Is it really possible to leave sars-cov-2 outside the door?

Abstract Background In this historical period, it has become very important to live in healthy environments. By using everyday objects, cross-contamination is possible because of prolonged microbial persistence on surfaces. UV-C irradiation is an environmentally friendly method to disinfect objects as no harmful chemicals or heat are involved. This study aims to determine the virucidal activity, against SARS-CoV-2, of UV-C irradiation occurring in a designed UV device, ‘Purity Capsule'. Methods An experimental study was performed in September 2020. The ‘Purity capsule’ has an 11 W lamp (3.5W UV-C) positioned in the centre of the device. The lamp has a dome covered with a reflective, protective coating. Three metal carriers were placed at the maximum distance from the UV-C lamp in three different positions and tested at 30 and 60 seconds 3 times. The carriers were inoculated with 100 µL of SARS-CoV-2 viral suspension with a concentration of 106.5 TCID50 /mL. After treatment, laboratory procedures were used to transfer the treated virus from carriers to multiwell plates. The samples were compared with positive controls (not exposed to UV-C light) after incubation, at 37 °C in 5% COÕ · in a humidified atmosphere, for 3 days. The residual viral activity was tested by assessing the 50% infectious dose per tissue culture (TCID50%). Results Tests performed at 30 seconds of UV-C irradiation show an average viral reduction of 4.0 Log10 (99.99%). All three tests performed at 60 seconds reached the maximum measurable log10 viral reduction: 5.0 Log10 (99.999%). Conclusions The study assessed the effectiveness of the device in significantly reducing the viral load on all carriers regardless exposure time and distance from the UV-C light source, with no impact on the level of environmental pollution. Key messages • UV-C light has the property of inactivating viral growth; its physical approach is considered a good compromise between cost and effectiveness. • The device was effective in disinfecting all small everyday objects tested.


Introduction:
Many consequences resulted from the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, which have disrupted our economic, social and medical world. This allowed us to measure and assess the hospitalisation costs regarding the COVID-19 disease at Martini Hospital in Turin, one of the hospitals entirely committed to the COVID-19 care, between January and June 2021.

Methods:
In this single center retrospective study, we collected and analysed cost data on patients admitted at Martini Hospital in the time frame of January-June 2021 and compared the analysis with the same period in 2020, at a time when the hospital was not dedicated to Covid-19 patients. Cost data included full-time and temporary employees salaries, drugs, medical and non-medical supplies and equipment and facility utilities. We then estimated the cost per treated COVID-19 episode, in comparison with the cost per any desease including Covid-19.

Results:
The first 6 months of 2021 registered 2,136 hospital discharges, while same period in 2020 counted 4376. The mean duration of the hospital stay was 7,67 days in 2020 and 12,83 in 2021. The average charge per treated episode doubled (+52,5%) from Euros 8997 in 2020 to Euros 19026 in 2021. The mean revenue increased of 35% from Euros 3280 in 2020 to Euros 5041 in 2021. This is due to the major complexity of care required for Covid patients. As it is, in 2021 the average complexity index of 2.13 while in 2020 it was 1.39.

Conclusions:
Clinical management and treatment of COVID-19 economically strain the European health-care systems. The study of COVID-19 treatment costs, and their differences between 2020 and 2021 suggests an economic challenge for the entire Italian health system and emphasises the necessity to avoid the recurrence of such an economic impact by implementing effective infection prevention and control policies. Key messages: The Covid-19 pandemic has been straining both the European health and economic systems. Studying the Covid-19 expenditures allows to frame unexpected new challenges regarding health-care systems.

Background:
In this historical period, it has become very important to live in healthy environments. By using everyday objects, crosscontamination is possible because of prolonged microbial persistence on surfaces. UV-C irradiation is an environmentally friendly method to disinfect objects as no harmful chemicals or heat are involved. This study aims to determine the virucidal activity, against SARS-CoV-2, of UV-C irradiation occurring in a designed UV device, 'Purity Capsule'.

