Incidence Of COVID-19 Research Articles

COVID-19 Pandemic Modulates the Environmental Contamination Level of Enteric Bacteria from WWTPs

The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenge for the whole world, and it had major secondary effects on humans and environmental health. The viral infection induced, in many situations, secondary bacterial infections, especially enteric infections, by destabilizing the balance of the gastrointestinal microbiota. The large-scale use of antibiotics and biocides for both curative and preventive purposes has resulted in an increase in bacterial resistance, and at the same time, the possibility of pathogenic microorganism multiplication and their dissemination to natural environments. Wastewater is the main vector of fecal microorganisms that favors their dissemination into natural aquatic ecosystems. The present paper aims to analyze the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the microbiological quality of wastewater from sewage treatment plants in Romania and its impact on receiving rivers. In order to highlight different and important areas in Romania, three cities from the east, center and west were selected for a microbiological evaluation of their WWTP influents and effluents from the pre-COVID-19 period and during the COVID-19 pandemic peak period, when the COVID-19 pandemic had a direct impact on WWTP microbial compositions. Our study shows that a higher level of contamination with fecal bacteria is linked to a higher COVID-19 incidence. The increased usage of pharmaceutical compounds, in turn, increases the number of resistant bacteria reaching the environment via WWTP effluents.

Utilizing direct and indirect information to improve the COVID-19 vaccination booster scheduling

Current global COVID-19 booster scheduling strategies mainly focus on vaccinating high-risk populations at predetermined intervals. However, these strategies overlook key data: the direct insights into individual immunity levels from active serological testing and the indirect information available either through sample-based sero-surveillance, or vital demographic, location, and epidemiological factors. Our research, employing an age-, risk-, and region-structured mathematical model of disease transmission—based on COVID-19 incidence and vaccination data from Israel between 15 May 2020 and 25 October 2021—reveals that a more comprehensive strategy integrating these elements can significantly reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations without increasing existing booster coverage. Notably, the effective use of indirect information alone can considerably decrease COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, without the need for additional vaccine doses. This approach may also be applicable in optimizing vaccination strategies for other infectious diseases, including influenza.

Analysis of the Dominant Factors Associated with the Incidence of Covid-19 in Prehospital and Intra-Hospital Nurses

Nurses are the main lead in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic as if they are risking contracted by Covid-19. High stress during a pandemic has an impact on psychological problems, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) usage, decision-making difficulty on triage, and fatigue in which those can decrease the immune systems. The aim of study was to identify the dominant factors related to the incidence of Covid-19 in nurses. This observational study used Cross Sectional Study design and consecutive sampling techniques at 136 respondents. Questionnaires was used as instruments tested by validity and reliability to measure Fatigue, Psychological Problems (Depression, Anxiety, Stress), Decision-Making Ability of Triage-EWS Screening Covid-19, Vaccination history, risks of exposure, PPE usage and Covid-19 Incidents. Dominant factor analysis was assessed using multivariate analysis by logistic regression test. Based on the results of the logistic regression test, it was found that the risk of exposure to Covid-19 was the dominant factor with the incidence of Covid-19 among nurses in the pre-intra-hospital settings with significance of the test results p value <0.0. Handling of Covid-19 incidents in health workers is crucial. It has been clear that the risk of exposure to people who are confirmed positive can increase the incidence of Covid-19, so it necessary to make prevention program by implementing physical distancing and increasing activities that impact on increasing of immunity.

Impact of immune evasion, waning and boosting on dynamics of population mixing between a vaccinated majority and unvaccinated minority.

