Articles: sars-cov-2.
-
Background: Loneliness and social isolation coexist, making it difficult to study each separately. The COVID-19 lockdown provided an unprecedented and ethically viable opportunity to study loneliness in seriously ill nursing home residents under uniformly imposed social isolation conditions. Objective: To understand the phenomenon of loneliness of the seriously ill nursing home patients under a uniform social isolation condition imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. ⋯ Participants in the last year of life also reported higher levels of loneliness. Conclusion: A study of loneliness under uniform social isolation conditions in seriously ill nursing home patients showed a high prevalence of loneliness and a strong correlation between self-reported loneliness and social isolation, especially in persons from minority communities and those in the last year of life. In-person support provided by nursing home staff and virtual support from family was helpful to patients.
-
Annals of family medicine · Nov 2024
Health-Related Social Needs Following Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Oregon.
Efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to address the health-related social needs (HRSN) of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, such as food and housing, were insufficient. We examined HRSN data from the Accountable Health Communities study collected in Oregon to understand changes in these needs at the onset and during the first 2 years of the pandemic. ⋯ The jump in HRSN following the start of the pandemic and the persistence of need, particularly in food and housing, highlight the importance of research to better understand which public health and health care interventions, investments, and policies effectively address HRSN.
-
The COVID-19 epidemic has become a major international health emergency. Millions of people have died as a result of this phenomenon since it began. Has there been any successful pharmacological treatment for COVID-19 since the initial report on the virus? How many searches are undertaken to address the impact of the infection? What is the number of drugs that have undergone investigation? What are the mechanisms of action and adverse effects associated with the investigated pharmaceuticals used to treat COVID-19? Has the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved any medication to treat COVID-19? To date, our understanding is based on a restricted corpus of published investigations into the treatment of COVID-19. ⋯ Our insights suggest a multifaceted approach incorporating these therapies can significantly improve patient outcomes. Repurposing drugs has been critical in rapidly responding to COVID-19, allowing existing medications to be used in new ways to combat the virus. Combination therapies and further research are essential to optimize treatment strategies.
-
There are considerable challenges when using difference-in-differences (DiD) analysis of ecological data to estimate the effectiveness of public health interventions in rapidly changing situations. ⋯ None.
-
To explore the relationship between vitamin D levels and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its severity in children and adolescents, and provide a theoretical basis for clinical practice. ⋯ Vitamin D insufficiency in children may increase the risk of COVID-19 infection and is associated with poor prognostic outcomes. Further research is required to confirm the optimal Vitamin D dose to prevent insufficiency in various sections of the population.