MANAMA — As part of its efforts to ensure the health and safety of patients and medical staff amid the outbreak of coronavirus, Bahrain Defence Force Hospital has procured the latest protective equipment, including portable isolation chambers designed to isolate and treat suspected active COVID-19 cases. The BDF Military Hospital is one of the first hospitals in the kingdom to install such equipment, according to Bahrain News Agency’s report. The BDF emergency department screens all patients by visual triage, identifying and quickly isolating suspected COVID-19 cases within the isolation chamber, which includes a safety measure put in place to ensure the safety of other patients and allows appropriate treatment to be provided by the medical staff. The state-of-the-art portable isolation chambers are equipped with medical technology available in standard isolation rooms, including negative pressure, UV light HEPA Filter that kills bacteria and viruses, and a fully equipped ICU bed. The 3x3 meter room conducts a minimum of 48 air changes per hour, well exceeding international standards. The portable chambers are designed to minimize direct contact with contagious patients, providing health-care workers the ability to dispose of all waste within the chamber safely and access all medical equipment with limited interaction. Additionally, the BDF Military Hospital is the first in Bahrain to acquire several isolation transport stretchers, a small-sized moveable isolation device used to safely isolate and transport infected patients. The chamber has its own negative pressure filtration and several glove portals which allow for safe access to the patients. It is worth noting that the BDF Military Hospital has always taken precautions from before the announcement of Bahrain’s first case, in cooperation with the National Medical Taskforce for Combating Coronavirus (COVID-19). The latest equipment has been used to carry out laboratory tests, and special rooms equipped with the latest modern technologies to isolate suspected cases have been provided. The BDF Military Hospital continues to support ongoing effort to mitigate the spread of the virus and to maintain the health and safety of all