Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Treatment Facility Design (WHO)

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. This course provides principles, minimum requirements and technical specifications to design and set up SARI-related facilities through short lectures and technical tutorials. It targets personnel involved in preparedness and response, including health managers and planners, architects, engineers, logistics, water and sanitation staff, clinical and nursing staff, carers and other health care providers, and health promoters.

Learning objectives: By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• describe the key principles driving SARI treatment centres and dedicated screening points design;
• draft and evaluate a SARI treatment centre layout, including triage and different risk areas, with clear and rational flows of people and material;
• describe different types of ventilation and exhaustive air treatments;
• describe the referral pathway and patient’s journey;
• assess and evaluate available existing structures;
• identify key and essential structural elements to repurpose an existing building into a SARI treatment centre; and
• adapt an existing building into a SARI treatment centre.