Articles: sars-cov-2.
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Jun 2020
Can post-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19 be considered as an outbreak response strategy in long-term care hospitals?
In the context of the ongoing global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), management of exposure events is a concern. Long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) are particularly vulnerable to cluster outbreaks because facilities for patient isolation and healthcare personnel to care for these patients in isolation are difficult to arrange in a large outbreak situation. Although several drugs have been proposed as treatment options, there are no data on the effectiveness and safety of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for COVID-19. ⋯ PEP was completed in 184 (97.4%) patients and 21 (95.5%) careworkers without serious adverse events. At the end of 14 days of quarantine, all follow-up PCR tests were negative. Based on our experience, further clinical studies are recommended for COVID-19 PEP.
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To discuss the impact of COVID-19 on global health, particularly on urological practice and to review some of the available recommendations reported in the literature. ⋯ Over the coming weeks, healthcare workers including urologists will be facing increasingly difficult challenges, and consequently, they should adopt triage strategy to avoid wasting of medical resources and they should endorse sufficient protection policies to guard against infection when dealing with COVID-19 patients.
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J Microbiol Immunol Infect · Jun 2020
ReviewProlonged viral shedding in feces of pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019.
To determine the dynamic changes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in respiratory and fecal specimens in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ SARS-CoV-2 may exist in children's gastrointestinal tract for a longer time than respiratory system. Persistent shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in stools of infected children raises the possibility that the virus might be transmitted through contaminated fomites. Massive efforts should be made at all levels to prevent spreading of the infection among children after reopening of kindergartens and schools.
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J Infect Public Health · Jun 2020
ReviewCoronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Current status and management practices.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is currently a global threat to human population. The numbers of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 are escalating daily, putting health care systems worldwide under tremendous pressure. ⋯ The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have managed to limit the massive spread of the infection among their populations by implementing proactive plans and timely decisions in response to COVID-19 outbreak; measures taken included suspension of flights, closure of educational institutes, curfew and lockdown of major cities, and provision of free-of-charge healthcare to patients. This review summarizes the COVID-19 status as of 18 May 2020 and highlights prevention and control measures applied in the GCC countries.
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Coronaviruses are a class of RNA viruses that can cause respiratory and intestinal infections in animals and humans. SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 [2019-nCoV]) belong to the family Coronaviridae and the genus Betacoronavirus. At present, the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 is getting deeper and deeper. In order to better prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2, this article compares the infectivity, pathogenicity, and related clinical characteristics of the three human pathogenic coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV to help us further understand the pathogenic characteristics of novel coronaviruses.