New Strain Of Coronavirus Research Articles

In silico investigation of HCV and RNA synthesis inhibitor antibiotic drugs as potential inhibitors of SARS‑CoV‑2 main protease (Mpro)

BackgroundSince December 2019, a global crisis has unfolded with the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. This pandemic has afflicted hundreds of millions of people worldwide, resulting in millions of fatalities. In response to this urgent healthcare crisis, extensive efforts have been made to discover inhibitors of the COVID-19 virus. Given the structural similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and HCV, drugs approved by the FDA for treating HCV were selected and subjected to in silico testing against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with Remdesivir used as the standard for validation. Drug repurposing and phytochemical testing have also been conducted to identify potential candidates capable of inhibiting or suppressing the infection caused by the coronavirus. The time constraints imposed by the pandemic necessitated the in silico analysis of existing drug molecules against the coronavirus. Eleven HCV drugs approved by the FDA, along with one RNA synthesis inhibitor antibiotic drug, were tested using the in silico method due to their structural similarities with HCV and the SARS-CoV-2 virus.ResultsMolecular docking and MD simulation studies were performed for all selected compounds. Binding energies, root-mean-square deviation, root-mean-square fluctuation, solvent-accessible surface area, radius of gyration, and molecular mechanics generalized born surface area were calculated. Based on docking and MD simulation studies all the selected compounds have shown good binding energy values with Mpro (PDB ID: 6LU7). No toxicity measurements are required for these drugs since they were previously tested prior to their approval by the FDA.ConclusionsThis study shows that FDA-approved HCV drugs can be used as for SARS-COVID-19 inhibitors.

Assessing marginal effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 across Africa: a hybrid modeling study.

Since 2019, a new strain of coronavirus has challenged global health systems. Due its fragile healthcare systems, Africa was predicted to be the most affected continent. However, past experiences of African countries with epidemics and other factors, including actions taken by governments, have contributed to reducing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This study aims to assess the marginal impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions in fifteen African countries during the pre-vaccination period. To describe the transmission dynamics and control of SARS-CoV-2 spread, an extended time-dependent SEIR model was used. The transmission rate of each infectious stage was obtained using a logistic model with NPI intensity as a covariate. The results revealed that the effects of NPIs varied between countries. Overall, restrictive measures related to assembly had, in most countries, the largest reducing effects on the pre-symptomatic and mild transmission, while the transmission by severe individuals is influenced by privacy measures (more than $10\%$). Countries should develop efficient alternatives to assembly restrictions to preserve the economic sector. This involves e.g. training in digital tools and strengthening digital infrastructures.

The role of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as a biomarker predicting the severity of COVID-19 infection

At the end of 2019, several cases of pneumonia provoked by an unknown causative agent were identified in China. In March 2020, the World Health Organization announced a pandemic of a new strain of Coronavirus - SARS-CoV-2. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a biomarker that has recently become an important diagnostic and prognostic indicator in many diseases. The study‘s objective was to look for a relationship between NLR and the outcome of Covid-19 infection. Retrospectively, we studied 288 patients (mean age 69.1 ± 12.5) treated in an intensive pulmonology unit over ten months since 01.08.2021. All patients had severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, proven by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Leukocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, and NLR were traced. Hundred and seventy-four (60.4%) of the patients died, and the rest were discharged with improvement. Concerning NLR, we found values of 9.52 in the group of the deceased and 7.87 in those discharged, respectively, at the beginning. In the end, this indicator increased in the group of deceased to 15.04, while we found a drop to 7.3 in those discharged. A statistically significant difference was found regarding the outcome of the disease and the change in the NLR values in dynamics (p = 0.005). NLR is a cheap and reliable biomarker that can predict the outcome of Covid-19 infection.

