Articles: coronavirus.
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Emerging Infect. Dis. · Oct 2020
LetterCoronavirus Disease Exposure and Spread from Nightclubs, South Korea.
At least 246 cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been linked to nightclubs in Seoul, South Korea. During the April 30-May 5 holiday, young adults from across the country who visited nightclubs in Seoul contracted COVID-19 and spread it nationally. Nightclubs were temporarily closed to limit COVID-19 spread.
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Due to the profound effect of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on healthcare systems, surgical programs across the country have paused surgical operations and have been utilizing virtual visits to help maintain public safety. For those who treat obesity, the importance of bariatric surgery has never been more clear. ⋯ The aim of this protocol is to utilize careful analysis of existing risk stratification for bariatric patients, novel COVID-19-related data, and consensus opinion from multiple academic bariatric centers within our organization to help guide the reanimation of our programs when appropriate and to use this template to prospectively study this risk-stratified population in real time. The core principles of this protocol can be applied to any surgical specialty.
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Mobile health apps are becoming increasingly popular amongst users who are turning to digital platforms to aid their mental wellbeing. As a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare staff as well as recovering patients may suffer from PTSD. We have therefore suggested to Reyes et al. ("Promoting Resilience Among College Student Veterans Through an Acceptance-and-Commitment-Therapy App: An Intervention Refinement Study", 2020) the importance of repurposing their app to help these users to improve their emotional resilience and subsequently their ability to cope with the trauma of their experience. We have also discussed the most pertinent barriers to mobile health app uptake including data privacy concerns and the role of stigma.
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There has been much interest in environmental temperature and race as modulators of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection and mortality. However, in the United States race and temperature correlate with various other social determinants of health, comorbidities, and environmental influences that could be responsible for noted effects. This study investigates the independent effects of race and environmental temperature on COVID-19 incidence and mortality in United States counties. ⋯ Higher environmental temperatures correlated with reduced COVID-19 cases, but this benefit does not yet appear in mortality models. Black race was an independent risk factor for increased COVID-19 cases and deaths. Thus, many proposed mechanisms through which Black race might increase risk for COVID-19, such as socioeconomic and healthcare-related predispositions, are inadequate in explaining the full magnitude of this health disparity.
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The objectives of this study were to identify risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to lay the basis for risk stratification based on demographic data and health records. ⋯ We have shown that, along with older age and male sex, severe COVID-19 is strongly associated with past medical history across all age groups. Many comorbidities beyond the risk conditions designated by public health agencies contribute to this. A risk classifier that uses all the information available in health records, rather than only a limited set of conditions, will more accurately discriminate between low-risk and high-risk individuals who may require shielding until the epidemic is over.