Transmission Routes Of COVID-19 Research Articles

Advantages And Disadvantages of Different COVID-19 Vaccines

After the outbreak of the epidemic, countries around the world have begun intensive research and development of vaccines. Theoretically, all existing vaccine types and technologies can be applied to COVID-19 vaccine research. More than 100 COVID-19 vaccine projects registered on the official website of WHO include these three generations of different types of vaccines. At present, 16 vaccines have entered clinical trials, five of which are from China, including two inactivated vaccines under China Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China Biotechnology"). Most of these vaccines are still in phase I. This article will introduce inactivated vaccine, Ad5-nCoV Adenovirus vector COVID-19 vaccine, RBD CHO vaccine and nucleic acid vaccine in detail. The different vaccines have different advantages due to the different ways of working. At the moment when the COVID-19 vaccine has been launched, personal protection and cutting off the transmission route of COVID-19 are still the most important ways to protect oneself and prevent the spread of the epidemic.

Анализ осведомленности студентов-медиков и медицинских работников республики Башкортостан и Рязанской области о коронавирусной инфекции COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: The new coronavirus infection has affected almost every citizen of the country. It is known that, despite the published government statistics and information about the new infection, not all the Russian population observe the measures of non-specific prevention of coronavirus infection. One of the reasons is the massive spread of numerous rumors and speculations about COVID-19. AIM: To study the level of awareness of medical workers and medical students of the coronavirus infection COVID-19 specifying the sources of information about this disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey of 312 respondents from the Ryazan region and the Republic of Bashkortostan was conducted. The study was conducted using a questionnaire based on GoogleForms distributed in social networks and consisting of three blocks of questions. Statistical data processing was carried out using the free computing software environment R (ver. 4.1.2) and the MS Excel 2019 software package in Windows 11. The target significance level p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The survey revealed insufficient awareness of students and medical professionals of the transmission routes and symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Only a small part of medical workers (as a rule, people of younger working age) and medical students receive information about COVID-19 from official and reliable sources. Only every 7th respondent gives correct answers about the transmission routes of COVID-19. In general, respondents considered wearing masks to be an effective means of prevention, especially in the group of those who had suffered the disease. When analyzing the spread of various rumors and legends about COVID-19 among medical professionals and medical students, it was found that almost half of them believe various legends about COVID-19. CONCLUSION: It was found that respondents received information mainly from unofficial sources, not trusting federal TV channels, as well as the data from the state statistics service. Often, respondents do not have complete information about the ways of transmission of infection and of its symptoms, but at the same time, most of them observe the self-isolation and the mask regimes. About half of the respondents believe various legends associated with this disease. Respondents who had had COVID-19 gave more correct answers and used more reliable sources of information.

EVALUATION OF THE PREVALENCE AND TRANSMISSION ROUTES OF COVID-19 IN HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL WORKING IN THE HOSPITAL

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and transmission routes of COVID-19 in healthcare personnel working in the hospital and the compliance with control measures.
 Material and Methods: In this study, hospital employees who were tested positive for COVID-19 between April 2 and September 30, 2020, were included. Out of the 1100 employees in the hospital, 80 were tested positive for COVID-19. A face-to-face survey was conducted with 66 healthcare workers that had COVID-19 positive PCR test results but returned to work only after their test results became negative.
 Results: The prevalence of COVID-19 among the hospital employees was calculated as 7.3% (80/1100). In the study, 66 healthcare workers who were found to be positive for COVID-19, were included. The mean age of the employees was found to be 39.1 ± 8.3 (Min-Max: 23-57) and 71.2% of them were male. COVID-19 was detected most in nurses, emergency room workers (12.1%) and polyclinic workers (12.1%). It was determined that 30.3% (n=20) of COVID-19 positive employees had contact with infected colleagues in the hospital and 19.7% (n=13) had contact with infected household members. 78.7% of the employees had never worked in areas designated for COVID-19. Among employees, the level of compliance with measures of wearing a mask (94%) and ensuring hand hygiene (92%) was found high, while the level of compliance with 1.5-meters social distance (59%) was found low.
 Conclusion: In a short period of time like the first six months of the pandemic, 7.3% of the hospital workers were infected with COVID-19. 
 Among employees, the level of compliance with the social distance rule was found low. It was determined that 78.7% of the infected employees had never worked in units designated for COVID-19. This shows that areas that are not designated for COVID-19 should not be ignored.