We previously demonstrated that when vaccines prevent infection, the dynamics of mixing between vaccinated and unvaccinated sub-populations is such that use of imperfect vaccines markedly decreases risk for vaccinated people, and for the population overall. Risks to vaccinated people accrue disproportionately from contact with unvaccinated people. In the context of the emergence of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 and evolving understanding of SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology, we updated our analysis to evaluate whether our earlier conclusions remained valid. We modified a previously published Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered (SIR) compartmental model of SARS-CoV-2 with two connected sub-populations: vaccinated and unvaccinated, with non-random mixing between groups. Our expanded model incorporates diminished vaccine efficacy for preventing infection with the emergence of Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variants, waning immunity, the impact of prior immune experience on infectivity, "hybrid" effects of infection in previously vaccinated individuals, and booster vaccination. We evaluated the dynamics of an epidemic within each subgroup and in the overall population over a 10-year time horizon. Even with vaccine efficacy as low as 20%, and in the presence of waning immunity, the incidence of COVID-19 in the vaccinated subpopulation was lower than that among the unvaccinated population across the full 10-year time horizon. The cumulative risk of infection was 3-4 fold higher among unvaccinated people than among vaccinated people, and unvaccinated people contributed to infection risk among vaccinated individuals at twice the rate that would have been expected based on the frequency of contacts. These findings were robust across a range of assumptions around the rate of waning immunity, the impact of "hybrid immunity", frequency of boosting, and the impact of prior infection on infectivity in unvaccinated people. Although the emergence of the Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 has diminished the protective effects of vaccination against infection with SARS-CoV-2, updating our earlier model to incorporate loss of immunity, diminished vaccine efficacy and a longer time horizon, does not qualitatively change our earlier conclusions. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 continues to diminish the risk of infection among vaccinated people and in the population as a whole. By contrast, the risk of infection among vaccinated people accrues disproportionately from contact with unvaccinated people.

Gold in household portfolios during a pandemic: Evidence from India

This paper examines how Indian households allocate their savings portfolio across gold, financial assets, and cash during the COVID-19 crisis. Our study relies on an extensive household survey in 142 districts across 21 states in India conducted during the 2020–2021 financial year. We find that the portfolio allocation of households in districts with a higher incidence of COVID-19 shifted towards gold during the pandemic compared to households in other districts. The shift towards gold is accompanied by a shift away from financial assets and other assets (primarily cash). A similar shift towards gold is observed for districts that experienced the most adverse economic impact—as measured by lower night-time lights intensity—during the pandemic. Households in districts with greater banking access and better health infrastructure show a smaller shift towards gold. A panel estimation with normal and COVID-19 period surveys confirms the baseline results. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of economic crisis in shaping the financial decisions of households.

Is a tiered restrictions system an effective intervention for COVID-19 control? Results from Portugal, November-December 2020

BackgroundIn November 2020, similar to other European countries, Portugal implemented a tiered restrictions system to control the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to compare the COVID-19 growth rate across tiers to assess the effect of a tiered restrictions system in Portugal, using models with different times between tiers assessment. Our hypothesis was that being in a higher tier brings a faster deceleration in the growth rate than being in a lower tier.MethodsThe national database of notified COVID-19 cases and publicly available data were used to analyse the effect of the tiered restrictions system on the COVID-19 incidence growth rate. The tiers were based on the European Centre for Disease Control risk classification: moderate, high, very and extremely high. We used a generalised mixed-effects regression model to estimate the growth rate ratio (GRR) for each tier, comparing the growth rates of higher tiers using moderate tier as reference. Three models were fitted using different times between tiers assessment, separated by 14 days.ResultsWe included 156 034 cases. Very high tier was the most frequent combination in all the three moments assessed (21.2%), and almost 50% of the municipalities never changed tier during the study period. Immediately after the tiers implementation, a reduction was identified in the municipalities in high tier (GRR high tier: 0.90 [95%CI: 0.79; 1.02]) and very high tier (GRR very high tier: 0.68 [95%CI: 0.61; 0.77]), however with some imprecision in the 95% confidence interval for the high tier. A reduction in very high tier growth rate was identified two weeks (GRR: 0.79 [95%CI: 0.71; 0.88]) and four weeks (GRR: 0.77 [95%CI: 0.74; 0.82]) after the implementation, compared to moderate tier. In high tier, a reduction was also identified in both times, although smaller.ConclusionsWe observed a reduction in the growth rate in very high tier after the tiered restriction system was implemented, but we also observed a lag between tiered restriction system implementation and the onset of consequent effects. This could suggest the importance of early implementation of stricter measures for pandemic control. Thus, studies analysing a broader period of time are needed.

