SARS Outbreak Research Articles

China’s innovation-based approach in the fight of Covid-19. An estimation of China’s impact for global health to come

When the infectious coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 broke out it resulted in a global crisis. In the fight of Covid-19, China’s government relied on its strength to apply new technologies, i.e. for controlling and containment of the virus by tracing and tracking Chinese citizens. Relying on the trajectory of industrialisation, China has pursued a path of innovation. While it is reasoned that China’s advantage might have origin in the experience of the SARS outbreak almost two decades ago, this article argues that mainly China’s innovation- driven climate has favoured the application of new technologies in combatting the current crisis. Based on the innovation-driven trajectory this article explores China’s pathway out the corona crisis and how this might strengthen China’s role in global health governance. In order to pursue this aim, this article explores several areas, in which the next generation of technologies, such as AI-based diagnostic or intelligent robots were applied and concludes with an outlook based on the formulated political agenda, strategic considerations and initial international cooperation regarding China’s impact for global health.

Delirium and COVID-19: a narrative review of emerging evidence.

Delirium is a common condition affecting hospital inpatients, including those having surgery and on the intensive care unit. Delirium is also common in patients with COVID-19 in hospital settings, and the occurrence is higher than expected for similar infections. The short-term outcomes of those with COVID-19 delirium are similar to that of classical delirium and include increased length of stay and increased mortality. Management of delirium in COVID-19 in the context of a global pandemic is limited by the severity of the syndrome and compounded by the environmental constraints. Practical management includes effective screening, early identification and appropriate treatment aimed at minimising complications and timely escalation decisions. The pandemic has played out on the national stage and the effect of delirium on patients, relatives and healthcare workers remains unknown but evidence from the previous SARS outbreak suggests there may be long-lasting psychological damage.

The Effect of a Deadly Epidemic on Firm Exports: Evidence from the 2003 SARS Outbreak

The Effect of a Deadly Epidemic on Firm Exports: Evidence from the 2003 SARS Outbreak

Offline: The origin story—towards a final resolution?

WHO has been a particular casualty in the dispute about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Former US President Donald Trump's verbal attacks and his decision to defund the agency drew blood in Geneva—and the wounds are still visible. The allegation that WHO shared responsibility for the pandemic by adopting a policy of appeasement towards China has proven impossible to refute. As a member-state organisation, WHO's staff are constitutionally bound to heed the instructions of the governments they serve. Only former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland had the courage to defy countries when she was WHO Director-General during the first SARS outbreak in 2003.

Repurposing of Drugs for SARS-CoV-2 Using Inverse Docking Fingerprints.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that belongs to the Coronaviridae family. This group of viruses commonly causes colds but possesses a tremendous pathogenic potential. In humans, an outbreak of SARS caused by the SARS-CoV virus was first reported in 2003, followed by 2012 when the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) led to an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Moreover, COVID-19 represents a serious socioeconomic and global health problem that has already claimed more than four million lives. To date, there are only a handful of therapeutic options to combat this disease, and only a single direct-acting antiviral, the conditionally approved remdesivir. Since there is an urgent need for active drugs against SARS-CoV-2, the strategy of drug repurposing represents one of the fastest ways to achieve this goal. An in silico drug repurposing study using two methods was conducted. A structure-based virtual screening of the FDA-approved drug database on SARS-CoV-2 main protease was performed, and the 11 highest-scoring compounds with known 3CLpro activity were identified while the methodology was used to report further 11 potential and completely novel 3CLpro inhibitors. Then, inverse molecular docking was performed on the entire viral protein database as well as on the Coronaviridae family protein subset to examine the hit compounds in detail. Instead of target fishing, inverse docking fingerprints were generated for each hit compound as well as for the five most frequently reported and direct-acting repurposed drugs that served as controls. In this way, the target-hitting space was examined and compared and we can support the further biological evaluation of all 11 newly reported hits on SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro as well as recommend further in-depth studies on antihelminthic class member compounds. The authors acknowledge the general usefulness of this approach for a full-fledged inverse docking fingerprint screening in the future.

Estimate of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and performance of high-risk interventions by European anaesthesiologists: A Pan-European cross-sectional survey.

Estimate of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and performance of high-risk interventions by European anaesthesiologists: A Pan-European cross-sectional survey.

