Articles: pandemics.
-
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) is an emerging infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 that was first identified in Wuhan, China 2019 and that led to a worldwide pandemia. In addition to typical respiratory signs (dry cough, shortness of breathing), some patients may develop gastrointestinal and hepatological complications including diarrhea or acute hepatitis, respectively. Due to the close contact to the patient's secretion, the gastroenterologists are at increased risk of getting the infection. ⋯ Endoscopy personnel should reduce exposure hazards by keeping a distance from the patient and using gloves, face masks, face shields and gowns. Taking into the consideration the fact that the virus proliferates in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, special attention should be given to handling with stool specimens. In patients obtaining FMT for recurrent C. difficile infection, recommended screening measures include donor's medical history and testing for SARS-CoV-2 presence in pharyngeal and stool specimens.
-
J Educ Eval Health Prof · Jan 2020
Rules and guidelines for distancing in daily life to control coronavirus disease 2019 in Korea: 3rd version, announced on July 3, 2020
In Korea, the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported on January 21, 2020, after which the number of infected people began to increase. Intensive control measures stabilized the spread of COVID-19 in Korea. Therefore, the Korean government introduced the policy of “distancing in daily life” to support the maintenance of normal life starting on March 22, 2020. ⋯ Five key rules govern personal distancing in daily life: stay home for 3–4 days if you feel unwell; keep a distance of 2 arms’ length from others; wash your hands for 30 seconds and cough or sneeze into your sleeve; ventilate spaces at least twice a day and disinfect regularly; and stay connected while physically distancing. Collective distancing in daily life for communities and organizations is supported by these 5 key rules, and detailed guidelines are set out for different types of facilities. All individuals and communities are obliged to abide by these rules and guidelines for distancing as part of daily life.
-
The Covid-19 pandemic has fully opened the debate on the complexity of the problem, which goes far beyond medical and epidemiological analyzes and proposals, although these are key to the decisions of leaders in the decisive sphere. Critical situations always force us to look for new methods. ⋯ The adaptation of the faculty administration at the time of this crisis is admirable in many respects and essential for the long-term societal struggle with the pandemic. (Ref. 3). Keywords: COVID-19, Coronavirus 2019, pandemic, public health, medical faculties in Slovakia.
-
Forecasting the extent of the domestic health risk of epidemics by mathematical modeling is a useful tool for evaluating the feasibility of policies for controlling outbreaks. The objective of this study was to develop a time-dependent dynamic simulation model to forecast the COVID-19 autumn-winter outbreak in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, and to assess the effect of social distancing on epidemic spread. The model used was the "Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered" framework which incorporated appropriate compartments relevant to interventions such as quarantine, isolation and treatment. ⋯ The maximum peak was expected to appear between May 8 and Jul 8 depending on the quarantine strategy, and the average number of infectious symptomatic cases were 46 840, 30 494, 23 164, 16 179, and 13 196 when 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% of the population remained in a 5-month-term continuous quarantine, respectively. Only mandatory quarantine was able to delay the maximum peak of infection and significantly reduce the total number of infected individuals and deaths at a 150-day term. The interruption of the quarantine before 120 days of its beginning could generate an even more serious outbreak 30 days later, and surpass the scarce medical resources available for the intensive care of critically-ill patients.
-
J Prim Care Community Health · Jan 2020
Prevalence of Coronavirus Antibody Among First Responders in Lubbock, Texas.
The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has a major impact on first responders. Scarce personal protective equipment (PPE) has forced them to conserve and reuse some of their PPE. The efficacy of these practices in preventing transmission of COVID-19 from patients to first responders is unclear. There are limited data on the prevalence of antibodies specific for COVID-19 exposure in these front-line workers. ⋯ The prevalence of IgG specific antibodies to COVID-19 was much lower than expected in our study population despite high sensitivity and specificity of the test reagent. The most likely explanations for this finding include limited exposure, inadequate time for a IgG response, possible clearance of COVID-19 infection locally by the respiratory tract IgA defense system without eliciting a systemic IgG response, and short persistence of IgG antibodies in mild or asymptomatic cases.