First Case Of COVID-19 Research Articles

Relationships between COVID-19 and disaster risk in Costa Rican municipalities

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on every aspect of human life since the first confirmed case in December 2019. Costa Rica reported its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, coinciding with a notable correlation between the occurrence of disaster events at the municipal scale over the past five decades. In Costa Rica, over 90% of disasters are hydrometeorological in nature, while geological disasters have caused significant economic and human losses throughout the country's history. To analyze the relationship between COVID-19 cases and disaster events in Costa Rica, two Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to statistically evaluate the influence of socio-environmental parameters such as population density, social development index, road density, and non-forested areas. The results showed that population and road density are the most critical factors in explaining the spread of COVID-19, while population density and social development index can provide insights into disaster events at the municipal level in Costa Rica. This study provides valuable information for understanding municipal vulnerability and exposure to disasters in Costa Rica and can serve as a model for other countries to assess disaster risk.

Better Strategies For Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination

The first case of COVID-19, a coronavirus disease, was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and spread globally. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is regarded as the most challenging pandemic in the current century. COVID-19 has brought scientists together on a platform where they search for different therapeutic and preventive strategies to combat this coronavirus. Scientists and healthcare workers are working on developing new vaccines that are safe and take less time to develop. They are trying to elucidate various target sites on 2019-nCov that could act as potential candidates for adequate vaccine preparation. Besides this, there is also a need for proper community involvement to elicit the coronavirus disease by taking preventive measures and spreading awareness. In this review, we have focused on how scientists can develop vaccines against new variants and convince the public about vaccine acceptance at the community level. This manuscript reviews Strategies for Covid-19 Vaccination Development, Strategies for Covid-19 Vaccination Acceptance, and Community Engagement in Covid-19 Vaccination plans

Exploring the Political Debate over the COVID-19 Vaccination on Twitter: Emotions and Polarization in the Spanish Public Sphere

In a scenario marked by COVID-19, communication has posed a real challenge for institutions. Since the first case of COVID-19, Spain has faced the enormous challenge of an unprecedented health, economic, and social crisis. The public sphere has put its trust in vaccination as the only chance for the country’s recovery. To determine the role played by political leaders in the debate on vaccination and citizens’ perception of crisis management, this article analyzes the messages posted on Twitter by the four leaders of the parties with the most representation in parliament: Pedro Sánchez (PSOE), Pablo Casado (PP), Santiago Abascal (Vox), and Yolanda Díaz (Podemos). Using a methodology for comparative content analysis on Twitter, a sample was established that began at the start of the vaccination process and inoculation with the first dose, and covered the entire year that followed. The research results, which contrasted with those collected in demographic surveys, reflected an increase in polarization and electoral use of the vaccine, which took precedence over the awareness-raising discourse typical of public campaigns.

COVID-19 Pandemic in Brunei Darussalam

Within ASEAN, Brunei is one of the low population density nations successfully combating the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As of 4th January 2023, over 2.6 hundred thousand confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 225 deaths, had been reported in Brunei. This paper outlines the COVID-19 trends in Brunei and strategies taken by the health authorities to contain the pandemic. Three waves of COVID-19 have hit Brunei, with the first case of COVID-19 reported on 9th March 2020. The adoption of the “whole of nation approach” has proven to be effective in managing the outbreak. Early and decisive interventions taken by authorities and the public’s cooperation have been a remarkable success story. The key success factors are effective pandemic containment measures, public communication strategy, and enhanced surveillance mechanisms supported by the mass testing program and contact tracing. A national vaccination strategy ensuring adequate vaccine distribution and effective administration has been rolled out to render lasting protection against the infection. National COVID-19 Recovery Plan Framework and a gradual COVID-19 de-escalation plan were implemented to ensure a smoother transition to the new normal. This review provides valuable insights into the development of a robust pandemic leadership model and highlights the lessons and strategies that other countries can adopt for any future uncertainties.