A Multi-center Retrospective Analysis of Healthcare Workers after COVID-19: Epidemiological and Clinical Features

Objective: Concerns regarding the high-level risk of infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) increased after COVID19 was declared as a pandemic in March 2020. Inadequate infection control owing to a shortage of personal protective equipment or an inconvenient usage of infection control measures may play a significant role in transmission to/among healthcare personnel. The study aimed to determine the characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients who are healthcare workers along with possible transmission routes of COVID-19 in four different healthcare facilities in Istanbul. 
 Methods: All hospital records were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic and clinical characteristics of HCWs were documented, and all infected HCWs were subjected to a phone-based mini-questionnaire and three-dimensional test (TDT). All statistical analyses were done using statistical packages SPSS Demo Ver 22 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL, USA). 
 Results: Clinical features of COVID-19 were similar to the general public’s characteristics. The most frequent symptoms were cough, fever, and headache. HCWs with the O blood group tend to have asymptomatic COVID-19 infection. Hospital workers other than medical professionals have a lack of convenience of infection control measures. The median duration of PCR negativity was 9 days. HCWs who had a sore throat at the beginning of COVID-19 have a longer PCR-positive duration. 
 Conclusion: Understanding the clinical features or characteristics of asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers may aid in the implementation of a feasible screening program for early detection. It is strongly advised that proper infection control precautions, education, and auditing of nonclinical staff be implemented. As a result, transmission among healthcare workers can be avoided.

Collection and transportation system construction of potentially viral municipal solid waste during the COVID-19 pandemic in China

The transmission route of COVID-19 through municipal solid waste (MSW) has been confirmed and receives increasing attention. Potentially viral municipal solid waste (PVMSW) refers to the domestic waste generated by risky areas and epidemic-related populations under a major epidemic in their daily lives or in activities that provide services for their daily lives. For its potential infectivity, PVMSW should be properly collected and transported. This study aimed to standardize the collection and transportation of PVMSW and proposed specific construction schemes of PVMSW collection and transportation systems for three situations which were city-wide lockdown status, medium and high-risk area, and home quarantine separately. In the cases of city-wide lockdown status and home quarantine, PVMSW collection and transportation systems were constructed qualitatively with the examples of Wuhan and Shanghai respectively, and in the case of medium and high-risk area, the systems were constructed quantitatively through the development of a waste collection and transportation costs model. To reduce the risks of virus transmission during the collection and transportation process, the collection and transportation links should be minimized. For the disposal of PVMSW, medical waste treatment facilities and MSW incineration plants should be prioritized. Furthermore, the results showed that the total number of people and the transfer capacity of MSW transfer facility were the two main influencing factors for the selection of PVMSW collection and transportation systems in medium and high-risk area. This article could help manage MSW for preventing virus transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic or similar future epidemics.

Non-Adherence to Preventive Behaviors and the Risk of COVID-19: A Comparative Study

