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BackgroundCOVID-19 has led to significant global mortality, with Peru being among the countries most affected. While pre-existing comorbidities have been linked to most cases, the exact distribution of fatalities within the country remains unclear. We aimed to assess deaths attributed to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic across various regions and provinces in Peru.MethodsAn observational georeferencing study was designed. Peru faced four waves of COVID-19 over three years, with variable impacts across its three regions (Coast, Highlands, and Jungle). Deaths related to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure (HF), arrhythmia, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), strokes, and acute coronary syndrome, were examined as primary variables. The study period spanned pre-pandemic years (2017–2019) and pandemic years (2020–2021), utilizing death data from the National Death Information System (SINADEF). The georeferencing analysis was conducted using ArcGIS v10.3.ResultsA total of 28,197 deaths were recorded during the study period, with significant increases during the pandemic (2020–2021). Cardiovascular deaths were disproportionately higher during the pandemic, totaling 19,376 compared to 8,821 in the pre-pandemic period (p

Objective: Funeral practices have undergone significant changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the death of a family member from this disease has altered the typical course of the bereavement process. Therefore, this study seeks to determine the relationship between the levels of grief, anxiety, and depression in relatives of patients who died from COVID-19 in Peru. Methods: A total of 250 volunteers were obtained, but after applying the inclusion criteria and not being able to contact five of them, the sample consisted of 115 participants over 18 years of age who lost a family member to COVID-19 between 2020 and 2021. They developed the Prolonged Grief Questionnaire-13 and the Zung Anxiety and Depression Questionnaires, in virtual surveys using Google FormTM (Google, CA). Results: Our analysis revealed that all cases of anxiety (18.3%) were present in individuals experiencing prolonged grief (76.5%), while 49.5% (57/115) of participants exhibited symptoms of depression. Furthermore, we identified a significant association between prolonged grief and both anxiety ( p = 0.005) and depression ( p

Introduction and objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental health problems worldwide. Older people have been particularly affected by the lockdown as their health conditions have changed, although they have been kept in isolation to avoid exposure to contagion. We sought to determine the association between lifestyles and anxiety in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: This study was cross-sectional. We enrolled 150 older adults of both sexes and with a history of chronic diseases from the municipality of El Agustino (Lima, Peru). The 20-item Geriatric Anxiety Scale and the 25-item Lifestyle Questionnaire on eating, physical activity, rest, and sleep were administered in Spanish during July–August 2021. Results: The mean age was 70.8 ± 8.1 years, 54.7% were male, and 75.3% practiced exercise. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 99.3% of the elderly had healthy lifestyles and 40% presented anxiety (mild, moderate, and severe anxiety in 26.7%, 8.7%, and 4.7%, respectively). We found no association between anxiety and lifestyle ( p = 0.189), physical exercise was a predictor of lifestyle ( p 0.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest that there was no link between anxiety symptoms and lifestyle in older adults during the lockdown. It is important to conduct in-depth research on factors associated with anxiety symptoms among older residents in other regions, focusing on population groups with the highest rates of infection and death from COVID-19.

BackgroundEmpathy in healthcare service refers to the ability of healthcare workers (HCWs) to put themselves in patients’ shoes, which is necessary to ensure a good physician-patient relationship and provide quality care. Various studies have shown that empathy varies depending on the country, the instrument used, the evaluator, and the HCW’s specialty. This systematic review aims to estimate the levels of empathy among HCWs in South American countries between 2000 and 2019.MethodsWe conducted searches in 15 databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scielo, PsycoInfo, ScientDirect, Latindex, and LILIACS), four preprint servers (medRxiv, bioRxiv, SportRxiv, and Preprints), and other search engines such as Dimensions (20), Google Scholar, Yahoo!, and Alicia CONCyTec (c). We followed the PRISMA guidelines, and this study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023454007).ResultsOut of 18,532 documents identified from November 10 to 28, 2021, 10 articles were included (n = 2,487 participants, of which 1989 were patients). Among the studies focusing on self-evaluated empathy, four relied on the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for medical professionals (JSE-HP). However, assessments from patients employing Jefferson Scale of Patient’s Perceptions of Physician Empathy (JSPPPE) and Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) scale suggested high levels of empathy We found that both professionals and patients perceived that empathic care was provided, often at a medium or regular level. Surgery residents presented lower levels of empathy compared to obstetrics-gynecology and pediatrics physicians.ConclusionEmpathy is crucial in determining the quality of care and patient satisfaction during healthcare services provided by HCWs. Therefore, it is important to support professionals so that the various stressful situations they encounter in their work and daily life do not negatively influence the approach they provide to patients.

