comply with preventive measures in the same way as it was at the beginning of the pandemic.
References
Bavinger, J. C., Shanta, J. G., & Yeh, S. (2020). Ebola, COVID-19, and emerging infectious disease: lessons learned and future preparedness. Current Opinion in Ophtalmology 31(5), 416-422. Web.
Branch-Elliman, W., Safdar, A., & Nelson, R. (2021). Economic considerations in infectious diseases emergency response preparedness: It’s all about the point of view. Clinical Infectious Diseases 72(1), 148-152. Web.
Nakhaei, K., Jalilian, H., Arab-Zozani, M., Heydari, S., Torkzadeh, L., & Taji, M. (2021). Direct and indirect cost of COVID-19 patients in Iran. Health Policy Technology 10(4). Web.