SPECT's Response to COVID-19

With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affecting millions of people around the world, SPECT is committed to supporting health care workers with infection prevention solutions in any way we can.

The devastating effects that COVID-19 is having in Canada is a grim reminder that even the most capable healthcare systems around the world can be swiftly brought to their knees during a pandemic. In many of the countries where SPECT has worked over the past 10 years, the effects of this outbreak will be much more devastating.

Events like these remind us of why we as an organization exist. The COVID-19 outbreak has reinforced the critical importance of having infection prevention and control measures in place. While the current viral outbreak has resulted in a temporary suspension of our international programs, we have shifted our focus to developing online learning tools. This is one way in which we are able to maintain support to our health care colleagues across Africa, South East Asia and Central America.

Given the abundance of information available, we've compiled key resources to help our global sterile processing communities. These resources include publications on Hand Hygiene, Personal Protective Equipment, Reprocessing Recommendations, and Infection Prevention and Control Practices.

In the months ahead, SPECT will continue to advocate for sterile processing education and collaboration with health care providers and partners around the globe. We look forward to the day we can continue our work on the ground. Until then, we will do our part to stay home, as many of you do, to make the world a safer place.

If you are in a position to support our mission during this unprecedented time, please consider visiting our Ways to Give page.

If you are a health care worker looking for infection prevention or sterile processing training tools, please send us an email to let us know what you need. We are here to help.

Articles highlighting the impact of COVID-19 in resource constrained countries:

1. Managing COVID-19 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
2. Does One Size Fit All? Realistic Alternatives for COVID-19 Response in Low-Income Countries
3. Health Systems in Low-Income Countries Will Struggle to Protect Health Workers from COVID-19
4. Realistic Alternatives for COVID-19 Response in Low-Income Countries
5. COVID-19 in low-income countries – we need rapid learning about effective handwashing initiatives
6. Global coalition to accelerate COVID-19 clinical research in resource-limited settings