Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Research Articles

Impact of liver test abnormalities and chronic liver disease on the clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: The severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is sweeping the globe. Latest information on the outbreak of the corona virus epidemic in 2019, which was caused by the extreme acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 strains, has begun to shed light on the disease's effects on the liver. However, no studies have systematically to date, there have been no impaired liver tests in COVID-19 patients. In patients with irregular liver test results, we looked at the clinical features of COVID-19. The goal of this research was to explain the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with irregular liver tests and CLD. AIM: We performed an observational study to see how irregular liver tests and patients' clinical outcomes were influenced by chronic liver disease admitted to SMHRC Nagpur. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research included 200 people aged 25 to 65 years old who had been diagnosed with corona positive and were admitted to Shalinitai Meghe Hospital in Nagpur. They were split up into different parties. One group had chronic liver disease, and the other did not, but both groups had patients that were corona positive.

A rapid bead-based assay for screening of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.

Quantitative determination of neutralizing antibodies against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is paramount in immunodiagnostics, vaccine efficacy testing, and immune response profiling among the vaccinated population. Cost-effective, rapid, easy-to-perform assays are essential to support the vaccine development process and immunosurveillance studies. We describe a bead-based screening assay for S1-neutralization using recombinant fluorescent proteins of hACE2 and SARS-CoV2-S1, immobilized on solid beads employing nanobodies/metal-affinity tags. Nanobody-mediated capture of SARS-CoV-2-Spike (S1) on agarose beads served as the trap for soluble recombinant ACE2-GFPSpark, inhibited by neutralizing antibody. The first approach demonstrates single-color fluorescent imaging of ACE2-GFPSpark binding to His-tagged S1-Receptor Binding Domain (RBD-His) immobilized beads. The second approach is dual-color imaging of soluble ACE2-GFPSpark to S1-Orange Fluorescent Protein (S1-OFPSpark) beads. Both methods showed a good correlation with the gold standard pseudovirion assay and can be adapted to any fluorescent platforms for screening.

Probable treatment options for Covid-19: A brief review

Over the last few decades, we have observed several global outbreaks of severe respiratory infections. The current outbreak is novel severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is a rapidly spreading disease affecting millions of people worldwide as well as birds and mammals also. It predominantly caused respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract symptoms and other mild to very severe clinical signs. Among the countries most affected by the disease are the United States of America (USA), India, Brazil, Russia and France with recording the highest infection, morbidity, and mortality rates. Since early January 2021 many articles have been published on COVID-19. Most of these articles were consistent with the reports on the mode of transmission, spread, duration, and severity of the sickness. This worldwide pandemic has put a challenge to identify the therapeutics for its prevention and treatment. Currently, there’s no specific treatment against the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on the different clinical phases and pathological features the various drugs are used to treat. The volume and the pace of the clinical trials launched to evaluate the safety and efficacy of numerous agents reflect the need for high-quality evidence for various therapies to be practiced by clinicians. Thus, this review comprehensively discusses the most critical aspects and overall treatments used for COVID 19, including ayurvedic treatments and vaccines.

Kinetics of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 Specific Antibody in Corona Virus Diease 2019.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2019, a novel coronavirus first reported from China in 2019, is the causative agent of pandemic corona virus disease 2019. Antibody response and its dynamics may provide information about natural immunity conferred upon by corona virus disease 2019. A health-center-based follow up study of confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 infected patients was conducted from December 2020 to June 2021. Patients were followed up to period of 28 weeks during the study. An electrochemiluminescence immunoassay was used to test antibodies elicited by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2. Socio-demographic and clinical information was collected from each patient. A total of 40 patients (18 males and 22 females) were enrolled in the study, with 90 % seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody. Antibody level was tracked up to 28 weeks following the infection, and persistence was observed till the end. Antibody level peaked on the 3rd to 4th month, after symptom onset. The male population was found to have higher antibody levels compared to females. Age-wise trend analysis showed lower antibody levels in the younger people (15-30 years) than those older (31-60 years). We demonstrated that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 specific antibodies in corona virus disease 2019 patients persist for at least 28 weeks, peaking at 13 to 20 weeks. Statistically, there was no correlation of antibody levels with the age and sex of individuals. Further study on a larger population is needed for determining long-term immunity.

Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19): A past and Present Prospective

Background: Corona virusis identified since 2002 and from seven strain severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus and middle east respiratory syndrome corona virus causes severity in patients and then in December 2019, an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona virus 2 infection ensued in Wuhan, China and spread crosswise China and beyond. On February 12, 2020, WHO officially named the disease caused by the novel Corona virusas Corona virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Main Text: This form of virus comes up its growth when expose to any of the naturally expose material and the precaution for this is only single oriented, that is keeping yourself hygienic by washing your hands by utilizing high grade sanitizer. The literature survey revealed that Corona virus strain mainly severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus and middle east respiratory syndrome Corona virus and human corona virus preserve on various surfaces like metal, glass or plastic for about 9 days but inactivation of virus by utilizing various virucide. On infection, the virus has a surge of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which do damage to lung tissue, deterioration of lung function, and then eventually go to lung failure. Drug discovery against the virus is a challenging line of work owing to frequent recombination events. The evolution of a vaccine is another significant facet. Research is in ongoing stage to develop vaccine and medicines for COVID 19. In such circumstances, other system of medicineis widely used, like Allopathy, Ayurveda and Unani. Unani system of medicine utilized some measures for health protection during epidemics. In Unani medicine, during an epidemic, apart from isolation and quarantine, three measures are of utmost importance, impurification of surroundings using certain herbal drugs as fumigants or sprays, health promotion and immune-modulation, and use of health-protecting drugs and symptom-specific drugs. Conclusion: We require more structural biological details which put up rush up the drug or vaccine development process against corona virus. Thus, objective of this follow-up article is to focus on past to present perspective on corona virus pandemic.

Factors associated with contracting Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus type-2 in Norton Town, Zimbabwe, 2021: a case-control study

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease of global public health concern. Norton Hospital recorded 120 people who tested positive for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) on Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) from 28 December 2020 through 6 January 2021. Case fatality was 8(6.7%.) We investigated the risk factors associated with contracting SARS-CoV-2 to recommend prevention and control measures. Methods: We conducted a 1:1 unmatched case-control study. We randomly selected a case as a resident of Norton Town who tested SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, positive and control as a resident of Norton Town who tested SARS-CoV-2 R-T PCR, negative from 28 December 2020 through 25 January 2021. Written consent was obtained from the study participants. We used a pretested questionnaire to collect data from cases and controls on demographic characteristics, and risk factors for contracting SARS-CoV-2. Epi InfoTM7 was used to generate frequencies, proportions, p-values, odds ratios, and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals at a 0.05 significance level. Forward stepwise logistic regression analysis was done to determine factors independently associated with contracting SARS-CoV-2.

Home remedial treatments for COVID-19 in Sirajganj district, Bangladesh

COVID-19, the latest pandemic to hit the world is caused by a coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and follows similar but not so widespread outbreaks by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) corona viruses. This latest outbreak, which started in Wuhan, China at the tail end of December 2019, has already caused (as of February 20, 2022) 424,434,253 infections and 5,903,704 deaths worldwide. In Bangladesh, the corresponding numbers are 1,933,291 infections and 28,965 deaths. No fully effective drugs have been discovered thus far for tackling this coronavirus, or so for that matter, any of the seven coronaviruses affecting human beings. A number of vaccines have been developed in the Western countries, Russia and China, and have gained approval for administration only very recently. That still leaves several major questions to be answered, namely how can developing countries get proper access to the vaccine (s) and store them and administer them in a correct manner taking into account that richer nations have bought up most of the vaccine stock available, whether new mutations of SARS-CoV-2 like delta and omicron variants may partly or fully invalidate the vaccine(s), and last but not the least, to vaccinate with two doses of the vaccine(s) along with 1-2 booster doses somewhere around 80% of the world population of nearly 8 billion, which scientists say is necessary to develop herd immunity. As a result people in countries like Bangladesh have resorted to their personal home remedial measures against COVID-19 and claims of success are heard quite often. We report here some home remedial measures used in Sirajganj district of Bangladesh and note that over the last two years COVID-19 has been in existence, these home remedies are beginning to coalesce into a distinct form unique for COVID-19 treatment. We also report that quite valid scientific support can be found behind these home remedies despite the fact that these remedies have been formulated and used by mostly rural people of the country.