Analyzing the Relationship Between COVID-19 Susceptibility and Blood Group Variations: A Comprehensive Investigation into the Impact of ABO Blood Types on the Incidence, Severity, and Clinical Outcomes of the Disease

Background: The covid-19 pandemic, originating from a new strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), is of concern to the global health arena as no crisis comparable to this has happened in the past. The investigation of not only the genetic components which may predispose for such a disease but also determine the severity of the illness has turned into a pressing research issue in modern days. Although it is desirable for the formulation of effective community health policy which provide tailor-made solutions concerning treatments, it is important that people have a clear understanding of the role played by blood type differences in this regard.
 Methodology: The research was done at Baghdad Medical City Hospital during the period of June and August of 2021 using the patients with verified COVID-19 cases as their base. The data contained not only demographic information but also a blood type, disorder severity level, as well as the details were about the procedure. Various statistics organizations, include but not limited to the Pearson correlation, Chi-square and data visualization were applied using SPSS to establish the association between different blood types and the aftermath of COVID-19 infections. Results: The study demonstrated that among the many characteristics of COVID-19, blood types tested out to be assciating with a statistically significant number of them. Noteworthy is the significant negative association that connects blood types with the severity of the disease, and this factor also determines the period for recovery. It became clear that the recovery duration and the treatment response didn’t depend on age when the results were adjusted for any statistically insignificant variations that could be attributed to age. This evidences us that it is likely that the age factor is not considered as a premier factor in the progress of the COVID-19 in the analyzed patients. when goes to a green process, the human error disappears.
 Conclusion: Obtained results of patients with diversified ABO blood types allowed us the data that confirmed disease incidence and severity can be modified during COVID-19. Given this fact, the doctors in the health care institutions and in the government agencies responsible for public health should gain this information. Also, the organizations need this information to develop a disease prevention and control policy. In a wider plan of the research and response strategy to the pandemic, COVID-19, the results reveal that on the genetic side the blood type must be borne in mind, amongst other hereditary features.

Evaluation of the Effect of Zinc, Quercetin, Bromelain and Vitamin C on COVID-19 Patients

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. There are three phases of COVID-19: early infection stage, pulmonary stage and hyper-inflammation stage respectively. It is important to prevent lung or other organs injuries by preventing phase-II and phase-III via pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatments. This was a case series study done on twenty-two patients confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 and diagnosed with COVID-19. Patients in this study have been used quercetin 800 mg, bromelain 165 mg, zinc acetate 50 mg and ascorbic acid 1 g once daily as supplements for 3 to 5 days during SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of quercetin, bromelain, zinc and ascorbic acid combination supplements on patients with COVID-19. The mean levels of WBC, ANC, ALC, AMC and AST were normal among all included patients before and after taking quercetin, bromelain, zinc and ascorbic acid supplements (P-value >0.05). Quercetin 800 mg, bromelain 165 mg, zinc acetate 50 mg and ascorbic acid 1 g once daily supplements were safe for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and may prevent poor prognosis. Randomized clinical trials needed in the future to ensure the efficacy of quercetin, bromelain, zinc and vitamin C combination.

Selection of models and parameter estimation for monitoring the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil via Bayesian inference

In 2019, a new strain of coronavirus led to an outbreak of disease cases named COVID-19, evolving rapidly into a pandemic. In Brazil, delayed decision making and lack of knowledge have resulted in an alarming increase in daily transmission and deaths. In this context, researchers used mathematical models to assist in determining the parameters that act in the spread of diseases, revealing containment measures. However, numerous mathematical models exist in the literature, each with specific parameters to be specified, leading to an important question about which model best represents the pandemic behavior. In this regard, this work aims to apply the Approximate Bayesian Computation method to select the best model and simultaneously estimate the parameters to resolve the abovementioned issue. The models adopted were susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR), susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR), susceptible-infected-recovered-susceptible (SIRS), and susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered-susceptible (SEIRS). Approximate Bayesian Computation Monte Carlo Sequencing (ABC-SMC) was used to select among four competing models to represent the number of infected individuals and to estimate the model parameters based on three periods of Brazil COVID-19 data. A forecasting test was performed to test the ABC-SMC algorithm and the selected models for two months. The result was compared with the actual number of infected that were reported. Among the teste models, it was found that the ABC-SMC algorithm had a promising performance, since the data were noisy and the models could not predict all parameters.

