SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Risk Perception, Behaviour and Preventive Measures at Schools in Berlin, Germany, during the Early Post-Lockdown Phase: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Briefly before the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Berlin, Germany, schools closed in mid-March 2020. Following re-opening, schools resumed operation at a reduced level for nine weeks. During this phase, we aimed at assessing, among students and teachers, infection status, symptoms, individual behaviour, and institutional infection prevention measures. Twenty-four primary and secondary school classes, randomly selected across Berlin, were examined. Oro-nasopharyngeal swabs and capillary blood samples were collected to determine SARS-CoV-2 infection (PCR) and specific IgG (ELISA), respectively. Medical history, household characteristics, leisure activities, fear of infection, risk perception, hand hygiene, facemask wearing, and institutional preventive measures were assessed. Descriptive analysis was performed. Among 535 participants (385 students, 150 staff), one teenager was found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 (0.2%), and seven individuals exhibited specific IgG (1.3%). Compared to pre-pandemic times, screen time (e.g., TV, gaming, social media) increased, and the majority of primary school students reported reduced physical activity (42.2%). Fear of infection and risk perception were relatively low, acceptance of adapted health behaviors was high. In this post-lockdown period of low SARS-CoV-2 incidence in Berlin, individual and school-level infection prevention measures were largely adhered to. Nevertheless, vigilance and continued preventive measures are essential to cope with future pandemic activity.

Interhospital transfer of critically ill patients.

Transportation of a patient between medical facilities without interruption of the medical treatment can be a challenging task. This review aims to define the term "interhospital transport" and give a general overview of the steps for organizing a transfer. Furthermore we discuss the team qualification, equipment standards and how to manage adverse events before and during transport by means of patient triage. The advanced interhospital transport of the critically ill patient can be defined as follows: "transportation of a patient between medical facilities without interruption of the medical treatment and monitoring due to the underlying disease by means of specific medical, technical equipment and knowledge with the objective of improved patient care." Several organizational steps come along with patients transfer: the hospital of origin has to identify transfer-eligible patients and be willing to release the patient. It has to identify a destination hospital and negotiate the transfer; the patient has to be transportable, the patient/relatives must agree; the transporting unit has to have the infrastructure and acknowledge to transport the patient; the insurance company or the family has to guarantee for the additional costs. Relocation team members need a specific training that focus on typical critical events that happen during transport. Technical equipment (ventilator, stretcher, monitor, defibrillator, external pacemaker, blood-gas analyzer) facilitates smooth patient transition from one facility to a distant one. The use of checklists is associated with a reduction of incidents during the transport.