BHA 499 Case 1

BHA 499 Case 1: COVID-19 Control and Prevention Student’s Name Professor’s Name Institutional Affiliations Course Name and Number Due Date BHA 499 Case 1: COVID-19 Control and Prevention The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global activities and triggered widespread mortality and morbidity rates. Research investigating the origin of the illness revealed that it started in Wuhan, the most populous urban center in Hubei province, China. Thomas and Suresh (2022) report that it presented varied clinical presentations affecting the lower respiratory, including septic shock and pneumonia, among other limiting complications. Its severity led to the first report and acknowledgment of the outbreak by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 31st December 2019 in China. The institution declared the SARS-CoV-2-virus-caused disease a pandemic by 11th March 2020 (Ukwishaka et al., 2023). Subsequent research revealed the highly contagious nature of the disease through contact and droplets, including during the incubation period. Such aspects made it easy for the condition to spread rapidly through the asymptomatic individuals worldwide. This awareness makes it essential for healthcare facilities to devise comprehensive prevention strategies and continue protecting their patients and staff from COVID-19. Projections reveal that although many countries have stopped mass testing of the disease, COVID-19 persists in the population. Findings by Ukwishaka et al. (2023) reveal the global burden of the illness, affecting over 650 million people. The authors also indicate that the mortality rates remained considerably high, as marked by the official figure exceeding 6.6 cases. Ukwishaka et al. (2023) observe that about 80% of COVID-19 infections remain asymptomatic. Regional statistics indicate that Europe bore the highest prevalence burden, with 41.3% of the globally reported infections (Ukwishaka et al., 2023). Other statistics highlight 28.4% in America, with Africa recording the lowest rate of 1.4%. Such statistics emphasize the need for informed prevention approaches to protect vulnerable groups such as healthcare providers and veterans in Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. Factors That May Have Contributed to Transmission in Holyoke Soldiers’ Home The rapid spread of COVID-19 in the facility between 23rd March 2020 and 30th March 2020 demonstrates that stakeholders had not established sufficient measures to prevent the reported outcomes. For instance, the facility might have maintained regular visitation at the time, creating channels for asymptomatic but infected families to transmit the disease to the veterans. According to Thomas and Suresh (2022), close contact with an infected person represents one of the infection pathways where the virus could spread through droplets during communication. Thus, the lack of immediate visitation restriction strategies exposed the facility to an increased risk of an infected person visiting their relativ...