Methods:
An experimental study was performed in September 2020. The 'Purity capsule' has an 11 W lamp (3.5W UV-C) positioned in 15th European Public Health Conference 2022 the centre of the device. The lamp has a dome covered with a reflective, protective coating. Three metal carriers were placed at the maximum distance from the UV-C lamp in three different positions and tested at 30 and 60 seconds 3 times. The carriers were inoculated with 100 mL of SARS-CoV-2 viral suspension with a concentration of 106.5 TCID50 /mL. After treatment, laboratory procedures were used to transfer the treated virus from carriers to multiwell plates. The samples were compared with positive controls (not exposed to UV-C light) after incubation, at 37 C in 5% COÕ Á in a humidified atmosphere, for 3 days. The residual viral activity was tested by assessing the 50% infectious dose per tissue culture (TCID50%).

Results:
Tests performed at 30 seconds of UV-C irradiation show an average viral reduction of 4.0 Log10 (99.99%). All three tests performed at 60 seconds reached the maximum measurable log10 viral reduction: 5.0 Log10 (99.999%).

Conclusions:
The study assessed the effectiveness of the device in significantly reducing the viral load on all carriers regardless exposure time and distance from the UV-C light source, with no impact on the level of environmental pollution. Key messages: UV-C light has the property of inactivating viral growth; its physical approach is considered a good compromise between cost and effectiveness.
The device was effective in disinfecting all small everyday objects tested.

Introduction:
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how the optimal allocation of the limited doses of vaccine available represents one of the main useful measures to mitigate the transmission of the infection and reduce the mortality associated with it, especially at an early stage of the pandemic. The use of a compartmental model allows us to understand which population groups to vaccinate and to what extent to act depending on the type of health or social objective to be achieved.

Methods:
A time-varying susceptible-infected-recovered-deceased (SIRD) compartmental model, stratified into ten age groups, was developed on Italian data. Simulations were performed every 15 days from December 2020 to April 2021. An optimal vaccination strategy was achieved by minimizing deaths or infected, considering the total vaccine doses available.

Results:
We showed how the effects of a vaccination campaign can be planned in a way that maximizes lives saved and/or minimizes infections. Regarding the minimization of deaths, the model prioritizes the elderly (>80 years) and then those between 60 and 80 years, in all simulations. Regarding the cost function of new infections, the first simulation assigns all available doses to those over 90 years of age. In the later simulations, the doses are assigned mainly to the 20-29-year-old and the 89+ year old.

Conclusions:
Optimal allocation of available vaccine doses is useful in mitigating transmission of infection and reducing mortality. Application of the mathematical model can be useful at the beginning of an epidemic caused by a new pathogen, when data are scarce, and it is therefore necessary to introduce a standardized approach. This kind of simulation is useful to understand whether the implemented vaccination strategy needs to be recalibrated, too.

Key messages:
Time-varying compartmentalised models can be used both to continuously inform decision-makers about changes in epidemic traits and to simulate the effects of targeted pandemic containment strategies. The application of compartmental models can be very useful at the onset of an epidemic to more successfully contain it and structure the health, political, and economic plan. Many elderly people would like to stay in their own homes as long as possible. Therefore, a focus on enabling factors for a healthy aging in place in needed. Italy was the first European country to be hit hard by the pandemic. These had an impact on people's everyday lives, on social participation and freedom of movement for all sections of the population. But especially elderly people were considered a risk group and were urged to leave their homes as little as possible. The project aimed to analyse the situation of elderly people in South Tyrol (Northern Italy), focusing on the characteristics of enabling factors for a healthy ageing in place. The main research question was: What kind of enabling factors ensure a healthy aging in place during the pandemic? Using a mixed-methodsapproach, we conducted 10 semi-structured interviews (experts: social workers, health professionals, responsible persons from senior associations, ...) analysed by qualitative content analysis and a quantitative questionnaire (536 respondents, aged 60 to 101 still living in their own home) from 2020 to 2021. The questionnaire was distributed in digital and analogue form to reach a wider study group and to facilitate access to the research group despite the infection control measures or technical challenges. The results show that there were numerous changes in the everyday life of elderly people during the pandemic, which were described as particularly important for a healthy ageing in place. Based on the answers to the pandemic-related restrictions, 6 categories could be identified: Loneliness versus desire for social contact, mobility, emotions, needs, opportunities, restrictions. To be able to guarantee healthy ageing in place, we need to examine and promote these enabling factors in the long term.

Key messages:
A focus on enabling factors for a healthy aging in place in needed. There were numerous changes in the everyday life of elderly people during the pandemic, which were described as particularly important for a healthy ageing in place.
Abstract citation ID: ckac131.075 USCA service utilization in the city of Florence (Italy) during the COVID-19 pandemic