Coronavirus Disease In 2019 Research Articles

A Scalable Topical Vectored Vaccine Candidate against SARS-CoV-2.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused an ongoing unprecedented global public health crises of coronavirus disease in 2019 (CoVID-19). The precipitously increased death rates, its impact on livelihood and trembling economies warrant the urgent development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine which would be safe, efficacious and scalable. Owing to unavailability of the vaccine, we propose a de novo synthesized avian orthoavulavirus 1 (AOaV-1)-based topical respiratory vaccine candidate against CoVID-19. Avirulent strain of AOaV-1 was engineered to express full length spike (S) glycoprotein which is highly neutralizing and a major protective antigen of the SARS-CoV-2. Broad-scale in vitro characterization of a recombinant vaccine candidate demonstrated efficient co-expression of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) of AOaV-1 and S protein of SARS-CoV-2, and comparable replication kinetics were observed in a cell culture model. The recombinant vaccine candidate virus actively replicated and spread within cells independently of exogenous trypsin. Interestingly, incorporation of S protein of SARS-CoV-2 into the recombinant AOaV-1 particles attributed the sensitivity to anti-SARS-CoV-2 antiserum and more prominently to anti-AOaV-1 antiserum. Finally, our results demonstrated that the recombinant vaccine vector stably expressed S protein after multiple propagations in chicken embryonated eggs, and this expression did not significantly impact the in vitro growth characteristics of the recombinant. Taken together, the presented respiratory vaccine candidate is highly attenuated in primates per se, safe and lacking pre-existing immunity in human, and carries the potential for accelerated vaccine development against CoVID-19 for clinical studies.

Forecast analysis of the epidemics trend of COVID-19 in the USA by a generalized fractional-order SEIR model.

In this paper, a generalized fractional-order SEIR model is proposed, denoted by SEIQRP model, which divided the population into susceptible, exposed, infectious, quarantined, recovered and insusceptible individuals and has a basic guiding significance for the prediction of the possible outbreak of infectious diseases like the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) and other insect diseases in the future. Firstly, some qualitative properties of the model are analyzed. The basic reproduction number {{ R }}_{0} is derived. When {{ R }}_{0}<1, the disease-free equilibrium point is unique and locally asymptotically stable. When {{ R }}_{0}>1, the endemic equilibrium point is also unique. Furthermore, some conditions are established to ensure the local asymptotic stability of disease-free and endemic equilibrium points. The trend of COVID-19 spread in the USA is predicted. Considering the influence of the individual behavior and government mitigation measurement, a modified SEIQRP model is proposed, defined as SEIQRPD model, which is divided the population into susceptible, exposed, infectious, quarantined, recovered, insusceptible and dead individuals. According to the real data of the USA, it is found that our improved model has a better prediction ability for the epidemic trend in the next two weeks. Hence, the epidemic trend of the USA in the next two weeks is investigated, and the peak of isolated cases is predicted. The modified SEIQRP model successfully capture the development process of COVID-19, which provides an important reference for understanding the trend of the outbreak.

Spread mechanism and control strategy of social network rumors under the influence of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), the disease has rapidly spread to the world, and the cumulative number of cases is now more than 2.3 million. We aim to study the spread mechanism of rumors on social network platform during the spread of COVID-19 and consider education as a control measure of the spread of rumors. Firstly, a novel epidemic-like model is established to characterize the spread of rumor, which depends on the nonautonomous partial differential equation. Furthermore, the registration time of network users is abstracted as ‘age,’ and the spreading principle of rumors is described from two dimensions of age and time. Specifically, the susceptible users are divided into higher-educators class and lower-educators class, in which the higher-educators class will be immune to rumors with a higher probability and the lower-educators class is more likely to accept and spread the rumors. Secondly, the existence and uniqueness of the solution is discussed and the stability of steady-state solution of the model is obtained. Additionally, an interesting conclusion is that the education level of the crowd is an essential factor affecting the final scale of the spread of rumors. Finally, some control strategies are presented to effectively restrain the rumor propagation, and numerical simulations are carried out to verify the main theoretical results.

