Current Coronavirus Disease 2019 Crisis Research Articles

Emerging zoonotic diseases and COVID-19 pandemic: global Perspective and Indian Scenario.

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is one example of the scores of zoonotic diseases responsible for various outbreaks resulting in the deaths of millions of people for centuries. The COVID-19 pandemic has broken the age-old healthcare infrastructure and led to utter chaos. In the shadow of this pandemic, other zoonotic infections like the nipah virus, monkeypox, and langya virus, to name a few, have been neglected. Hence, outbreaks caused by such zoonotic viruses are rising in their endemic areas, like the Indian subcontinent. The mortality and morbidity due to such zoonoses are greater than usual due to the shortage of healthcare professionals caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Due to the lack of vaccines and therapeutics directed against this viral infection, treatment of patients is limited to supportive management and prevention, making preparedness for these potential zoonotic viral outbreaks essential. This paper highlights some of these zoonotic infections, which perpetuated and wreaked havoc while the world was occupied with containing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Does herding behavior explain the contagion of the COVID-19 crisis?

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to investigate the pandemic’s function as a driver of investor herding in international stock markets, given that the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has caused a large rise in uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachThe paper investigates the presence of herding behavior among the developed and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) stock market indices during the COVID-19 crisis, by using a modified Cross-Sectional Absolute Deviation (CSAD) measure which is considered a proxy for herding and the wavelet coherence (WC) analysis between CSAD that captures the different inter-linkages between stock markets.FindingsUsing the CSAD model, the authors' findings indicate that the herding behavior of investors is present in stock markets during the four waves of COVID-19 crisis. The results also demonstrate that the transaction volume improve the herding behavior in the stock markets. As for the news concerning the number of cases caused by the pandemic, the results show that the pandemic does not stimulate herding; however, the number of deaths caused by this pandemic turns out to be a great stimulator of herding. By using the WC analysis, the authors' findings indicate the presence of herding behavior between the Chinese and stock markets (developed and emerging), especially during the first wave of the crisis and the presence of herding behavior between the Indian and stock markets (developed and emerging) in the medium and long run, especially during the third wave of the COVID-19 crisis.Originality/valueThe authors' study is among the first that examines the influence of the recent COVID-19 pandemic as a stimulator of herding behavior between stock markets. The study also uses the WC analysis next to the CSAD model to obtain robust results. The authors' results are consistent with the mental bias of behavioral finance where herding behavior is considered effective in volatility predictions and decision-making for international investors, specifically during the COVID-19 crisis.

The prevalence of coronaphobia among nursing staff in Saudi Arabia.

Background:Nursing staff are in direct contact with the consequences of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.Design and Methods:Descriptive questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of a sample of nursing staff working across Saudi Arabia.Results:The study included (n = 431) nursing professionals. Coronaphobia prevalence among the nursing staff was 80.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 76.5–84%]. There were (36.7%) who had severe cornaphobia. Working in a clinical department and being Saudi national were associated with increased COVID-19 fear (estimate = 0.109, P = 0.0153 and P = 0.010, respectively).Conclusion:Hospital management in Saudi Arabia needs to acknowledge the high prevalence of coronaphobia during the current COVID-19 crisis among nursing staff.

Science, Innovation, and Society in the Age of Pandemics: Reflections From the Inaugural Sir Alasdair Breckenridge Lecture.

Science, Innovation, and Society in the Age of Pandemics: Reflections From the Inaugural Sir Alasdair Breckenridge Lecture.

Screening for Sarcopenia (Physical Frailty) in the COVID-19 Era.

Although the numbers of aged populations have risen considerably in the last few decades, the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has revealed an extensive vulnerability among these populations. Sarcopenia is an age-related disorder that increases hospitalization, dependencies, and mortality in older adults. It starts to develop in midlife or even earlier as a result of unbalanced diet/poor nutrition and low levels of physical activity, in addition to chronic disorders such as obesity and diabetes mellitus. Given that social isolation is adopted as the most protective measure against COVID-19, the level of physical activity and the intake of adequate diet have considerably declined, especially among older adults—denoting an increased possibility for developing sarcopenia. Research also shows a higher vulnerability of sarcopenic people to COVID-19 as well as the development of wasting disorders such as sarcopenia and cachexia in a considerable proportion of symptomatic and recovering COVID-19 patients. Muscular wasting in COVID-19 is associated with poor prognosis. Accordingly, early detection and proper management of sarcopenia and wasting conditions in older adults and COVID-19 patients may minimize morbidity and mortality during the current COVID-19 crisis. This review explored different aspects of screening for sarcopenia, stressing their relevance to the detection of altered muscular structure and performance in patients with COVID-19. Current guidelines recommend prior evaluation of muscle strength by simple measures such as grip strength to identify individuals with proven weakness who then would be screened for muscle mass loss. The latter is best measured by MRI and CT. However, due to the high cost and radiation risk entailed by these techniques, other simpler and cheaper techniques such as DXA and ultrasound are given preference. Muscle loss in COVID-19 patients was measured during the acute phase by CT scanning of the pectoralis muscle simultaneously during a routine check for lung fibrosis, which seems to be an efficient evaluation of sarcopenia among those patients with no additional cost. In recovering patients, muscle strength and physical performance have been evaluated by electromyography and traditional tests such as the six-minute walk test. Effective preventive and therapeutic interventions are necessary in order to prevent muscle loss and associated physical decline in COVID-19 patients.