Background: Transmission routes of COVID-19 have been well identified and documented. Considering the high prevalence of the Covid-19 and its impacts on the population, this study aimed to assess the status of preventive behaviors against coronavirus infection and estimate the odds of its transmission routes among people. Methods: A comparative study was conducted from March to April 2021. A total of 1256 participants were randomly selected, including 262 COVID-19 patients and 994 healthy people from 10 counties in Khuzestan, southwest Iran. A two-part questionnaire was used for data collection that included items on demographic and adherence to preventive behaviors. Statistical analysis was performed using the statistical software SPSS 18.0.0 applying logistic regression. Results: The mean age of participants was 37.60±11.48 years (female: 36.49±11.15 years; male: 38.86±11.74 years). The results showed that having contact with infected patient at home (OR = 4.90, 95%CI = 3.32-7.25), going to the hospital for not-necessary medical reasons (OR = 4.47, 95%CI = 3.05-6.55), leaving home for essential daily services (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.63-3.81), and going to doctors' office (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.20-2.63) could increase the odds of infection. Conclusion: The findings suggest that different factors are responsible for the increased spread of the Covid-19. Indeed, since the intervention for every single factor will have a small contribution to reducing the prevalence of the disease, it seems essential to design comprehensive interventions while emphasizing isolation and contacts tracing. The study provides evidence for multi-level and multi-faceted policy and interventions for promoting adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors.

The Effect of Reading Leaflets During the Observation Period After Vaccination on Knowledge of COVID-19 and Vaccines Among Chinese Small Town Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundPublic health education is essential for epidemic prevention and control in the post-COVID-19 era. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the effect of reading leaflets during the observation period after vaccination on knowledge of COVID-19 disease and vaccines in Chinese small town residents and to provide suggestions for public health education.MethodsResidents were recruited during the observation period after getting vaccinated against COVID-19 in Xidian and were randomly divided into an education group and a control group. The education group was asked to complete the questionnaire after reading a leaflet, whereas the control group directly completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised two sections on COVID-19 knowledge and vaccine knowledge, and the scores were used to assess the resident's knowledge.ResultsA total of 142 participants in the education group and 154 participants in the control group were enrolled. The rates of correct knowledge in the education group and the control group were 90.7 and 83.1%, respectively. The scores of the two sections and the aggregate knowledge score of the education group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.001). The rates of correct responses to questions on clinical manifestations and transmission routes of COVID-19 and indications and contraindications of vaccines significantly increased after reading the leaflets (P < 0.05). Knowledge of different groups of genders, ages, marital statuses, education levels and occupations all improved (P < 0.05), and the 18–29-year-old and never-married group revealed a higher growth rate of correct responses.ConclusionChinese small town residents have a median level of knowledge regarding COVID-19 disease and vaccines. Reading leaflets during the observation period after vaccination effectively improved their knowledge. This low-cost and efficient health education approach can be widely applied.

Knowledge, attitude and practice towards facemask use amid the COVID-19 pandemic among public transport drivers in Debre-Tabor town, Ethiopia

Background: For the prevention of respiratory infection similar to the current pandemic COVID-19, face masks are considered an effective method. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable virus that continues to disrupt livelihoods, particularly those of low-income segments of society, around the world has poor knowledge towards facemask at the same time has huge gape towards attitude which affects the behaviors. Therefore this study was aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice towards facemask use amid the COVID-19 pandemic among public transport drivers in Debre-Tabor town, Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 public transport drivers in Debre-Tabor town from July to August 2021. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique after proportionally allocating the sample size from the total number of public transport drivers, and finally, study subjects were elected continuously working in Debre- Tabor Town public transport drivers. The data were collected by trained data collectors using a structured questionnaire with face-to-face interview administered questioners and an on-the-spot observational checklist. The collected data were checked, coded, and entered into SPSS version 23, and for data cleaning and analysis. Result: A total of 407 drivers responded to the questionnaire with a response rate of 96.4% were participated in this study. The mean age was 32.75 years (range: 19-45 years). Among them majority was male 383(94.1%) and the majority of 177(43.5%) were Bajaj drives. Among the responders, 114(28%) used radio to gather information, and 41(10.1%) drivers where were caught by COVID-19, but, only 30(7.4%) were vaccinated COVID-19 vaccine. Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding facemask use among these drivers were 368(90.4% [95% CI: 87.7-93.1]). 163(40% [95% CI: 37.5% - 43.2%]), and 23 ((5.6%) [95% CI: 3.7% - 8.3%]) Regarding facemask use against COVID-19 infection respectively. Conclusion and recommendation: The current study was able to demonstrate 90.4% of drivers had good knowledge. Positive attitude and practice levels of face mask use among drivers were less than half of them or 40%, and 5.6% respectively. There is a high supply of Surgical Face masks but poor attitude and practice. Almost all of the participants don’t wear a face mask despite having good knowledge about the transmission routes of COVID-19. The government COVID-19 prevention task force or health sector should be continued their awareness creation to bring behavioral change for the implementation of the COVID-19 prevention method, especially facemask.