Mini-Review on SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Neurological Manifestations: A Perspective

The coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-19), with its rapid rate of transmission, has progressed with a great impact on respiratory function and mortality worldwide. The nasal cavity is the promising gateway of SARS-CoV-2 to reach the brain via systemic circulatory distribution. Recent reports have revealed that the loss of involuntary process of breathing control into the brainstem that results in death is a signal of neurological involvement. Early neurological symptoms, like loss of smell, convulsions, and ataxia, are the clues of the involvement of the central nervous system that makes the entry of SARS-CoV-2 further fatal and life-threatening, requiring artificial respiration and emergency admission in hospitals. Studies performed on patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 has revealed three-stage involvement of the Central Nervous System (CNS) in the progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection: Direct involvement of CNS with headache, ataxia, dizziness, altered or impaired consciousness, acute stroke or seizures as major symptoms, peripheral involvement with impaired taste, smell, vision, and altered nociception, and skeletal muscle impairment that includes skeletal muscle disorders leading to acute paralysis in a particular area of the body. In the previous era, most studied and researched viruses were beta coronavirus and mouse hepatitis virus, which were studied for acute and chronic encephalitis and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Although the early symptoms of SARS-CoV are respiratory pathogenesis, the differential diagnosis should always be considered for neurological perspective to stop the mortalities.

Is There a Rendezvous for SARS-CoV-2 and Agmatine?

Abstract: The catastrophe of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The respiratory system appears to be ground zero in the majority of the patients. However, many other organs can get infected by cytokines, chemokines and other mediators released in response to the presence of the virus. The neurotropism by the SARS-CoV-2 is established beyond doubt. In addition to non-specific symptoms, the symptoms specific to central and/or peripheral nervous system diseases as well as neuromuscular diseases have been observed in numerous clinical cases. These observations and the experiences with other coronavirus infections earlier and flu pandemics raise concerns not only about the neurological effects in active disease but also about the long-term effects generated by the infection, immune and inflammatory functions. The knowledge of biological actions of agmatine in the backdrop of physiological events instigated by invading SARS-CoV-2 and host’s response, especially in neural events, focuses on the possible overlaps of biomolecular pathways at a number of instances. This is not surprising since the factors stimulated during SARS-CoV-2 infection are the disease- generating neuroinflammatory components altered by agmatine. Hence, we hypothesize the possible beneficial role of agmatine in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Based on a narrative review of the literature, agmatine can be proposed as a plausible beneficial candidate for supporting treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and for addressing post-infection neurological complications.

Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 with Implications of Reinfection Update After 01 Year of Ongoing Pandemic: Cross Sectional Study From Tertiary Care Hospital From Southern Region of Pakistan

Objective: To share the epidemiological, clinical and laboratory -based evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona Virus-2 with focus on the cases of re-infection; an update after one year of the ongoing pandemic.
 Study Design: Prospective observational study.
 Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pathology, in collaboration with Department of Medicine, Combined Military Hospital, Malir, from Mar 2020 to Feb 2021.
 Methodology: Total 5190 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected and transported to the laboratory in viral transport media for severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona Virus-2, from all symptomatic patients with a history of exposure/traveling from endemic areas and those requiring admission in hospital and were screened for COVID-19 as per hospital standing protocols.
 Results: 561(10.8%) patients were PCR positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona Virus-2. The mean age of patients was 39.45±31.9 years and a majority of patients were males 426 (76%). The most common symptoms were fever and dry cough followed by myalgia and shortness of breath. 37 (9%) patients died due to the severity of the illness. Total 6 (1.46%) cases of laboratory-confirmed reinfection of severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona Virus-2 were reported. 2(33%) cases of reinfection were observed in health care workers, mortality was seen in a single patient associated with old age and comorbidities.
 Conclusion: In our study, the severity of the disease was directly related to the age of patients and underlying comorbidities. Reinfection was associated with increased viral load and exposure to the infected environment.

Effect of heat inactivation for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) with reverse transcription real time polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR): evidence from Ethiopian study

BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major public health importance and its specimen needs to be handled safely due to concerns of potential transmissibility to health care workers. Heat inactivation of the sample before nucleic acid isolation might permit safe testing processes. Hence, it is important to assess the effect of heat inactivation on SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR detection in resource limited settings.MethodsAn experimental study was conducted at Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) from September 25 to October 15, 2020. A total of 188 Oro-pharyngeal swabs were collected from COVID-19 suspected cases, referred to EPHI for SARS COV-2 testing. One batch of the sample was inactivated at 56 °C heat for 30 min, and the other batch was stored at 4 °C for a similar period of time. RNA extraction and detection were done by DAAN Gene kit protocols. Abbott m2000 RT-PCR was used for amplification and detection. Data analysis was done by using SPSS version 23.0; Chi-square and Pearson correlation test for qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis were used. p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.ResultsOut of 188 total samples, 119 (63.3%) were positive and 69 (36.7%) were negative in the non-inactivated group. While, 115 (61.2%) of samples were positive and 73 (38.8) were negative in heat inactivated sample batch. Rate of positivity between groups did not have statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). The mean Cycle threshold (Ct) value difference between the two groups of ORF1a/b gene and N gene was 0.042 (95% CI − 0.247–0.331; t = 0.28; p = 0.774) and 0.38 (95% CI 0.097–0.682; t = 2.638; p = 0.010) respectively.ConclusionHeat inactivation at 56 °C for 30 min did not affect the qualitative rRT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2. However, the finding showed that there was statistically significant Ct value increment after heat inactivation compared to untreated samples. Therefore, false-negative results for high Ct value (Ct > 35) samples were found to be the challenge of this protocol. Hence alternative inactivation methods should be investigated and further studies should be considered.

