COVID-19

COVID-19 STUDIES CARRIED OUT WITHIN OUR UNIVERSITY

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which affects all the world, various studies have been carried out within our university. Please see the following topics for detailed information on these studies

NEW PRECAUTIONS FOR THE COVID-19 BY THE PRESIDENCY OF TURKEY

• There will be a curfew in the weekdays between 9 PM and 5 AM.

• The curfew will continue to be implemented from every Friday at 9 PM to every Monday at 5 AM.

• Citizens will be able to visit the bakery stores located within walking distance during the curfew.

• Supermarkets, grocery stores and butchers will be open between 10 AM and 5 PM at the weekends.

• Citizens who are over the age of 65 and below the age of 20, except for the ones stated in the previous precautions, will not be able to use public transport.

• Nurseries and kindergartens will be suspended.

• Meetings indoors with friends and family and meetings for religious rituals and celebrations such as new year will be suspended.

• Funerals and weddings will be held with a maximum of 30 people.

• Bath, sauna, swimming pools, massage parlours and funfairs will be closed.

• Public health councils will announce the maximum number of the citizens to visit the shopping malls where HES code to be required to visit.

• The working hours of the public institutes and organizations will be changed as 10 AM to 4 PM.

International Student Admissions in Pandemic Period

We provide health services to all our international students with our 9 university hospitals.

Coronavirus-secure measures have been taken in our country to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The issues related to the entry of our citizens coming from abroad and foreign nationals in our country have been rearranged with the circular of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated 11.06.2020 and numbered E.9288.

Under the Ministry of Internal Affairs rules, necessary measures to contain the spread of disease, especially for travel and transportation during the coronavirus pandemic, were taken.

COVID-19 Measures for Aviation

• Passengers and other persons at the airports will be provided with services under the rules determined for the COVID-19 outbreak.
• During the flight, passengers should complete the passenger information form including personal information, seat number, address, contact, and symptom information. Also, COVID-19 Information Note will be given to all passengers. These forms will be kept for a month in case requested by the relevant Provincial Health Directorate.
• Aircraft GEN-DEC form will be requested when the plane lands at the airport.
• Passengers should leave the plane in accordance with the social distance rules and reach the terminal. Upon arrival at the point of entry, passengers firstly pass the temperature screening. Passengers with fever detected will be questioned for symptoms.
• If a passenger is found to be diagnosed with COVID-19, persons who have been contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 will be identified. Identity, contact, and address information of persons will be submitted to the relevant Provincial Health Directorate.
• In the post-flight period, if a passenger gets infected by the coronavirus, persons contact with those diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms will be identified from the passenger information form.
• Persons contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms will quarantine for 14 days and follow the rules undertaken the measures for COVID-19.
• Passengers who have not been infected by coronavirus are allowed to leave the airport within the rules taken.

COVID-19 Measures for Highways;

• Passengers and other persons will be provided with services under the rules determined for the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Passengers passing by public vehicles (bus, train, etc.) must fill the Passenger Information Form. Also, COVID-19 Information Note will be given to all passengers.
• Before the passport procedures at border crossing points, body temperature of all passengers is checked by the temperature screening. Then, Passenger Information Forms will be collected. Passenger Information Forms will be checked one by one by the staff, and if a passenger with symptoms, the passenger will be quarantined/isolated and 112 will be informed about the passenger and the passenger will be transferred to the hospital for examinations.
• These forms will be kept by the relevant Provincial Health Directorate land border teams for a month, with the public transportation company, the expedition number, the country of origin and the license plate of the vehicle.
• If a passenger is found to be diagnosed with COVID-19, persons who have been contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 will be identified. Identity, contact, and address information of persons will be submitted to the relevant Provincial Health Directorate.
• Passengers who have not been infected by coronavirus are allowed to leave taking the COVID-19 Information Note.
• Persons contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms will be quarantined for 14 days and must follow the rules undertaken the measures for COVID-19. Also, these persons are warned not to go out of the route of the destination.
• Entering the terminal without a mask will not be allowed.