Space-temporal variation and correlation between dengue and COVID-19 in a brazilian amazon state

COVID-19 is considered a serious global public health problem. Over the years, Acre has faced epidemics caused by arboviruses, including dengue. This study evaluates the spatiotemporal correlation between dengue and COVID-19 incidence in Acre, taking into account socioeconomic indicators. It was an ecological, quantitative, and retrospective study. The local Moran index was used for spatial autocorrelation and simple linear regression for the analysis of socioeconomic indicators. The results showed varied spatial autocorrelation for dengue and COVID-19 in different years. The regression in 2021 revealed that 82.9% of COVID-19 notifications were related to dengue. Population density and population size were identified as the main factors for the increase in cases. This analysis suggests that both diseases are affected by the same indicators.

Trends in admissions for COVID-19 in the United States between April 2020 and December 2021 and cardiovascular events

IntroductionCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to cardiovascular complications. We aimed to understand the trends in admission for COVID-19 and the incidence of various cardiovascular events.Material and methodsThe 2020 and 2021 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was studied for cases of COVID-19 between April 2020 and December 2021 in the United States. Linear-by-linear association helped us understand the trends of various events.ResultsThe number of cases of COVID-19 was highest in January 2021 (261,469 patients). The incidence of acute pulmonary embolism rose from 2.08% in April 2020 to 4.82% in November 2021, while deep vein thrombosis cases rose from 1.74% in April 2020 to 2.63% in December 2021. The incidence of cardiac arrest varied, with a maximum of 3.00% in August 2021. Similarly, acute ischemic stroke cases experienced their highest incidence in January 2021 (0.91%). The incidence of myocarditis was highest in April and May 2020 (0.42% each). Peak takotsubo cases were seen between October and December 2021. The highest overall all-cause mortality among COVID-19 cases was seen in April 2020 (16.74%).ConclusionsThroughout the 21 months of our analysis, various trends in COVID-19 cases and incidence of cardiac events were noticed. This could relate to the different variants of COVID-19, their direct and indirect impact on coagulation pathways and the myocardial tissues, and the protective roles of the vaccines.

The risk of COVID-19 in Cushing's disease is independently related to disease activity (hypercortisolism) and obesity.

To evaluate the cumulative incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with Cushing's disease (CD). In all, 60 patients with CD following up in our outpatient clinic answered via phone interview a questionnaire about the occurrence of COVID-19 infection documented by RT-PCR (including the diagnosis date and clinical outcome) and vaccination status. Clinical and biochemical data on disease activity (hypercortisolism) and comorbidities (obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension) were obtained from the patients' electronic medical records. Risk ratios (RRs) of risk factors were obtained using univariate and multivariate analyses. The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 in patients with CD during the observation period was 31.7%, which was higher than that in the general reference population (9.5%). The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was significantly higher in patients with hypercortisolism (57% versus 17% in those without hypercortisolism, p = 0.012) and obesity (54% versus 9% in those without obesity, p < 0.001) but not in patients with hypertension or diabetes mellitus. On multivariate analysis, hypercortisolism and obesity were each independent risk factors for COVID-19 (RR 2.18, 95% CI 1.06-4.46, p = 0.033 and RR 5.19, 95% CI 1.61-16.74, p = 0.006, respectively). The incidence of COVID-19 in patients with CD was associated with hypercortisolism, as expected, and obesity, a novel and unexpected finding. Thus, correction of hypercortisolism and obesity should be implemented in patients with CD during the current and future COVID-19 outbreaks.

Incidence and outcome of COVID-19 following vaccine and hybrid immunity in patients on immunosuppressive therapy: identification of protective post-immunisation anti-RBD antibody levels in a prospective cohort study

ObjectivesTo assess incidence, severity and predictors of COVID-19, including protective post-vaccination levels of antibodies to the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (anti-RBD), informing further vaccine strategies for patients with...