Long Covid Incidence and Influencing Factors of Covid-19 Survivors in the Working Area of Lubuk Begalung Health Center, Padang

Background. Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infection caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Clinical symptoms depending on the clinical severity of the patient which consists of mild, moderate, severe and critical. In COVID-19 patients who recover, pulmonary fibrosis can occur, which can lead to impaired lung function. In addition, there are also long covid complaints such as shortness of breath, nausea, coughing.&#x0D; Methods. The research design is an observational study. The study was conducted at the Lubuk Begalung Padang Health Center from January 2021 to March 2021. The study population was all mild, moderate to severe COVID-19 patients in the working area of the Lubuk Begalung Padang Health Center and experienced long covid symptoms.&#x0D; Results. The average age of COVID-19 survivors in this study was 46 years with a higher prevalence of women than men. The results of the pulmonary vap examination of most of the respondents were within normal limits. The most common distribution of clinical severity in this study was mild. The most common symptoms of long covid are weakness and muscle aches.&#x0D; Conclusion. No correlation was found between the clinical complaints of survivors with the clinical severity and lung function.

COVID 19 &amp; its Different Colours- An Autobiographical¸Case Report of a Physician Suffering Twice with COVID Atypical Symptoms Despite Vaccinated.

COVID 19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS CoV2). Initial infection started from China in December 2019. It became pandemic and till date it has infected 399 million people all over the world. First wave was associated with more panic situation and it has impacted mental health globally. As time passed and with subsequent waves, we have learnt to deal with the stress caused by COVID 19. I am presenting my case of suffering from COVID 19 twice despite vaccinated and its psychological impact on mental status.

Trained Immunity: An Overview and the Impact on COVID-19.

Effectively treating infectious diseases often requires a multi-step approach to target different components involved in disease pathogenesis. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a global health crisis that requires a comprehensive understanding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection to develop effective therapeutics. One potential strategy to instill greater immune protection against COVID-19 is boosting the innate immune system. This boosting, termed trained immunity, employs immune system modulators to train innate immune cells to produce an enhanced, non-specific immune response upon reactivation following exposure to pathogens, a process that has been studied in the context of in vitro and in vivo clinical studies prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Evaluation of the underlying pathways that are essential to inducing protective trained immunity will provide insight into identifying potential therapeutic targets that may alleviate the COVID-19 crisis. Here we review multiple immune training agents, including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), β-glucan, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the two most popular cell types involved in trained immunity, monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells, and compare the signaling pathways involved in innate immunity. Additionally, we discuss COVID-19 trained immunity clinical trials, emphasizing the potential of trained immunity to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection. Understanding the mechanisms by which training agents activate innate immune cells to reprogram immune responses may prove beneficial in developing preventive and therapeutic targets against COVID-19.

Alteration of dietary habits and lifestyle pattern during COVID-19 pandemic associated lockdown: An online survey study.

