SA equipped to deal with Covid-19 high-risk medical waste - industry expert

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Thashnee Budram from Averda, integrated waste management provider to government and industry, says quarantining is an important public health tool being used by governments around the world, including here in South Africa, to reduce and slow transmission of this disease.

While in other countries, suspected and confirmed patients are quarantined at home, here patients are cared for in dedicated health facilities.

A vast amount of medical equipment and materials are used in caring for these patients, much of which will come into contact with infected bodily fluids. This material cannot be simply disposed of in the nearest dump. She said that hospitals are already equipped and their staff trained to deal with the realities of handling high-risk medical waste.

"We are in communication with the department of health and the department of environmental affairs and we report to them on a monthly basis offering advice and training if and when they are setting up new quarantine sites,” BudramThis kind of high-risk waste should be packaged in multiple layers of thick plastic and boxes, and sterilised twice during the process. Assigned vehicles will then transport the waste to one of eight hazardous waste sites around the country.

 

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