COVID-19 Mask Usage and Social Distancing in Social Media Images: Large-scale Deep Learning Analysis.

BackgroundThe adoption of nonpharmaceutical interventions and their surveillance are critical for detecting and stopping possible transmission routes of COVID-19. A study of the effects of these interventions can help shape public health decisions. The efficacy of nonpharmaceutical interventions can be affected by public behaviors in events, such as protests. We examined mask use and mask fit in the United States, from social media images, especially during the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, representing the first large-scale public gatherings in the pandemic.ObjectiveThis study assessed the use and fit of face masks and social distancing in the United States and events of large physical gatherings through public social media images from 6 cities and BLM protests.MethodsWe collected and analyzed 2.04 million public social media images from New York City, Dallas, Seattle, New Orleans, Boston, and Minneapolis between February 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020. We evaluated correlations between online mask usage trends and COVID-19 cases. We looked for significant changes in mask use patterns and group posting around important policy decisions. For BLM protests, we analyzed 195,452 posts from New York and Minneapolis from May 25, 2020, to July 15, 2020. We looked at differences in adopting the preventive measures in the BLM protests through the mask fit score.ResultsThe average percentage of group pictures dropped from 8.05% to 4.65% after the lockdown week. New York City, Dallas, Seattle, New Orleans, Boston, and Minneapolis observed increases of 5.0%, 7.4%, 7.4%, 6.5%, 5.6%, and 7.1%, respectively, in mask use between February 2020 and May 2020. Boston and Minneapolis observed significant increases of 3.0% and 7.4%, respectively, in mask use after the mask mandates. Differences of 6.2% and 8.3% were found in group pictures between BLM posts and non-BLM posts for New York City and Minneapolis, respectively. In contrast, the differences in the percentage of masked faces in group pictures between BLM and non-BLM posts were 29.0% and 20.1% for New York City and Minneapolis, respectively. Across protests, 35% of individuals wore a mask with a fit score greater than 80%.ConclusionsThe study found a significant drop in group posting when the stay-at-home laws were applied and a significant increase in mask use for 2 of 3 cities where masks were mandated. Although a positive trend toward mask use and social distancing was observed, a high percentage of posts showed disregard for the guidelines. BLM-related posts captured the lack of seriousness to safety measures, with a high percentage of group pictures and low mask fit scores. Thus, the methodology provides a directional indication of how government policies can be indirectly monitored through social media.

Ocena efekta Kovida-19 na društvene i dnevne aktivnosti porodičnih lekara u Kajzeriju u Turskoj

Objective: We aimed at determining the effects of Covid-19 disease on family physicians' (FPs) daily work and life. Methods: We searched for GPs who had Covid-19 by making inquiries in the Medical Chamber, Association of GPs in Kayseri, and local health authorities. Our study period covers the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in Türkiye (March 11th, 2020 - March 11th, 2021). The descriptive characteristics, we looked into, were the use of preventive measures, location of family health centers, the transmission route of Covid-19, the symptoms they experienced, FP's general health status, and additionally details of isolation, diagnosis, and hospitalization procedures. Results: A total of 85 FPs (18.2% of all FPs in the Kayseri region) had Covid-19 in the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic in Kayseri/Türkiye. FPs who gave consent to participate in our study made up 60.8% of Kayseri's FPs. Washing hands, keeping distance, using face masks, and frequent indoor ventilation were the most frequently used measures (&gt;75%). More than 2/3 of FPs stuck to the preventive measures. The most frequent symptoms experienced by the FPs were muscle and joint pain, weakness, and fever (more than 1/5 of FPs, respectively 35.4%, 30.4%, 29.1%). The transmission sites were mostly Family Health Centers. Conclusion: About 1/6 of FPs were infected with Covid-19. Almost all of them were working in the urban area. The mean hospitalization stay was 7.7 days and in more than 50% the symptoms of fever and cough were detected. The disease transmission was the most prevalent at the workplace and the most common concern of FPs was the protection of their families.