Unveiling the Potential Role of Nanozymes in Combating the COVID-19 Outbreak.

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is considered as one of the biggest public health challenges and medical emergencies of the century. A global health emergency demands an urgent development of rapid diagnostic tools and advanced therapeutics for the mitigation of COVID-19. To cope with the current crisis, nanotechnology offers a number of approaches based on abundance and versatile functioning. Despite major developments in early diagnostics and control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is still a need to find effective nanomaterials with low cost, high stability and easy use. Nanozymes are nanomaterials with innate enzyme-like characteristics and exhibit great potential for various biomedical applications such as disease diagnosis and anti-viral agents. Overall the potential and contribution of nanozymes in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 infection i.e., rapid detection, inhibition of the virus at various stages, and effective vaccine development strategies, is not fully explored. This paper discusses the utility and potential of nanozymes from the perspective of COVID-19. Moreover, future research directions and potential applications of nanozymes are highlighted to overcome the challenges related to early diagnosis and therapeutics development for the SARS-CoV-2. We anticipate the current perspective will play an effective role in the existing response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy in times of COVID-19: Building skills to "Build Back Better".

This article, the second in a series on the six National Collaborating Centres for Public Health, focuses on the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP), a centre of expertise, and knowledge synthesis and sharing that supports public health actors in Canada in their efforts to develop and promote healthy public policy. The article briefly describes the NCCHPP's mandate and programming, noting some of the resources that are particularly relevant in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) context. It then discusses how the NCCHPP's programming has been adapted to meet the changing needs of public health actors throughout the pandemic. These needs have been strongly tied to decisions aimed at containing the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and mitigating its immediate impacts in various societal sectors since the beginning of the crisis. Needs have also gradually emerged related to how public health is expected to help inform the development of public policies that will allow us to "build back better" societies as we recover from the pandemic. The article concludes by discussing the orientation of the NCCHPP's future work as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.

Addressing COVID-19 Using a Public Health Approach: Perspectives From the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network

Addressing COVID-19 Using a Public Health Approach: Perspectives From the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network

The Use and Misuse of Mathematical Modeling for Infectious Disease Policymaking: Lessons for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Mathematical modeling has played a prominent and necessary role in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, with an increasing number of models being developed to track and project the spread of the disease, as well as major decisions being made based on the results of these studies. A proliferation of models, often diverging widely in their projections, has been accompanied by criticism of the validity of modeled analyses and uncertainty as to when and to what extent results can be trusted. Drawing on examples from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases of global importance, we review key limitations of mathematical modeling as a tool for interpreting empirical data and informing individual and public decision making. We present several approaches that have been used to strengthen the validity of inferences drawn from these analyses, approaches that will enable better decision making in the current COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

The COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to strengthen global regulatory coordination for sustained enhanced access to diagnostics and therapeutics.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents an unparalleled opportunity for regulators globally to strengthen coordination, advance alignment initiatives, and exercise regulatory agility to facilitate access to the surge in diagnostics, therapies and vaccines without compromising public safety. We describe international collaborative initiatives, summarise key experiences, and urge the global regulatory community to apply lessons from the current pandemic to strengthen and sustain cooperation for future public health emergencies and enhanced health products access.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 crisis on families of children with congenital heart disease and knowledge, attitude, and practices assessment: A hospital-based study