The relationship between coronavirus 19 fear and occupational fatigue, burnout and recovery levels in healthcare professionals in Turkey

Studies conducted after the SARS outbreak (2003) reported that healthcare professionals experienced high levels of psychological distress. These psychological problems need to be addressed during and after the epidemic. This study was planned to be carried out in healthcare professionals to determine the relationship between the fear of COVID-19 and burnout. Data were collected online from 538 healthcare professionals working in different cities and units using the Personal Information Form consisting of questions about demographic characteristics, the COVID-19 Phobia Scale and the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery Scale. It was determined that the fear of COVID-19 high and burnout levels of the participants were above the scale. There was a significant difference between the burnout level of individuals, the level of fear of COVID-19, the individual's profession and the unit they work in. It is important to implement psychosocial interventions in order to take the necessary precautions to ensure that healthcare workers are less affected by the negative effects of fear and burnout during the epidemic process. The role of professional teams, including psychiatric nurses, is of great importance in determining and resolving the negative effects of the pandemic on healthcare professionals.

Quo Vadis, COVID-19?

Quo Vadis, COVID-19?

Post COVID-19 changes in the perception of the parents towards dentistry for their child

The aim of the study is to evaluate the post COVID changes in the perception of the parents towards dentistry for their child/children.A cross-sectional questionnaire based survey was conducted among the parents of children <18 years of age to assess the behavioral changes in the parents after the COVID-19 outbreak towards pediatric dentistry. The survey was carried out with a sample of 5110 respondents.Majority of the parents had correct knowledge regarding the COVID-19 with increase in their anxiety level post COVID-19 outbreak. Almost all the parents were taking the measures regarding the hygiene of their children. Nearly half of the parents were not willing to take their children to the dentist even in the emergency dental condition due to the risk of encountering corona virus at the dental clinic.The majority of respondents lacked confidence towards dentistry, their treatment environments, and the infection control measures taken, and were worried about contracting COVID-19 infection from the dental setting. Parents, however, demanded better infection control measures during the SARS outbreak. From the results of our survey, it is imperative that dentists and dental specialist like pediatric dentists should offer more confidence building measures towards the patients & their parents, involving them in the dental treatment planning as well as decision making and providing them timely appraisal regarding the same.

From SARS to COVID-19: Digital infrastructures of surveillance and segregation in exceptional times

The COVID-19 pandemic, an exceptional crisis, sparked the introduction of new digital infrastructure to halt the novel coronavirus's spread. This paper explores how such digital infrastructure's impact might reverberate over the long term, by comparing Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China's utilization of digital technology in response to the 2003 SARS outbreak, and their responses to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. We find that advancements in digital technology since 2003 have boosted governments' surveillance and segregation abilities substantially—most dramatically so in China. Even though some of these new digital interventions are ostensibly designed to be temporary ones to address the needs of the immediate crisis, we argue that the resultant extensions of state power experienced during COVID-19 are likely to have profound long-term effects because they fundamentally affect sociopolitical contexts, institutional capabilities, and digital cultures. We also find that the extent to which governments can extend digital surveillance and segregation abilities during the pandemic is contingent on their respective sociopolitical, institutional, and digital cultural contexts.

Study of SARS-nCoV2 Indian Isolates Gaining Insights into Mutation Frequencies, Protein Stability and Prospective Effect on Pathogenicity

Background: SARS-nCOV-2 is a variant of the known SARS coronavirus family. The mutations in viruses are very rapid and can play a crucial role in the evolution or devolution of the organism. This has a direct impact on “host jumping” and pathogenicity of the virus. Objective: The study aims to understand the frequency of genomic variations that have occurred in the virus affecting the Indian sub-population. The impact of variations translating to proteins and its consequences affecting protein stability and interaction were studied. Method: Phylogenetic analysis of the 140 genomes from the India region was performed, followed by SNP and Indel analysis of both CDS and non-CDS regions. This effort was followed by a prediction of mutations occurring in 8 proteins of interest and the impact on protein stability and prospective drug interactions. Results: Genomes showed variability in origin, and major branches can be mapped to the 2002 outbreak of SARS. The mutation frequency in CDS regions showed that 241 C >T, 3037 C >T, 2836 C >T, and 6312 C >A occurred in 81.5 % of genomes mapping to major genes. Corresponding mutations were mapped to protein sequences. The effect of mutations occurring in spike glycoprotein, RNA dependent RNA polymerase, nsp8, nucleocapsid and 3c protease were also mapped. Conclusion: Whilst the mutations in spike glycoprotein showcased an increase in protein stability, the residues undergoing mutations were also a part of drug binding pockets for hydroxychloroquine. Mutations occurring in other proteins of interest were leading to a decrease in protein stability. The mutations were also a part of drug binding pockets for Favipiravir, Remdesivir and Dexamethasone. The work promotes the will to analyse larger datasets to understand mutation pattern globally.