Introduction and Objective: Nursing is a professional career that requires patient-specialized care. To this end, it requires a high academic performance during undergraduate studies. However, some factors that can influence the academic performance of nursing students have been noticed during the internship. We aimed to determine the hospital and community-academic performance of nurse interns who work. Materials and Methods: We designed a 3-year mixed study carried out with students of the Universidad Norbert Wiener. We interviewed 15 students about their academic performance, the consequences of studying while working, internship, family, and academic activities. Using the quantitative approach, we analyzed the evaluations of 321 students between 2016 and 2018. Results: The qualitative approach showed that students had certain difficulties in their clinical internship because they worked and studied simultaneously. Despite this, their academic performance was remarkable in both internship programs, and 10% of students had an outstanding performance. This performance is subject to personal, economic, and family factors that affect students in their last year of undergraduate studies. Conclusions: Working nursing interns had a remarkable academic performance during community and hospital internships. This performance is influenced by personal, financial, and family factors that affect students in their final year of undergraduate study.

En Corea del Sur se han gestado dos hitos con la publicación de Hana Yori Dango durante los 90’s y la emisión de la serie Boys over flowers (2009) a inicios de la primera década del siglo XXI. En Boys over flowers se presenta a Yoo Ji Hoo como miembro de los F4, un grupo de elite coreano, quien sufre de un accidente en su primera infancia donde fallecen sus padres y adquiere autismo luego del trauma. En su orfandad logra “salir” del autismo con la ayuda de Min Seo Hyun, una amiga cercana y de quien se enamora, permitiendo su reincorporación social como un sujeto neurotípico. En vista del progresivo incremento de los casos de niños autistas en todo el mundo, y de las ventajas que promete la medicina moderna sobre su tratamiento y ocasional “curación”, aquí buscamos responder a las siguientes preguntas: i) ¿es posible desarrollar autismo luego de un evento traumático?, y ii) ¿Es posible “salir” del autismo? Realizamos este análisis tomando como eje las cuestiones de vida de Yoo Ji Hoo en Boys over flowers.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted human well-being worldwide in unforeseen ways. In early 2020, the spread of the virus left its mark on every affected country, impacting mental health by limiting daily activities and causing fatalities amidst public health strategies to mitigate its impact. The influence of COVID-19 on the quality of life (QoL) may vary between countries, underscoring the need to examine its effects on individuals and families during the mandatory home quarantine. We aimed to assess the QoL of individuals and families during home isolation by COVID-19 lockdown.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from February to May 2020. We included adult partners (≥18 years) of families from Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Japan, Peru, Russia, and Venezuela. Using the 26-item World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire we assess the impact of COVID-19 on their partner/family member’s QoL.ResultsThe survey was completed by 466 participants (mean age = 38.59 ± 13.75 years; females = 298) and 76% worked mostly as health professionals from South America (69.2%), Europe (18.4%), and Asia (12.4%). The WHOQOL-BREF mean score from 38.38 ± 11.55 (range = 22.8–43.4). The average quality of life in South America (41.9 ± 1.2) was significantly higher than that of European countries (30.9 ± 11.5) (p = 0.002). The social relations dimension was the only one with values close to 100 (mean = 83.3) in 6/7 evaluated countries, where only Spain had a low score (41 ± 33.12). Women had a slightly lower quality of life than men, but it was not significant (40.2 ± 8.8 vs. 41.5 ± 9.9, p = 0.354), while we found differences in the overall QoL between young and older, and by employment type (p