IODINE AS A POTENTIAL FRONT-LINE DEFENSE AGAINST COVID-19: A LITERATURE REVIEW

The novel coronavirus disease, first identified in 2019 known as COVID-19, is caused by a new strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), named SARS-CoV-2. Recent studies showed that the virus may be airborne and spreads through small respiratory droplets of saliva in aerosols, indirect or direct physical contact with the affected individual, in a similar way to the cold and influenza. Emerging studies also demonstrate the importance of the throat along with salivary glands as sites of viral replication and transmission in early COVID-19 infection. The most common route of entry of SARS-CoV-2 is the upper respiratory tract (nasopharynx) that slowly reaches the lower respiratory tract to infect the epithelial cells within the lungs which can cause lung damage and severe respiratory symptoms, if not treated immediately. Averting colonization of the virus in the nasopharynx could be one of the best options to reduce the incidence of severe infection. It has been well-documented that iodine is one of the most effective of all antimicrobials available. Hospitals and medical facilities worldwide use povidone-iodine (PVP-I) as a standard of care in infection control. Several research studies during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic showed the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of iodine-containing solutions such as PVP-I (Betadine), Iodine-V (Essential Iodine Drops) etc. and other iodine complexes to effectively kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus within few seconds to hours. Few commercially available iodine-containing gargling, mouthwash, and nasal spray solutions have been recommended to use in humans against SARS-CoV-2 infection by experts to prevent viral spread, especially among health workers. The present article aims to summarize these studies and highlights the rationale, safety and recommendations of use of iodine as an effective method to decrease the viral load during the early COVID-19 infection.

Effect of physiotherapy and its frequency on the outcome of COVID-19 patients regarding acute care setting at isolation unit of Ain Shams University

Abstract Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a new strain of coronavirus that started in 2019 and causes a pandemic disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present report result was 80% of cases are asymptomatic or mild; 15% of cases are severe; and 5% are critical needing ICU and mechanical ventilation. Physiotherapy (PT) provides airway clearance techniques and improves physical fitness. Aim The aim of this study is to assess the effect of PT and the frequency of PT session on the outcome of patients with COVID-19 infection at an isolation unit of Ain Shams University. Patients and methods This is randomized controlled clinical trial that was applied on 264 confirmed adult patients with COVID-19, who were admitted to isolation units at Ain Shams University Hospitals over 6 months since March 2021 with 134 females and 130 males in the age range from 31 to 82 years. The breathing method was room air, oxygen mask and nasal cannula, HFNC, and ventilated patients (both invasive and noninvasive). The patients were divided randomly into two groups: one group received two sessions of PT per day and the other group received one session of PT per day. Results The patients were divided clinically into mild, moderate, severe, and severe-critical patients. In mild cases, the range of incentive spirometer (ml) after one daily PT became 2300–2800 ml, and for twice daily PT it became 2300–3300 ml with highly statistical difference (P=0.005) before and after one or two PT sessions. Regarding 6-min walking test (m) the range became 420–740 m for one PT session per day and 420–880 m for two PT sessions per day with significant statistical difference (P=0.010). In moderate cases, the SPO2 (%) became 88–98% after one daily PT session and 90–98% after twice daily PT sessions with significant statistical differences between the one and two PT (P=0.032) sessions. Regarding the incentive spirometer (ml) at the moderate group, after one daily PT session it became 1200–2500 ml and for twice daily PT it became 1500–2500 ml with significant statistical differences between one and two PT sessions (P=0.032). Conclusion Patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 infection had significant improvement in SPO2 (oxygen saturation), dyspnea scale, and incentive spirometer after receiving two daily sessions of PT compared with patients who received one daily PT session. There was no difference in both groups for severe and severe-critical cases.

