Articles: sars-cov-2.
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After the first COVID-19 wave caused by the ancestral lineage, the pandemic has been fueled from the continuous emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Understanding key time-to-event periods for each emerging variant of concern is critical as it can provide insights into the future trajectory of the virus and help inform outbreak preparedness and response planning. Here, we aim to examine how the incubation period, serial interval, and generation time have changed from the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 lineage to different variants of concern. ⋯ Our study supports the importance of conducting contact tracing and epidemiological investigations to monitor changes in SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns. Our findings highlight a progressive shortening of the incubation period, serial interval, and generation time, which can lead to epidemics that spread faster, with larger peak incidence, and harder to control. We also consistently found a shorter serial interval than incubation period, suggesting that a key feature of SARS-CoV-2 is the potential for pre-symptomatic transmission. These observations are instrumental to plan for future COVID-19 waves.
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Regular physical activity is associated with a low risk of severe community-acquired infections. However, the hypothesis that a physical inactivity pattern is associated with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 has not been completely proven, especially with severe pneumonia. ⋯ A higher and moderate level of physical activity is linked to a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 severe pneumonia.
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major global concern, seriously affecting the lives and health of the population. This retrospective study aimed to investigate changes in permanent tooth injury in the Xi'an area of China influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The medical records of 466 dental emergency patients in 2019 and 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. ⋯ The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a certain change in the epidemiological characteristics of dental injury in the Xi'an area of China. Dental emergency departments should provide even more timely and effective treatments. It is also necessary to strengthen public education, with emphasis on the importance of timely medical treatment and regular follow-up for dental trauma.