International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
-
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, has rapidly spread to produce a global pandemic. It is now clear that person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has been occurring and that the virus has been dramatically growing in recent months. ⋯ However, the sensitivity and specificity of these methods are quite different, with the sample source and detection limit varying greatly. This study reviewed all types and characteristics of the currently available laboratory diagnostic assays for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection and summarized the selection strategies of testing and sampling sites at different disease stages to improve the diagnostic accuracy of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
-
Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Nov 2020
Estimating the impact of physical distancing measures in containing COVID-19: an empirical analysis.
Epidemic modelling studies predict that physical distancing is critical in containing COVID-19. However, few empirical studies have validated this finding. Our study evaluates the effectiveness of different physical distancing measures in controlling viral transmission. ⋯ A combination of physical distancing measures, if implemented early, can be effective in containing COVID-19-tight border controls to limit importation of cases, encouraging physical distancing, moderately stringent measures such as working from home, and a full lockdown in the case of a probable uncontrolled outbreak.
-
Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2020
Meta AnalysisComorbidities and the risk of severe or fatal outcomes associated with coronavirus disease 2019: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Existing findings regarding the relationship between comorbidities and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are inconsistent and insufficient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between different comorbidities and the severity of COVID-19. ⋯ Chronic comorbidities, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and malignancy are clinical risk factors for a severe or fatal outcome associated with COVID-19, with obesity being the most prevalent and respiratory disease being the most strongly predictive. Knowledge of these risk factors could help clinicians better identify and manage the high-risk populations.
-
Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2020
Diagnostic serial interval as a novel indicator for contact tracing effectiveness exemplified with the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea.
The clinical onset serial interval is often used as a proxy for the transmission interval of an infectious disease. For SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, data on clinical onset serial intervals is limited, since symptom onset dates are not routinely recorded and do not exist in asymptomatic carriers. ⋯ The relatively short diagnostic serial intervals of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 in South Korea are likely due to the country's extensive efforts towards contact tracing. We propose the mean diagnostic serial interval as a new indicator for the effectiveness of a country's contact tracing as part of the epidemic surveillance.
-
Int. J. Infect. Dis. · Oct 2020
Case ReportsSevere immune thrombocytopenia in a critically ill COVID-19 patient.
The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can cause a severe and even fatal respiratory illness named COVID-19. Apart from respiratory failure, COVID-19 may be associated with various autoimmune complications. We present a case of a critically ill patient with COVID-19 who developed severe immune thrombocytopenia that was successfully treated with a concomitant use of corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulins.