How to Deal with Radio-contaminated Patients under the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation

Since the end of 2019, we have faced a COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic with SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Medical institutions must treat COVID-19 patients while preventing health care workers and other patients from nosocomial infections. COVID-19 also needs to be considered in a case of radiation emergency medicine. Although radioactive materials (RI) and SARS-CoV-2 are different, they have much in common in health risk management when we receive such patients in that they are undetectable by all our five senses and require personal protective equipment (PPE). On the other hand, there are some notable points on preparedness and response for their risk management. We cannot detect SARS-CoV-2 in real-time but can sterilize them with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. RI is difficult to be decontaminated entirely but detectable in real-time with a suitable radiation survey instrument. Under the COVID-19 situation, it is a great challenge to deal simultaneously with a radiation protection and an infection control, especially in an emergency situation of radiation exposure. In order to overcome such difficulty, we at first compare the similarity and difference of risk management between RI exposure and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Then the points of attention are introduced how to manage the radio-contaminated patients with a coexistence of SARS-CoV-2, including the fundamental concept of zoning, PPE, and hand-over of equipment. © 2021 Japan Health Physics Society. All rights reserved.