Coronavirus: What to Know & What to Do

With the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the minds of many Americans, Nufactor recognizes patients may be concerned with their health and have questions regarding the safety of their infusion therapy.

Nufactor is dedicated to providing our patients and providers with the education and support to complete infusion therapy successfully. Therefore, we want to provide you with some information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to help address any concerns.

General Facts from CDC and WHO for Everyday Preventive Actions to Help Prevent the Spread of Respiratory Diseases:

• If you are sick (cough/fever), don’t go to work or school. Stay home and contact your primary care physician for guidance.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds frequently, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating or after coughing/sneezing. Singing “Happy Birthday” two times through is about 20 seconds. If soap is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your face/nose/eyes.
• If you cough or sneeze, do so into a tissue and immediately dispose of the tissue and wash your hands. If a tissue is unavailable, cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Use of facemasks:
  • CDC currently recommends everyone should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.
    • Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
  • Facemasks should be worn by people with known COVID-19 infection.
  • Healthcare providers should wear masks in accordance with CDC recommendations when providing care to someone known to have COVID-19.
• If you believe you may have COVID-19, contact your primary care physician for guidance.

Are Plasma Derived Products Safe?

Some medications Nufactor provides, such as immune globulin and hemophilia or bleeding disorders medications, may be plasma-derived. According to the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA)¹, the “outbreak is not a concern for the safety of plasma protein therapies manufactured by PPTA member companies.” Additionally, “existing manufacturing methods provide significant safety margins” against the virus that causes COVID-19.² The virus is large and lipid enveloped which makes it highly susceptible to viral inactivation steps.”¹

All Countries Must Help to Prevent Transmission of COVID-19

On Feb. 28, 2020, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a media briefing to advise what countries must do to help prevent onward transmission of COVID-19. 3 “It calls for all countries to educate their populations, to expand surveillance, to find, isolate and care for every case, to trace every contact, and to take an all-of-government and all-of-society approach – this is not a job for the health ministry alone.”

Please refer to CDC and WHO for additional up-to-date information on COVID-19.

References:

1. New Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and Plasma Protein Therapies (updated Feb. 17, 2020). Accessed at https://www.pptaglobal.org/material/new-coronavirus-sars-cov-2-and-the-safety-margins-of-plasma-protein-therapies.

2. Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings (updated Feb. 21, 2020). Accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/

3. WHO Director-General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID-19, Feb. 28, 2020. Accessed at https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19—28-february-2020.