COVID-19 induced cost upraises in the lifestyle of common people in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

Background COVID-19 continues to pose a significant risk to human health and is a prominent global vampire. COVID-19 diseases have a similar burden in all parts of the world, but they present a significant challenge to public health in low- and middle-income nations like Bangladesh. The primary purposes of the study are to describe the extent to which COVID-19 has increased the cost of living for the average Bangladeshi and to identify the chronic diseases that have been linked to the lifestyle impacts of COVID-19. Methods Snowball sampling was used to conduct a cross-sectional, confidential, online community survey from August 27, 2020, to October 10, 2020. Results Overall, 220 (69%) were male, most (32.2%) were between the ages of 31 and 40, most (71%) lived in urban, 279 (87%) were Muslim, and 120 (38%) had private jobs. Most of the people who answered were in classes 13–16 (55%), were married (80%), had a family (4-5) (76%), and earn more than 40,000 Taka (46%) and also between 20,000 and 40,000 Taka (35%) per month. 200 of the people who replied did not have a chronic disease, and 62 had at least one. During the beginning of COVID-19, 311 of the 312 people who answered the survey used masks. This began with the first case of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. 95% of the time, they used sanitizer, and 36% of the time, they used soap. Overall, 22% made less money during this time, and 7% lost their jobs. Because of the possible effects, there was less economic activity and less money coming into the community. Conclusions Impacts on Bangladesh's economy and way of life from COVID-19 are summarized in this report. It's not just a financial crisis; the ripple effects are being felt across society.

Islamic and Conventional Stocks’ Volatility: Evidence from the Three Waves of Covid-19 Pandemic

This study aims to compare the performance of Islamic and conventional stocks’ performance amid a crisis. The performance is measured by analyzing the volatility of the Indonesian Sharia Stock Index (ISSI) and the Composite Stock Price Index (IHSG) IHSG during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the results of the different tests using the paired t-test and Wilcoxon rank test methods, it was concluded that the ISSI and IHSG experienced significant changes before and after discovering the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia. Significant changes in both values are also found when the Delta variance spreads. Meanwhile, when the third wave occurred due to the presence of the Omicron variant, ISSI and IHSG were able to move more stable and did not experience significant shocks. Then, the estimation results of the GARCH model conclude that both Islamic stocks and conventional stocks have an immense volatility power with an identical value of 0.94 or close to 1. The volatility is also significantly influenced by the previous volatility and the squared error representing other previous events outside the model. The volatility that occurs in Islamic and conventional stocks is not much different, even though both stocks have different characters in the ratio of debt and income. Fundamental factors also cause this high volatility in the form of shocks in several macroeconomic variables, including the rupiah exchange rate, gold prices, and world oil prices. In addition, the contagion effect that occurred during the Covid-19 crisis also contributed to the spread of systemic risk in global stock indexes on stock volatility in Indonesia

Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19: What to do Next?

The world suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic from December 2019 to date which results in the loss of many precious human lives. This creates a sense of insecurity and depression among those who lived without their loved ones. The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Pakistan in February 2020 which results in people being in quarantine for several months. Outdoor activities were closed and people had to work and study from home. Pakistan’s government was able to manage the pandemic well and less mortality was reported compared to developed countries.

Policy Guidelines to Mitigate the Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic towards the Reproductive Healthcare System in Kenya: A Review

The first case of COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The virus was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 11, 2020. In East Africa, Kenya was leading with 250,000 cases as at October 30th 2021. The Ministry of Health (MoH) was tasked with responding to the pandemic to contain the spread. This was a qualitative study and the study objectives included; determining how decision-making process occurs, strategies to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 to the reproductive health care system, exploring the role of the ad-hoc committee of experts and the COVID-19 Task Force in the response and finding out the factors that policy actors consider when formulating policies. Taguette Software was used to analyze the data qualitatively. The study findings from key informants and document analysis established that, leadership, coordination and collaboration from the different sectors for the COVID-19 response was key. Societal values influenced policy decisions. The study established that, where major political elites had most power, policy was actioned. The MoH should develop contextualized mitigation plans to sustain service provision; focusing on capacity strengthening of providers on emergency responses, task shifting and tele-health. Policy guidelines should be continuously updated to reflect the current status at the national and sub-national levels. In conclusion, the health policy triangle provided a framework for simplifying the complex and dynamic nature of policy making but little consideration to other aspects that describe how and why policies are modified were considered. This needs to be exhaustive. Keywords: COVID-19, Reproductive Healthcare System, Guidelines, Mitigation, Decision Making, Policy Action, Kenya & Task Force

LONG COVID- 'THE MYSTERY YET TO REVEAL'

Introduction: The first case of covid19 in India on January 31,2020.India has presently achieved over 90% recovery.9.5 million cases recovered out of 10 million reported as of December 19,2020.However,as the cohort of survivors expands, it is now being realized that a parallel epidemic of the post-COVID syndrome/long COVID is emerging.Aim:To identify and manage long covid more efficiently. Objective:To record follow up data of covid 19 survivors.Materials & Method: This is the prospective cohort study including 150 patients of,all confirmed hospitalized patients who were discharged during 2nd wave of COVID 19 from RRMCH, Bangalore, patients were contacted by telephone. Duration for 6 months April 21 to October 21. Results:Patients were found to have a direct correlation with days of hospitalization (p-0.0001,R0.773) presence of co morbidities(p-0.0001) and history of smoking(p-0.006) with Chalder fatigue score. Patients with vaccination were found to have proportionately lower CFS scores thereby indicating the importance of vaccination in prevention of Long Covid complications. Conclusion:This study makes it evident that of those who survived COVID-19 illness a significant proportion is likely to experience a post-COVID syndrome up to 6 months after the active illness

COVID-19 Associated Neurological Manifestation.

