Articles: coronavirus.
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J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg · Mar 2021
LetterRestitution of the NHS breast reconstruction service during the recovery phase of the Covid 19 pandemic.
During the recovery restitution phase of the coronavirus pandemic, breast reconstruction teams have faced particular challenges to restarting this essential service. This is due to the length and complexity of the surgery, along with the demands on healthcare staff. The Royal College of Surgeons have classified immediate breast reconstruction as priority 2 and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have provided a pre-operative pathway for resumption of elective procedures. We therefore describe our experience in restarting our service for providing a breast reconstruction service from the 29th June 2020.
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Describe the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on general surgery residency training nationwide. ⋯ Changes in clinical care delivery dramatically reduced in face-to-face learning opportunities for surgical trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic. While this effect had equal impact across all program types, sizes, and geographies, the same cannot be said for wellness initiatives. Though all programs initiated some strategies to protect resident health, the disparity between university programs and independent programs may be cause for action.
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The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant of concern (VOC) is increasing in prevalence across Europe. Accurate estimation of disease severity associated with this VOC is critical for pandemic planning. ⋯ Absolute risk of death by 28 days increased with age and comorbidities. This VOC has potential to spread faster with higher mortality than the pandemic to date.
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Immune cell counts in blood in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may be useful prognostic biomarkers of disease severity, mortality, and response to treatment. ⋯ Total lymphocytes; NLR; and levels of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and NK cells are useful as biomarkers of survival or mortality in severe COVID-19 disease and commonly reach normal levels in convalescents.
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While vaccination remains the cornerstone of controlling vaccine-preventive diseases (VPD), little is known about the effect of social distancing on incidence of VPDs. We investigated the impact of social distancing practiced during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the incidence of selected VPDs in South Korea. ⋯ The largest decline of total VPDs was in April (65%) and in May (67%), during the intensified social distancing measures. In the setting of sustained vaccination coverage, social distancing may provide additional public health benefit in controlling the VPDs.