BackgroundCOVID-19 has been causing mental health problems around the world, with rural and indigenous peoples likely to be the most affected. This systematic review synthesizes and critically analyzes the existing literature on mental disorders in the rural Andean population in Latin America.MethodsA systematic review with narrative synthesis was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. We searched nine databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scielo, LILACS, and Latindex), five public prepublication servers (SocArXiv, medRxiv, bioRxiv, SportRXiv, and Preprints), ALICIA, and Google Scholar for articles that included the analysis of mental health problems using data collected from the rural Andean population in Latin America. These were eligible for inclusion. Articles that included Non-Latin American populations (including European or African migrants) and studies conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (since the declaration of national lockdown) were excluded.ResultsA total of 23,761 articles were retrieved, 14 of which met the inclusion requirements. Most were cross-sectional (n = 12) and related to anxiety (n = 9), depression (n = 8), and stress (n = 5). The mental health analysis of 5,976 rural dwellers from four countries in Latin America also included gray literature studies (n = 7) that allowed the quantification of mental health problems in adults (n = 7) and adolescents/children (n = 4). Only one study was multinational, and the quality of publications varied. Despite the high frequency of anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms among rural Latin American populations during COVID-19, published research is very limited. This review found preliminary evidence that the frequency of anxiety (45%), depression (27.6%), and stress (33.1%) in the rural population was associated with pandemic restrictions across countries. Measures of other psychiatric problems, such as distress or suicidal ideation, cannot be estimated.ConclusionRegional-wide studies investigating changes in the frequency of symptoms of mental health problems in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic are warranted to inform culturally adapted prevention strategies. This study is limited to a narrative synthesis and may be subject to publication bias.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=320489.

Approaches on interest and family functionality of school students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background and Aims COVID‐19 is a pandemic disease that can lead to altered lung function, systemic inflammatory events, and altered coagulation. During severe stages of the disease, changes in coagulation homeostasis increase, leading to thrombosis, and increased risk of death. In this cross‐sectional study, we aimed to assess coagulation markers by COVID‐19 severity in Peruvian adults. Methods During the second wave of infections, we included 186 adults diagnosed with COVID‐19 (mean age 53.3 ± 16.3 years). Patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe stages of COVID‐19, and coagulation markers included prothrombin time (PT), activated partial prothrombin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, d‐dimer, and platelet count. Results Of the total, 120 (64.5%) were males and 39 (21%) were in the intensive care unit. We determine 104 (55.9%), 43 (24.7%), and 36 (19.4%) patients in mild, moderate, and severe stages of COVID‐19, respectively. In the severe stage of COVID‐19, patients had an average concentration of PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, d‐dimer, and platelets of 13.2 ± 0.9 s, 28.9 ± 4.3 s, 679.4 ± 185.1 mg/dL, 1.9 ± 3.1 µg/mL, and 272.8 ± 88.9 cel/10 mm,3 respectively. We found no differences in the concentration of each marker according to severity (p

BackgroundQuality of life (QoL) is a multifactorial concept on the perception of the individual’s wellbeing underpinned by environmental, psychological, and physical factors. Several studies have shown changes in QoL in the COVID-19 pandemic and may be due to increases in mortality rates, however, no study has investigated this among Peruvian jungle dwellers. Here, we have sought to estimate the QoL of individuals before and after the increase in cases and deaths from COVID-19.MethodsA questionnaire-based longitudinal study was conducted in 102 inhabitants (mean 40.75 ± 7.49 years). The Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF was used in two stages: April and June. The first stage was accomplished before the first confirmed case of COVID-19, and the second stage was when the daily mortality rate was 3.5% with an incidence of 87%.ResultsSixty (54.8%) participants were women, 67 (61.9%) were >31 years, and 38 (34.5%) and 32 (29.1%) participants had primary and secondary education, respectively. In the first and second stage we obtained an overall mean QoL of 46.65 ± 23.2 and 35 ± 27.7 points, respectively. Individuals had significantly lower QoL in the face of increased deaths in physical (p = 0.001), mental (p = 0.028) and environmental (p = 0.001) health domains, with the latter having the greatest impact (51.84 ± 5.81 vs. 16.66 ± 5.55 points).ConclusionQuality of life of Peruvian jungle dwellers is reduced during periods of increased mortality and incidence by COVID-19. Preventive strategies aimed at reducing the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and global wellbeing of individuals living in the Amazon are recommended to Peruvian authorities.