ОЦЕНКА ПСИХИЧЕСКОГО ЗДОРОВЬЯ РЕКОНВАЛЕСЦЕНТОВ НОВОЙ КОРОНАВИРУСНОЙ ИНФЕКЦИЕЙ

From the start of the new coronavirus pandemic there remains the question about its effects on the psyche of people. Judging from the earlier cases of similar illnesses like MERS or TOPC, some researchers assume that the new coronavirus infection can lead to a harsher or worser course of many mental illnesses. With the goal of finding those patterns we conducted a survey of people who were infected with the new strain of the coronavirus infection of different levels in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The survey covered 82 respondents of different age groups (from 18 to 30 years old – 43 people, from 31 to 44 years old – 13 people, from 45 to 59 – 21 people, from 60 to 74 – 5 people), with 69 individuals being female (84.2 %) and 13 individuals being male (15.8 %). The average age of the respondents was 34.5 years. Out of all the respondents, 23 (28 %) people received the treatment in hospital, 59 (72 %) people were treated in ambulatory conditions. The survey was based on the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). This scale consists out of two parts and 14 questions, with each part including 7 questions. For the study, the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) was duplicated, which means it had variations to assess how the respondents feel before and after being infected with the new strain of the coronavirus. The results of the survey of those people that had the new coronavirus infection and were graded by the HADS, the signs of clinical depression were seen in 2.4 % of the respondents before being infected with the new strain of coronavirus; after being cured this group of respondents increased to 14.7 %. Before the illness, signs of clinical depression were manifested in 1.2 % of the respondents; after the illness this number grew to 6.1 %. The signs of needed clinical anxiety were shown by 6 respondents (7.3 %); clinical depression was diagnosed in 14 respondents (17.1 %). An increase state of anxiety was found in the elderly (3.6 %) and states of depression in the young (17 %).

Should Children be Vaccinated Against Sars-Cov-2?

On December 19, 2019 the Public Health Department of China reported a new strain of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that was responsible for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and was later also found to be responsible for acute myocarditis, arrhythmias and sudden death

Nursing students perspectives and academic performance in anatomy and physiology before, during and after a stability period of COVID-19

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically disrupted medical, allied health, and nursing education worldwide. It has created challenges for students and educators by requiring a sudden shift to online teaching and learning activities from didactic, passive teaching and learning. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of these modes of teaching and learning before, during, and after the transition through COVID-19 on the class average and Grade Point Average (GPA) of nursing students taking anatomy and physiology in the first year of nursing. Using the virtual teaching and learning modality, the present study demonstrated that the mean class average of anatomy and physiology midterms and final examinations during COVID-19 (synchronous online teaching) was significantly higher (P<0.001) compared with the pre-COVID-19 (face-to-face (F2F) teaching) class average. However, the class average and GPA were not different between pre-COVID-19 (F2F teaching) and post-COVID-19 (hybrid/flex teaching). Virtual teaching of these subjects also significantly (P<0.001) increased the students’ GPA in anatomy and physiology during COVID-19 compared to before and after the stability of COVID-19. Students’ perspectives on teaching and learning these courses using these teaching modalities indicated that nursing students prefer a synchronous, hybrid mode of learning in anatomy and physiology. The present study demonstrates nursing students’ preference for a synchronous, online and hybrid mode of teaching and learning anatomy and physiology in case of the re-emergence of a new strain of coronavirus after Omicron variant in future lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on Reproductive Health

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a communicable respiratory disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus that causes illness in humans. The disease is caused by a pathogen called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 and can be transmitted from person to person through infected air droplets that are projected during sneezing or coughing. The coronavirus disease has generally affected all sectors of the society, including the health sector and reproductive health in particular. Reproductive health contributes greatly to physical and psychosocial comfort and closeness between individuals. Adequate and balanced reproductive health can be impaired and deprived by diseases, abuse, exploitation, unwanted pregnancy, and death. This review paper looked into possible effects of COVID-19 pandemic on reproductive health. Human and nonhuman primate literatures were examined to extract empirical data detailing the impact of COVID-19 on reproductive health. Literatures were sourced from Ovid MEDLINE, SCOPUS, the Cochrane Library, Ovid EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, PROQUEST, PUBMED, and Web of Science. Experimental and clinical evidence were used to examine whether COVID-19 adversely impacted on the reproductive health of infected and non-infected population. The global outbreak of COVID-19 has led to measures driven by the pandemic, to prevent further spread and effectual treatment of those affected. This has literally caused decrease in sexual and reproductive health care services due to global lockdowns and closures of health sectors deemed to be non-essential in combating the disease.