At the end of 2019, COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan. In March 2020, COVID-19 became a pandemic globally. Saudi Arabia registered the first case of COVID-19 on March 2, 2020. This research aimed to identify the prevalence of different neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and to assess the relation of the severity, vaccination state, and continuity of symptoms to the occurrence of these symptoms. Cross-sectional retrospective study was done in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted on previously diagnosed COVID-19 patients by random selection using a predesigned online questionnaire to collect data. Data was entered through Excel and analyzed through SPSS version 23. The study showed that the most common neurological manifestations in COVID-19 patients are headache (75.8%), changes in sense of smell and taste (74.1%), muscle pain (66.2%), and mood disturbance (depression, anxiety) (49.7%). Whereas other neurological manifestations such as weakness of the limbs, loss of consciousness, seizure, confusion, and vision changes are significantly associated with older individuals, this may lead to increased mortality and morbidity in these patients. COVID-19 is associated with many neurological manifestations in the population of Saudi Arabia. The prevalence of neurological manifestations is similar to many previous studies, where acute neurological manifestations such as loss of consciousness and convulsions are seen more in older individuals which may lead to increased mortality and worse outcomes. Other self-limited symptoms such as headache and change in smell function i.e., anosmia or hyposmia were more pronounced in those <40 years. This mandates more attention to elderly patients with COVID-19, to early detect common neurological manifestations associated with it, and to apply preventive measures known to improve the outcome of these symptoms.

Rising Gold Prices but Lower Incomes for Gold Miners: Evidence on Market Imperfections from Burkina Faso during COVID-19

Abstract Although artisanal gold mining is known for human rights violations and environmental degradation, it is an increasingly important economic activity in many African countries, with a high potential to alleviate poverty. Due to increased demand for gold investment during the COVID-19 pandemic, the monthly international gold price has increased by 20% from January to May 2020. To understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced gold miners, we analyse a panel survey of about 170 artisanal gold miners interviewed 2 months before the first case of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso. Follow-up surveys were done early in the pandemic and about 1 year after baseline. Various pre-existing local market failures caused local gold prices to decrease by 20%–30% from January to May 2020, when international gold prices noticeably increased. Market failures include oligopsonistic market conditions on the mines, which worsened due to travel restrictions that disrupted trading routes, reduced local traders' liquidity and made it difficult for traders to reach mines. Moreover, we find that miners have very little knowledge of international gold prices, and due to insecurity and credit constraints, they are unable to wait for local prices to recover. Once travel restrictions were lifted, the local gold price recovered close to the global gold price. To make local markets more competitive and ensure that miners benefit from rising international gold prices, governments could broadcast world gold prices on local radio, increase trading opportunities and provide access to credits for miners.

Predictors of psychological stress occurring after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland: A cross-sectional study.

The article presents the results of research aimed to identify the predictors of psychological distress among Poles 7 months after the occurrence of the first case of COVID-19. In order to gather the research material, the CAWI on-line survey method was applied and carried out within the framework of the Ariadna Research Panel on the sample of 1,079 Poles aged 15 and over. The results of the conducted research indicate that Polish society experienced psychological distress during the first wave of the pandemic. According to the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), no mental disorders were observed among 36% of Poles, mild mental disorders were observed among 23% of respondents, average levels of disorders were observed among 18% of respondents, whereas high levels of disorders were observed among 23% of respondents. A hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors of psychological distress. In the first stage, socio-demographic variables explained 13% of the distress variance. In the second stage, the variables measuring social nuisances of the pandemic were introduced, which increased the percentage of the explained stress variance to 24%. In the third stage, the introduced psychological variables increased the percentage of the explained variance to 65%. The main factor which increased stress levels was neuroticism. The conducted analyses have shown that the lack of social, economic and psychological capital significantly increases the susceptibility to distress when a threat to life and health lasts for a prolonged period of time.