Fish farms are one of the principal food industries located in peri-urban and rural communities that use available resources to ensure the quality of their products. However, trout can suffer from bacterial infections affecting the sector and being a key component of human health risk. We aimed to identify and characterize Enterobacteriaceae in 46 trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in two fish farms in Lima, Peru. Adult trouts older than seven weeks (> 200 grams weight) were included. Cultures were performed in duplicate (n=192 trials) with swabs from the squamous surface and visceral cavity. The isolates were identified with the Vitek® 2 Compact system, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were interpreted with the CLSI VET 03-A guide. At El Molino and El Angelito fish farms, 66 (68.8%) and 57 (59.4%) isolates were obtained. The most frequently isolated species were Escherichia coli (56.8%), Proteus sp. (4.2%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (2.6%). E. coli was present in all sampling areas, and Aeromonas hydrophila was only present in one open viscera sample at El Angelito fish farm. A. hydrophila showed antibiotic resistance to Ampicillin/Sulbactam (≥32 MIC), Oxytetracycline (>8 MIC), Imipenem (8 MIC), Levofloxacin (>8 MIC), and Ceftazidime (≥64 MIC). Our results suggest the presence of multi-resistant A. hydrophila in O. mykiss. Further studies are needed to understand the developmental context of A. hydrophila, which is crucial to the food industry, aquaculture and public health

The female hormonal profile is of utmost importance for the assessment of the endocrinological functional status and the diagnosis of diseases. The analysis must delimit their normality intervals based on the manufacturer's cut-off points. Due to not all intervals can be evaluated before use, it is imperative to verify the reference intervals to achieve uniformity in the interpretation of results in the female population. We determine the reference intervals of five female sex hormones [Follicle Stimulating hormone (FSH), Estradiol, Luteinizing Hormone (LH), Prolactin, and progesterone] using electrochemiluminescence in the Cobas e411 (Roche). We included female patients >18 years old, between the 3rd and 15th day of the menstrual cycle (follicular phase) and had no previous medical history or recent medication. For reference intervals analysis, we followed the recommendations of the CLSI C28-A3 guideline. The average concentration for FSH, progesterone, LH, prolactin and estradiol were 11.48 ± 21.10 mIU/ml, 8.19 ± 11.90 ng/ml, 10.98 ± 11.55 ng/ml, 25.05 ± 32.74 ng/mL, and 147.08 ± 473.8 pmol/mL, respectively. Eighty per cent of parameters showed a satisfactory transfer for the manufacturer's reference intervals, except for estradiol, which had 85.5% of transferred values. Our results suggest that 4/5 sex hormones were found within the manufacturer's reference intervals and can be quantified in Peruvian women, ensuring the quality of their results. However, it is necessary to determine the estradiol with other reagents and assays since we show errors in the transfer of intervals.

Introducción: El miedo a la COVID-19 se distribuye por todo el mundo y afecta a todas las comunidades, incluidos los estudiantes universitarios. Es necesario tener herramientas para medir este miedo. Objetivo: Validar la traducción al español del cuestionario FCV-19S ( Fear of COVID-19 Scale). Métodos: Estudio transversal basado en cuestionarios online, realizado en universitarios peruanos de pregrado, durante el primer brote de la COVID-19. Se incluyeron estudiantes con idioma español nativo, acceso a internet y se excluyeron sujetos con problemas de compresión del lenguaje. La traducción del cuestionario se realizó bajo un protocolo estandarizado y se aplicó una evaluación observacional para valorar la validez y confiabilidad de FCV-S19 con α de Cronbach, correlación de Pearson y análisis factorial. Resultados: Se encuestaron 208 estudiantes universitarios, con edad promedio de 25,9 ± 5,9 años (IC95 %: 25,1 a 26,7); más de la mitad fueron mujeres (58,7 %) y aproximadamente 57 % vivía con sus padres. El α de Cronbach fue ≥ 0,8 entre los dominios, con buena consistencia interna del cuestionario (α de Cronbach= 0,832). La validez del instrumento entre los 7 ítems y las 5 categorías demostró una correlación adecuada (p< 0,05); el test de Bartlett (p= 0,0001) y el Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (0,818) definieron por análisis factorial una dimensión que explicó el 52,3 % de la varianza total. Conclusiones: La traducción al español del cuestionario FCV-19S tiene una validez y confiabilidad óptima, es capaz de medir el miedo por la COVID-19 en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de Perú.

Existe una remarcada actividad del cine dentro de los procesos de formación médica promoviendo el desarrollo de múltiples habilidades inherentes. En este estudio, presentamos una propuesta de terapéutica fílmica en el contexto complementario de la asistencia médica actual. Revisamos series de antaño, emitidas alrededor de los 70`s, que constan de capítulos cortos (~25 minutos). Series como Candy Candy, Marco, o Heidi, tienen marcadas diferencias de las series contemporáneas, y el potencial de ser instrumentos terapéuticos en sí mismos debido a: i) presentar personajes concretos (un niño o una niña en particular, en un contexto específico), ii) la existencia de un relato argumentativo (que se sigue capítulo a capítulo, lo cual obliga a que el niño o niña recree longitudinalmente una historia), iii) el abordaje de problemas existenciales (la vida de los personajes los obligan a vivir situaciones límite, usualmente ligados a las condiciones históricas de su tiempo); y iv) la vivencia de experiencias de orden moral (que suponen una discusión sobre lo bueno y lo malo). Estos podrían vincular al niño y el padre, ya que cada capítulo representa una actividad de la vida diaria, eximiendo a estos de la transmisión masiva de series sin contenidos educativos (terapéuticos).