Knowledge, Attitudes of Preclinical Medical and Dental Students in Mymensingh towards “COVID-19”: A Cross-sectional Study

In 2020, a new global pandemic Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged, which was caused by a new strain of coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus (SARS-COV-2). This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19 among preclinical medical and dental students of Community Based Medical College (CBMC,B) in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Data were collected in September 2020. The online questionnaire was created using Google Forms after reviewing previously conducted research and posted on several online platforms accessible by the students. Most of the students (93%) were medical students, and the rest 7% were studying Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). The mean COVID-19 knowledge score was 9.04 (SD: 2.107, Range: 0-12), suggesting an overall 75.33% correct rate. The results showed that knowledge scores are higher in male, MBBS students but the difference are not significant. Analyses showed that the knowledge scores of 1st-year participants were significantly higher than 2nd-year students. Increased knowledge score was noticed in those who were not in direct contact with COVID-19 patients and not infected by COVID-19 than others, though the difference was insignificant (P>0.05). Half of the participants (50.2%) agreed that this disease will finally be successfully controlled. One hundred and sixty-seven participants (65%) had confidence that Bangladesh would get a vaccine soon to prevent the COVID-19 virus. The overall knowledge level of students was generally good. As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, improvement of knowledge and perceptions among healthcare students is essential.
 CBMJ 2023 January: Vol. 12 No. 01 P: 53-59

Gambaran Proses Klaim Covid–19 Orang dengan Gangguan Jiwa Ke Kementerian Kesehatan di RSJ Soeharto Heerdjan Tahun 2020-2021

In the beginning of 2020, the world is shocked with the outbreak of a new virus that is a new strain of Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) the disease itself is called Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2. This disease spread throughout the world including Indonesia. COVID-19 could infect anyone including mentally ill people, because of high infection rate in Indonesia it become an emerging disease where the payment is done by government so the funds can be claimed in Ministry of Health, the claim could be done by referenced hospital that provide service for emerging disease patient including dr.Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital. The aim for this research is to look for the process of COVID-19 claim for mentally ill people to Ministry of Health in dr.Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital. The research method is descriptive qualitative. Data collection gained from interview and observation. Research result data suggest that dr.Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital hasn’t own SPO for Covid-19 claim so that implementation process refers to Ministry of Health’s decision. Covid-19 claim process in dr.Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital started when the patient has obtained inpatient hospitalization, then the status is verified by verificator doctor, then the files is sent to casemix for completion verification of the files until it’s submitted to BPJS and the Ministry of Health. The obstacle for Covid-19 claim process for mentally ill people in dr.Soeharto Heerdjan Mental Hospital among others are incomplete medical resume fulfillment, and disorder of e-claim system. Better to make detailed SPO regarding Covid-19 claim to Ministry of Health. It's advised to evaluate and review doctors to complete medical resume, and give warnings to doctors that still write incomplete medical resume.

COVID-19 (Symptomatic Non-Respiratory) with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

COVID-19 is a respiratory infection caused by a new strain of Coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is highly contagious, primarily through respiratory droplets and contact. Typical symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Weakness, nausea, and vomiting are often accompanied by respiratory symptoms but are sometimes confusing when these symptoms occur without respiratory symptoms. COVID-19 can affect any age group, are more common in adults and males and increase in patients with comorbidities. One of the most common comorbidities is Diabetes Mellitus (DM). A 40-year-old male patient complained of fever and weakness for three days. Nausea and vomiting since nine days before hospital admission, accompanied by painful swallowing, heartburn, and decreased appetite. History of going out of town and eating with friends 14 days before access to the hospital. 3 3 Laboratory examination results: 6600 leukocytes/mm , 264,000/mm platelets, NLR 2.3, 209 mg/dL of blood glucose, HbA1C 8.6%, SGOT 67 IU/L, SGPT 102 IU/L, IgG SARS-CoV-2 reactive, positive TCM SARS-CoV-2 (N2 Ct 18 and E Ct 20.3), and the duration of negative conversion of RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 results was 19 days. The SARS-CoV-2 virus not only infects pneumocytes but also gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and endothelial cells via ACE2 receptors in DM patients, causing increased cell wall permeability to foreign pathogens and viral replication in the gastrointestinal lining cells. Subsequent enterocyte invasion causes malabsorption resulting in enteric symptoms. Uncontrolled glycemia conditions can slow viral shedding, so the length of negative conversion of RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 results is prolonged. Based on the data above, the diagnosis in this patient was COVID-19 (symptomatic non-respiratory) with type 2 DM.