Recommendations for Infection Control in Dental Laboratories During Covid-19 Pandemic and Normalization Period

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19), a novel human coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2) causing a severe acute respiratory syndrome, was first reported in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted primarily between people through respiratory droplets. Direct contact with blood, oral fluids and other patient materials has been reported as another transmission route of Covid-19. Dental impressions, trays, occlusal records, prostheses or appliances can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses and fungi. The necessity of determining the precautions for safety in dental laboratories, one of the dental service components, and evaluating them periodically due to their potential as a source of cross-infection has come into prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic. For this purpose, we publish this guideline for dental laboratories.

Comparing Public Perceptions and Preventive Behaviors During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

BackgroundGiven the public health responses to previous respiratory disease pandemics, and in the absence of treatments and vaccines, the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic relies on population engagement in nonpharmaceutical interventions. This engagement is largely driven by risk perception, anxiety levels, and knowledge, as well as by historical exposure to disease outbreaks, government responses, and cultural factors.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to compare psychobehavioral responses in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsComparable cross-sectional surveys were administered to adults in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom during the early phase of the epidemic in each setting. Explanatory variables included demographics, risk perception, knowledge of COVID-19, anxiety level, and preventive behaviors. Responses were weighted according to census data. Logistic regression models, including effect modification to quantify setting differences, were used to assess the association between the explanatory variables and the adoption of social distancing measures.ResultsData from 3431 complete responses (Hong Kong, 1663; United Kingdom, 1768) were analyzed. Perceived severity of symptoms differed by setting, with weighted percentages of 96.8% for Hong Kong (1621/1663) and 19.9% for the United Kingdom (366/1768). A large proportion of respondents were abnormally or borderline anxious (Hong Kong: 1077/1603, 60.0%; United Kingdom: 812/1768, 46.5%) and regarded direct contact with infected individuals as the transmission route of COVID-19 (Hong Kong: 94.0%-98.5%; United Kingdom: 69.2%-93.5%; all percentages weighted), with Hong Kong identifying additional routes. Hong Kong reported high levels of adoption of various social distancing measures (Hong Kong: 32.6%-93.7%; United Kingdom: 17.6%-59.0%) and mask-wearing (Hong Kong: 98.8% (1647/1663); United Kingdom: 3.1% (53/1768)). The impact of perceived severity of symptoms and perceived ease of transmission of COVID-19 on the adoption of social distancing measures varied by setting. In Hong Kong, these factors had no impact, whereas in the United Kingdom, those who perceived their symptom severity as “high” were more likely to adopt social distancing (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] 1.58-3.01), and those who perceived transmission as “easy” were prone to adopt both general social distancing (aOR 2.00, 95% CI 1.57-2.55) and contact avoidance (aOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.41-2.30). The impact of anxiety on adopting social distancing did not vary by setting.ConclusionsOur results suggest that health officials should ascertain baseline levels of risk perception and knowledge in populations, as well as prior sensitization to infectious disease outbreaks, during the development of mitigation strategies. Risk should be communicated through suitable media channels—and trust should be maintained—while early intervention remains the cornerstone of effective outbreak response.

