COVID-19 PANDEMIA DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES FOR THE WELLBEING OF SEAFARERS
Seafarer’s problems during the COVID-19 pandemia
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused several difficulties to seafarers and still represents a challenging problem for many of them.
The main difficulties included the problems in conducting crew changeovers, in the provision of medical care for sick and injured crew, allowing for shore leave and the inability to resupply or repatriate crews.
Lacking appropriate diagnostic facilities on board ships caused a lot of concerns in case of a simple fever, the worry of spreading the infection,etc
TelePharmaTec solutions To help the maritime industry to face appropriately health problems and concerns and to contribute to the seafarer’s wellbeing TelePharmaTec proposes advanced diagnostic solutions for the diagnosis of COVID-19 positive seafarers among the crew members already present on board (with Naso-pharyngeal/Oro-pharyngeal swabs) as well as for seafarers before boarding (by assessing the previous exposure to Covid-19 virus thanks to the dosing of IgG/IgM Covid-19 antibodies. |
Naso-pharyngeal/Oro-pharyngeal swab for detection of 2019–novel Coronavirus 2019-N Cov (COVID-19) This test indicates the presence of the virus in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts and represents the most reliable proof of having contracted the infection. The test is recommended for people on board ships to assess the presence of infected individuals and can be done on board by properly trained/protected people. Test samples will be shipped by express mail to TelePharmaTec for analysis. Test results will be provided within 48 hours after the receipt of samples. Services offered: – Training of an officer to make naso-oro-pharyngeal swab – Provision of flexible naso-oro-pharyngeal swabs – Preparation of the seafarer’s health card (SHC) with the list of the main health parameters of each seafarer – Instructions of how to ship specimens to TelePharmaTec – Test results certificate and update of the SHC. |
Rapid serological test for detecting IgG/IgM COVID-19 antibodies
This test indicates the immune response to the Covid-19 and therefore that a person positive to the test (with IgG/IgM Covid-19 antibodies) was exposed to the virus and therefore has contracted the infection in the 15-7 days preceding the test.
The test is recommended for people before boarding. People negative to the test can be enrolled on board. People with positive test should be discarded and signaled to national health authorities for further actions.
Seafarers to be enrolled can make the test home under the remote supervision of the TelePharmaTec team. The results are obtained in less than 30 min.
People enrolled and boarded should repeat the test 3 weeks after the first one on board of the ship. This second test is required to guarantee that in the elapse of time required to develop Covid-19 antibodies between the first test and the time of the second one, it was no contact with the virus.
Services offered:
- Instructions of how to collect blood samples and to make analysis
- Remote supervision of the 1st test by the TelePharmaTec team
- Preparation of the seafarer’s health card (SHC) with the list of the main health parameters of each seafarer
- Collection and inclusion in the SHC of the results of the test
- Test results certificate and update of the SHC.