By Yassmine Moustafa

The battle to combat the coronavirus in Lebanon requires the concerted efforts of all workers in various healthcare sectors.

In this battle - as in military battles - there is no place for cowardice, hesitation, panic, or surrender.   Since the first coronavirus case was announced in Lebanon, designated hospitals stood as the first line of defense.

Medical and nursing staff as well as service personnel began treating COVID-19 patients.   There are many anonymous soldiers in these hospitals.

The least we can do is show gratitude and throw the spotlight on their efforts, sacrifices and the challenges they face.   20-year-old Abdullah Hamadi is one of those soldiers.

He works as a sterilizer technician in the emergency department for coronavirus patients at the state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

He tells Al-Ahed about his own experience with the coronavirus pandemic.   Abdullah’s day starts early.

He arrives to work at 6 a.m.

on his motorbike.

After setting aside his civilian clothes in a sterilized place, he enters the section designated for COVID-19 patients.

He puts on his hospital gown, goggles, gloves and mask.

And he is ready for work.   Abdullah's work entails sterilizing quarantine rooms for COVID-19 patient, the elevator in the department, and the ambulances.

He also collects the medical waste on a daily basis.   According to Abdullah, the task requires speed.

Before a patient’s arrival, he disinfects the room including the furniture, the floor, and the bed.

He follows the same steps when the patient leaves.   When asked about how he deals with members of his family after returning from work, Abdullah explains that he only lives with his brother.

At 5 p.m., he removes the protective suit, takes a bath, puts on his clean clothes, and heads home.   Abdullah voluntarily chose his current occupation to secure his livelihood.

He says there is no place for fear or cowardice as his job is a humanitarian and moral obligation above all else.

He follows preventive measures and uses what he know about the virus to keep himself as well as his surrounding safe.   The sterilization and cleaning protocol at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital   Since the beginning of the health crisis, the state-run hospital used special machines to disinfects quarantine rooms for coronavirus patients.

One of these machines is the Sony FAP that uses steam and a disinfectant solution for glass, furniture, and walls.

Each cleaning kit stays in the patient’s room.

When the patient is discharged, the kit is disposed of, and a new one is made available for the next patient.   Hassan Tarjuman supervises the cleaners.

He outlines the existing mechanism that workers use to sterilize the rooms.   “Cleaners wear a protective suit from head to toe.

One cleaner enters the room, collects the garbage, and disinfects the room.

Another cleaner waits at the door with a special waste bag.

The former throws the waste in the double bag, and the latter takes it carefully for disposal,” Tarjuman said.   When it comes to contact with family members, Tarjuman affirms that cleaners either live alone or with one or two other people at the most.

Others live with their co-workers, but they rarely meet since one works the morning shift and the other in the evening.   "They are well trained to work under sensitive health conditions," Tarjuman said.

He notes that they worked in the intensive care unit, coronary care unit, and isolation rooms before the coronavirus crisis.

Since there are many similarities between the nature of their tasks in these units and the coronavirus unit, “we are confident in their ability to work and continue with high spirits.”   Dar Al Amal Hospital Protocol: One cleaner works while the other self-isolates   The chief of services and the cleaning department at Dar Al Amal University Hospital, Hassan Shouman, reveals the mechanism in place for assigning workers.   "Workers alternate.

One person would be working, while the other is in a 14-day quarantine.

Then, they swap roles.

When the quarantine period is completed, they are allowed to go home to their families and then return to work,” Shouman said.

“Having one cleaner for a certain period of time instead of an entire team reduces the possibility of an outbreak of the infection among medical personnel, especially since there is no pressure on the hospital so far.”   How do cleaners at the Baalbek Governmental Hospital prepare for battle?   Cleaners at the Baalbak Governmental Hospital underwent intensive training courses and workshops on how to perform their duties properly.

They were also provided with required medical information on the nature of the virus, how it is transmitted, and the risk of infection.   Amal Younes, head of the operations department at Al-Nour services, a company contracted by the hospital to provide cleaners, confirms to Al-Ahed that the workers were instructed to “deal with patients as if everyone is infected with the virus until proven otherwise."   The procedures for cleaning and sterilization are the same as those in Hariri Hospital and Dar Al Amal