Background & aimA few population-based studies have looked at how the Corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and outbreak-related lockdown has impacted people's daily eating habits and lifestyles. Due to the emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continuous lockdown or social isolation can alter dietary consumption patterns and lifestyle routines, resulting in significant negative health consequences. Focused on the COVID-19 and disease related lockdown effects, this study aims to reflect the evolving trend in dietary habits and lifestyle status during the COVID-19 lockdown in West Bengal through a population mediated retrospective survey distributed via social media platforms.MethodsThis survey was conducted using Google form via online platform from July 7 to July 31, 2020, with 1059 participants reported their eating habits and lifestyle preferences, as well as basic socio-demographic details. Entire variables were qualitatively examined and uttered as frequency (f) and percentage (%). The Chi-square test was performed to conclude whether categorical variables differed.ResultsA high number of participants reported that they were consumed healthy foods and physically active during this pandemic situation. Females were more likely to be involved in exercise and consume protein-rich food, as well as the majority of them, maintain basic dietary and Ayurvedic home remedies precautions like consumption of lemon, consumption of herbs, taking warm water, etc. A majority of older participants were tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle with extra protective essential protection during the COVID-19 stage. The frequency of going to market was decreased by the participants. Females were more likely to decrease their frequency of going to market than males. In terms of hygiene and sanitization of food items after buying from the market, females were more careful than males. Participants with higher education were more likely to be careful regarding the hygiene of food preparation and eating during this situation.ConclusionFrom this study, dieticians, legislators, and public health experts can have a better understanding of the current situation of food intake and lifestyle trends in communities of West Bengal, India. It also has the potential to have a significant impact on future public health research.

SEVERITY OF COVID-19 IN INDIAN CHILDREN: RECOGNITION, TRANSMISSION AND MANAGEMENT

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV2) has become a global threat in recent times affecting millions of people across the globe with varying intensity of infections in different age groups. The disease has been reported with a considerably low infection rate among the children compared to that of adults to date, but the reasons are still not very clear to the scientists. As infants are naturally prone to a wide range of viruses, it is fascinating to understand that they are being least affected by SARS-CoV-2. Expression of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Transmembrane Serine Protease (TMPRSS2) Receptors have been thought to play a critical role in the expression of the disease. The shared genetic or environmental traits and socioeconomic condition might predispose for transmission dynamics of this coronavirus in children.The children genetic association may have risk of small amount although genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 are comparable to those for the risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and other underlying health conditions. Here in this review, we have focused on the differential expression of SARS-CoV-2, the severity of the disease, predisposing factors, preventive measures, and efficacy of vaccines among the different age groups of Indian children in a comprehensive manner.

Investigation of deaths following COVID-19 vaccination in Western Australia

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The World Health Organization declared a COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and mass vaccination programmes started in early December 2020.

Decreased interfacial dynamics caused by the N501Y mutation in the SARS-Cov-2 s1 spike:ACE2 complex

Corona virus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a massive health crisis across the globe, with some genetic variants gaining enhanced infectivity and competitive fitness, and thus significantly aggravating the global health concern. In this regard, the recent SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant, B.1.1.7 lineage, reported from the United Kingdom (UK), is of great significance in that it contains several mutations that increase its infection and transmission rates as evident from clinical reports.

Covid19 in pregnancy - a literature review.

Coronavirus disease-2019, or Covid-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China, at the end of December 2019 as viral pneumonia. The causative agent, the Novel Coronavirus also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona virus (SARS CoV-2), spread rapidly across the world to cause a considerable death toll. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic. For a little over a year, the coronavirus has been around. Pregnancy is an immunodeficient state predisposing women to an increased risk of respiratory viral infections. The risk is even higher in pregnant women who already have underlying health problems due to growing age, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiac or respiratory diseases. The exact treatment of Covid-19 is still unknown. This narrative review was planned to summarises the current information on pathophysiology, diagnosis and effects of Covid-19 in pregnancy for better treatment plans.

A telepathology based screening tool for COVID-19 by leveraging morphological changes related to leukocytes in peripheral blood smears.

As we approach the aftermath of a global pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2), the importance of quickly developing rapid screening tests has become very clear from the point of view of containment and also saving lives. Here, we present an explorative study to develop a telepathology-based screening tool using peripheral blood smears (PBS) to identify Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)-positive cases from a group of 138 patients with flu-like symptoms, consisting of 82 positive and 56 negative samples. Stained blood smear slides were imaged using an automated slide scanner (AI 100) and the images uploaded to the cloud were analyzed by a pathologist to generate semi-quantitative leukocyte morphology-related data. These telepathology data were compared with the data generated from manual microscopy of the same set of smear slides and also the same pathologist. Besides good correlation between the data from telepathology and manual microscopy, we were able to achieve a sensitivity and specificity of 0.83 and 0.71, respectively, for identifying positive and negative COVID-19 cases using a six-parameter combination associated with leukocyte morphology. The morphological features included plasmacytoid cells, neutrophil dysplastic promyelocyte, neutrophil blast-like cells, apoptotic cells, smudged neutrophil, and neutrophil-to-immature granulocyte ratio. Although Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and antibody tests have a superior performance, the PBS-based telepathology tool presented here has the potential to be an interim screening tool in resource-limited settings in underdeveloped and developing countries.