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Background: There are limited population-representative data that describe the potential burden of Post-COVID conditions (PCC) in Mexico. We estimated the prevalence of PCC overall and by sociodemographic characteristics among a representative sample of adults previously diagnosed with COVID-19 in Mexico. We additionally, characterized the PCC symptoms, and estimated the association between diagnosed type-2 diabetes and hypertension with PCC. Methods: We used data from the 2021 National Health and Nutrition Survey in Mexico, a nationally and regionally representative survey, from August 1st to October 31st, 2021. Using the WHO definition, we estimated the prevalence of PCC by sociodemographics and prevalence of PCC symptoms. We fit multivariable log-binomial regression models to estimate the associations. Results: The prevalence of PCC was 37.0%. The most common persistent symptoms were fatigue (56.8%), myalgia or arthralgia (47.5%), respiratory distress and dyspnea (42.7%), headache (34.0%), and cough (25.7%). The prevalence was higher in older people, women, and individuals with low socioeconomic status. There was no significant association between hypertension and PCC or diabetes and PCC prevalence. Conclusions: About one-third of the adult Mexican population who had COVID-19 in 2021 had Post-COVID conditions. Our population-based estimates can help assess potential priorities for PCC-related health services, which is critical in light of our weak health system and limited funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited studies have explored the association between clinical symptoms and titers of SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies. Study Design and Methods: In this cross‐sectional study, whole‐blood donors who had experienced a confirmed or suspected COVID‐19 infection completed questionnaires at the time of blood donation. Plasma SARS‐CoV‐2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers were measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) for high‐titer COVID‐19 convalescent plasma (CCP) for each variable. Results: Among the total 386 donors, 120 (31%) donors with IgG titers ≥1:160 were classified as high‐titer donors. The multivariable ORs (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for high titers were 2.33 (1.45–3.75), 2.11 (1.29–3.43), 1.10 (1.01–1.21), 1.19 (1.00–1.43), and 1.97 (1.05–3.71) for sore throat, cough, symptom count, fever duration, and low fever (compared with non‐fever), respectively. No significant association was observed between other symptoms and medical visits and the odds of high‐titer CCP. The association between high‐titer CCP and fever duration was restricted to confirmed COVID‐19‐infected donors, while associations with sore throat and cough remained significant in suspected infected donors. In addition, medical visit was positively associated with high‐titer CCP in suspected donors, but not in confirmed donors. In bootstrapped logistic regression models, the associations remained significant and reproducible for medical visit in suspected donors and for sore throat and cough in both suspected donors and total donors. Discussion: Experiencing a sore throat and cough were associated with high‐titer CCP in overall donors. We also identified sore throat, cough, and medical visits as potential predictors of high‐titer CCP for suspected donors during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Virtual ward (VW) models of care established during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic provided safe and equitable provision of ambulatory care for low‐risk patients; however, little is known about patients who require escalation of care to hospitals from VWs. Aim: To assess our VW model of care and describe the characteristics of patients admitted to the hospital from the VW. Methods: Observational study of all patients admitted to a tertiary hospital COVID‐19 VW between 1 December 2021 and 30 June 2022. Utilisation and epidemiological characteristics were assessed for all patients while additional demographics, assessments, treatments and outcomes were assessed for patients admitted to the hospital from the VW. Results: Of 9494 patient admissions, 269 (2.83%) patients identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 1774 (18.69%) were unvaccinated. The median length of stay was 5.10 days and the mean Index of Relative Socio‐economic Advantage and Disadvantage decile was 5.73. One hundred sixty (1.69%) patients were admitted to the hospital from the VW, of which 25 were adults admitted to medical wards. Of this cohort, prominent comorbidities were obesity, hypertension, asthma and frailty, while the main symptoms on admission to the VW were cough, fatigue, nausea and sore throat. High Pandemic Respiratory Infection Emergency System Triage (PRIEST), Veterans Health Administration COVID‐19 (VACO), COVID Home Safely Now (CHOSEN) and 4C mortality scores existed for those readmitted. Conclusions: This VW model of care was both safe and effective when applied to a broad socioeconomic population during the COVID‐19 pandemic. While readmission to the hospital was low, this study identified key characteristics of such presentations, which may assist future triaging, escalation and resource allocation within VWs during the COVID‐19 pandemic and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The pandemic situation of the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) and its associated disease (coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)) represents a challenging condition with a plethora of aspects. The course of COVID-19 in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and rheumatic diseases (RD) is not well known. Our study is one step toward closing this gap by collecting data on vaccination rates, infection-free survival, and individual symptom severity. Methods. We conducted a prospective questionnaire-based study between April 2022 and October 2022 at our university hospital. Outward patients over the age of 18 years were screened for participation and reported about their infection/infection-free survival since the start of the pandemic. Results. Finally, 156 patients were included in the study, 117 (75.0%) of which had inflammatory bowel disease and 39 (25.0%) patients with rheumatic disease. Altogether, 143 (91.7%) persons had received at least one vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. A total of 153 patients provided information regarding their COVID-19 history: 81 patients (52.0%) self-reported about their SARS-CoV-2 infection. In general, courses of infection were mild: only two patients (2.5% of patients with reported COVID-19) were hospitalized due to COVID-19 with one (1.2%) of the two needing intensive care. Asymptomatic COVID-19 had been described by 7 persons (8.6% of patients with reported COVID-19). Acute COVID-19 was accompanied by fatigue/tiredness in 58 persons (71.6% of patients with history of COVID-19) as the most frequent symptom. Other complaints were common cold (55 patients = 67.9%), cough (51 patients = 63.0%), headache (44 patients = 54.3%), and fever (35 patients = 43.2%). Stratified by vaccination status (unvaccinated vs. at least once vaccinated), the time to infection differed significantly (logrank test: p = 0.04 , Chi2 4.1). At least once vaccinated people had a median COVID-19-free survival of 28.5 months (confidence interval (CI): 23.6 months-not reached). Without any vaccination, the estimated time to infection was 25.1 months (CI: 23.6 months-not reached). Conclusion. Our IMID patients have a high rate of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. Data show a significantly longer infection-free survival in vaccinated IMID patients as compared to unvaccinated patients. Discrimination between symptoms of COVID-19 and a concomitant inflammatory disease is difficult as complaints might be overlapping. This trial is registered with DRKS00028880. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: After recovering from COVID-19, patients may experience persistent symptoms, known as post-COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID, which include a range of continuing health problems. This research explores the prevalence, associated factors, and overall health outcomes of long COVID during a period of extensive vaccination and antiviral treatment availability in Thailand. Materials and Methods: This observational study involved 390 adult patients with COVID-19 between January and March 2022. Beginning three months after their diagnosis, these patients were interviewed via telephone every three months for a period of one year. The data collection process included gathering demographic information and administering a standardized questionnaire that addressed the patients' physical condition following COVID-19, their mental health, sleep disturbances, and overall quality of life. Results: The cohort consisted of 390 participants, with an average age of 31.8 ± 13.6. Among them, 96.7% (n = 377) were vaccinated, and 98.2% (n = 383) underwent antiviral treatment. Long-COVID prevalence was observed at 77.7%, with the most frequently reported symptoms being fatigue (64.1%) and cough (43.9%). Regarding mental health, depression was reported by 8.2% of the participants, anxiety by 4.1%, and poor sleep quality by 33.3%. Advanced statistical analysis using multivariable logistic regression showed significant links between long-COVID symptoms and patients aged below 60 (p = 0.042), as well as the initial symptom of cough (p = 0.045). In the subset of long-COVID sufferers, there was a notable correlation in females with symptoms such as headaches (p = 0.001), dizziness (p = 0.007), and brain fog (p = 0.013). Conclusions: Despite the extensive distribution of vaccines and antiviral therapies, the prevalence of long COVID remains high, being associated particularly with individuals under 60 and those exhibiting a cough as an early symptom. The study further reveals that mental health issues related to long COVID are profound, going beyond the scope of physical symptomatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Dry cough is a prevalent symptom of COVID-19. During the pandemic, people may mistake this cough for symptoms associated with other respiratory diseases. This increases the risk of individuals with a cough being falsely judged as having COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate the impact of coughing in public places on adults' mental and social well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the role of demographic factors in the relationship between coughing and psychosocial life in public places in the western region of Saudi Arabia. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted in the western region of Saudi Arabia, targeting healthy adults aged ≥18 years. The participants were randomly selected using a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected through a self-administered validated questionnaire to explore the psychosocial impact of coughing in public places during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the questionnaire collected demographic information, smoking habits, cough frequency, consumption of cough medications, history of mild respiratory diseases, and family history of chronic respiratory illnesses. The mean and standard deviation were used to calculate continuous variables, and frequency and percentages were used to present categorical variables. We analyzed the relationships between study variables using the analysis of variance test. RESULTS 288 adults participated in the study, with a 67.2% agreement score. 82.0% of the participants avoided people who coughed in public, while 51.8% felt angry and frustrated when someone coughed in public during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 has changed how people react to coughing in public. Mild coughs can be mistaken for COVID-19, leading to avoidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: At the end of 2022, the COVID-19 outbreak erupted in China, and BA.5.2 or BF.7 subtypes of Omicron novel variations were implicated in more than 90% of the cases. We created a real-world questionnaire survey to better understand how this new variant pandemic was affecting rheumatic patients in China. Methods: During the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the subjects of this study were rheumatic patients and non-rheumatic individuals (control group), who were matched for sex and age. Professional physicians carefully questioned the participants before administering a questionnaire as part of the study. This study focused on the general baseline characteristics, clinical symptoms and treatment after COVID-19 infection, and the target populations' awareness of COVID-19. Results: The study included 1130 participants, of whom 572 were assigned to the rheumatic group and 558 to the control group. The percentage of vaccinated controls was significantly higher than that of rheumatic patients (90.1% vs. 62.8%, p < 0.001), while the rate of COVID-19 infection was not significantly different between the two groups (82.3% vs. 86.6%, p = 0.051). Patients with rheumatic disease experienced substantially more days of fever following infection (2.87 ± 3.42 vs. 2.18 ± 1.65, p = 0.002) compared to individuals in the control group. The rheumatic patients had a greater prevalence of cough (67.1% vs. 54.0%, p < 0.001), somnipathy (13.8% vs. 6.0%, p < 0.001), and conjunctivitis/ophthalmodynia (5.3% vs. 2.1%, p = 0.008), while dry throat/throat pain/weakness (49.9% vs. 59.4%, p = 0.003), myalgia/osteodynia (33.3% vs. 41.8%, p = 0.003), and dyspnea (14.0% vs. 25.3%, p < 0.001) were more likely to occur in non-rheumatic group after infection. Human immunoglobulin (2.1% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.006), glucocorticoids (19.5% vs. 1.6%, p < 0.001), oxygen support (6.8% vs. 2.1%, p < 0.001), and traditional Chinese medicine (21.9% vs. 16.6%, p = 0.037) were all more frequently used by rheumatic patients with COVID-19 infection. People in the control group were more confused about whether to use masks in following social activities after contracting COVID-19 (14.7% vs. 7.6%, p = 0.001). In the control group, more individuals than patients with rheumatic disease (25.1% vs. 13.4%, p < 0.001) expressed an interest to receive the vaccine again. After being exposed to COVID-19, the majority of rheumatic patients (66.9%) reported no discernible change, only 29.1% reported a worsening of their symptoms, and the remaining 4% indicated an improvement. Conclusions: After the COVID-19 outbreak in China, the proportion of patients with rheumatic diseases infected with the virus was similar to that of normal individuals. But the clinical symptoms, follow-up treatment requirements, and awareness of the COVID-19 among rheumatic patients were distinct from those among non-rheumatic patients, necessitating the use of individualized diagnosis and treatment plans as well as health advice by medical professionals in clinical work. Key Points • Despite there were different comorbidities and vaccination rates, the rate of COVID-19 infection in patients with rheumatic disease was similar to that of normal individuals. • After COVID-19 infection, rheumatic patients and normal controls had different clinical symptoms and drug usage. • After being exposed to COVID-19, the majority of rheumatic patients felt no significant change in the primary disease, while the normal controls was more likely to accept a new vaccine injection and confused about whether to use masks in following social activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection alongside with influenza and RSV, the major viral agents in pediatric disordes, may be an important concern to the healthcare system. Clinical outcomes of the interaction are unknown. The aim of this systematic review is to contribute at establishing the prevalence of the co-infection, its clinical outcomes and potential risk factors. Methods. A systematical literature search was performed for papers published in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Pedro and Cochrane Library, from January 2020 - the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic - to June 2023. Our review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methods. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they approached the co-infection COVID 19 and influenza or RSV, and were available in English. Due to the fact that studies conducted on pediatric population are scarce, we included patients of all ages. Results. Out of 159 articles found, 12 were eligible for inclusion. The prevalence of co-infection was between 5% and 12 % for influenza viruses and 10% for RSV. The most common symptoms were high-grade fever, cough, headache, and shortness of breath and the most frequent complications were pneumonia and respir-atory distress. In terms of laboratory findings, co-infected patients presented with signifi-cant lymphopenia and pronounced inflammatory response, as well as a progressive ten-dency towards pneumonia and respiratory distress. Regarding the clinical outcomes of co-infection, the majority of articles indicated that simultaneous infection with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza predisposes to a more severe course of the disease(s), with a longer length of hospital stay and an increased risk of death. Conclusion. Our study underlines that the frequency of such co-infections, although not very high, predisposes to more frequent hos-pitalisations and a longer length of stay, complications including admission to intensive care and more severe outcomes, including life-threatening events. It is therefore essential to determine the epidemiological impact of such an interaction nowadays, in order to in-form and adjust treatment and control and prevention strategies, for limiting co-infection between major respiratory viruses. Due to the lack of studies on children, we were unable to identify specific features of co-infections in this population. Therefore, more studies are needed to evaluate the paediatric population and consequently, our doctoral research en-deavour is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the tear and conjunctival secretions of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients. Methods: A total of 152 consecutive COVID-19 patients, confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test in nasopharyngeal swabs, were included. The conjunctival swabs were taken from both eyes by the same ophthalmologist in the first 24-36 hours after positive test results for COVID-19 in the nasopharyngeal swabs were detected. Results: Of the 152 patients, 96 (63.15%) were male and 56 (36.85%) were female. The mean age was 39.36±13.15 years. Sixteen (10.5%) patients had symptoms or findings such as tearing, stinging, redness, pain, and burning in their eyes. RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in conjunctival swabs were positive in 13 (8.55%) of 152 COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: This study showed that SARS-CoV-2 may be found in the conjunctival swabs of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients, and ocular secretions may be a possible route for virus transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in children hospitalized due to COVID-19 during the era of pre-Omicron and Omicron variants. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted at a tertiary academic medical center in Thailand between June 2021 and August 2022. We collected the data of children aged under 18-year who were hospitalized from SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. After hospital discharge, we scheduled clinical follow-up 60 to 90 days post-infection clinical follow-up. We measured antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike protein receptor-binding domain in the serum during a follow-up visit and compared the mean difference of antibody levels between children infected with COVID-19 during the pre-Omicron and Omicron eras. Results: A total of 119 children enrolled into the study. There were 58 and 61 children hospitalized due to COVID-19 during pre-Omicron and Omicron era, respectively. The median (interquartile range, IQR) of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in all cases was 206.1 (87.9–424.1) U/mL at follow-up. Children infected during pre-Omicron had SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels at follow-up higher than children infected during Omicron era [mean difference 292.57 U/mL, 95% CI 53.85–531.28, p = 0.017). There was no difference in SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels between the children based on gender, age, co-morbidities, chest radiograph classification, or diagnosis. Conclusions: The antibodies response to SARS-CoV-2 infection was weaker during the Omicron era than previous variant of concern. Immunization strategies and policies should be implemented in children even if they had been previously infected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ethnic minorities living in high-income countries have been disproportionately affected by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in terms of infection rates, hospitalisations, and deaths; however, less is known about long COVID in these populations. Our aim was to examine the risk of long COVID and associated symptoms among ethnic minorities. Methods and findings: We used nationwide register-based cohort data on individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 aged ≥18 years (n = 2,286,955) between January 2020 and August 2022 in Denmark. We calculated the risk of long COVID diagnosis and long COVID symptoms among ethnic minorities compared with native Danes using multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression and logistic regression, respectively. Among individuals who were first time diagnosed with COVID-19 during the study period, 39,876 (1.7%) were hospitalised and 2,247,079 (98.3%) were nonhospitalised individuals. Of the diagnosed COVID-19 cases, 1,952,021 (85.3%) were native Danes and 334,934 (14.7%) were ethnic minorities. After adjustment for age, sex, civil status, education, family income, and Charlson comorbidity index, ethnic minorities from North Africa (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.12,1.79], p = 0.003), Middle