94 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com For the rest of the 2020s, as COVID-related illnesses and viable treatments battle for the upper hand, medical waste is not only looming, it could easily end up deciding whether we’ll face more global concerns or enjoy the benefits of medical stability. “In terms of the scale, it’s massive,” said Maggie Montgomery, technical officer with the World Health Organization. “We know that 1 in 3 care facilities globally before the pandemic lacked ways to safely segregate and treat waste.” MEDICAL WASTE: ON THE EDGE OF A CRISIS By L. C. Leach III Since COVID arrived early in 2020, there have been many increasing global health threats – pneumonia, streptococcus group A, lung infections, fungal pathogens and the mounting likelihood of additional pandemic viruses. But one threat not that many people are talking about, which ironically comes from hospitals and facilities battling COVID, is medical waste.
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