COVID-19 Pandemic: An Insult Over Injury for Lebanon

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) caused a plethora of challenges worldwide and tested healthcare systems across the six continents. Lebanon had recently faced harsh political and economic crises. We aim to describe the effect of COVID-19 on an already crisis-stricken country. A descriptive analysis of the burden of COVID-19 pandemic on Lebanon was performed. Relevant data on COVID-19 was retrieved from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health from February 21 till June 13th, 2020. Results obtained were analyzed and a literature review was performed. 1422 confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified and reported in Lebanon by June 13th, 2020, comprising an incidence rate of 208/million persons. There has been a total of 31 deaths thus far, with a reported death rate of 5/million persons. The age group with the highest number of cases was 20–29 years. Beirut was the district with the highest number of cases (18%). The COVID-19 crisis has impacted the country on a multifactorial level. COVID-19 could not have come at a worse time for Lebanon. The country is on brink of bankruptcy, the healthcare system is struggling for survival and the government is striving to regain the trust of the population.

Development and Utilization of a Rapid and Accurate Epidemic Investigation Support System for COVID-19.

ObjectivesIn this pandemic situation caused by a novel coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), an electronic support system that can rapidly and accurately perform epidemic investigations, is needed. It would systematically secure and analyze patients’ data (who have been confirmed to have the infection), location information, and credit card usage.MethodsThe “Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act” in South Korea, established a legal basis for the securement, handling procedure, and disclosure of information required for epidemic investigations. The Epidemic Investigation Support System (EISS) was developed as an application platform on the Smart City data platform.ResultsThe EISS performed the function of inter-institutional communication which reduced the processing period of patients’ data in comparison to other methods. This system automatically marked confirmed cases’ tracking data on a map and hot-spot analysis which lead to the prediction of areas where people may be vulnerable to infection.ConclusionThe EISS was designed and implemented for use during an epidemic investigation to prevent the spread of an infectious disease, by specifically tracking confirmed cases of infection.

Low prevalence of IgG antibodies to SARS‐CoV‐2 in cancer patients with COVID‐19

Low prevalence of <scp>IgG</scp> antibodies to <scp>SARS‐CoV</scp>‐2 in cancer patients with <scp>COVID</scp>‐19

Mental status of patients with chronic insomnia in China during COVID-19 epidemic.

To study the sleep and mental health of chronic insomnia patients in China during coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. A total of 764 patients with chronic insomnia were included in this study. From 17 January 2020 to 24 January 2020, insomnia, anxiety and physical symptoms were evaluated online, and they were followed up for 4 and 8 weeks. Main outcomes and indicators were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and each factor score, the General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), respectively. In addition, insomnia, anxiety and physical symptoms were assessed at baseline and at the end of fourth and eighth weeks. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the changes in patients' scale scores at different time points. Among the 764 participants, there were 755 and 738 evaluators who completed the fourth and eighth weeks, respectively, and the questionnaire completion rates were 98.82% and 96.60%, respectively. Among them, there are 459 (60.0%) aged 41-60 years old, 546 (71.5%) women, 218 (28.5%) men and 313 (41%) college degrees. After 8 weeks of follow-up, the differences in sleep status, anxiety symptoms and physical symptoms were statistically significant. Among the factors of PSQI, there were differences in subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbance (disorder), sleep efficiency and daytime function. At 4 weeks of follow-up, there was a statistically significant difference in the use of hypnotic drugs; at 8 weeks of follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference in the use of hypnotic drugs. Under the influence of the COVID-19, the sleep status and anxiety of patients with chronic insomnia are affected by the epidemic.

Hemostatic laboratory derangements in COVID-19 with a focus on platelet count

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) which rapidly evolved from an outbreak in Wuhan, China into a pandemic that has resulted in over millions of infections and over hundreds of thousands of mortalities worldwide. Various coagulopathies have been reported in association with COVID-19, including disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC), local microthrombi, venous thromboembolism (VTE), arterial thrombotic complications, and thrombo-inflammation. There is a plethora of publications and conflicting data on hematological and hemostatic derangements in COVID-19 with some data suggesting the link to disease progress, severity and/or mortality. There is also growing evidence of potentially useful clinical biomarkers to predict COVID-19 progression and disease outcomes. Of those, a link between thrombocytopenia and COVID-19 severity or mortality was suggested. In this opinion report, we examine the published evidence of hematological and hemostatic laboratory derangements in COVID-19 and the interrelated SARS-CoV-2 induced inflammation, with a focussed discussion on platelet count alterations. We explore whether thrombocytopenia could be a potential disease biomarker and we provide recommendations for future studies in this regard.

Infectious pathways of SARS-CoV-2 in renal tissue

Coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) has spread around the world and caused significantly pandemic mobility and mortality. Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) usually infects lungs first and involves other organs including kidneys subsequently. Acute kidney injury and proteinuria in patients with COVID19 are resulted from the direct infection of the spikycrowned viruses to proximal tubules and podocytes, leading to acute tubular injury and collapsing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Therefore treatment strategy should target against the direct infection of SARS-CoV2 to the renal tissue.