Orthogonal genome-wide screens of bat cells identify MTHFD1 as a target of broad antiviral therapy

Bats are responsible for the zoonotic transmission of several major viral diseases, including those leading to the 2003 SARS outbreak and likely the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While comparative genomics studies have revealed characteristic adaptations of the bat innate immune system, functional genomic studies are urgently needed to provide a foundation for the molecular dissection of the viral tolerance in bats. Here we report the establishment of genome-wide RNA interference (RNAi) and CRISPR libraries for the screening of the model megabat, Pteropus alecto. We used the complementary RNAi and CRISPR libraries to interrogate P. alecto cells for infection with two different viruses: mumps virus and influenza A virus, respectively. Independent screening results converged on the endocytosis pathway and the protein secretory pathway as required for both viral infections. Additionally, we revealed a general dependence of the C1-tetrahydrofolate synthase gene, MTHFD1, for viral replication in bat cells and human cells. The MTHFD1 inhibitor, carolacton, potently blocked replication of several RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. We also discovered that bats have lower expression levels of MTHFD1 than humans. Our studies provide a resource for systematic inquiry into the genetic underpinnings of bat biology and a potential target for developing broad-spectrum antiviral therapy.

Will infectious disease outbreaks cause a decline in investment of real sector firms? Evidence form 2003 SARS outbreak in China

ABSTRACT The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak prompts researchers and policy makers to re-evaluate the impact of infectious disease on economy. Taking SARS outbreak in 2003 as a quasi-natural experiment, we examined the impact of infectious diseases on Chinese real sector’s investment through a difference in difference (DID) approach. The empirical results show that after the outbreak of SARS, the investment of China’s real sector firms had increased significantly. This conclusion is verified by several robustness tests. The mechanism tests indicate that the SARS epidemic could increase the investment of real sector firms through two paths. First of all, the outbreak of the epidemic led to dramatic fluctuations in the capital market, then companies shifted their assets from the financial market to the relatively low-risk real sector; additionally, in response to the outbreak of SARS, companies and the government reduced operating costs and fees, resulting in a synergistic effect which also increased investment of the real sector.

The EU Response to COVID-19: From Reactive Policies to Strategic Decision-Making.

The EU Response to COVID-19: From Reactive Policies to Strategic Decision-Making.

Drug Discovery and Treatment of an Emerging Pandemic Infection Covid-19

In the last decades, two serious coronaviruses have appeared in humans and animals, SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS-CoV (middle east respiratory syndrome) are also contagious viruses that causes ARDS stands for acute respiratory distress syndrome. SARS-CoV in 2003 and MERS-CoV in 2012 are characterized as a high mortality rate. This novel human respiratory coronaviruses, also known as SARS n-CoV or SARS-CoV-2, are needed to rapidly provide therapeutic options to reduce and prevent the spread of this outbreak. For such infections, there are currently no scientifically approved precautions or anti - viral products authorized.; therefore, effective remedial and preventive strategies have to be developed that can be easily applied to this newly emerging epidemic. In addition to all these, some therapeutic options are also being evaluated that are used for Covid-19, which includes inhibitory virus molecules or molecules that target specific replication and transcription enzymes. Since the drugs remdesivir, lopinavir-ritonavir, favipiravir, camostat mesylate, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine were originate closely stand high successful in controlling infection, Covid-19 looks promising. The research on Covid-19, discuss the efficacy of the several drug and vaccines against Covid-19 and previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS, and provide recommendations for new modes of treatment, assessment, and clinical research on such terrible epidemic. This paper will summarize and discuss the main biological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 and the current scenario of emerging Covid-19 infections, as well as explain the current therapeutic medications treating Covid-19, based on the clinical trial data.

Diversion of Tourism Flows in the Asia & Pacific Region: Lessons for COVID-19 Recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a collapse in international tourism, severely impacting the tourism-dependent economies in the Asia & Pacific region. Once countries start reopening, tourism diversion effects could accelerate the recovery in countries that establish themselves as more attractive travel destinations than competitors. We investigate the impact of previous shocks in tourism competitor countries on visitor inflows, with a particular focus on tourism-dependent Pacific Island Countries (PICs). We find that PICs were generally resilient to external shocks and benefitted from diversion effects for certain types of shocks. For example, the share of departures from Australia to PICs increased by 12 percent during the SARS outbreak. We then derive policy implications for the post-COVID-19 revival of inbound tourism to PICs and lessons for the future.

Lessons Learnt From the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has been characterized by unprecedented rates of spatio-temporal spread. Here, we summarize the main events in the pandemic's timeline and evaluate what has been learnt by the public health community. We also discuss the implications for future public health policy and, specifically, the practice of epidemic control. We critically analyze this ongoing pandemic's timeline and contrast it with the 2002–2003 SARS outbreak. We identify specific areas (e.g., pathogen identification and initial reporting) wherein the international community learnt valuable lessons from the SARS outbreak. However, we also identify the key areas where international public health policy failed leading to the exponential spread of the pandemic. We outline a clear agenda for improved pandemic control in the future.