Background: The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted the spectrum of health care, including delaying diagnoses and treatment, particularly for complex health conditions, such as pediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 crisis and lockdown on families of children with CHD and to study knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 among them. Methodology: The purposive sampling was used, all patients (173) who consulted in the cardiology outpatient department during the study period and 190 CHD patients whose the date of surgery was previously scheduled during April and May 2020, but delayed due to the national lockdown were included in this study. Hence, the sample size of the study was 363. Phone calls were made to all patients' families. This study design was used due to current COVID-19 crisis to minimize contact with patients, in line with safety precautions mandated by the government. Results: 54.2% were male patients, 43.3% in the age group of 1–5 years, predominant diagnosis (37.3%) was ventricular septal defect. Majority of parents of CHD patients (78.2%) answered that primary source of information about COVID-19 was social media. Twelve percent patients had worsening of symptoms related to existing heart condition during this period. Parents of 26 patients (8.3%) faced difficulty in getting medicines due to lockdown. The KAP assessment found that a high proportion of parents possessed basic knowledge about the disease at the early stage of the pandemic. The average KAP score was 10.2 (Range 2–16). Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on children with CHD during the pandemic. This group had faced considerable difficulty like the general population. KAP assessment showed that they had good knowledge about the pandemic; they were following precautionary measures, especially because of the child's condition, to ensure the child's safety.

COVID‐19, varying genetic resistance to viral disease and immune tolerance checkpoints

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a zoonosis like most of the great plagues sculpting human history, from smallpox to pandemic influenza and human immunodeficiency virus. When viruses jump into a new species the outcome of infection ranges from asymptomatic to lethal, historically ascribed to “genetic resistance to viral disease.” People have exploited these differences for good and bad, for developing vaccines from cowpox and horsepox virus, controlling rabbit plagues with myxoma virus and introducing smallpox during colonization of America and Australia. Differences in resistance to viral disease are at the core of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) crisis, yet our understanding of the mechanisms in any interspecies leap falls short of the mark. Here I review how the two key parameters of viral disease are countered by fundamentally different genetic mechanisms for resistance: (1) virus transmission, countered primarily by activation of innate and adaptive immune responses; and (2) pathology, countered primarily by tolerance checkpoints to limit innate and adaptive immune responses. I discuss tolerance thresholds and the role of CD8 T cells to limit pathological immune responses, the problems posed by tolerant superspreaders and the signature coronavirus evasion strategy of eliciting only short‐lived neutralizing antibody responses. Pinpointing and targeting the mechanisms responsible for varying pathology and short‐lived antibody were beyond reach in previous zoonoses, but this time we are armed with genomic technologies and more knowledge of immune checkpoint genes. These known unknowns must now be tackled to solve the current COVID‐19 crisis and the inevitable zoonoses to follow.

Managing rheumatic diseases during COVID-19.

Rheumatology practice, during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has faced multifaceted challenges. Rheumatologists routinely prescribe immunosuppressant medications to their patients with multisystem autoimmune rheumatic diseases who are concerned about the increased risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection and are anxious to know if they should continue or hold these medications. Rheumatologists are often inundated by calls from their patients and physician colleagues caring for COVID-19 patients in hospitals, about how to manage the immunosuppression. Physicians face the challenging task of keeping up with the most up-to-date information on COVID-19. There are uncertainties about the mode of spread, clinical features, management options as well as long-term complications of COVID-19. Data are rapidly evolving and different studies on treatment options are showing contradictory results. It is known that viral illnesses can trigger a flare-up of underlying rheumatic disease that was previously in remission. To further complicate the scenario, some of the immunosuppressants have shown to have antiviral properties. This has created dilemma in the light of current COVID-19 crisis, as whether to continue or stop the immunosuppressive agents which could be essential to prevent complications of the rheumatic diseases including organ failure but also there is concern about acquiring COVID-19 or developing serious infection. Until we get an effective vaccine, immunosuppressant management for rheumatic diseases as well as other autoimmune diseases and transplants will pose difficult questions. This article is an attempt to review and understand COVID-19 and its impact on the immune system with special emphasis on managing medications used for autoimmune rheumatic diseases. We have provided general guidance about decision making, in regards to the immunosuppressive agents used in rheumatology practice with an understanding that this may change in near future.

Psychometric Assessment of Morbid Fear of COVID-19 and Its Homoeopathic Management—A Treatment Perspective through Case Reports

AbstractFear of an infection is posing a major threat in the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Although nothing novel but still when we see historically over the times, fear of infection in any pandemic crisis remains the same even after the advent of modern medical advancements. This morbid fear of risk of infection has more traumatic effect psychologically than reality of succumbing to an infection and its recovery. Nevertheless, the cause of the fear and its management is very important in this COVID-19 crisis situation. Homoeopathy system of medicine offers a safe, palatable, economical and an eco-friendly management solution to tackle this morbid fear. Homoeopathy is being used by the public since a very long time and people continue to experience its overall health benefits with utmost trust and diligence. Two cases of morbid fear of COVID-19 infection treated homoeopathically with positive outcome are presented here.