Evaluating the COVID-19 Vaccines Effectiveness in Patients Hospitalized with Severe Acute Respiratory Infections

The pandemic of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection, which is caused by a new strain of coronavirus – SARS-CoV-2, has caused a rapid increase in the number of cases and high mortality worldwide. Comorbid patients are the most vulnerable group with a particularly high risk of adverse outcomes. The widespread introduction of vaccination helps to reduce the severity of the course and complications of a new coronavirus infection. The purpose of this research is to conduct a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 in patients hospitalized with a comorbid background and a severe course of the disease. Methods. Analysis and analysis of previously published studies by foreign and domestic authors, statistical analysis of medical records of 212 patients undergoing inpatient treatment with SARI. Results. In the course of the conducted analysis in the group of vaccinated patients, despite the fact that initially all were comparable with each other in terms of the severity of lung tissue damage, as well as the presence of concomitant pathology, the severe course of the disease and deaths amounted to 7%. They were discharged for further observation at the outpatient stage with an improvement of 93% of patients. Whereas in unvaccinated patients the mortality rate was 16.1%, 83.9% of patients were discharged with improvement. The duration of hospitalization in vaccinated patients was much shorter, averaging 7 days, whereas in non-vaccinated patients hospitalization lasted 12 days. Conclusions. According to the conducted research, the Russian Sputnik-V showed a statistical advantage. A negative trend of severe disease course was revealed among unvaccinated patients with a comorbid background.The results obtained allow us to assess the high importance of vaccination to reduce the lethal outcomes of COVID-19.

Effectiveness of awareness programme on COVID – 19 among attendants of admitted patients of a selected hospital, Guwahati

Background: COVID – 19 is a disease caused by virus (a new strain of coronavirus). 'CO' stands for corona, 'VI' for virus, and 'D' for disease. This disease has become a global pandemic by infecting people of almost all the world as it is highly transmissible disease. This disease can be prevented by strictly following hand hygiene and other effective preventive measures for COVID-19 disease. Aim: The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of awareness programme on COVID-19 among attendants of admitted patients.Materials and Methods: The study consist of quantitative study with pre - experimental one group pre-test post-test design which consisted of 60 patent's attendants of admitted patients in Rahman Hospitals Pvt. Ltd., Guwahati Assam were recruited as sample of the study using non-probability convenience sampling technique. Demographic Performa, structured knowledge questionnaire on prevention of COVID-19, awareness programme on COVID - 19 and structured observational checklist on practice to prevent COVID – 19 were used as tool for data collection. Statistical methods used for the data analysis were descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The finding revealed that majority of the attendants of admitted patients (63.30%) were female, (35%) belongs to the age group of <25 years, (35%) were under matric, (40%) of were self-employed, (63.30%) were married, (58.30%) were having children, (55%) were rural habitat, (55%) were having information regarding COVID – 19 from media, friends, and health worker, (56.7%) were not suffering COVID – 19, (81.7%) were fully vaccinated with 2 doses, (55%) were not infected with COVID-19, (83.3%) were not related to health professionals.Conclusion: Based on the findings, this study not only assessed the level of awareness among patient’s attendant but also highlighted the public knowledge gaps for prevention of COVID-19.It is concluded that awareness programme on COVID-19 improved the knowledge and practice on prevention of COVID-19 among attendants of admitted patients.