East (aHR 1.38, 95% CI [1.24,1.55], p < 0.001), Eastern Europe (aHR 1.35, 95% CI [1.22,1.49], p < 0.001), and Asia (aHR 1.23, 95% CI [1.09,1.40], p = 0.001) had significantly greater risk of long COVID diagnosis than native Danes. In the analysis by largest countries of origin, the greater risks of long COVID diagnosis were found in people of Iraqi origin (aHR 1.56, 95% CI [1.30,1.88], p < 0.001), people of Turkish origin (aHR 1.42, 95% CI [1.24,1.63], p < 0.001), and people of Somali origin (aHR 1.42, 95% CI [1.07,1.91], p = 0.016). A significant factor associated with an increased risk of long COVID diagnosis was COVID-19 hospitalisation. The risk of long COVID diagnosis among ethnic minorities was more pronounced between January 2020 and June 2021. Furthermore, the odds of reporting cardiopulmonary symptoms (including dyspnoea, cough, and chest pain) and any long COVID symptoms were higher among people of North African, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, and Asian origins than among native Danes in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Despite including the nationwide sample of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, the precision of our estimates on long COVID was limited to the sample of patients with symptoms who had contacted the hospital. Conclusions: Belonging to an ethnic minority group was significantly associated with an increased risk of long COVID, indicating the need to better understand long COVID drivers and address care and treatment strategies in these populations. George F. Mkoma and colleagues examine the risk of long COVID and associated symptoms among ethnic minorities in Denmark. Author summary: Why was this study done?: Evidence indicates overrepresentation of ethnic minorities among those tested positive for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), hospitalised for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and died from COVID-19. After acute COVID-19 infection, many COVID-19 survivors experience a range of symptoms persisting beyond weeks or months, the condition known as long COVID. However, little is known about the risk of long COVID among ethnic minorities, and no existing studies had compared symptoms distribution before and after COVID-19 diagnosis in these populations. What did the researchers do and find?: A nationwide register-based cohort study was performed on individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 2020 and August 2022 in Denmark. We found that people of North African, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, and Asian origins had a higher risk of long COVID diagnosis than native Danes, with the greatest ethnic disparities being observed in the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic (January 2020 to June 2021). People of North African, Middle Eastern, Eastern European, and Asian origins were more likely to report cardiopulmonary symptoms (including dyspnoea, cough, and chest pain) and any long COVID symptoms than native Danes, especially beyond 4 weeks to 6 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. What do these findings mean?: These findings indicate the need to understand the drivers of long COVID in ethnic minorities and tailor preventive policies to their contexts. Efforts addressing disparities in socioeconomic conditions, advocacy activities for COVID-19 vaccines, and continuation of preventive measures may help reduce the burden of long COVID in ethnic minorities. The diagnosis of long COVID was limited to the sample of patients with symptoms who had contacted the hospital after acute COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the COVID-19, inflammation emerges as a prominent characteristic. C-reactive protein (CRP) serves as a commonly employed marker for the evaluation of inflammation. This study aimed to examine the correlation between CRP levels and antipsychotic drug concentrations in patients diagnosed with SCZ during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 186 SCZ patients were included in this study, which utilized electronic medical records. The collected data encompassed SCZ diagnoses based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria, respiratory symptoms, and treatments. Laboratory assessments involved the measurement of CRP levels and monitoring of blood drug concentrations. The most prevalent symptoms observed in the patient cohort were fever (59.14%), cough (52.15%), fatigue (45.7%), sore throat (46.24%), runny nose (28.49%), and stuffy nose (25.27%). The levels of CRP during the infection period were significantly higher compared to both the prophase and anaphase of infection (all p < 0.001). The serum levels of clozapine, olanzapine, aripiprazole, quetiapine, and risperidone were elevated during the infection period (all p < 0.001). During the anaphase of infection, patients exhibited higher serum levels of clozapine, olanzapine, and risperidone (all p < 0.001) compared to the infection period, but there was no significant change in serum levels of aripiprazole and quetiapine. Multiple regression analysis revealed a statistically significant positive correlation (P < 0.0001) between CRP and clozapine concentration. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to adjust the dosage based on drug serum concentration to prevent intoxication or adverse drug reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lingering breathing difficulties are common after COVID‐19. However, the underlying causes remains unclear, with spirometry often being normal. We hypothesized that small airway dysfunction (SAD) can partly explain these symptoms. We examined 48 individuals (32 women, 4 hospitalized in the acute phase) who experienced dyspnea and/or cough in the acute phase and/or aftermath of COVID‐19, and 22 non‐COVID‐19 controls. Time since acute infection was, median (range), 65 (10–131) weeks. We assessed SAD using multiple breath washout (MBW) and impulse oscillometry (IOS) and included spirometry and diffusing‐capacity test (DLCO). One‐minute‐sit‐to‐stand test estimated physical function, and breathing difficulties were defined as answering "yes" to the question "do you experience lingering breathing difficulties?" Spirometry, DLCO, and IOS were normal in almost all cases (spirometry: 90%, DLCO: 98%, IOS: 88%), while MBW identified ventilation inhomogeneity in 50%. Breathing difficulties (n = 21) was associated with increased MBW‐derived Sacin. However, physical function did not correlate with SAD. Among individuals with breathing difficulties, 25% had reduced physical function, 25% had SAD, 35% had both, and 15% had normal lung function and physical function. Despite spirometry and DLCO being normal in almost all post‐COVID‐19 individuals, SAD was present in a high proportion and was associated with lingering breathing difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with COVID-19 infection had fewer severe symptoms, which made it challenging to publish clinical data for this age group. This study aimed to determine the clinical features, laboratory markers, and predictors of mortality in children hospitalized in Pediatric Critical Care Units with COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: This retrospective research included all children between the age of ≥ 1 month and 18 years with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia through reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from nasopharyngeal swabs who were admitted to Pediatric Critical Care Units between January 2022 and December 2022. Results: The study included 62 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. Out of the 62 patients, 43 (69.4%) survived and 19 (30.6%) succumbed. High-grade fever, cough, altered level of consciousness, convulsion, CO-RADS IV, elevated blood CRP, urea, D-dimer, ferritin, and sodium were linked to significantly higher mortality risk. (OR: 15.867, p = 0.001, OR: 1.543, p = 0.044, OR: 7.321, p = 0.026, OR: 15.00, p = 0.017, OR: 10.833, p = 0.001, OR: 1.015, p = 0.032, OR: 1.028, p = 0.040, OR: 3.315, p < 0.0001, OR: 1.004, p = 0.049, OR: 1.111, p = 0.006 respectively). Conclusion: Our study revealed high in-hospital mortality among critically ill children with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia. Identification of critically ill children with risk factors for death, such as high-grade fever, cough, altered consciousness, convulsion, CO-RADS IV and V, and raised inflammatory markers at the time of admission could minimize excess mortality during COVID-19 waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the symptoms of Long COVID (LC), frequency of symptoms, and possible risk factors in women diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) during pregnancy. Methods: We conducted a single‐center, cross‐sectional, retrospective study in 99 pregnant women who were polymerase chain reaction‐positive (PCR+) for COVID‐19 between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2022. The control group consisted of 99 women who gave birth between these dates and did not have COVID‐19. We evaluated the clinical manifestations, symptom prevalence, and symptom characteristics of acute COVID‐19 and the LC in the PCR+ group as well as questioned the control group for LC symptoms. Results: Of the women in the PCR+ group, 74 (74.7%) had at least one LC symptom, and the most common symptoms were fatigue (54; 72.9%), myalgia/arthralgia (49; 66.2%), and anosmia/ageusia (31; 41.9%). The rate of LC symptoms in the control group was 14 (14.1%). The prevalence of LC symptoms was higher in severely/critically symptomatic patients (23; 100%) in the acute period of disease than in asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic (51; 67.1%) (P = 0.005). Hospitalization during acute infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 13.30), having one or more symptoms (aOR = 4.75), and having symptoms such as cough (aOR = 6.27) and myalgia/arthralgia (aOR = 12.93) increased the likelihood of LC. Conclusion: Many women experienced LC after suffering acute COVID‐19 in pregnancy, but LC prevalence was similar to the general population. LC correlates with severity, type, and number of symptoms of acute COVID‐19. Synopsis: In symptomatic COVID‐19 during pregnancy, cough, myalgia, severe symptoms, and increasing symptom count are risk factors for long COVID; prevalence is similar to the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Since the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there have been increasing reports of children developing a croup-like cough associated with concurrent COVID-19 infection. Currently, there is not much information available regarding newborn infants and COVID-19 infection and the incidence of vertical transmission is thought to be rare. This novel case report depicts a term newborn infected at the time of birth with COVID-19 and includes details about the course of their complicated hospitalization. Study Design A term infant, found to be infected at birth with COVID-19, developed respiratory distress resulting in transfer to our neonatal intensive care unit. Due to the increasing respiratory support requirements, endotracheal intubation was required on day of life (DOL) 7. Later, when the infant was extubated, on DOL 21, a croup-like cough developed. Results Despite respiratory treatment with albuterol, budesonide, racemic epinephrine, lidocaine, dornase alfa, and a 10-day course of dexamethasone, the cough persisted. A prolonged hospitalization was required and eventually the infant was discharged home on 0.4 L/minute of oxygen via nasal cannula on DOL 95. Conclusion As the COVID-19 virus mutates over time, there are some seemingly different presentations in both the pediatric and adult populations. The hypervigilance and sharing of new findings among providers are paramount in the treatment of infants with COVID-19 disease. Key Points Term infant with COVID-19 developed a croup-like cough. Usual respiratory treatment not effective with croup-like cough and COVID-19. COVID-19 present at birth later requiring intubation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID 19, is a coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome. In Wuhan, China, the first-ever continuing pandemic was discovered in December 2019. The first confirmed COVID-19 case in India came from China and was reported on January 30, 2020. Correlation between the RTPCR test and chest CT scan in Covid 19. Methods Sunshine Hospital in Secunderabad, the study region. investigation of prospective correlation. 200 participants, June 2020 to December 2020. Results Of 200 patients, 151 had positive RT PCR results and 49 had negative results. Out of the 49 negative reports, 42 cases--including those who were asymptomatic, close contacts of covid patients, and those with symptoms--had Ct chest results that were positive. Males predominated, and 105 males and 46 females who are positive. The most frequent symptom among CORADS 5 patients was shortness of breath, and the most prevalent symptoms overall were colds and coughs. Conclusion There are many reasons why an RT-PCR test could result in a false negative. Chest computed tomography offers a high sensitivity for the diagnosis of COVID-19, according to studies. Even if the RT PCR is negative, a patient with a history of contacts and a high clinical suspicion of COVID-19 infection should not be released from isolation without a CT scan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Impulse oscillometry (IOS) is a type of oscillation technique that measures the input impedance (Z) of the respiratory system and can be used to detect pathological changes in the small airways at an early stage. Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects the vascular and parenchymal structures in the lung, chronic postinfection coughs also may be attributed to small airway pathologies. Our research aimed to use IOS for the assessment of the presence of small airway resistance (R) in patients who have had COVID-19. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with past COVID-19 infections and without any presence or medical treatment of an airway disease who presented to the post-COVID outpatient clinicwith coughing symptoms were included in the study. The control group consisted of 17 patients with no past COVID-19 infection and without an airway disease. IOS and spirometry were performed twice in the case group, at 3 and 6 months after COVID-19. Results: The mean age of the case group was 44.7 ± 12.3 years, whereas the mean age of the control group was 49.4 ± 11.8 years. The case group consisted of 38 patients, whereas 17 patients constituted the control group. No statistically significant differencewas found between the two groups in the first and second test measurements, performed 3 months apart (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The fact that there was no difference between respiratory system impedance, airway resistance, and spirometry values between groupswith and without pastCOVID-19 infections supported the hypothesis that small airways were not affected 3 months after COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With new variants challenging the effectiveness of preventive measures, we are beginning to recognize the reality that COVID-19 will continue to pose an endemic threat. The manifestations of COVID-19 in lung transplant recipients during index admission are poorly understood with very few cases reported in recent lung transplant recipients. Optimal management of immunosuppression and antiviral therapy in recent transplant recipients is challenging. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis identifying lung transplant recipients at our institution who contracted COVID-19 in the immediate postoperative period (within index admission). In addition, we performed a systematic review from January 2020 to August 2023 identifying all publications on the PUBMED database regarding COVID-19 infection in lung transplant recipients during index admission. Results: We report four cases of COVID-19 pneumonia in lung transplant recipients in the immediate postoperative period and we describe the clinical course, treatment options, and immunosuppression changes to manage this unique clinical problem. All patients made a full recovery and were eventually discharged home. Within our review of the literature, the most prevalent presenting symptoms were cough, dyspnea, and fatigue. Six (75%) patients decreased or held their antimetabolite. The two most common treatments were monoclonal antibodies (38%) and remdesivir (63%). Conclusion: Although previous literature demonstrates that COVID-19 can be deadly in recent lung transplant recipients, rapid treatment with anti-viral therapy/immunotherapy, deescalating immunosuppression, and treatment of respiratory decompensation with Decadron was effective in our patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 or coronavirus disease is caused by SARS-CoV2 and has affected a large population globally including India. It has affected subjects from all age groups including children. However, despite intensive research conducted on COVID-19, data is scarce concerning the epidemiological and clinical features and transmission pattern of COVID-19 in child subjects of India. Aim: The present study aimed to assess the clinical features and epidemiological profile of Indian pediatric subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study assessed 100 child subjects within the age range of 1 month to 18 years with the confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 using the nasopharyngeal swab and tested with RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction). In these subjects, laboratory profiles and clinical parameters were assessed and collected data were statistically analyzed. Results: The most common symptom was fever in 34% (n=34) study subjects followed by cough in 16% (n=16) child subjects, sore throat in 135 (n=13) study subjects, malaria in 7% (n=7) children, and diarrhea and headache in 5% (n=5) children each. The severity of illness was mild, moderate, and severe in 35 9n=3), 39% (n=39), and 58% (n=58) children. Conclusion: The present study, considering its limitations, concludes that the burden of COVID-19 disease is higher in child subjects from a low socioeconomic status with a history of positive contact from the household. COVID-19 has also been shown to have a mild pattern in subjects from the pediatric age group. The LMR (lymphocyte monocyte ratio) showed a significant association with the disease severity with p=0.02 and NLR (neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio) also had a significant correlation with COVID-19 severity with p=0.01. However, no significant correlation to disease severity was seen for CRP levels and PLR (platelet lymphocyte ratio) with p=0.06 and 0.26 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 or coronavirus disease is caused by SARS-CoV2 and has affected a large population globally including India. It has affected subjects from all age groups including children. However, despite intensive research conducted on COVID-19, data is scarce concerning the epidemiological and clinical features and transmission pattern of COVID-19 in child subjects of India. Aim: The present study aimed to assess the clinical features and epidemiological profile of Indian pediatric subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study assessed 100 child subjects within the age range of 1 month to 18 years with the confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 using the nasopharyngeal swab and tested with RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction). In these subjects, laboratory profiles and clinical parameters were assessed and collected data were statistically analyzed. Results: The most common symptom was fever in 34% (n=34) study subjects followed by cough in 16% (n=16) child subjects, sore throat in 135 (n=13) study subjects, malaria in 7% (n=7) children, and diarrhea and headache in 5% (n=5) children each. The severity of illness was mild, moderate, and severe in 35 9n=3), 39% (n=39), and 58% (n=58) children. Conclusion: The present study, considering its limitations, concludes that the burden of COVID-19 disease is higher in child subjects from a low socioeconomic status with a history of positive contact from the household. COVID-19 has also been shown to have a mild pattern in subjects from the pediatric age group. The LMR (lymphocyte monocyte ratio) showed a significant association with the disease severity with p=0.02 and NLR (neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio) also had a significant correlation with COVID-19 severity with p=0.01. However, no significant correlation to disease severity was seen for CRP levels and PLR (platelet lymphocyte ratio) with p=0.06 and 0.26 respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple prolonged symptoms are observed in patients who recover from acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), defined as long COVID. Cough and sputum are presented by patients with long COVID during the acute and post-acute phases. This study aimed to identify specific risk factors for cough and sputum in patients with long COVID. Methods: Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 aged 18 years were enrolled in a multicenter cohort study at 26 medical institutions. Clinical data during hospitalization and patient-reported outcomes after discharge were collected from medical records, paper-based questionnaires, and smartphone apps. Results: At the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups, there were no differences in the incidence rates of wet and dry coughs. In contrast, the proportion of patients presenting sputum without coughing increased over time compared to those with sputum and coughing. Univariate analyses of cough and sputum at all follow-up visits identified intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV), smoking, and older age as risk factors for prolonged symptoms. At the 12-month follow-up, persistent cough and sputum were associated with the characteristics of severe COVID-19 based on imaging findings, renal and liver dysfunction, pulmonary thromboembolism, and higher serum levels of LDH, KL-6, and HbA1C. The Kaplan–Meier curves showed that the severity of acute COVID-19 infection was correlated with prolonged cough and sputum production. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that IMV ventilator management were independent risk factors for prolonged cough and sputum at 12 months. Conclusions: In a Japanese population with long COVID, prolonged cough and sputum production were closely associated with severe COVID-19. These findings emphasize that a preventive approach including appropriate vaccination and contact precaution and further development of therapeutic drugs for COVID-19 are highly recommended for patients with risk factors for severe infection to avoid persistent respiratory symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Early recognition and treatment of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS‐C) within the context of COVID‐19 infection is crucial for improved outcomes. Prompt intervention with IVIG and steroids leads to significant improvement in a severe case of MIS‐C. Clinicians should be vigilant for MIS‐C symptoms and initiate timely management. We report a case involving a fourteen‐year‐old male with COVID‐19 infection who developed multisystem inflammatory disease. A previously healthy child presented with a history of 10 days of fever and cough, along with diarrhea, and vomiting for 3 days. His COVID‐19 infection was confirmed through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), and the laboratory values were remarkable for high levels of C‐reactive protein, D‐dimers, B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and troponin I. He developed circulatory shock on the second day of the presentation and needed inotropic support. Steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) were started in light of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS‐C), which improved his condition. Thus, during the management of COVID‐19 infection, early detection and a careful clinical characterization for MIS‐C are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: SARS-CoV-causing COVID-19 resulted in mortality, and the clinic-epidemiological profile at the time of admission of patients who died later could provide an insight into pathophysiological consequences due to infection. Method: Retrospective observational study of 64 RTPCR-confirmed COVID-19 non-survivors was conducted from April - June 2021 and January February 2022. Data were analyzed, and a P value<0.05 was taken as significant. Results: 60.94% and 39.06 % were males and females, and 26.57% & 73.43 % of patients had moderate and severe disease, respectively. Fever, cough, and dyspnea were the most common presenting symptoms. 78.12% and 21.88% had pre-existing (diabetes and hypertension were most common) and no co-morbidities, respectively. 65.62 & 17.19 % of patients had bilateral and unilateral ground glass opacities, respectively. Thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, neutrophilia, elevated monocytes, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of 7.52 were hematological findings. D dimer was elevated. ABG showed low PaO2 and SPO2 %. ALT and AST were elevated. Tachycardia was also present. Compared to the first wave, no significant association of gender with severity was found. However, the percentage of male patients was higher. The association of the duration of stay and co-morbidity with disease severity was significant in both the first and subsequent waves of COVID-19. Conclusion: Co-morbidity, disease severity, and radiological lung opacities play a role in the outcome of COVID-19. The associated findings are hematological, renal, liver, cardiovascular, and arterial blood gas derangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, no specific medication has been shown to be effective in treating COVID-19. Objectives: Due to the role of medicinal plants in reducing the symptoms of viral diseases, the present study aimed to assess the efficacy of an herbal medicine package (anti-flu Pulmo-Health), prepared based on Persian traditional medicine instructions and bioinformatics studies, in reducing the symptoms of COVID-19 in outpatients. Methods: This double-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted on 60 COVID-19 outpatients referred to the Emergency Department of Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran (Iran) in July-Sep. 2020. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups, the control group (receiving routine treatment and a placebo) and the intervention group (receiving routine treatment plus anti-flu Pulmo-Health syrup and supplementary drops). The intervention continued for 10 days. The primary outcomes were oxygen saturation level, respiratory rate, heart rate, frequency of coughs during day and night times, shortness of breath score (based on the SOBDA questionnaire), expectoration, as well as the frequency of dry and productive coughs. Secondary outcomes were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body temperature, headache, nausea, and chills. Results: In this study, 55 COVID-19 patients (27 cases in the control group and 28 subjects in the intervention group) were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 46.25 ± 12.84 years, and 65% of them were female. The two groups of patients were homogenous in terms of demographic characteristics. The results showed that COVID-19 patients who received routine treatment plus the herbal syrup and supplementary drops revealed significantly better therapeutic responses in terms of respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, expectoration (P < 0.001), frequency of dry and productive coughs (P < 0.001), frequency of coughs, and shortness of breath (P < 0.001). Conclusions: As evidenced by the results of this study, the higher therapeutic response of COVID-19 outpatients to the anti-flu herbal syrup, this medicine is recommended as a supplement to improve respiratory symptoms in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a content analysis of American news coverage of World Trade Center (WTC) cough syndrome, a common ailment among 9/11 survivors, published before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, coverage was limited to areas geographically proximate to the attacks and embodied themes of respiratory disease descriptions, heroism and patriotism and government involvement. Pandemic-era coverage expanded to areas where survivors now live and embodied themes of survivors comparing 9/11 to the pandemic, survivors' vulnerability to COVID-19, lack of federal government transparency, calls for caution and safety protocols, heroism and patriotism and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) usually suffer from post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (PASC). Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) has the most significant long-term impact on patients' respiratory health, called post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis (PC19-PF). PC19- PF can be caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or pneumonia due to COVID-19. The risk factors of PC19-PF, such as older age, chronic comorbidities, the use of mechanical ventilation during the acute phase, and female sex, should be considered. Individuals with COVID-19 pneumonia symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks following diagnosis, including cough, dyspnea, exertional dyspnea, and poor saturation, accounted for nearly all disease occurrences. PC19-PF is characterized by persistent fibrotic tomographic sequelae associated with functional impairment throughout follow-up. Thus, clinical examination, radiology, pulmonary function tests, and pathological findings should be done to diagnose PC19-PF patients. PFT indicated persistent limitations in diffusion capacity and restrictive physiology, despite the absence of previous testing and inconsistency in the timeliness of assessments following acute illness. It has been hypothesized that PC19-PF patients may benefit from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment to prevent continued infection-related disorders, enhance the healing phase, and manage fibroproliferative processes. Immunomodulatory agents might reduce inflammation and the length of mechanical ventilation during the acute phase of COVID-19 infection, and the risk of the PC19-PF stage. Pulmonary rehabilitation, incorporating exercise training, physical education, and behavioral modifications, can improve the physical and psychological conditions of patients with PC19-PF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has made widespread testing a need for controlling the disease. Numerous recent investigations have shown that many people with COVID-19 show no outward signs of illness. As a result, these patients are more likely to unwittingly spread the virus because they will not take a COVID-19 test. In order to get tested, patients will need to travel to a lab, putting others at risk of exposure. Recent studies have shown that people with COVID-19 who are asymptomatic have distinctive coughs and breathing patterns compared to the general population. This prompted the study of cough and breath sounds in COVID-19 patients as a means of differentiating them from those of non-COVID lung infection patients and the general population. In this article, we present a robust, efficient, and extensible method for identifying symptomatic patterns in biological audio signals. Cough digitized audio files are subjected to spectral analysis via a stationary wavelet transform (SWT). The proposed model employs ADASYN technique to handle the class imbalance problem. Also, features like Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs), log frame energies, zero crossing rate (ZCR), and kurtosis are extracted. For classification process, deep belief network (DBN) model is utilized. Finally, mayfly optimization (MFO) algorithm is exploited for optimal hyper-parameter tuning of the DBN model. The experimental validation of the proposed model takes place using open access dataset. Proposed method is compared with other methods in terms accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, F1-Score, precision and recall. The experimental outcomes demonstrated the betterment of the proposed model over other recent state of art approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evidence on post-COVID-19 conditions is emerging. This study aims to assess post-COVID conditions and related factors in COVID-19 patients in Central Vietnam. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on people who have recovered from COVID-19 at least 2 weeks prior to the online survey. Participants were interviewed face-to-face after 6 and 9 months from the first survey. Results: 53 patients (21.2%) were confirmed to have persistent symptoms, of which, 100% and 94.3% reported prolonged fatigue and fullbody weakness respectively. Loss of appetite was reported by 90.6%, while persistent cough, insomnia, and trouble sleeping were reported by 86.3% of patients. Headaches and dyspnea were reported by 69.5% and 56.8% respectively, while other symptoms had lower rates. The prevalence of post-COVID condition showed a statistically significant relationship with the time of infection, duration of illness, treatment place, use of herbal medicine, adherence to the 5K message from Vietnam's Ministry of Health, and daily saltwater mouthwash (p < 0.05). However, the use of medicine and supplements was not related to the post-COVID condition (p > 0.05). After 6 months, 125 participants were interviewed face-to-face, and only 15 people (12.0%) reported having post-COVID symptoms, mainly prolonged fatigue (33.3%) and persistent cough (26.7%). After 9 months, these 15 patients no longer had symptoms related to the post-COVID-19 condition. Conclusions: The post-COVID condition can persist for several weeks or months, but will mostly be in remission after 6 months, and completely resolve after 9 months from the onset of the infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate psychological and quality of life-related complications at three months following discharge in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients during the pandemic in Iran. Methods: In this time-point analysis of prospective cohort study data, adult patients hospitalized with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 were enrolled. Patients were stratified in analyses based on severity. The primary outcomes consisted of psychological problems and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in the three months following discharge, with Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as the secondary outcome. Exploratory predictors were determined for both primary and secondary outcomes. Results: 283 out of 900 (30%) eligible patients were accessible for the follow-up assessment and included in the study. The mean age was 53.65 ± 13.43 years, with 68% experiencing a severe disease course. At the time of the final follow-up, participants still reported persistent symptoms, among which fatigue, shortness of breath, and cough were the most common. Based on the regression-adjusted analysis, lower levels of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio was associated with higher levels of depression (standardized β = − 0.161 (SE = 0.042), P = 0.017) and stress levels (standardized β =− 0.110 (SE = 0.047), P = 0.015). Furthermore, higher levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin-M (IgM) were associated with significantly lower levels of depression (standardized β = − 0.139 (SE = 0.135), P = 0.031). Conclusions: There is an association between lung damage during COVID-19 and the reduction of pulmonary function for up to three months from acute infection in hospitalized patients. Varying degrees of anxiety, depression, stress, and low HRQoL frequently occur in patients with COVID-19. More severe lung damage and lower COVID-19 antibodies were associated with lower levels of psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experts have warned against the pandemic burden on healthcare workers early on, however little is known about the evolution of this burden with time, in addition to the long-term effects of post-COVID symptoms in healthcare workers. Staff at the Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland had an online follow-up in July and December 2021, on their physical and mental health, quality of life and functional capacity using validated scales. Descriptive analyses compared the prevalence of symptoms, functional impairment and quality of life in SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative individuals at baseline and at follow-up. Out of the initial n = 3,083 participants that answered at baseline in July 2021, n = 900 (mean age of 46.4 years, 70.1% women) completed the follow-up in December 2021. With time, more individuals reported fatigue (+ 9.4%), headache (+ 9.0%), insomnia (+ 2.3%), cognitive impairment (+ 1.4%), stress/burnout (+ 8.8%), pain (+ 8.3%), digestive symptoms (+ 3.6%), dyspnea (+ 1.0%), and cough (+ 7.7%) compared to baseline, with a differentially larger increase in symptoms in the SARS-CoV-2 negative group. Individuals had more functional impairment (12.7% at baseline and 23.9% at follow-up), with more absenteeism and worsening quality of life. Healthcare workers are potentially suffering from long term consequences of the pandemic burden, calling for urgent action and solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 is predominantly manifests as a respiratory infection; however, it has been linked to a spectrum of neurological disorders such as vertigo, cephalalgia, cognitive impairment, myalgia, and anosmia. Emerging reports indicate several neurological illnesses that coincide with COVID-19, such as encephalitis and, notably, stroke. In this report, We present an instance of a patient infected with COVID-19 with Guillain-Barré Syndrome in this case report. Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is an inflammatory polyradiculoneuropathy linked to various viral infections. We present the case of a 76-year-old female patient hospitalized with acute progressive symmetric ascending quadriparesis. Seven days before hospitalization, the patient experienced fever and cough with RT-PCR testing confirmed a positive COVID-19 infection. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed dissociation of cytoalbumin. Coronavirus stimulates inflammatory cells and produces various cytokines, leading to immune-mediated processes. GBS represents an immune-mediated disorder, with its pathogenesis intricately influenced by the pivotal role of molecular mimicry in its onset. Plasmapheresis was performed, resulting in an improved clinical outcome for the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies are indicative of potential long-term complications ranging from disturbance of olfaction and taste sensations, cough, fatigue and dyspnoea, to more dire symptoms resultant of cardiac, respiratory and cognitive dysfunction. Present study was aimed to study assessment and categorization of patients with post covid status in emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. Material and Methods: Present study was singlecenter, analytical retrospective observational study, conducted in patients of age > 18 years, either gender, with confirmed positive diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, patients completed 2 weeks being covid positive, came to emergency department. Results: In present study, among 80 cases, majority were from 51-60 years age group (26.25 %) & from 41-50 years age group (25 %). Majority were male (65 %) & male to female ratio was 1.9:1. Common chief complaints observed were fatigue (76.25 %), breathlessness (68.75 %), abdominal pain (46.25 %), vomiting (43.75 %), swelling bilateral lower limbs (40 %), chest pain (26.25 %) & diarrhoea (22.5 %). Majority patients had potentially infection related-symptoms (up to 4–5 weeks) 25 (31.25 %), followed by acute post-COVID symptoms (from week 5 to week 12) (27.5 %), long post-COVID symptoms (from week 12 to week 24) (23.75 %) & persistent post-COVID symptoms (lasting more than 24 weeks) (17.5 %). According to emergency severity index, majority patients were of level 5 (27.5 %) followed by level 4 (20 %), level 1 (18.75 %), level 3 (17.5 %) & level 2 (16.25 %). Conclusion: Categorization of patients with post covid status in emergency department according to emergency severity index is useful triaging practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, physicians delivered a leading part and carried a high work volume, leading to burnout, which subsequently compromised patient safety, decreased the quality of care, and increased misdiagnosis. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians should have been vigilant and informed about the potential conditions resulting in medical errors. Particularly, epidemics of infectious illnesses can cause serious challenges in lymphoma diagnosis. Case Presentation: This case report presents a patient with lymphoma presenting with cough, fever, shortness of breath, and a history of contact with her familymembers who tested positive for COVID-19, which caused delayed diagnosis and treatment, disease progression, and finally, the death of the patient. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the center of attention was detracted from other possible diagnoses, thereby missing lymphoma as a potentially treatable disease. Conclusions: Although physicians are required to be watchful for COVID-19 amid the pandemic, it is also necessary not to neglect other diseases. A delay in the initiation of cancer therapy, even for one month, has been reported to increase the risk of mortality by approximately 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the distribution of routine immunizations globally. Multi-country studies assessing a wide spectrum of vaccines and their coverage rates are needed to determine global performance in achieving vaccination goals. Global vaccine coverage data for 16 antigens were obtained from WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage. Tobit regression was performed for all country-antigen pairs for which data were continuously available between 2015–2020 or 2015–2021 to predict vaccine coverage in 2020/2021. Vaccines for which multi-dose data were available were assessed to determine whether vaccine coverage for subsequent doses were lower than that of first doses. Vaccine coverage was significantly lower-than-predicted for 13/16 antigens in 2020 and all assessed antigens in 2021. Lower-than-predicted vaccine coverage was typically observed in South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia. There was a statistically significant coverage drop for subsequent doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, pneumococcus, and rotavirus vaccines compared to first doses in 2020 and 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic exerted larger disruptions to routine vaccination services in 2021 than in 2020. Global efforts will be needed to recoup vaccine coverage losses sustained during the pandemic and broaden vaccine access in areas where coverage was previously inadequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are most susceptible to COVID-19 because they are constantly exposed to the source. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and outcome of healthcare workers (HCWs) with positive COVID-19 in a single institution in northwest Malaysia. Data log of HCWs diagnosed with positive COVID-19 with real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) between 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2021 in Hospital Tuanku Fauziah, Perlis, Malaysia was retrospectively analysed. A total of 198 HCWs were included. Majority were female (72.2%), mean age of 39.9 + 6.55 years, Malay (96%), nurses (46%), without co-morbidities (92.4%) and had completed two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (97%). A total of 115 HCWs contracted the infection from the community, whereas 65 HCWs may be infected from the workplace. Most of the staff were symptomatic (84.3%). Fever (49%), sore throat (40.4%), cough (33.8%) and runny nose/nasal congestion (22.2%) are the most prominent symptoms. A total of 82.8% of HCWs were diagnosed with stage 2 COVID-19. The median length of infection to occur was approximately 5 months after two doses of vaccination. Majority were manageable at home during diagnosis (76.2%), with no deaths were recorded. Symptomatic HCWs had significantly longer interval of COVID-19 vaccination-to-infection period (p<0.001). The HCWs diagnosed with stage two COVID-19 had significantly longer interval of COVID-19 vaccination-to-infection as compared to stage one COVID-19 (p=0.012). Periodic evaluation of COVID-19 infection among HCWs is essential for the development of effective mitigation strategies for optimal pandemic control as well as for HCWs protection during the endemic phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) is a transforming disease caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). High fever, cough, sore throat, breath shortness, weariness, rhinorrhea, and dyspnea are the most common symptoms of COVID-19. These symptoms are not specific when compared to common pneumonia symptoms. Neurologic symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection included myalgia, disorientation, anosmia, and ageusia. Some people experienced digestive issues, such as diarrhoea. The aim and objective of the current study was to check the knowledge, attitude and practices of the graduate students at District Kech. The quantitative research methodology was used to obtain a clear and succinct picture of students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices on COVID-19. Data were collected through structured questionnaire. 191 sample size acquired by applying Rao-soft sample size calculator. Stratified sampling technique for the distribution and allocation of the respondents was used. Findings of the research exhibited that graduate level students had a high level of knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 at district Kech. The gender, qualification and residential background of the students were positively correlated with knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There has been adequate evidence that children are less likely to contract the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection and less likely to experience a deadly course of the disease in the paediatric group. The majority of the time, they exhibit moderate respiratory symptoms, like fever, dry cough and exhaustion. They were all free of COVID-19 pneumonia. Aim: To compare the clinical features and short-term outcomes of COVID-19 in children during May 2020 to April 2022. Materials and Methods: The present analytical observational study was conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, Chettinad Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from March 2020 to March 2022. The study population included Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) positive COVID-19 children between age groups of one month and 18 years age. A sample size of 102, 90 and 98 were included from first, second and third wave, respectively. Kruskal-Wallis test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test were used were used for statistical analysis. Results: In the study population, the mean age in the wave 1, wave 2 and wave 3 was 9.1±5.25 years, 9.3±4.99 years and 9.2±5.12 years, respectively. Males were more affected in all the phases than females. The most common symptoms in all the three waves were cough, myalgia and fever. Fever was the predominant symptom reported in all three waves (74.8% in wave 1, 80.6% in wave 2 and 75% in wave 3). Between the COVID-19 waves, baseline investigations such as Alanine Transaminase (ALT) and Aspartate Transaminase (AST) (p-value=0.001, 0.02) showed significant differences. C-reactive Protein (CRP) was non reactive in (81.55%) in wave 1, (85.07%) in wave 2 and (65.3%) in wave 3. (p-value=0.029). Conclusion: The present study results conclude that the presenting features of COVID-19 in children were mild, and the outcome was good. The first, second and third waves had considerable differences in clinical findings and short-term outcomes among COVID-19-affected children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents seven cases of maternal deaths attributed to COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic wave. These cases provide insights into the natural progression of COVID-19 in pregnant women who were not vaccinated. This study showed that COVID-19 significantly increased maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. All of the patients exhibited symptoms of fever, cough, and dyspnea upon admission to the hospital. They were admitted with elevated respiratory rates (26-32 times/minute) and low oxygen saturation (<95%). Four patients had obesity, while one patient had pregestational diabetes. The COVID-19 diagnosis was established using a rapid antibody or antigen test and chest X-ray, which indicated pneumonia. Medical interventions administered to the patients included antiviral therapy (5 patients), antibiotics (6 patients), and anticoagulants (4 patients). From a total of five babies delivered, four babies were delivered via cesarean section. Two babies were not delivered due to previability and maternal deaths before delivery. The patients passed away within 3-10 days of hospital admission. In conclusion, adequate and early intervention and management of pregnant women infected with COVID-19 are crucial in preventing maternal and neonatal deaths, especially in unvaccinated women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The knowledge, attitudes and practices of people during the coronavirus pandemic is pivotal to uptake of recommended preventative strategies. Objective. This paper describes the Malawian knowledge, attitudes and practices related to coronavirus and associated public health measures. Methods. This was a multi-site cross-sectional survey where data was collected through personal one-on-one interviews in nine Malawian districts over 3 weeks (5-25 October 2020). 521 participants (>18 years) were enrolled to answer a questionnaire. Results. We found that all respondents were aware of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with the majority using the Radio. 75% of participants displayed knowledge of all key symptoms of coronavirus-disease (cough, fever and shortness of breath) and additionally, the majority of participants (97%) knew enough to take some sort of intervention (calling a hotline or visiting the nearest hospital) if they developed symptoms. Participants also demonstrated a high perception of risk of coronavirus, where >60% believed to be susceptible to the coronavirus under the current preventative measures and > 50% believed they would die from infection. Communities displayed a high perceived effectiveness of all preventative measures, with "hand hygiene using soap and water" being perceived as effective by the majority of respondents. Although the majority of the participants (>80%) were willing to self-isolate at home, various barriers to home-isolation were raised which would ultimately influence their ability to do so. Conclusion. Baseline community psychosocial and behavioral information which influence the adoption of public health measures in Malawi has been highlighted alongside recommendations for best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are known as an important group of risk factor for progression of the Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19). The present study compared epidemiological features and outcomes in COVID-19 patients with CVDs versus those without CVDs. Methods: This is a retrospective study performed on 1497 patients with CVDs and 26 926 patients without CVDs, all of whom were confirmed to have COVID-19. All clinical signs and comorbidities were investigated in the subjects. Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson's Chi-square test were applied to compare mortality between the groups. Logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of mortality among patients. Results: The mean age of COVID-19 patients with underlying CVD was 60 years. Totally, about 5.3% of the individuals under study had CVD. Also, 21.6% of all deaths occurred in COVID-19 patients with CVD. Cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle pain, and underlying diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic liver and kidney disease, chronic lung disease, and immunodeficiency were significantly higher in patients with CVD than those without CVDs. The odds of death in COVID-19 patients were 1.9 times higher with underlying CVD, 2.1 times with diabetes, 3.4 times with hypertension, 1.9 times with immunodeficiency, and 2.3 times with chronic liver and kidney disease. Conclusion: CVDs are a serious threat to COVID-19 patients because they increase mortality among these patients. As a result, preventive and therapeutic strategies must be developed for these vulnerable groups, who will be prone to higher mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic has become a public crisis and is threatening human life in every country. Recently, researchers have developed testing methods via patients cough recordings. In order to improve the testing accuracy, in this paper, we establish a novel COVID-19 sound-based diagnosis framework, i.e. TFA-CLSTMNN, which integrates time-frequency domain features of the recorded cough with the Attention-Convolution Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network. Specifically, we calculate the Mel-frequency cepstrum coefficient (MFCC) of the cough data to extract the time-frequency domain features. We then apply the convolutional neural network and the attentional mechanism on the time-frequency features, which is followed by the long short-term memory neural network to analyze the MFCC features of the data. The recognition and classification can be then carried out to evaluate the positiveness or negativeness of the tested samples. Experimental results show that the proposed TFA-CLSTMNN framework outperforms the baseline neural networks in sound-based COVID-19 diagnosis and derives an accuracy over 0.95 on the public real-world datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia are at risk for thrombotic complications. At the same time, they need respiratory support, and they frequently require nursing in a prone position. From March to May 2020, 57 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome were admitted to our departments. Our therapeutic protocol included anticoagulant treatment and prone positioning. We have treated three obese women affected by severe pneumonia and pectoral hematoma with post-hemorrhagic anemia. We have already described two of these cases in our previous publication; in this new article, we describe a third similar case and review clinical reports from 2020 to 2022 about hemorrhagic complications during COVID-19. Reports confirm that pectoral hematomas and bleeding in unusual sites are a complication of COVID-19. Pectoral hematomas are likely to be related to COVID-19 severity, heparin dosage, and traumatism due to cough and pronosupination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a severe acute respiratory disease. The Kenyan Ministry of Health (MoH) put in place measures that included mandatory face masking, hand and cough hygiene and social and physical distancing to reduce disease transmission and increase prevention efforts. The primary objective of this study was to determine how sociodemographic characteristics affect knowledge and practice of the above measures. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess water, sanitation and hygiene practices for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Kilifi and Mombasa Counties, Kenya. Data collection was accomplished through a mobile data collection tool. Principal component analysis was used to create a wealth index using data on asset ownership and housing characteristics. Bloom cut-off points of 80–100%, 60–79% and ≤59% were used to determine knowledge and practice. Results Of the 612 households, 339 (55.4%) were from Kilifi County and 273 (44.6%) were from Mombasa County. A total of 431 (70.4%) were female and the mean age of the household members was 38.2±14.8 y. Almost all (99.2%) respondents were aware of COVID-19, with 60% knowing prevention, symptoms and persons at a higher risk of contracting the virus. Females had the highest knowledge of COVID-19 and were likely to practice prevention and control measures, unlike males. Age was significant (p<0.05) with knowledge and practice. Conclusions The sociodemographic characteristics of populations play a key role in behavioural aspects as far as prevention and control of COVID-19 are concerned. There is a need for partnerships between the MoH and county governments to put in place a multisectoral community approach to advance feasible behavioural interventions among targeted populations towards combating the spread of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: on March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization recognized COVID-19 as a pandemic. By March 31st, 2021, the Ghana Health Service had recorded a cumulative 90,782 positive cases and 748 deaths in the country. Despite the significant resources and efforts being put into containing and treating individuals with COVID-19, there is a lack of information within sub-Saharan Africa on clinical presentations and factors associated with experiencing persistent symptoms of COVID-19. Methods: in this retrospective study, we collected data obtained from patients with COVID-19 who were discharged from the post-COVID-19 clinic at the Ga East Municipal Hospital, Ghana, between April 1st, 2020, and March 31st, 2021, to assess clinical presentations and identify predictors of COVID-19 symptoms that persist beyond 14 days from the onset of the symptom. Results: of the 253 patients who experienced symptoms of COVID-19, 81 (32.0%) experienced symptoms that persisted beyond 14 days. Cough (64.0%), headache (38.7%), and chest pain (28.1%) were the most common symptoms. After adjusting for covariates, the odds of patients presenting with COVID-19 symptoms that persist beyond 14 days are 98% higher among patients who experienced chest pain compared to those who did not and 2% increased for each additional year of their age. Conclusion: patient's age and experiencing chest pain were significant predictors of symptoms that persist beyond 14 days. The findings of our study highlight the need to continue to monitor and care for individuals with identified predictors of experiencing persistent symptoms of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic hit Odisha province from April 2020 to December 2020, then from April 2021 to August 2021 and from February 2022 to April 2022 as the first, second, and third waves, respectively, with the most severe form witnessed during the second wave. Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Odisha was declared a Dedicated COVID Hospital (DCH) during those three waves and witnessed 9485 cases of admissions among which there were 1214 deaths. COVAXIN vaccination of the vulnerable population was launched in February 2021 onwards. This study has been done to know the clinic-biochemical profiles, radiologic findings of COVID-19 admitted patients, the predictors of mortality in the second wave, and clinical outcomes in the three waves in relation to COVAXIN vaccination status. Material and Methods: This was a serial three-round retrospective study from the electronic medical records using multistage random sampling where we collected and critically analyzed the demographic, and all the relevant possible health data of the cases that consist of 514 cases admitted in three waves. The data from death certificates among the 555 cases in the second wave have been analyzed to conclude predictors of mortality. Results: Mortality increased with age, male gender, comorbidities, and raised C-reactive protein level. High NL ratio, extent of pulmonary involvement. There was a wide variation in incidence and spectrum of illness starting from 79% incidence of mild symptomatic in the initial and third wave, but remained in the range of 35-65% in the second wave, respectively, and the most noticeable symptomatic illness was that of the upper respiratory tract. In fulminant cases, the mode of presentations was severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Males were more sufferers than females. Children had better outcomes compared to adults. COVID-associated coagulopathy had a normal platelet count. Subsequently, in 2021 year onwards vaccination of the vulnerable population was launched in a phased manner that changed the dynamics of the disease outcome by better survival chances despite intercurrent COVID infection by induction of herd immunity. On the contrary, there was a higher prevalence of serious illness among non-vaccinated individuals. While the cases continued during the second wave of the pandemic, long COVID became a clinical entity of symptomatic that persisted or recurred among the COVID illness recovered cases after reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction results for COVID-19 became negative. The symptoms consisted of fatigue, cough, dyspnea as pulmonary manifestations and extra-pulmonary involvement of the cardiac, renal, and central nervous systems and the pulmonary imaging features consisted of interstitial pneumonia, consolidation, cavity pattern, and prone to microbial infection. These events lead to morbidity and admission. Coinciding with the vaccination of all population of Odisha province with the first dose of the vaccine by around the period of the first quarter of 2022, there was a new variant named Omicron responsible in the third wave, in which the majority of the admitted cases had.mild upper respiratory illness. This was not as lethal as its predecessors due to its lower propensity to invade the lungs and blood vessels. Conclusion: Immune dysregulation plays a central role in the pathogenesis of the manifestations. Vaccine-induced protection and the induction of herd immunity played a proactive role in the waning of the severity of clinical presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease is a recent pandemic infection, with the first case being discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Iran is one of the countries that has been afflicted by this pandemic. A 34-year-old man with no history of pre-existing disease and smoking has been hospitalized in another hospital for the past two weeks due to COVID-19 infection and symptoms of fever, cough, and dyspnea. He received standard medical treatments in that hospital. After two weeks, he was discharged from the hospital with his consent. In the afternoon of the same day, he came to the emergency department of our hospital with severe dyspnea. Tension pneumothorax in the left hemithorax, pulmonary collapse, and shifting mediastinal elements to the contralateral side were observed in his chest x-ray. Tension pneumothorax is an unusual symptom in patients with SARS-CoV-2. Pneumothorax has been reported in 1% of COVID-19 patients who need hospitalization, 2% of those who need intensive care unit admission, and 1% of those who die from the infection. Spontaneous pneumothorax must be ruled out in COVID-19 patients with dyspnea and chest pain, tachycardia, tachypnea, or hypoxemia. It is critical to be familiar with these symptoms to make an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. A thorough physical examination and serial chest X-rays can be helpful tools in the diagnosis and management of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rapid antigen tests have emerged to deal with the COVID‐19 pandemic. Rapid diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is essential to reduce the spread of the disease. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of COVID‐19 infection and test the sensitivity and specificity in Temara‐Skhirat in symptomatic adults through PANBIOS® test. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in mid‐September 2021. Two investigators conducted data collection from symptomatic adult patients. The diagnostic performance of the PANBIOS®, and the PCR was assessed to calculate sensitivity and the specificity. Results: Among 206 symptomatic participants, the mean age was 38 ± 12 years, and the majority were women (59%). In our population, 80% had benefited from the anti‐COVID vaccine. The median duration of symptoms was 4 days; the most common symptoms were fatigue (62%), headache (52%), fever (48%), cough (34%), loss of smell (25%), loss of taste (24%), and sore throat (22%). Results revealed 23% of cases tested positive with PANBIOS® test versus 30% with the PCR test. The calculated medical decision between PCR versus PANBIOS® test showed high specificity of 95.7% and a sensitivity of 69.4%. There was concordance between the PANBIOS® test and the PCR. Conclusion: The prevalence tested remain high, and the sensitivity and specificity of the PANBIOS® versus PCR test are similar to other literatures and close to value described in WHO recommendations. PANBIOS® is a useful test for controlling the spread of COVID‐19 allowing identification of active infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(b) Penile fissuring and edema in a 26-year-old patient gl The mean latency time between the COVID-19 diagnosis, which was performed via reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and the onset of the dermatological lesions was (4.1 ± 2.46) days for the patients who developed oral lesions. The lesions involved the oral mucosa in 10 patients and the genital mucosa in three patients. A systematic review from 2021 by Bhujel et al.[4] stated that COVID-19 may manifest as oral mucosa lesions, however, discerning whether such lesions are to be attributed to the virus only or to the treatment may be a challenging task. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: basic mechanisms; pneumology; prevention; quality-of-life; virus EN basic mechanisms pneumology prevention quality-of-life virus 986 988 3 10/09/23 20231001 NES 231001 Key messages ICS probably reduce risk of hospital admission and death in patients with mild COVID-19. ICS may increase symptom resolution at 14 days in patients with mild COVID-19. Only 10% of participants had received >1 COVID-19 vaccination at the time of involvement, whereas mass vaccination programmes have now administered 13.2 billion doses globally, associated with reduced COVID-19 death rate.[7] Additionally, several COVID-19 variants with varying symptom and virulence profiles have since developed. [Extracted from the article]