Magnitude and determinants of excess total, age-specific and sex-specific all-cause mortality in 24 countries worldwide during 2020 and 2021: results on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the C-MOR project

IntroductionTo examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality, we estimated excess all-cause mortality in 24 countries for 2020 and 2021, overall and stratified by sex and age.MethodsTotal, age-specific...

Estimating the incidence of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infection in three regions of Queensland, Australia, winter 2022: findings from a novel longitudinal testing-based sentinel surveillance programme

ObjectiveThe 2022 Australian winter was the first time that COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were circulating in the population together, after two winters of physical distancing, quarantine and...

Association of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors vs Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors With Pneumonia, COVID-19, and Other Adverse Respiratory Events in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

ObjectiveOur aim in this study was to systematically assess the association of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) vs dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP4i) with pneumonia, COVID-19, and adverse respiratory events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). MethodsPubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were retrieved to include studies on DM patients receiving SGLT2i (exposure group) or DPP4i (control group). Stata version 15.0 statistical software was used for the meta-analysis. ResultsTen studies were included, all 10 of which were used for the qualitative review and 7 for the meta-analysis. According to the meta-analysis, patients receiving SGLT2i had a lower incidence of pneumonia (odds ratio [OR] 0.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51 to 0.74) and pneumonia risk (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.68, p=0.000) compared with those receiving DPP4i. The same situation was seen for mortality for pneumonia (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.60) and pneumonia mortality risk (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.42 to 0.51). There was lower mortality due to COVID-19 (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.34) and a lower hospitalization rate (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.68, p=0.000) and incidence of mechanical ventilation (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.83, p=0.000) due to COVID-19 in patients with type 2 DM receiving SGLT2i. Qualitative analysis results show that SGLT2i were associated with a lower incidence of COVID-19, lower risk of obstructive airway disease events, and lower hospitalization rate of health-care–associated pneumonia than DPP4i. ConclusionIn patients with type 2 DM, SGLT2i are associated with a lower risk of pneumonia, COVID-19, and mortality than DPP4i.

COVID-19 Cases and Factors Associated with 11 Indonesian Provinces, 2021

In collaboration with other stakeholders, National Task Force of COVID-19 Control conducted massive detection of the cases, followed by contact tracing. The study aimed to overview COVID-19 cases from 58 districts of 11 provinces in Indonesia and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study design used secondary data from The National Task Force of COVID-19 Control. COVID-19 cases and other variables were collected in 58 districts in 11 provinces of Indonesia year 2021. The study incorporated descriptive, correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis with the district as an analysis unit. The median of COVID-19 cases was 804 per district, traced cases were 70.6% of cases, cases had contact was 2.6% of cases, close contact was 2,188, the ratio of close contact: cases were 2.75, isolation drop out was 8, quarantine drop out was 9, test for close contact was 962, COVID-19 vaccine dose 1 was 147, dose 2 was 205, and no vaccine was 354. Factors significantly correlated with COVID-19 cases were cases traced, cases have epicontact, close contact, and ratio close contact. In multivariate analysis, the percentage of traced cases, cases had epicontact, isolation drop out, COVID-19 vaccine dose-1, and no COVID-19 vaccine associated with COVID-19 cases. Identifying factors related to the incidence of COVID-19 can be used to increase efforts to prevent and control COVID-19 cases in the community as a response to alertness to the emergence of new cases due to new variation mutations.