Evaluation of a series of nucleoside analogs as effective anticoronaviral-2 drugs against the Omicron-B.1.1.529/BA.2 subvariant: A repurposing research study

Mysterious evolution of a new strain of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the Omicron variant, led to a new challenge in the persistent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) battle. Objecting the conserved SARS-CoV-2 enzymes RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and 3′-to-5′ exoribonuclease (ExoN) together using one ligand is a successful new tactic to stop SARS-CoV-2 multiplication and COVID-19 progression. The current comprehensive study investigated most nucleoside analogs (NAs) libraries, searching for the most ideal drug candidates expectedly able to act through this double tactic. Gradual computational filtration afforded six different promising NAs, riboprine/forodesine/tecadenoson/nelarabine/vidarabine/maribavir. Further biological assessment proved that riboprine and forodesine are able to powerfully inhibit the replication of the new virulent strains of SARS-CoV-2 with extremely minute in vitro anti-RdRp and anti-SARS-CoV-2 EC50 values of about 0.21 and 0.45 μM for riboprine and about 0.23 and 0.70 μM for forodesine, respectively, surpassing both remdesivir and the new anti-COVID-19 drug molnupiravir. These biochemical findings were supported by the prior in silico data. Additionally, the ideal pharmacophoric features of riboprine and forodesine molecules render them typical dual-action inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication and proofreading. These findings suggest that riboprine and forodesine could serve as prospective lead compounds against COVID-19.Graphical abstract

Supervised Machine Learning Models to Identify Early-Stage Symptoms of SARS-CoV-2

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and began in December 2019. The virus was first reported in the Wuhan region of China. It is a new strain of coronavirus that until then had not been isolated in humans. In severe cases, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure or even death may occur. Now, the existence of vaccines, antiviral drugs and the appropriate treatment are allies in the confrontation of the disease. In the present research work, we utilized supervised Machine Learning (ML) models to determine early-stage symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 occurrence. For this purpose, we experimented with several ML models, and the results showed that the ensemble model, namely Stacking, outperformed the others, achieving an Accuracy, Precision, Recall and F-Measure equal to 90.9% and an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 96.4%.

Farmers’ perspective of COVID-19 effects on demand and supply of agricultural commodities in Nyamasheke district, Rwanda

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. This disease disrupted the functionality of the global economy, and the agriculture sector was not spared. It is in this context that this paper aims at assessing farmers’ perceptions about the perceived shocks of COVID-19 on the side of demand and supply of agricultural commodities. The study was guided by three objectives viz to investigate the perceptions of farmers on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the demand for agricultural commodities, to explore the perceptions of farmers on the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the supply of agricultural commodities and to analyze the factors affecting farmers’ perceptions of COVID-19 pandemic on demand and supply of agricultural commodities in Nyamasheke district. The target population size was 6237 composed of farmers of three irrigated lands in Nyamasheke District. Yamane’s formula for the sample size determination was used to find the sample size of the respondents which was 376 and then stratified and systematic sampling procedures were employed to get 174 farmers in Kirimbi, 114 farmers in Mugonero and 88 farmers in Kamiranzovu irrigated lands, respectively. This study employed both descriptive and inferential statistical tools to analyze data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data on the perceptions of farmers towards COVID-19 pandemic effects on the demand and the supply for agricultural commodities while the inferential statistics were used to estimate the logit of farmers’ perceptions on COVID-19 pandemic effects of demand and supply of agricultural commodities in the area under study. Results from the descriptive statistics revealed that 326 (86.7%) farmers agreed that COVID-19 pandemic has affected the demand of agricultural commodities while 244 (64.9%) farmers confirmed that COVID-19 pandemic has affected the supply of agricultural commodities in the area under study. The output of the model revealed that the independent variables that significantly contribute to the logit of the dependent variable were farming experience and labor. During the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers encountered several challenges that disrupted their livelihoods including changes in household consumption patterns, changes in market functionalities, discontinuity of the planned training and field visits, and low number of farmers in the farms. Researchers recommend that farmers’ purchasing power should be reinforced by providing financial support to them through lowering interest rates on loans. Key words: Demand, supply, COVID-19, pandemic, agricultural commodities, binary logistic regression, Rwanda