Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 28, 2020

The Risk and Prevention of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Infections Among Inpatients in Psychiatric Hospitals

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  • The authors describe an outbreak of COVID-19 at a state psychiatric inpatient hospital in Wuhan, China.  Although the hospital closed the facility to visitors, there was widespread infection among the patients and staff.  As of Feb 8, 2020 50 patients and 30 staff had been infected. 
  • The authors noted several elements that contributed to the complexity of the outbreak and that may be taken into consideration for planning and preparedness efforts among especially vulnerable institutionalized populations. The authors offer several recommendations to improve patient outcomes, support staff, and connect with families of patients

Zhu et al. (Feb 25, 2020). The Risk and Prevention of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Infections Among Inpatients in Psychiatric Hospitals. Neuroscience Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-020-00476-9