Effects of long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution on COVID-19 incidence: A population-based cohort study accounting for SARS-CoV-2 exposure levels in the Netherlands

Several studies have linked air pollution to COVID-19 morbidity and severity. However, these studies do not account for exposure levels to SARS-CoV-2, nor for different sources of air pollution. We analyzed individual-level data for 8.3 million adults in the Netherlands to assess associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and SARS-CoV-2 infection (i.e., positive test) and COVID-19 hospitalisation risks, accounting for spatiotemporal variation in SARS-CoV-2 exposure levels during the first two major epidemic waves (February 2020–February 2021). We estimated average annual concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 at residential addresses, overall and by PM source (road traffic, industry, livestock, other agricultural sources, foreign sources, other Dutch sources), at 1 × 1 km resolution, and weekly SARS-CoV-2 exposure at municipal level. Using generalized additive models, we performed interval-censored survival analyses to assess associations between individuals’ average exposure to PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 in the three years before the pandemic (2017–2019) and COVID-19-outcomes, adjusting for SARS-CoV-2 exposure, individual and area-specific confounders. In single-pollutant models, per interquartile (IQR) increase in exposure, PM10 was associated with 7% increased infection risk and 16% increased hospitalisation risk, PM2.5 with 8% increased infection risk and 18% increased hospitalisation risk, and NO2 with 3% increased infection risk and 11% increased hospitalisation risk. Bi-pollutant models suggested that effects were mainly driven by PM. Associations for PM were confirmed when stratifying by urbanization degree, epidemic wave and testing policy. All emission sources of PM, except industry, showed adverse effects on both outcomes. Livestock showed the most detrimental effects per unit exposure, whereas road traffic affected severity (hospitalisation) more than infection risk. This study shows that long-term exposure to air pollution increases both SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 hospitalisation risks, even after controlling for SARS-CoV-2 exposure levels, and that PM may have differential effects on these COVID-19 outcomes depending on the emission source.

Clinico-Epidemiological Profile of COVID-19 of Patients Presenting to Emergency Department of a Tertiary Medical College of Central Nepal

Background Clinico-epidemiological profile of COVID-19 includes varied clinical symptoms like fever, cough, and fatigue, with a potential for rapid community spread through respiratory droplets. Understanding the clinical characteristics of patients is crucial for planning human resources and logistics support. This study aims to identify the clinical characteristics observed in patients suspected of having COVID-19 presenting to emergency department of College of Medical Sciences and Teaching Hospital. MethodsThis is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at Department of General Practice and Emergency Medicine of College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Nepal from April 2020 to February 2021. Ethical approval was taken from institutional review committee of College of Medical Sciences. Data was collected from record file of emergency department. Data was entered and analyzed by using descriptive statistical tools in SPSS-20.ResultsMajority (25.2%) of them were in the age group 50-60 years. Mean±SD of age was 55.2±16.5 years. Majority (54.3%) respondents were male. In presenting complaints 71.42% had cough, 69.5% had fever, 62.9% had shortness of breath. Also, 34.28% had severe symptoms, and 33.34% had moderate symptoms, 20% were asymptomatic and 12.38% had mild symptoms. Finding showed that 69.52% of patients required oxygen supplementation. The motility of COVID-19 patients during emergency stay was 6.67% while 36.19% were admitted in ward and 31.43% were admitted in ICU, 20% patients were sent for home isolation.Conclusions Young adults were the most commonly affected age group and males showed a higher incidence of COVID-19. Since many patients were symptomatic with fever and cough as the typical presentations in the emergency department. Majority of patients during presentation had moderate and severe symptoms and needed oxygen supplementation.

Retrospective evaluation of COVID-19 incidence during smoking cessation treatment with varenicline

Background: Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway endogenously controls inflammatory processes through activation of the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR). Varenicline, used in smoking cessation therapy, is a full α7nAChR agonist with anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, the frequency of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was evaluated in patients using varenicline as a smoking cessation treatment.&#x0D; Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, records of the 111 patients admitted to Smoking Cessation Outpatient Clinic of Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated. The development of COVID-19 disease according to the status of the patients being positive for SARS-COV-2 was evaluated comparatively in patients who received varenicline or not. Additionally, the disease symptoms were questioned. &#x0D; Results: SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity was not detected in any of 38 patients who regularly used varenicline out of 68 patients evaluated. SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity was detected in 13 (43.3%) of 30 patients who received other treatments or irregularly used varenicline (p

