COVID-19: Basics and Biosafety Precautions
Continuing Education Credits
COVID-19: Basics and Biosafety Precautions details the latest recommendations for working with specimens that potentially contain the Coronavirus. Rob Nickla, a public health professional, discusses this history of the virus that causes COVID-19 along with all the important details necessary for laboratory professionals to properly protect themselves from Coronavirus infections.
Objectives
- Describe common characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
- Summarize appropriate decontamination and waste handling procedures for COVID-19 specimens.
- Recognize appropriate biosafety precautions for handling COVID-19 specimens.
- Identify proper packaging and shipping requirements for COVID-19 specimens.
Course Outline
- Introduction
- Coronavirus (CoV) Overview
- Coronaviruses
- Coronavirus Naming Convention
- Coronavirus Appearance
- True or False: Coronaviruses cause disease in humans only.
- History, Symptoms, and Transmission
- COVID-19: Year One
- COVID-19 Symptoms
- COVID-19 Symptoms (continued)
- Asymptomatic and Pre-symptomatic
- COVID-19 Transmission
- Which of the following is not a recognized symptom of COVID-19?
- Specimens and Testing
- COVID-19 Specimens
- Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)
- COVID-19 Testing
- Laboratory Testing
- CLIA
- CDC recommends collecting and testing which of the following acceptable upper respiratory specimen types for initial diagnostic testing of SARS-CoV-2?
- Regulations, General Hazards, and Viability
- Regulations
- Regulations (continued)
- General Laboratory Hazards
- SARS-CoV-2 Viability
- Risk Mitigation
- Laboratory COVID-19 Safety
- Which of the following affect the viability of SARS-CoV-2?
- Cleaning, Disinfection, and Decontamination
- Cleaning and Disinfection
- Cleaning and Disinfection (continued)
- Disinfectants, Decontamination and Sterilization
- Disinfectants, Decontamination and Sterilization (continued)
- SARS-CoV-2 Decontamination
- Manufacturer Instructions for Disinfectant Use
- Disinfectant Preparation
- Antiseptic
- Laboratory COVID-19 Waste
- Spills
- True or False: Coronaviruses have a thick outer envelope wall, which makes them naturally resistant to many common disinfectants.
- True or False: Common laboratory disinfectants, such as diluted household bleach, work better as hand sanitizers than most commercially available alcohol-based antiseptic products.
- True or False: Laboratories must follow unique enhanced practices for handling COVID-19 infectious waste.
- Coronavirus Biosafety Precautions
- Risk Assessment
- Risk Assessments
- Risk Assessments (continued)
- True or False: A risk assessment is a process for evaluating the probability and consequences of exposure to a given hazard. The intent is to reduce the risk by establishing the appropriate hazard controls.
- Precautions and Biosafety
- Standard Precautions
- Standard Precautions (continued)
- Biological Safety Levels (BSLs)
- Biosafety
- Which biological safety level (BSL) does the CDC recommend COVID-19 specimens be handled and worked with?
- The EPA has a primary role for which responsibility?
- Engineering Controls and PPE
- Engineering Controls
- Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC)
- Administrative Controls
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Respirators and Masks
- True or False: There are no significant differences between masks and respirators.
- Training
- Training
- In regards to COVID-19 training for employees, which of the following is true?
- Infectious Particles and Reducing the Spread
- Infectious Particles
- Infectious Particles (continued)
- Reducing the Spread of COVID-19
- Which federal agency plays a significant role for ensuring the safety of workers?
- To effectively inactivate SARS-Co-V-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, which list of disinfectants should a laboratory choose from?
- Shipping
- Shipping Training
- Shipping Requirements
- Shipping Laboratory Specimens
- Category B Shipments
- Category B Labeling and Marking
- Laboratories that need to send a COVID-19 sample out for referral testing must classify and ship the sample as:
- References
- References
Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Basic to Intermediate
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory managers. This course is also appropriate for MLS and MLT students and pathology residents.
Author Information: Rob Nickla, RBP(ABSA), M(ASCP), began his public health career in 2004 at the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory (ASPHL) working in Mycobacteriology, Bacteriology, and Virology. While there, he became the State Training Coordinator and Bioterrorism Training Coordinator in the Bioemergency Response Section. He actively participated in several APHL Special Interest Groups for Basic Microbiology, Biosafety & Biosecurity, and Select Agent Training. He served on the ASPHL Safety Committee for several years and helped develop and conduct many in-house safety-related training. In 2012, he accepted an Associate Biosafety Officer position in the Environmental Health and Safety Department at Arizona State University (ASU). Currently, Rob is the BT (biological threat) and CT (chemical threat) LRN (Laboratory Response Network) Coordinator and State Training Coordinator with the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory (OSPHL). He currently sits on the Clinical Laboratory Assistant Program’s Student Advisory Committee with Clackamas Community College and on the Medical Technologist Program’s Student Advisory Committee with Portland Community College.
The author has no conflict of interest to disclose.
Reviewer Information:
Shoolah Escott, MS, MLS(ASCP), currently works as a biosafety and biosecurity consultant and trainer. She has over 14 years of experience working with the CDC and has experience as a regional coordinator with APHL. Earlier in her career, she was the microbiology manager at Memorial Hospital in the greater Boston area. More recently, she was the biosafety manager and alternate responsible official for the Massachusetts State Public Health Laboratory.
Joshua J. Cannon, MS, MLS(ASCP)CMSHCM received his Bachelor
of Science and Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from Thomas
Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. He holds Medical Laboratory Scientist
and Specialist in Hematology certifications through the ASCP Board of
Certification. He was a professor at Thomas Jefferson University for seven
years before transitioning into his current role as Education Developer at
MediaLab by Vastian. His areas of expertise and professional passions include
clinical hematology and interprofessional education.