ABSTRACT Objective Depression is a mental problem that affects the well-being of healthcare workers, impacting the quality of care and even leading to commit suicide. We aim to the levels of depression in frontline healthcare workers during the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in Peru. Methods A prospective cohort study was designed in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Care and Isolation Center – Villa Panamericana in eastern Lima. Care and Isolation Center-Villa Panamericana houses about 150 healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating scale was used for depression assessment. Results A total of 96 participants (30±5.6 years) were analyzed: 15 (15.6%) physicians, 39 (40.6%) nurses, 14 (14.6%) medical technologists, and 28 (29.2%) nurse technicians. Mild, moderate, and severe depression were present in 35 (36.5%), 44 (45.8%), and 9 (9.4%) of the cases, respectively. The physicians and nurses reported more severe levels of depression: 8 (53.3%) physicians and 18 (46.2%) nurses presented moderate depression; and 2 (13.3%) physicians and 3 (7.7%) nurses presented severe depression (p=0.005). This study determined greater symptoms of depression according to years of work (p=0.001). Thirty-two healthcare workers had COVID-19, 4 (12.5%) physicians, 9 (28.1%) nurses, 7 (21.9%) medical technologists, and 12 (37.5%) nurse technicians. Twenty-four (75%) participants showed symptoms of COVID-19 and developed moderate (12 [37.5%]) and severe (3 [9.4%]) symptoms of depression (p=0.041). Conclusion This study clearly demonstrated a high prevalence of depression in the Care and Isolation Center-Villa Panamericana frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a remarkable change in the behaviour of Healthcare workers (HCWs) around the world. However, there is a lack of evidence on substance use among HCWs in Latin America. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the current frequency of substance use among Latin American among HCWs. Methods: We searched 8 databases (PubMed, Scopus, ScientDirect, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scielo, LILACS and Latindex), 4 public prepublication servers (SocArXiv, medRxiv, bioRxiv and Preprints) and Google scholar from 1/9/2019 to 11/1/2021. We determined the frequency of each study based on original studies, scientific letters, and clinical trials in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Results: A total of 17 175 study articles were identified from electronic databases and preprints, and 2 cross-sectional studies conducted in 2020 were included in the qualitative analysis. Both studies included HCWs but did not perform a differential analysis. The first was developed by the Pan-American Health Organization and included interviewees from 35 countries, while the second was conducted with 1145 Brazilian participants. Both studies showed increases in substance use during the pandemic, with alcohol being the most commonly used substance (30%), but PAHO’s study reported a 13.8% increase in self-reported heavy-episodic drinking, with differences among genders (males, 15.4%), age groups (highest increase in the 40-49 age group, 16.5%) and area of residence (urban with 14%). The second study showed that 21 32% of participants reported initiating psychoactive substance use, 29.3% added some substance to their initial use and 4% of them had to replace the substance, mainly due to difficulty of access. Other substances of abuse that showed significant increases were tobacco (0.5%) and marijuana (0.3%). Conclusion: Overall, despite the analysis of the 2 studies, the results provided are not a conclusive description of the frequency of substance use by HCWs in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is required to understand the impact of the pandemic on drug abuse in the region. Protocol Registration: The protocol has been registered on 30 November 2021 on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) with ID: CRD420212919700.

Background: COVID-19 has shaken countries at all levels, putting public health at risk. Global efforts have allocated funding for the development of research for the development of vaccines, digital tools, epidemiologic, social, and economic studies. Although these efforts have been developed worldwide, not all countries have prioritized the same topics and may have a different impact on solving problems and containing the spread of COVID-19. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted with secondary data of "Special Projects COVID-19” in order to analyze the prioritization of proposals and projects to Peruvian needs in the face of pandemic. Two calls were made by the Peruvian research council (CONCyTec); the first with five areas and the second with seven. The global amounts financed by each call were 342,857 USD (1,200,000 soles) and 700,000 USD (1,750,000 soles), respectively. Results: A total of 1,101 research projects were presented, 600 (54.5%) in the first call. In this call, 176 (29.3%) projects were from technological development and innovation and 29 were winners (with a global budget of 1,711,907.25 USD /6,077,270.75 soles). In the second call, 120 (23.9%) projects were from the area of Social and economic research and 21 were winners (global budget of 1,284,002.25 USD/558,208.55 soles) (p=0.043). The largest proportion of winning projects in both calls was 12 (41.4%) in Technological developments and innovation, then five (17.2%) each in telehealth and mobile health, and epidemiological and social studies. Across both calls, 214 (55.8%) and 160 (51.9%) projects were of private organizations and universities, respectively. Conclusions: This research shows ~2% of rapid response "Special Projects COVID-19” were financed by the CONCyTec call with over a million dollars of funds. Although the main topics were technological innovation, detection systems, and vaccines, these priorities have not had a global impact on the epidemiological development of the pandemic in Peru.

Introduction: In light of the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have implemented several containment and prevention measures to slow down the rapid spread of the disease. Objectives: To compare the COVID-19 pandemic containment strategies implemented in Peru [World Health Organization (WHO) - confinement and social distancing] and the United Kingdom [herd immunity (HI)] in terms of morbidity and mortality, and to simulate the implementation of HI in Peru during the initial stage of the pandemic. Materials and methods: Exploratory study with a simulation model based on official data obtained from both countries at the beginning of the pandemic. Mortality, case fatality, and infection rates documented within the first 55 days after the first COVID-19 case report in the United Kingdom and the start of the WHO-recommended containment and prevention strategy implementation in Peru were evaluated. Additionally, the impact of applying HI, according to WHO guidelines, as the initial strategy in Peru was simulated. The Paired-samples t-test was used to determine the differences between the two strategies at both stages of the study. Results: During the follow-up period, 15 034 and 33 931 COVID-19 cases were reported in the United Kingdom and Peru, respectively. The case fatality rate was higher in the United Kingdom (7.82% vs. 2.74%), while the cumulative mortality rate was higher in Peru (2.89 vs. 1.74×100 000 inhabitants p= 0.0001). Regarding the simulation, a minimum critical population of 60% (>19 million positive cases) was established for Peru to achieve HI, with 1 223 473.1 deaths and a hospitalization rate of 44 770×100 000 patients. Conclusions: During the follow-up period (55 days), the United Kingdom’s strategy resulted in a higher case fatality rate, while the Peruvian strategy in over twice as many COVID-19 cases. The HI simulation strategy in Peru showed a sharp increase in all unfavorable indicators of the pandemic.

Background: In the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there are many ways to communicate hygiene measures, such as memes and stickers that are widely used on social networks. We carried out a systematic review in order to determine the impact of stickers and memes as tools to face the COVID-19 pandemic, following the PRISMA guide. Methods: The search was carried out in scientific databases (MEDLINE / PubMed, ScientiDirect, Scielo, LILACS, and Latindex), and in public pre-publication servers (bioRxiv, SocArXiv, medRxiv and Preprints). The publications were identified using the terms (((meme) OR (sticker)) AND ((COVID-19) OR (SARS-COV-2)) AND (WhatsApp)) and the corresponding translations for Spanish and Portuguese. Results: In the initial search, 8434 studies were obtained, 7749 in Preprints, 446 in SocArXiv, 145 in ScientDirect, 82 in medRxiv, and 12 in PubMed. No studies were found in LILACS, Latindex, Scielo, or bioRxiv. Of the 51 studies included as eligible, all were eliminated for not meeting the study inclusion criteria. The majority (40 studies) were eliminated as studies were publications related to the social aspects related to COVID-19, but did not develop an analysis of stickers or memes. Conclusions: No studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria related to the role of stickers and memes as tools to face the COVID-19 pandemic. More studies are needed to estimate its role as a means of communication in health.

Background: COVID-19 has shaken countries at all levels, putting public health at risk. Global efforts have allocated funding for the development of research for the development of vaccines, digital tools, epidemiologic, social, and economic studies. Although these efforts have been developed worldwide, not all countries have prioritized the same topics, and may have a different impact on solving problems and containing the spread of COVID-19. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted with secondary data of 'Special Projects COVID-19” in order to analyze the prioritization of proposals and projects to Peruvian needs in the face of pandemic. Two calls were made by the Peruvian research council (CONCyTec); the first with five areas and second with seven. The global amounts financed by each call were 342,857 USD (1,200,000 soles) and 700,000 USD (1,750,000 soles), respectively. Results: A total of 1,101 research projects were presented, 600 (54.5%) in the first call. In this call, 176 (29.3%) projects were from the technological development and innovation and 29 were winners (with a global budget of 1,711,907.25 USD /6,077,270.75 soles). In the second call, 120 (23.9%) projects were from the area of Social and economic research and 21 were winners (global budget of 1,284,002.25 USD/558,208.55 soles) (p=0.043). The largest proportion of winning projects in both calls was 12 (41.4%) in Technological developments and innovation, then five (17.2%) each in telehealth and mobile health, and epidemiological and social studies. Across both calls, 214 (55.8%) and 160 (51.9%) projects were of private organizations and universities, respectively. Conclusions: This research shows ~2% of rapid response 'Special Projects COVID-19” were financed by the CONCyTec call with over a million dollars of funds. Although the main topics were technological innovation, detection systems, and vaccines, these priorities have not had a global impact on the epidemiological development of the pandemic in Peru.