Comparative review of respiratory diseases caused by coronaviruses and influenza A viruses during epidemic season

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to sweep the world, causing infection of millions and death of hundreds of thousands. The respiratory disease that it caused, COVID-19 (stands for coronavirus disease in 2019), has similar clinical symptoms with other two CoV diseases, severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome (SARS and MERS), of which causative viruses are SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, respectively. These three CoVs resulting diseases also share many clinical symptoms with other respiratory diseases caused by influenza A viruses (IAVs). Since both CoVs and IAVs are general pathogens responsible for seasonal cold, in the next few months, during the changing of seasons, clinicians and public heath may have to distinguish COVID-19 pneumonia from other kinds of viral pneumonia. This is a discussion and comparison of the virus structures, transmission characteristics, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, pathological changes, treatment and prevention of the two kinds of viruses, CoVs and IAVs. It hopes to provide information for practitioners in the medical field during the epidemic season.

An Epidemiological Study on COVID-19: A Rapidly Spreading Disease.

BackgroundThe outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) caused a major public health crisis worldwide and challenged healthcare systems across the six continents. The high infectivity of the disease led many governments to adopt strict regulations and measures with the aim of containing its spread. The purpose of this study is to assess the incidence, severity, and territorial expansion of COVID-19.MethodsData from the World Health Organization was screened, and COVID-19 situation reports were extracted from January 21 up till March 14 (inclusive). Our data included the total number of cases, total number of new cases, total number of cured cases, and total number of related deaths. Percentage change of cases over the days of our study were calculated using the Joinpoint regression, with a significance level set at greater than 0.05.ResultsThe total number of COVID-19 cases reached 156,622, with 5,845 subsequent deaths. China, Italy, and Iran have the highest number of cases worldwide. During the first 22 days, the incidence rate of COVID-19 increased significantly to reach 1.81 cases per million persons (p<0.001). That was followed by a significant decrease over the next 11 days (p<0.001) to reach 0.071 cases per million persons. A steady rise then followed, which saw a significant increase in incidence rate to 1.429 cases per million persons (p<0.001). Percentages of death and cured cases varied across the different countries; nevertheless, death percentages have generally been decreasing since the start of the crisis.ConclusionAdopting precautionary regulations such as social isolation, increasing sanitation, and employing strict quarantine measures have proved to be beneficial in containing the virus. Further research needs to be conducted to help discover therapeutic modalities and improve outcomes.

Denial attitude toward COVID-19 among general population in Saudi Arabia

Background: During the current crisis of the new type of coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), recent studies show evidence that it has a significant impact on public mental health and individuals’ behavior. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of high denial attitude towards the emerging pandemic of COVID-19 among the general population of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 1,817 participants, from April 3, 2020 to May 5, 2020. All participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire survey that included questions about socio-demography and other variables and Denial Attitude Questionnaire towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: A high denial attitude was prevalent among 728 (40.1%) participants. It was associated with old age, being married, having a low educational level, working in a non-medical profession, do not have a history of getting infected with any infectious diseases, spending less than 1 hour following COVID-19 news, satisfaction with the government procedures for COVID-19, and highly depressed and anxious respondents, where p-values were less than 0.05. Conclusion: The study showed that about two out of five participants had a high denial attitude. To our knowledge, the current study is the first study that tried to evaluate a high denial attitude during the initial COVID-19 outbreaks, especially in Saudi Arabia. However, further exploration in this field is needed. We suggest conducting such studies at the end of the current pandemic and second wave of the outbreak.

Public attitude towards quarantine during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Due to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), Wuhan was on lockdown for more than 60 days by the state government. This study investigated the perceptions and attitudes of the public on quarantine as a practical approach to halting the spread of COVID-19. An online survey was conducted via WeChat between 10 January 2020 and 10 March 2020 on the general population in Hubei province at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. In total, 549 respondents participated in the survey. Results revealed that the public displayed significantly strong support towards quarantine throughout the outbreak period, apart from locking people up and using imprisonment legal sanctions against those who failed to comply with the stringent regulations. The support exerted by the public stemmed from the execution of authorised officers to protect the public interest and provision of psychosocial support for those affected. In situations where quarantine could not be imposed, public health policy-makers and government officials should implement an extensive system of psychosocial support to safeguard, instruct and inform frontline public health workers. The public should also be enlisted in an open conversation concerning the ethical utility of restrictive values during the COVID-19 outbreak.