Infection Control of 2019 Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Cancer Patients undergoing Radiotherapy in Wuhan

Conghua Xie; Xiaoyong Wang; Hui Liu; Zhirong Bao; Jing Yu; Yahua Zhong; Melvin LK Chua

Given the risk of COVID-19 pneumonia to frontline medical staff, the following measures were implemented to mitigate the risk of cross-infection from patients to healthcare workers: 1) a buddy system to expedite the notification of unwell team members who harboured symptoms of fever, fatigue and dry cough, or who had a positive contact history with a COVID-19 patient; 2) twice daily temperature monitoring of all staff; 3) all staff members who were involved in transfer and delivery of treatment for patients had to don protective gear comprising of disposable surgical caps, gowns, N95 masks, face screens, double-layered gloves, and shoe covers; 4) radiation therapists were split into two-man teams at any point in time, along with optimisation of processes for patient set-up and treatment delivery to reduce cross infection; 5) protective gear should be disposed of in a medical hazard waste bag; 6) strict hand hygiene before leaving the treatment area; 7) team gatherings during work were prohibited; and 8) finally, social distancing was encouraged to prevent transmission to family members.