Food Safety in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Countermeasures

Understanding food safety hazard risks is essential to avoid potential negative heath impacts in the food supply chain in a post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Development of strategies for virus direction in foods plays an important role in food safety and verification. Early warning, tracing, and detection should be implemented as an integrated system in order to mitigate thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, in which the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical as it not only concerns screening of populations but also monitoring of possible contaminated sources such as the food supply chain. In this review, we point out the consequences in different aspects of our daily life in the post-COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of the food supply chain and the food industry. We summarize the possible transmission routes of COVID-19 in the food supply chain before exploring the development of corresponding detection tools of SARS-CoV-2. Accordingly, we compare different detection methods for the virus in foods, including different pretreatments of food matrices in the virus detection. Finally, the future perspectives are proposed.

Public’s Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards COVID-19 in the Normalization Stage of Plague Prevention and Control: A Cross-sectional Survey in China

Background: COVID-19 has been declared a global public health emergency, posing a serious threat to the life and health of the general public. So the aim of this study is to investigate the ability of plague prevention of residents about COVID-19 in the normalization stage of epidemic prevention and control in China, thereby providing reference information for relevant institutions to formulate targeted health education measures. Methods: We designed the KAP for COVID-19 Prevention and Control questionnaire partly based on the COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines published by the National Health Commission of China. The questionnaire was distributed through the Questionnaire Star online survey platform between June 28 and June 31, 2020. Convenience and snowball sampling methods were used to collect data. The questionnaire link was first sent to subjects through online social platforms such as WeChat and QQ, where they were invited to send the link to their families, colleagues, and friends. Results: The survey involved 314 members of the public. Questionnaire scores were 9.90±1.967 (range: 0~14), 22.97±2.90 (range: 5~25), and 37.64±5.30 (range: 9~45) for participant COVID-19 prevention and control knowledge, attitude and practice, respectively. More than 80% of the participants had good knowledge of the core symptoms, incubation and isolation periods, and three major preventive measures of COVID-19, but only 31.8% of them answered correctly on the main transmission routes of COVID-19. There were errors when they were asked about the treatment measures, with 27.7% of participants believing that using Vedicilin (an oral antiviral liquid) and gargling brackish water can prevent COVID-19. More than 95% of participants believed that the normalization stage of epidemic prevention still requires personal protective measures. Of the participants, 60~64% were able to perform basic preventive behaviors such as wearing a mask when going out, washing hands at home, and going out less frequently, 52.6% could always comply with cough etiquette, and 40.8% could always follow the seven-step hand washing method. Conclusions: During the normalization stage of the COVID-19 plague prevention, the public had incomplete knowledge on latest prevention strategies Although belief was evident, behavioral compliance still needs to be improved. Relevant government departments or medical institutions need to relay relevant knowledge to those in blind spots, and to guide the public to maintain participation in effective and science-based prevention of the novel coronavirus.

Aerosol transmission, an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread: case study of a department-store cluster

Patients with COVID-19 have revealed a massive outbreak around the world, leading to widespread concerns in global scope. Figuring out the transmission route of COVID-19 is necessary to control further spread. We analyzed the data of 43 patients in Baodi Department Store (China) to supplement the transmission route and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in a cluster outbreak. Incubation median was estimated to endure 5.95 days (2–13 days). Almost 76.3% of patients sought medical attention immediately uponillness onset. The median period ofillness onsetto hospitalization and confirmation were 3.96 days (0–14) and 5.58 days (1–21), respectively. Patients with different cluster case could demonstrate unique epidemiological characteristics due to the particularity of outbreak sites. SRAS-CoV-2 can be released into the surrounding air through patient’s respiratory tract activities, and can exist for a long time for long-distance transportation. SRAS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in aerosol in different sites, including isolation ward, general ward, outdoor, toilet, hallway, and crowded public area. Environmental factors influencing were analyzed and indicated that the SARS-CoV-2 transportation in aerosol was dependent on temperature, air humidity, ventilation rate and inactivating chemicals (ozone) content. As for the infection route of case numbers 2 to 6, 10, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20 and 23, we believe that aerosol transmission played a significant role in analyzing their exposure history and environmental conditions in Baodi Department Store. Aerosol transmission could occur in some cluster cases when the environmental factors are suitable, and it is an indispensable route of COVID-19 spread.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of dentists in Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Turkey.

