Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been at its worst and the world is fighting to help global public health. In this aspect the role played by polymers and polymeric materials including plastics as the main material in medical devices, personal protective equipment for health care workers is huge. Advantages like mass production, lower cost and possibilities for sterilization and disinfection of the plastic materials make them an inevitable material in healthcare sector. Apart from plastics, anti-viral and anti-microbial coatings, polymeric nanocomposites and functional polymers have been introduced as a helping tool against COVID-19. This review focuses on the application of polymers, and polymeric materials in COVID-19 pandemic. Usage of plastics and its applications in healthcare and related sectors have been reviewed. The major challenges faced and future prospects on the usage of polymers have also been discussed.
Highlights
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented global crisis that, by many calculations will have a deep and devastating economic and social impact on the scale of the Great Depression.This crisis gave plastics a major image makeover amongst consumers; there is a widely held outlook that plastic products are safer and cleaner than the recycled and reusable solutions being touted earlier and are at the forefront of the fight to contain the spread of contagion
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been at its worst and the world is fighting to help global public health. In this aspect the role played by polymers and polymeric materials including plastics as the main material in medical devices, personal protective equipment for health care workers is huge
Apart from plastics, anti-viral and anti-microbial coatings, polymeric nanocomposites and functional polymers have been introduced as a helping tool against COVID-19
Summary
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented global crisis that, by many calculations will have a deep and devastating economic and social impact on the scale of the Great Depression. Because this crisis will cause deep destruction of personal wealth and economic uncertainty, consumers will reduce discretionary spending on leisure, entertainment, travel and tourism, and eating out, which will impact related plastics consumption. Health regulatory bodies worldwide like Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), WHO and United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have laid down strict protocols to be followed by healthcare workers They consist of using personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks, respirators, gloves, coveralls, safety goggles, face shields, foot cover and hair cover. A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates about 0.5 kg of plastic bio-waste is generated per hospital bed per day during the COVID-19 crisis [9] [10]
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