Western Pacific surveillance and response journal: WPSAR Vol.14 No. 6, Special Edition, pp.1-17

COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care (‎LTC)‎ facilities can have devastating effects on the health and well-being of residents, as they are vulnerable to serious infection due to their age and possible underlying medical conditions. Strengthening infection prevention and control (‎IPC)‎ prac ... tice is crucial to prevent spread of COVID-19. This preparedness checklist consists of several elements that are crucial for preparing LTCF for COVID-19. It can be used by facility administrators, IPC focal points or staff, internal or external professionals. more

Contact tracing is a key component of the COVID-19 response, particularly as societies begin to lift non-pharmaceutical interventions. However, it is a time-consuming and resource-intensive effort that depends on a trained and motivated workforce. Emergent digital contact tracing and quarantine (‎ ... DCTQ)‎ tools offer the potential to complement and strengthen conventional contact tracing initiatives on an unprecedented scale. Despite their visibility throughout the pandemic more

Best practice for hand hygiene requires the availability of clean water, soap, and single use disposable towels or alcohol based hand sanitiser with a concentration of 70%. Availability of these resources is not always assured. When resources for hand hygiene are not available other materials need t ... o be considered to prevent transmission of infection. This document provides community guidance on evidence-based alternative hand hygiene strategies in the absence of clean running water, soap or alcohol-based hand rub. more