COVID-19
consumed by individuals. Many conspiracy theories have soon appeared, everything from being created by the government to population control. In any case, we will not be discussing how it was created or conspiracy theories, but to instruct the funeral professional on how to be safe during day-to-day operations and to protect the community. As a nation, we are indeed in this together.
SARS-CoV-2 is a unique disease. There are many speculations on how this disease came about, where it came from, and how it’s spread. The initial development of the virus was said to have been identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, where bat fecal droppings may have contaminated a civet cat, a pangolin, or other animals in a wet market that were purchased for consumption. Another theory is that an undercooked bat was
PANDEMIC
viable on surfaces from hours to days depending on if the object is hard or soft. For example, the virus can remain active for 24 hours on cardboard and 2 to 4 days on plastic and stainless steel. Most remarkable about this disease is that an infected person spreads the virus to everyone they come into contact with before they have symptoms. Once the virus is in the body, it can replicate itself 10,000 times in a matter of hours. In just a few days, there will be millions in just a teaspoon of blood.
At the time of this writing, there has been no cure or vaccination for COVID-19. As public health experts are continuing to learn more about this virus each day, it has been shown that it is spread directly through droplets becoming airborne through sneezing, coughing, or talking. This is because it is an upper respiratory disease, which means it is quickly expelled through the upper area of the lungs. It can also be spread indirectly through contact on surfaces, and is a quarantinable, communicable disease. The virus has been shown to remain
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
● Loss of smell and taste. ● Nausea or vomiting. ● Diarrhea. ● Cough. ● High heart rate. ● Loss of hair. ● No symptoms at all!
The signs and symptoms of COVID are complex and depend on the infected person. Even though everyone is susceptible to COVID, some are at an increased risk: older adults, those who have heart disease, are severely obese, have diabetes, and have high blood pressure. The signs and symptoms include the
following: ● Fever. ● Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. ● Muscle or body aches.
If someone is experiencing any of these symptoms, they should be restricted from attending any funeral arrangements or funeral services in person.
● Headache. ● Sore throat.
DESTRUCTION
that protects itself. Once the alcohol evaporates, the defense mechanism, which is the wall, is released, and the virus becomes active again. If you use a lower percentage of alcohol, it will not destroy the wall of the virus. Another solution is bleach, which is extremely effective at destroying the coronavirus. However, if you make the solution too strong or too weak, it will be ineffective. To keep it simple, use one teaspoon per 1 cup of water. This equation will give you 0.1% of sodium hypochlorite, which is strong enough to break down the lipid coating of the virus and makes the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic (RNA) fall apart. Remember, this virus is not alive, so isopropyl, bleach, and soap only break through the wall and destroy the genetic makeup.
The good news is that there are many ways to kill the virus. We have all seen the dish soap commercial where the drop of soap hits the greasy water, and immediately the grease is repelled. Because the cell membrane contains a lipid bilayer, it is easily broken down by soap and water, which destabilizes and destroys the membrane. As you learned in mortuary school, lipids are a fatty, oily substance, and this is precisely what the cell membrane consists of. This is why you should wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. This action destroys the cell envelope of the virus, and the water rinses it off. Other disinfectant options are hand sanitation solutions containing a minimum of 70% isopropyl alcohol. If you use a higher percentage of alcohol, the virus can create a shield or wall
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Masks and respirators Because COVID–19 is an upper acute respiratory disease, it is crucial first to discuss masks and respirators. We all know the saying that you are only as good as your equipment, and this is most true when choosing your mask or respirator. Before we
begin, we will discuss the differences between the two. So what distinguishes masks and respirators? Furthermore, are the two so different?
MASKS
protection but rather a barrier from large droplets or splashes. As it relates to the current COVID pandemic, this mask has the potential to protect others from the one who is wearing the mask. In other words, wearing surgical masks does not protect you but potentially protects others around you. For the mask to be effective, everyone should be wearing the mask during a visitation or funeral. It is important to note that there are three levels of surgical masks. To the untrained eye, all surgical masks look the same. However, upon closer inspection, you will be able to differentiate the levels. To determine the levels, the masks are put through a variety of tests for durability and effectiveness. These tests are for blood penetration resistance, bacterial filtration
Masks offer barriers to foreign objects such as droplets, splashes, and spit. These masks are usually yellow or blue and seen so often by individuals at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants. They do not offer any protection to the person wearing the mask, so they are considered one-way protection. Doctors performing surgery are seen wearing these surgical masks protecting the patient from the surgeon’s cough or sneeze. Surgical Mask The first mask we will discuss is the surgical mask, which is the most popular, least expensive, and least effective. This loose- fitting mask offers no respiratory protection from airborne SARS. The mask has no fit test requirement and no face seal fit. The mask is not intended to be reused. It is not effective at offering
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