Articles: sars-cov-2.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · May 2020
Epidemiological Aspects and Psychological Reactions to COVID-19 of Dental Practitioners in the Northern Italy Districts of Modena and Reggio Emilia.
The outbreak and diffusion of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (Sars-CoV-2) and COronaVIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) have caused an emergency status in the health system, including in the dentistry environment. Italy registered the third highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world and the second highest in Europe. An anonymous online survey composed of 40 questions has been sent to dentists practicing in the area of Modena and Reggio Emilia, one of the areas in Italy most affected by COVID-19. ⋯ All respondents reported practice closure or strong activity reduction. The perception of this negative impact was accompanied by feelings of concern (70.2%), anxiety (46.4%) and fear (42.4%). The majority of them (89.6%) reported concerns about their professional future and the hope for economic measures to help dental practitioners.
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Tragically, many of the infections and deaths recorded in the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have occurred in healthcare workers. Some have attributed this to inadequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). ⋯ Despite recent revisions to these guidelines, concerns remain that they offer insufficient protection to frontline NHS healthcare workers. In this report, we evaluate whether these concerns are merited, through critical appraisal of the available evidence, review of international PPE guidance, and consideration of the ethical implications.
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Approximately 12% to 15% of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection require invasive ventilation via endotracheal intubation. The key to minimizing risk of disease transmission during this aerosol-generating procedure is careful preparation, which includes having necessary equipment and medications on hand as well as an experienced intubation team who can troubleshoot any unforeseen complications. Personal protective equipment should be donned and doffed in the presence of an assistant (ie, "buddy" system).
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The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, causing the disease COVID-19, first emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has now spread to 203 countries or territories, infected over 2 million people and caused over 133,000 deaths. There is an urgent need for specific treatments. One potential treatment is chloroquine and its derivatives, including hydroxychloroquine, which have both antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. ⋯ Although some encouraging outcomes have been reported, and these results have been received enthusiastically, we recommend careful and critical evaluation of current evidence only when all methods and data are available for peer review. Chloroquine is safe and cheap. However, further evidence from coordinated multicentre trials is required before it can be confidently said whether it is effective against the current pandemic.