International Journal of Waste Resources

Abstract

Challenges and Strategies for the Management of Biomedical Waste Generated During the COVID-19 Pandemics

Jai Singh*

The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is one of the most deadly viral infections of the present time globally. At present, in India second wave of the pandemic is showing a declining trend. However, government authorities have issued an advisory for the third wave of Coronavirus. Due to many patients in the hospitals and clinics, it resulted in the generation of biomedical waste (BMW), and it is not always possible to carry out the pretreatment or disinfection of the huge BMW properly. Therefore, resulting in the further spread of the virus and breaking off the chain and control of the virus remains a challenge. Various other problems related to BMW management need to be tackled as per the government's safety guidelines and environmentally sound technologies. Some of these problems that need immediate attention of the concerned authorities are the proper segregation of BMW, collection, transportation, final disposal at the designated facilities, and lack of trained staff. For human health safety and to control the Coronavirus, it is essential to handle the biomedical waste very carefully and as per the prescribed standard guidelines because untreated BMW is a severe threat and can be a potential source of infection to human beings. Solutions to these problems need long-term planning, especially for the developing countries, as vaccination to huge populations will take time, as well as there is always a risk of mutations in existing variants of the Coronavirus.

Published Date: 2021-12-06; Received Date: 2021-11-08