Lessons from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2003 Pandemic as Evidence to Advocate for Stroke Public Education During the Current Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is affecting hospital admissions of stroke patients. This, in turn, will reduce the use of proven stroke treatments, which will result in poorer stroke outcomes. We examined local stroke admissions before, during, and after the 2003 outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (these periods being defined in both the Singapore and worldwide contexts), to extrapolate stroke admission patterns in Singapore during the current COVID-19 crisis. National inpatient admission data from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore, and death data from the Registry of Births and Deaths (RBD), Singapore, were analysed. Trends of local stroke admissions and stroke-related mortality pre-SARS, during SARS, and post-SARS periods, both in the Singapore and worldwide contexts, were analysed using time series plot in monthly time units. Differences between periods were presented as percentage change between: (1) SARS and pre-SARS periods, and (2) post-SARS and SARS periods and compared using two-sample t-tests. There was a 19% decline in stroke admissions into all local hospitals during the Singapore SARS period (P = 0.002) and a 13% reduction during the worldwide SARS period (P = 0.006). Stroke admissions increased by 18% after the Singapore SARS period was over (P = 0.003) and rose by a further 8% when the worldwide SARS period ended (P = 0.046). Stroke-related mortality remained stable throughout. During the SARS pandemic, there was a reduction in the number of stroke admissions, and this was apparent during both the local SARS and worldwide SARS outbreak periods. We should take appropriate steps through public education to minimise the expected reduced stroke admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic, inferred from the findings during the SARS pandemic.

Investing in gold or REIT index in Turkey: evidence from global financial crisis, 2018 Turkish currency crisis and COVID-19 crisis

PurposeUnder the current Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic circumstances where the gold prices are increasing and the stocks are in free fall, this research aims to compare the returns of gold prices and Turkish real estate investment trust (T-REIT) index by covering the 2008 global financial crisis, 2018 Turkish currency crisis and 2020 COVID-19 pandemic-based economic crisis periods and examine the effects of the returns of gold and the T-REIT index on each other, a research area that has been limited in the literature.Design/methodology/approachFor the empirical analysis, vector auto regression model was used, and Augmented Dickey–Fuller and Granger causality tests were also conducted. The average returns were compared with the coefficient of variation analysis.FindingsThe results of the study exhibited that except for the 2008 global financial crisis period, 2018 Turkish currency crisis and 2020 COVID-19 pandemic-based economic crisis, the T-REIT index performs better than gold prices, but it is a riskier instrument, and both investment instruments do not affect the returns of each other. The segmentation of both instruments recommends the fund managers including both tools for diversification of a portfolio.Research limitations/implicationsIn Turkey, gold prices are valued based on the fluctuations of the global gold prices, as well as the Turkish Lira/US Dollar currency exchange rates. The effect of the exchange rates may be considered in future studies, and the study may be conducted based on the USD values of the T-REIT index and global gold prices. Further studies may also include the comparison between the T-REIT index returns and a set of commodities such as the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index. This study covered only the first five months of 2020 to analyze the COVID-19 pandemic-based economic crisis initial effects, and a successor study is also recommended by including more new data of the post-COVID-19 pandemic and comparing both results.Practical implicationsThe results of the research are expected to contribute to the REIT literature and give insight to investors about their investment choices while including both investment tools in their portfolio, especially for the future conditions of the new COVID-19 pandemic-based economic crisis.Social implicationsThe study may provide insight for individuals, especially those who are considering possible investment options in the Turkish real estate market in the post-COVID-19 pandemic crisis.Originality/valueGold and real estate have always been considered as important investment instruments. Gold is commonly accepted as a safe haven in the literature, and the REITs are considered as long-term investment instruments by many scholars. While gold prices increase in the windy periods, the returns of real estate investments have more cyclical movements based on mostly the macroeconomic conditions and its integration with stock markets, yet the real estate is a common long-term investment tool, especially because of the regular income it generates for the retirement years. By covering three crisis periods including the COVID-19 pandemic-based economic crisis effects, making research about two important investment tools would contribute to the literature, especially in which the studies in this area were very limited.

Risk Perception and Depression in Public Health Crises: Evidence from the COVID-19 Crisis in China.

