Articles: coronavirus.
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Irish health services have been repurposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Critical care services have been re-focused on the management of COVID-19 patients. This presents a major challenge for specialities such as cardiothoracic surgery that are reliant on intensive care unit (ICU) resources. ⋯ In March and April of 2020, the spread of COVID-19 and the resultant focus on its management resulted in a reduction in cardiothoracic surgery service delivery.
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Providing medical care to patients suffering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a major challenge for government healthcare systems around the world. The new coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), shows a high organ specificity for the lower respiratory tract. ⋯ Serial ultrasound examinations on patients with confirmed COVID-19 can promptly detect changes in the affected lung tissue at the bedside. This article summarizes the diagnostic potential of lung ultrasound with respect to screening and therapeutic decision-making in patients with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV‑2 pneumonia.
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The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a highly infectious human respiratory pathogen to which the global population had no prior immunity. The virus will likely continue to cause significant morbidity until there is a broadly effective vaccine As of mid-December 2020, more than 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates are in development and 11 have entered phase III clinical trials globally. ⋯ The messenger RNA vaccine is being rolled out in the UK, USA and Canada Significant uncertainties remain. How well will some of those at highest risk of severe disease (such as older people aged >75 years and those with immunocompromising conditions) be protected by a vaccine, and for how long? Also, to what extent will vaccination protect against infection? This will determine the degree of indirect 'herd' protection needed through broad vaccine coverage of younger age groups.
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Review Historical Article
Fighting the War Against COVID-19 via Cell-Based Regenerative Medicine: Lessons Learned from 1918 Spanish Flu and Other Previous Pandemics.
The human population is in the midst of battling a rapidly-spreading virus- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, responsible for Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19. Despite the resurgences in positive cases after reopening businesses in May, the country is seeing a shift in mindset surrounding the pandemic as people have been eagerly trickling out from federally-mandated quarantine into restaurants, bars, and gyms across America. History can teach us about the past, and today's pandemic is no exception. ⋯ This review will cover our current understanding of the pathology and treatment for COVID-19 and highlight similarities between past pandemics. By revisiting history, we hope to emphasize the importance of human behavior and innovative therapies as we wait for the development of a vaccine. Graphical Abstract.
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"Not a guideline but a guidance" is the motto of this document of guidance by the European Society of Cardiology, which is designed as an orientation aid to learning for physicians in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A total of 62 European cardiologists as authors and 29 further experts as reviewers have contributed to this 119-page document. The emphasis of the guidelines is on a cautious strategy in dealing with a pandemic, which is still characterized by many unknown factors. ⋯ It is counterproductive to recommend that pathohistological and molecular investigations of tissues from affected and deceased patients should be avoided. This document of guidance is an ambitious attempt of a learning recommendation that needs some further improvement. It needs an early update if it intends to do justice to the ambitions.