Medical Waste Increase During COVID-۱۹ Pandemic in Asia: A Meta-analysis

The coronavirus disease ۲۰۱۹ (COVID-۱۹) prevalence increased hospital admissions and caused a higher rate of medical waste. In this study, the status of medical wastes and recommended disinfecting methods were reviewed before and during the COVID-۱۹ pandemic in Asia. The published papers, library searching, and website browsing with no language restrictions were used to conduct this analytical-descriptive study before the pandemic until the early months of ۲۰۲۰. The results showed that generation rates of medical waste (GRMW), including surgical gloves, face masks, and the like increased by ۱۰%, ۱۲%, ۲۳%, ۲۸%, ۹۷%, ۴۲۵, and ۱۲۶۲% in Iran, Tehran, China, Malaysia, Dhaka, Wuhan, and King Abdullah University Hospital, respectively, in ۲۰۲۰ regarding the normal period without any pandemic. The capital or the most engaged city in each country produced higher GRMW compared with the whole country so that the GRMW in Iran, Bangladesh, and China were ۱۳.۲%, ۲۹.۲%, and ۷۰.۴% lower than that in Tehran, Dhaka, and Wuhan, respectively. The GRMW also indicated reverse trends with the number of hospital beds, population, and accumulated confirmed cases.