Background: Scant attention has been paid to how risk perceptions of public health crises may affect people’s mental health. Aims: The aims of this study are to (1) construct a conceptual framework for risk perception and depression of people in public health crises, (2) examine how the mental health of people in the crisis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is affected by risk perception and its associated factors, including distance perception of the crisis and support of prevention and control policies, and (3) propose policy recommendations on how to deal with psychological problems in the current COVID-19 crisis. Methods: Online questionnaire survey was implemented. A total of 6373 people visited the questionnaire online, 1115 people completed the questionnaire, and the number of valid questionnaires was 1081. Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. Results: Risk perception and its associated factors significantly affect the mental health of people in public health crises. Specifically, (1) distance perception of public health crises is negatively associated with depression among people, (2) affective risk perception is positively associated with depression of people in public health crises, (3) cognitive risk perception is negatively associated with depression of people in public health crises, and (4) support of prevention and control policies is negatively associated with depression of people in public health crises. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that risk perception plays an important role in affecting the mental health of people in a public health crisis. Therefore, health policies aiming to improve the psychological wellbeing of the people in a public health crisis should take risk perception into consideration.

Triage of patients with venous and lymphatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic - The Venous and Lymphatic Triage and Acuity Scale (VELTAS) : A consensus document of the International Union of Phlebology (UIP), Australasian College of Phlebology (ACP), American Vein and Lymphatic Society (AVLS), American Venous Forum (AVF), European College of Phlebology (ECoP), European Venous Forum (EVF), Interventional Radiology Society

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has resulted in diversion of healthcare resources to the management of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus. Elective interventions and surgical procedures in most countries have been postponed and operating room resources have been diverted to manage the pandemic. The Venous and Lymphatic Triage and Acuity Scale was developed to provide an international standard to rationalise and harmonise the management of patients with venous and lymphatic disorders or vascular anomalies. Triage urgency was determined based on clinical assessment of urgency with which a patient would require medical treatment or surgical intervention. Clinical conditions were classified into six categories of: (1) venous thromboembolism (VTE), (2) chronic venous disease, (3) vascular anomalies, (4) venous trauma, (5) venous compression and (6) lymphatic disease. Triage urgency was categorised into four groups and individual conditions were allocated to each class of triage. These included (1) medical emergencies (requiring immediate attendance), example massive pulmonary embolism; (2) urgent (to be seen as soon as possible), example deep vein thrombosis; (3) semi-urgent (to be attended to within 30–90 days), example highly symptomatic chronic venous disease, and (4) discretionary/non-urgent- (to be seen within 6–12 months), example chronic lymphoedema. Venous and Lymphatic Triage and Acuity Scale aims to standardise the triage of patients with venous and lymphatic disease or vascular anomalies by providing an international consensus-based classification of clinical categories and triage urgency. The scale may be used during pandemics such as the current COVID-19 crisis but may also be used as a general framework to classify urgency of the listed conditions.

Ongoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) practice amidst aglobal COVID-19 crisis: nurse-led analgesia for transfemoral TAVI.

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has led to a relative unavailability of anaesthesiological support for non-acute cardiac care. Currently, transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TF-TAVI) is predominantly performed as an elective catheterisation laboratory (cath lab) procedure. Hence, the performance of TAVI could come to a halt amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Our study population comprised 90 patients treated with TF-TAVI, with local analgesia performed by our dedicated cath lab nurses. The patients had a mean age of 80 ± 5 years and 59% were male, with a predicted surgical risk of 2.2 ± 0.9/3.1 ± 2.4% (Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality [STS-PROM] score/EuroSCORE II), depicting a contemporary, lower-risk population. The composite endpoint of device success (Valve Academic Research Consortium [VARC]-2) was reached in all patients. No patients showed more than mild paravalvular leakage (3/90, 3.3%). Overall, intravenous medication was sparsely used during the procedure, with 48 of the 90 (53%) patients receiving no unplanned intravenous medication. There was neither procedural nor in-hospital mortality. The performance of TF-TAVI using local analgesia only, managed by a dedicated nurse instead of an anaesthesiologist, was shown to be feasible and safe in a selected group of patients. This strategy may (temporarily) eliminate the need for an anaesthesiologist to be present in the cath lab and enables ongoing TAVI treatment amidst the global COVID-19 crisis.

Adherence of Infusible Biologics During the Time of COVID-19 Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Veterans Affairs Cohort Study

Adherence of Infusible Biologics During the Time of COVID-19 Among Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Nationwide Veterans Affairs Cohort Study