Early detection and isolation of potentially COVID-19 positive individuals is critical to slowing the speed of viral transmission. This is especially true for disaster response, remote work force camp, and medical environments. While frequent testing of every individual is not practical at this time, there are a number of strategies that can be used to detect the presences of COVID-19 in a general population.

Isolation of potential COVID-19 positive patients

Ideally individuals with signs of a COVID-19 infection should be sent home to self quarantine, or to a hospital if their symptoms are severe. Unfortunately that is not always an option during emergency scenarios. Shelters perform a potentially lifesaving function for communities that have been impacted by natural disasters. As such, the CDC strongly discourages shelter managers from turning away residents who do not pass the above screening process, or have tested positive for COVID-19. Instead, measures should be put in place to safely house residents who have been flagged by the screening and monitoring procedures (covered in previous blog posts) in a designated isolation area.

The use of physical barriers between patients or residents is highly recommended when individual isolation rooms are not an option.

The isolation area should be separated from the general shelter population, with residents placed in individual rooms to limit the potential spread of COVID-19. When individual rooms are not an option, the following actions should be taken:

The isolation area should be well ventilated, with air scrubbers utilized if available.
6 feet of distance should be maintained between residents in the isolation area at all times.
Physical barriers, such as room dividers, should be utilized between residents whenever possible.
Separate bathrooms should be provided for isolated residents.
Staff should follow the CDC’s guidelines for healthcare worker PPE.

When paired with an air-scrubber, Isolation Upgrade Kits control the spread of airborne pathogens by creating a negative pressure zone.

Screening, Monitoring, and Isolation Solutions

Western Shelter offers solutions specifically tailored to assist with each of the CDC guidelines covered in this post. Fill out the contact form below for more information, or reach out to your Western Shelter Sales Representative.

Screening and Isolation Pods