Luaran Maternal pada Ibu Hamil dengan Covid-19 di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Studi Kohort Retrospektif

Background: Coronavirus is a disease at the end of 2019 caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which now was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Indonesia reported the first case of COVID-19 on March 2, 2020 and the number still increase until now. The studies of SARS-CoV-2 infection on pregnancy and maternal outcomes are still uncertain since evidence regarding the disease is still ongoing. Moreover, the pregnant women have a higher risk of morbidity and mortality than the general population.Objective: This study aimed to determined the relationship among COVID-19 in pregnancy with maternal outcome at YogyakartaMethods: This is a retrospective cohort study. The subjects were pregnant women who were diagnosed confirm COVID-19. The research subjects were taken at Dr. Sardjito Hospital and Akademik UGM Hospital from March 2020 to August 2021.Results and Discussion: Among all 436 research subjects, obtained 340 sampels that met the criteria for analysis. The characteristics of subjects showed patients with aged &gt;35 years (58.24%), and gestational age ≥37 weeks (79.41%). There were correlated significantly between confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 in pregnant women with prematurity (RR 2,42, CI 95% 1,44–4.04), requiring ICU (RR 53.89, CI 95% 3.33–870.45), length of stay (RR 1.97, CI 95% 1,05–3,68), and maternal mortality maternal (RR 38.08, CI 95% 2,34–619,83) compared with asymptomatic COVID-19. There was no correlated significantly (p&gt;0.05) between COVID-19 in pregnancy with mode of delivery. Age, obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus have no correlated significantly with maternal outcomesConclusion: Pregnancy as an independent risk factor for symptomatic COVID-19 that is likely independent of other comorbidities. Pregnant women who symptomatic COVID-19 increase the risk of worse maternal outcome compare with asymptomatic COVID-19. The mode of delivery decided based on medical and obstetric indication. Keywords : COVID-19; pregnancy; co-morbidities; maternal outcomes

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Islamic Health Insurance Market Returns: Empirical Evidence from Saudi Arabia

This study aims to identify the impact of COVID-19 on the Cooperative Health Insurance (CHI) Market in Saudi Arabia by applying Event Study Methodology. The health event identified in this study is the announcement of the first positive case of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia, which the Ministry of Health announced on March 2, 2020. For this study, the daily price of 24 cooperative health insurance companies listed on the Saudi Stock Market (Tadawul) and the market index (TASI) for the same period (June 05, 2018 - March 30, 2020) were collected. The abnormal returns are calculated using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). The study found a negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health insurance companies in Saudi Arabia during the first week of the anticipation period that continued until the event day. Negative abnormal returns persisted until the end of the total study period but were not statistically significant except on only three days during the post-event window (March 05, 08, and 09, 2020). This means the Saudi cooperative insurance market experienced a period of anticipation and anxiety before the announcement of the first case of Covid-19; however, the information was insufficient and unconfirmed. During the adjustment window, the market tried to adjust itself and react to the event efficiently, but it could not do so. The results of this study are useful to takaful investors, operators, and regulators in the Islamic insurance markets and to researchers and academicians.

A spatiotemporal spread of COVID-19 pandemic with vaccination optimal control strategy: A case study in Morocco

On March 2, 2020, the Moroccan Ministry of Health announced the first case of COVID-19 in the city of Casablanca for a Moroccan tourist who came from Italy. The SARS-COV-2 virus has spread throughout the Kingdom of Morocco. In this paper, we study the spatiotemporal transmission of the COVID-19 virus in the Kingdom of Morocco. By supporting a SIWIHR partial differential equation for the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco as a case study. Our main goal is to characterize the optimum order of controlling the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic by adopting a vaccination strategy, the aim of which is to reduce the number of susceptible and infected individuals without vaccination and to maximize the recovered individuals by reducing the cost of vaccination using one of the vaccines approved by the World Health Organization. To do this, we proved the existence of a pair of control. It provides a description of the optimal controls in terms of state and auxiliary functions. Finally, we provided numerical simulations of data related to the transmission of the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the adopted approach.

The influence of COVID-19 on the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke: aretrospective observational study.

Since December 2019, coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread to become a global pandemic, exerting a great pressure on medical staff worldwide. This study aimed to observe whether COVID-19 influenced the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke (IS). This study retrospectively analysed the clinical data (number of emergencies, time from onset to treatment, and door-to-needle time [DNT]) of patients with acute IS (AIS) treated in our hospital within six months of the first case of COVID-19 reported in the city; the derived data were then compared with the situation of patients during the same period in 2019. The results showed that the number of medical visits during the period of COVID-19 decreased by 44.3%, and the median time from the onset of IS to emergency treatment was 35 min longer than that during the same period in 2019. The median time from entering the emergency department to the completion of cranial computerized tomography was 8 min shorter than during the same period in 2019, and the median time of DNT was relatively shorter than that during the same period in 2019. The pandemic situation of COVID-19 significantly reduced the number of patients with AIS and prolonged the travel time to the hospital whereas most of the stroke treatment services were maintained.