COVID-19 Measures for Maritime;

• Passengers and other persons arriving at the ports will be provided with services under the rules determined for the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Passengers in ports should complete the passenger information form including personal information, seat number, address, contact, and symptom information. Also, COVID-19 Information Note will be given to all passengers. These forms will be kept for a month in case requested by the relevant Provincial Health Directorate.
• A GEN-DEC is requested from the captain whether there is a person with symptoms.
• Passenger Information Forms will be checked one by one by the staff, and if a passenger with symptoms, the passenger will be quarantined/isolated and 112 will be informed about the passenger and the passenger will be transferred to the hospital for examinations.
• If a passenger is found to be diagnosed with COVID-19, persons who have been contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 will be identified. Identity, contact, and address information of persons will be submitted to the relevant Provincial Health Directorate.
• If a passenger gets infected by the coronavirus in the post-travel period , persons contact with those diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms will be identified from the passenger information form.
• Persons contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms will quarantine for 14 days and follow the rules undertaken the measures for COVID-19.
• Passengers who have not been infected by coronavirus are allowed to leave the port within the rules taken.

Research & Development Studies

Project Name: Development of drugs to reduce external dependence against COVID-19 pandemic with new synthesis methods.

Istanbul Medipol University supports the drug and vaccine development studies against COVID-19 carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). Within the scope of TUBITAK ARDEB 1004 High-Tech Platform Call, Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Guzel, School of Medicine Department of Medical Pharmacology, and his team are working on the development of drugs and raw materials to reduce external dependence against COVID-19.

The drug project, which is expected to have a significant impact on the treatment of the virus, foresees the development of drugs given to patients in three clinics by synthesising. The budget of the project supported by TUBITAK was determined as approximately 9 million TRY. TUBITAK has guaranteed to meet 1.7 million TRY of this amount. Atabay Pharmaceutics will cover the rest of the budget.

• Within the scope of the Call for Applied Project Cooperation in Drug Development by Health Institutes of Turkey, the project of Assoc. Prof. Nihal Karakas, School of Medicine, has been accepted. The project includes a new approach to the treatment of COVID-19.
• Istanbul Medipol University took part as a partner in the “Dynamic SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 Diagnostic Kit Development and Production” project prepared by Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University to be submitted to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Resilience Program.

Our role in the project is to contribute to the development of the project idea. The processes of obtaining patient samples and performing validation tests will be managed.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE STUDIES DURING COVID-19 PERIOD

Istanbul Medipol University takes part as a partner in the project “Engineer-doctor fast cooperation network and remote patient monitoring/treatment systems for intensive care needs and difficulties” prepared by Koç University School of Engineering to be submitted to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Endurance Program.

Our role in the project: The design of the project and study was developed jointly by Dr. Yahya Yıldız and Prof. Dr. Kerem Pekkan. Assoc. Prof. Fahrettin Ersin Alaca planned the usability parts of the project.

Total Number of the Outpatients: 9.713

Number of the Inpatients: 534

Intense Care Unit: 82

Number of the Recovered Inpatients: 101

New Ideas and Plans in Distance Education After the Pandemic

Since March 23, 2020, all courses have been held online. All measurements and evaluations, including exams and assignments, have also held online. Making up the infrastructure systems suitable necessary for distance education, which covers the whole of the university, has also provided at the beginning of the pandemic.

The topics planned for post-pandemic in distance education are as follows:

• Reviewing the decisions of the formal program courses to hold selected courses online, not exceeding 30% for each program,
• Amending programs for the blended learning model,
• Making up improvements to increase the functionality of measurements and evaluations in the distance,
• Advancing and editing digital contents and establishing of a related unit in the university,
• Activities for instructors to be sufficient and improved in distance education systems.

Community Service Practices

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE STUDIES DURING COVID-19 PERIOD

• School of Medicine of Istanbul Medipol University made a project application to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Endurance Program with the “screening of risky groups in Istanbul with the COVID-19 rapid diagnosis” project.