47 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Emergency Department Clinicians During the Pandemic

The DSM-5 defines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as the development of certain characteristic symptoms after direct, witnessed, or secondhand “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.” The COVID-19 pandemic has been compared to the 2003 SARS outbreak; health care workers (HCWs) during that crisis experienced increased levels of emotional distress. As of March 2021, there have been over 830,000 cases of COVID-19 and 24,000 mortalities in New Jersey (NJ). Our study aimed to identify the point prevalence of PTSD and sub-threshold PTSD in HCWs across NJ during the second wave of the pandemic. We conducted a prospective survey study that was distributed electronically to physicians (attendings, fellows, and residents) and mid-level practitioners (MLPs) working in emergency departments across NJ from December 2020 – March 2021 using a secure, online survey platform. All collected participant demographics are shown by training level in Table 1. There are several provisional diagnostic determinations of PTSD currently in use (Table 2). For continuous total severity score, the mean score and standard deviation (SD) for attending physicians was 13.9 (12.6), for resident/fellow physicians it was 15.4 (18.2), and for MLPs it was 20.4 (14.9), causing a statistically significant difference between the groups (p=0.01). Following the DSM-5 criteria, a total of 27 individuals were diagnosed with PTSD, where a significantly high proportion of those were MLPs (n (%) = 20 (25); p=0.02). DSM-5 criteria B-E (Table 2) is used to evaluate subthreshold PTSD. Regardless of whether two or three criteria were used for diagnosis, the proportion met was greatest for the MLPs, with criterion D being significantly associated with training level (p=0.01). Physician burnout is well documented in the U.S. Current second-year emergency medicine residents had the highest contiguous severity score, most likely because their intern year was completely consumed by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic put a dent in the movement for physician wellness. Attending physicians in teaching hospitals are responsible for, in addition to patient care, the training of residents. The burden of navigating a mentorship role while managing the high volume of critical ill patients suffering from a novel disease can't be ignored. MLPs, along with their physician colleagues, experienced shortages in PPE, redeployment into other subspecialists, furlough and/or termination from their positions, and COVID morbidity. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant psychological trauma for HCWs. Regardless of training level, physicians and mid-level practitioners report symptoms suggestive of PTSD and sub-PTSD. MLPs were particularly affected by the trauma of the novel coronavirus and more research must be done to fully elucidate why this particular group of providers has been so negatively impacted.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)

COVID-19 as a Research Dynamic Transformer: Emerging Cross-Disciplinary and National Characteristics.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on humanity as well as research activities in life sciences and medicine. Between January and August 2020, the number of coronavirus-related scientific articles was roughly 50 times more than that of articles published in the entire year of 2019 in PubMed. It is necessary to better understand the dynamics of research on COVID-19, an emerging topic, and suggest ways to understand and improve the quality of research. We analyze the dynamics of coronavirus research before and after the outbreaks of SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 by examining all the published articles from the past 25 years in PubMed. We delineate research networks on coronaviruses as we identify experts’ background in terms of topics of previous research, affiliations, and international co-authorships. Two distinct dynamics of coronavirus research were found: 1) in the cases of regional pandemics, SARS and MERS, the scope of cross-disciplinary research remained between neighboring research areas; 2) in the case of the global pandemic, COVID-19, research activities have spread beyond neighboring disciplines with little transnational collaboration. Thus, COVID-19 has transformed the structure of research on coronaviruses as an emerging issue. Knowledge on COVID-19 is distributed across the widest range of disciplines, transforming research networks well beyond the field of medicine but within national boundaries. Given the unprecedented scale of COVID-19 and the nationalization of responses, the most likely way forward is to accumulate local knowledge with the awareness of transdisciplinary research dynamics.

Coronavirus Pandemic: An Update on the Transmission, Diagnosis, Clinical Features and Managment

The novel coronavirus, designated as “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2), is a new coronavirus that has evolved as a global pandemic recently, and it has created a widespread interest in coronaviruses causing human infections. This article compares the pathogenesis, distribution, clinical characteristics, and treatment of the three highly pathogenic coronaviruses that caused epidemics, namely, “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (SARS), “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome” (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2. This narrative review is prepared using the data compiled from literature search using relevant MeSH terms. The clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is mild with relatively low fatality rate than the other two coronaviruses; however, its overall capability to cause explosive spread of the disease and reach a pandemic level is greater. Unlike SARS and MERS, COVID-19 has no accepted treatment protocols at present. Extensive studies and analyses on COVID-19 are necessary before making strong recommendations for or against any particular treatment, although some recent medications have shown great potential. COVID-19 still needs further investigation, where all of the lessons gained from previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS and the experience from the countries that managed COVID-19 seem to be the best approaches to counteract this new global hazard at present until effective preventive vaccines are available in sufficient quantity for mass vaccination programs worldwide.