Factors associated with medical waste under pandemic situation: a case study of the Kingdom of Bahrain

Exploring the factors influencing medical waste generation is vital for proper management due to its hazardous nature. Improper treatment would cause secondary environmental pollution, especially related to public health emergencies. However, there is not enough research on exploring COVID-19-associated factors with medical waste generation, and there is a lack of basic understanding of implementing governmental policies related to the pandemic. The medical waste generated due to COVID-19 is directly or indirectly influenced by government policies. The aim of this study is to explore the factors associated with COVID-19 that impact the amount of medical waste in Bahrain. Data about the quantities of COVID-19 waste (CW) from February 2020 to May 2022 were obtained from Bahrain Waste Treatment Company BWTC. Data about predictors related to COVID-19 were obtained from the public domain. The structural equation modeling SEM technique was applied using AMOS software to identify the driving forces. The model results revealed that the vaccination and newly infected cases are statistically significant predictors for waste generation during the pandemic, with standardized coefficients of 0.77 and 0.20, respectively. But the factors, number of tests, and deaths are not statistically significant. Moreover, the stringency index factor moderates the relationship between the CW and the two predictors, vaccination and new cases. In dealing with this sudden increase in medical waste, the incineration facility has been outstripped and faced immense pressure over handling medical waste generated during COVID-19. Therefore, this study recommends increasing the number of medical waste facilities. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]