The aim was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and anxiety of the dentists in relation to COVID-19. This cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst 590 dentists employed in Turkey from March to April 2020. The electronic survey consisted of 22 questions related to demographic profile, knowledge, clinical practice and anxiety level of the participants towards dental management of COVID-19. The survey was sent to participants by email and mobile phone messages to be filled electronically. Majority of respondents pointed to aerosol (98.5%), saliva (90.6%) and mucosal contact (71.4%) as the transmission routes of COVID-19. Amongst all clinical symptoms of the disease questioned, fever (99.8%), dry cough (99.1%), fatigue (90.0%) were associated with COVID-19 by vast majority of population. 96.4% of respondents agreed the usage of gloves as personal protective equipment and it was followed by face shield (88.1%), disposable gown (83.4%), protective goggles (73.9%). Increased usage of FFP2/N95 (33.9%) and FFP3/N99 (10.9%) respirators, contrary to reduction of surgical mask usage (50.7%), were observed in aerosolgenerating procedures comparing to dental procedures without producing aerosol and these differences were highly significant (p<0.001, p=0.004, p<0.001). The mean anxiety level of respondents was 3.35 ± 1.18 (ranging from 0 to 5). These results demonstrated an adequate knowledge, especially in clinical symptoms of COVID-19 amongst dentists. However, the respirator usage rate in aerosol-generating procedures was not satisfactory which suggesting to necessity of dentists' education about pandemic.

Turning Calamity into Opportunity: COVID-19 & Dental Practice

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remains a global challenge. Even after extensive research going on globally, an effective vaccine and other viable treatment options have eluded investigators. Therefore, guidelines by the higher authorities and following the precautions as well as protocols provide the best approach in controlling the spread of the disease. In this article, various treatment modalities, preventive methods, and transmission routes of COVID-19 are discussed along with the impact of COVID-19 in dental practice and remedial measures to fight against the same.

Food safety risk during the pandemic

Food safety risk during the pandemic

Knowledge and understanding among medical imaging professionals in India during the rapid rise of the covid-19 pandemic.

During the first week of March,2020 the surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases reached all over the globe with more than 100,000 cases. Healthcare national and international authorities have already initiated awareness and lockdown activities. A poor understanding of the disease among medical imaging professionals (MIPs) may result in rapid spread of infection. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and understanding of MIPs about COVID-19. A cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted among MIPs about COVID- 19 during the fourth week of March 2020. An online sample of MIPs was successfully recruited via the authors’ networks in India using data collection tool – write google forms. A self-developed online KAP questionnaire was completed by the participants. The knowledge and understanding questionnaire consisted questions regarding the clinical characteristics and transmission routes of COVID-19. Assessment on practices towards COVID-19 included questions on techniques while imaging against COVID-19 suspected patients. Of 700 participants, a total of 550 MIPs completed the survey (response rate: 78.57%); 56.7% were males, 85.4.1% were aged 17–26 years, and most were undergraduates (77.6%) and postgraduates (17.1%). Regarding COVID-19, most of the participants answered correctly (95.5%) on symptoms, (84.4%) time interval for visible symptoms, (98.0%) transmission and (44%) airborne transmission respectively. A significant proportion of MIPs (36.4%) had poor knowledge about wearing multiple masks as an effective measure against coronavirus infection. Most of the respondents (48.5%) incorrectly considered X-ray as the reliable method of diagnosis for suspected COVID-19 patients. 44.6% of the respondents lacked knowledge about the steps involved in hand washing technique which is one of the most important safety practice methods in medical imaging to prevent spread of infection. Factors such as age and occupation were associated with inadequate knowledge and poor perception of COVID-19. As the current global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is crucial and critical to improve the knowledge and understanding of MIPs. Educational videos and live webinars are urgently needed to reach MIPs and further detailed studies are the need of the hour.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12553-020-00437-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transmission routes of COVID-19 in the dental practice.

Transmission routes of COVID-19 in the dental practice.