Effects of primary health care and socioeconomic aspects on the dispersion of COVID-19 in the Brazilian Northeast: Ecological study of the first pandemic wave.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on socioeconomic and public health conditions of the population. To measure the temporal evolution of COVID-19 cases in cities near the countryside outside metropolitan areas of northeastern Brazil and the impact of the primary care organization in its containment. This is a time-series study, based on the first three months of COVID-19 incidence in northeastern Brazil. Secondary data were used, the outcome was number of COVID-19 cases. Independent variables were time, coverage and quality score of basic health services, and demographic, socioeconomic and social isolation variables. Generalizable Linear Models with first order autoregression were applied. COVID-19 spreads heterogeneously in cities near the countryside of Northeastern Brazilian cities, showing associations with the city size, socioeconomic and organizational indicators of services. The Family Health Strategy seems to mitigate the speed of progression and burden of the disease, in addition to measures such as social isolation and closure of commercial activities. The spread of COVID-19 reveals multiple related factors, which require coordinated intersectoral actions in order to mitigate its problems, especially in biologically and socially vulnerable populations.

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN THE PLEVEN REGION FOR A THREE-YEAR PERIOD (MARCH 2020 – MARCH 2023)

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the capacity of health systems to continue the delivery of essential health services. While health systems were being challenged by increasing demand for care of COVID-19 patients, it was critical to maintain preventive and curative services, especially for vulnerable populations. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on epidemiological and demographic characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Pleven region (March 2020 – March 29 2023). Data were obtained from annual reports of the National Statistical Institute and annual epidemiological analyses of Regional Health Inspectorate–Pleven and were analyzed using statistical software (IВМ SPSS Statistics 19.0). Results: There were 36,308 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (medical workers – 2,176 confirmed cases), with 1,895 deaths. The cases during the years were 5,646 (2020), 16,258 (2021), 15,225 (2022). The incidence of COVID-19 in the region was 2,389; 6,964, and 6,668 at 100,000 populations in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. The prevalence of the disease was 93%, 98% and 94% of all registered respiratory transmitted cases (p&lt;0.0005). There were four waves with the highest incidence (November 2020, March 2021, October 2021, and January 2022, in concordance with registered for Bulgaria). The highest mortality of COVID-19 (15% of deaths) was registered during 2021 – 456 and 368 at 100,000 population for males and females, respectively (16% and 15% of deaths, respectively; 81% – at ages 65+). Conclusion: The global implementation of different interventions had a significant impact on slowing down the community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Health care and resources must be focused on the vulnerable populations.

The association of Fruits and Vegetables consumption and COVID-19: Results from Yazd Health Study and TAMYZ study

Background:: COVID-19 has caused a high health burden worldwide and increased the need to identify factors affecting its risk. Fruits and vegetables are essential for a healthy diet and immune system function. This study investigated the associations between fruit and vegetable intake and COVID-19 incidence in a large sample of Iranian adults. Methods:: In this cross-sectional study, we used data from 9189 participants of Yazd Health Study (YaHS) and Taghzieh Mardom-e-Yazd (TAMIZ) study aged 20 to 70 years. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Results:: After adjusting for confounding variables, we found that higher intake of total fruit (OR: 0.42, CI: 0.20–0.83, P-trend =0.05), fresh fruit (OR: 0.46, CI: 0.23– 0.92, P-trend =0.04), green leafy vegetables (OR: 0.48, CI: 0.24–0.96, P-trend =0.08), and vitamin C (OR: 0.38, CI: 0.17– 0.81, P-trend =0.02) were associated with lower odds of COVID-19. No significant associations were observed for fruit juice, dried fruit, fruit compote, cruciferous vegetables, yellow vegetables, total vegetables and dietary fiber intake. Conclusion:: Our study suggests that higher consumption of fresh fruit, total fruit, green leafy vegetables, and dietary vitamin C may reduce the risk of COVID-19. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and provide evidence-based nutritional recommendations. Furthermore, the current study's findings could be important for similar pandemics.