Association of Meteorological Factors With COVID-19 During Harmattan in Nigeria.

Harmattan is a season of dry, cold, dusty wind, and haze that is peculiar to West Africa. This season and COVID-19 share common conditions such as malaise and respiratory issues like as runny nose, cough and sneezing, and raise a question of a possible relationship that begs to be answered. This study investigated whether the meteorological factors of humidity and wind speed during harmattan have association with COVID-19 incidence and mortality in the 2 major COVID-19 epicenters of Lagos state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in southern and northern geopolitical regions of Nigeria respectively. Data used were from March, 2020 to February, 2022, which corresponded to the period of 2 years after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Nigeria. Correlation analysis was performed using incidence or mortality data on COVID-19 over the duration of 2 years and during the harmattan periods, as well as the humidity and wind speed data for the corresponding periods. Our results showed that there was no significant correlation between the humidity or wind speed and COVID-19 daily incidence or mortality during the harmattan and non-harmattan periods in Lagos state. In the FCT however, there was a significant positive correlation between humidity and COVID-19 incidence, as well as a negative correlation between wind speed and COVID-19 incidence. No significant correlation existed between humidity or wind speed and daily mortality. Taken together, the findings of this study show that weather components of the harmattan season have association with COVID-19 incidence but not mortality, and the association could vary depending on location.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Hospital Admissions for Alcohol-related Liver Disease and Pancreatitis in Western Sydney.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Hospital Admissions for Alcohol-related Liver Disease and Pancreatitis in Western Sydney.

Effect of long vacation on daily cases of COVID-19 during partial restriction in Jakarta, Indonesia

Since the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in December 2020, the number of transmissions due to COVID-19 infection in the capital city of Jakarta has never decreased in the long term. The decrease in the number of daily positive cases through restrictions on social interaction implemented by the Government faced many obstacles during long holidays, hence it did not last long. In this research paper, we investigate the effect of long vocation on daily cases of COVID-19 by considering few factors including the level of surveillance through contact tracing and testing during social restrictions which are identified to be hampered by long holidays. Hence, based on the number of testing aspects in the time of the outbreak and serials of long holidays, a structural model was built to explain how these variables affect daily number of positive cases. The data for analysis taken at the first social restrictions period up to end of 2020 showed that daily positive cases consistently increasing. Time series structural model of the two-step approach shows that the time and number of testing variables significantly affect the number of daily positive cases, but long holidays did not directly affect the number of positive cases. In a sense, the effect of long holidays results in an increase in the quantity of the number of tests, which in turn will affect the number of daily positive cases. The forecast function for daily new cases obtained by the model performs relatively well in terms of the mean value of the squared prediction error, which gives a positivity rate around 7%.

G6PD Deficiency and COVID-19 in Burkina Faso: A Possible Link?

Burkina Faso is a malaria-endemic country, with a high incidence of G6PD deficiency (G6PDd), which recorded its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020. G6PDd leads to a decrease in the efficiency of erythrocytes to combat oxidative stress, while SARS-CoV-2 infection induces massive production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in patients. In the present review, we discuss a possible link between G6PDd and SARS-CoV-2 infection. The mean prevalence of G6PDd in Burkina Faso is estimated at 16.6% among males and 6.5% among females. A total of 21,128 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Burkina Faso with 387 deaths reported (with a mortality rate of 1.15% among diagnosed cases) as of August 30, 2022. To our knowledge, no association study between G6PDd and SARS-CoV-2 infection has been conducted to date in Burkina Faso. However, several case reports around the world have described elevated risks of hemolysis and thrombosis, and other complications among G6PD-deficient patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The use of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) has also been deemed unsafe by some authors for the treatment of COVID-19 among patients with G6PDd. Although HCQ has been shown to be well tolerated in COVID-19 patients in Burkina Faso, the drug could induce hemolytic crises in people with G6PD deficiency. G6PD is important in regulating ROS and maintaining erythrocyte homeostasis. In view of its high prevalence in Burkina Faso, determination of the G6PD status is required in COVID-19 patients for adequate management such as identifying a subset of COVID-19 patients for whom close monitoring and supportive care may be essential and to restrict treatment with HCQ.