Project Abstract: With the support of the Istanbul Medipol University Scientific Research Project, the first sample of the COVID-19 rapid diagnostic kit applicable in the field has been developed. The first sample was supported by Health Institutes of Turkey (TÜSEB) with a budget of nearly 500,000 TL. Field studies were carried out, and it was brought into the final product format. With this product, developed within the scope of the project, screening studies will be carried out in identified risky areas.

• School of Dentistry of Istanbul Medipol University made a project application to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Endurance Program with the “COVID-19 Preventive Dentistry (CO-DİŞ) Project”.

Project Abstract: A mobile application will be developed in which volunteer dentists will work, to protect the public and healthcare workers from the COVID-19 and to minimize the risk of dental chair related cross-infection. A consultation system, which will expand primarily in Istanbul later in Turkey, will be created through the mobile application.

• Istanbul Medipol University took part as a partner in the “Digital Psychodupport and Interactive Mentoring Platform” project prepared by the Mental Health Association to be submitted to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Resilience Program.

Our role in the project is to support the preparation of the content of the videos to be created within the scope of the project, to determine the content and participant details for the interactive online seminar and to provide academic support during the project.

• Istanbul Medipol University took part as a participant in the “We Are Home TV/Interactive Internet Television” project prepared by the Server Young Ladies Youth and Sports Club Association to be submitted to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Resilience Program.

Our role in the project is to contribute to dissemination and content development processes.

• Istanbul Medipol University Technology Transfer Office took part as a participant in the “International Commercialization Platform for Istanbul Health and Technology Companies” project by Jupiter Girişim to be submitted to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Resilience Program.

Our role in the project is to support the platform to be established within the scope of the project, to encourage entrepreneurs working in the field of health to participate in the project.

• School of Communication of Istanbul Medipol University took part as a participant in the “Economy and Social Media Management of Disadvantaged Groups in New Media during the Pandemic Period” project by the Server Media Literacy Association to be submitted to the Istanbul Development Agency’s COVID-19 Fight and Resilience Program.

Our role in the project is to establish contacts in operational processes, to provide support and academic consultancy in the achievable figures of the project.

Community Service Practices of the Psychological Counselling Unit

• Due to the shutting down of schools for three weeks as of March 16 according to the statements made by the Ministry of Health and Council of Higher Education of Turkey on March 13, 2020, the Psychological Counselling and Guidance unit started to give consultation students online.
• All the consultants were reached one by one by phone, and they were informed that they should create a Skype account and that we could continue the therapy sessions through Skype.
• As of March 16, 2020, we continued online consultancy on Skype with all our consultants.
• Our consultants who were on the waiting list were reached by phone and an appointment was made for them as well.
• It was announced that the Psychological Counselling and Guidance Unit was providing online service on the “Announcements” section of our website www.medipol.edu.tr on April 7, 2020.
• Considering the applications received by our unit, a “COVID-19 Anxiety Group” was established and group therapy was created.

• Our unit continues to provide online therapy sessions for the students of our university during the pandemic, both with individual and group counselling.

Production of consumables materials and machine-equipment

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE STUDIES DURING COVID-19 PERIOD

Enderun Entrepreneurship Center operates under Istanbul Medipol University Technology Transfer Office. Face shields are produced for healthcare workers since March 31, 2020, in our Entrepreneurship Center with 3D printers. Also, two laryngoscopes were produced in line with the request of a hospital. The face shields produced were first delivered to hospitals and health practice centres affiliated to Istanbul Medipol University. As production increases, face shields have also been delivered and continues to be delivered to public hospitals, family health centres, oral and dental health centres/hospitals, and healthcare workers in filiation teams.

1,801 face shield requests have been received from institutions so far, as a result of the announcements we made. 641 of these requests were met and delivered to the requested institutions. Currently, the production and preparation process for 1,160 face shields continues. The table below contains the information and current status of the institutions that have requested face shield until this time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue manufacturing and supporting hospitals/centres who are requested from us.

Table: Mask Request Status of the Institutions