scholarly journals Does Zero-COVID neglect health disparities?

2021 ◽  
pp. medethics-2021-107763
Author(s):  
Nancy S Jecker ◽  
Derrick K S Au
Keyword(s):  
Health Equity ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Us ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Ethical Basis

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) first declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic, diverse strategies have emerged to address it. This paper focuses on two leading strategies, elimination and mitigation, and examines their ethical basis. Elimination or ‘Zero-COVID’ dominates policies in Pacific Rim societies. It sets as a goal zero deaths and seeks to contain transmission using stringent short-term lockdowns, followed by strict find, test, trace and isolate methods. Mitigation, which dominates in the US and most European nations, sets targets for community transmission and lifts restrictions once targets are met. This approach takes calculated risks and regards a certain amount of disease and death as ethically justified. Section I examines different societal responses to risk that underlie these different policy approaches. Section II focuses on ethical arguments favouring Zero-COVID and raises health equity objections. Section III proposes a long-term strategy that balances the twin goals of promoting population health and health equity.

scholarly journals Acute and Post-Acute Neurological Complications of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-119
Author(s):  
Ali Al-Ramadan ◽  
Omar Rabab’h ◽  
Jawad Shah ◽  
Abeer Gharaibeh
Keyword(s):  
Altered Mental Status ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Asymptomatic Infection ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Severity Of The Disease ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging global health emergency caused by the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The global outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection depends on the severity of the disease and may range from an asymptomatic infection to a severe and lethal illness. Fever, cough, and shortness of breath are among the most common symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Accumulating evidence indicates that COVID-19 patients commonly develop neurological symptoms, such as headache, altered mental status, anosmia, and myalgia. In this comprehensive literature review, we have summarized the most common neurological complications and reported neurological case studies associated with COVID-19, and neurological side effects associated with COVID-19 treatments. Additionally, the post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and long-term neurological complications were discussed. We also explained the proposed mechanisms that are involved in the pathogenesis of these neurological complications.

scholarly journals Development of an Android application for viewing Covid-19 containment zones and monitoring violators who are trespassing into it using Firebase and Geofencing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranajoy Mallik ◽  
Amlan Protim Hazarika ◽  
Sudarshana Ghosh ◽  
Dilip Sing ◽  
Rajib Bandyopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Social Awareness ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Android Application ◽  
The People ◽  
The World ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 as pandemic across the world. With its alarming surge of affected cases throughout the world, lockdown and awareness (social distancing, use of masks etc) among people are found to be the only means for restricting the community transmission. In a densely populated country like India, it is very difficult to prevent the community transmission even during lockdown without social awareness and precautionary measures taken by the people. Recently, several containment zones had been identified throughout the country and divided into red, orange and green zones, respectively. The red zones indicate the infection hotspots, orange zones denote some infection and green zones indicate an area with no infection.This paper mainly focuses on development of an Android application which can inform people of the COVID-19 containment zones and prevent trespassing into these zones. This Android application updates the locations of the areas in a Google map which are identified to be the containment zones. The application also notifies the users if they have entered a containment zone and uploads the user’s IMEI number to the online database. With this IMEI number, the police can keep an eye on the people who are frequently violating the lockdown rules. To achieve all these functionalities, many tools and APIs from Google like Firebase and Geofence are used in this app. Therefore, this application can be used as a tool for creating further social awareness about the arising need of precautionary measures to be taken by the people of India.

scholarly journals Current and emerging diagnostic tests available for the novel COVID-19 global pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Mboowa
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Status ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Point Of Care Tests

On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) upgraded the status of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak from epidemic to a global pandemic. This infection is caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Several rapid diagnostic tests have been developed at an astonishing pace; however, COVID-19 requires more highly specific rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests. This review describes the currently available testing approaches, as well as the available test assays including the Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test (takes ~45 min) and Abbott ID COVID-19 test (5 min) as easy to use point-of-care tests for diagnosis of novel COVID-19 that have so far received the US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorizations clearance. This review is correct as of the date published and will be updated as more diagnostic tests come to light.

scholarly journals Potential of CRISPR/Cas13 System in Treatment and Diagnosis of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Khodavirdipour ◽  
Motahareh Piri ◽  
Sarvin Jabbari ◽  
Mohammad Khalaj-kondori
Keyword(s):  
Diagnostic Tool ◽  
Human Kidney ◽  
World Health ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Rapid Action ◽  
Antiparasitic Drug ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Treatment And Diagnosis

AbstractThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) belongs to coronaviridae families, like sarbecovirus (SARS), and causes pyrexia, pertussis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in major. Started from Wuhan, China now forced the World Health Organization (WHO) to call it a pandemic. These dreadful figures elevate the need for rapid action for a rapid diagnostic tool, an efficacious therapy, or vaccine for such widespread disease. Here we reviewed all the latest research and trials including conventional antiviral medicines that have a narrow and finite effect on COVID-19. Recently, some advances have been made by a nucleotide/nucleoside analogues (NUC) inhibitor (remdesivir), ivermectin (antiparasitic drug), and convalescent plasma, the later one has more recently been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, a clinical-grade soluble human angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE2), named hrsACE2, was able to inhibit the infection of human blood vessel organoids, as well as the human kidney organoids, by the virus. As of now, innovative therapeutics based on the CRISPR/Cas13d might overcome the challenge of COVID-19 either as a treatment option or precise and rapid diagnostic tool due to its rapid and precise nature. In this updated comprehensive rapid review, we try to cover all recent findings in terms of genomics, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

scholarly journals Viability of Bacillus subtilis Cells in Airborne Bioaerosols on Face Masks

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1496
Author(s):  
Eun-Hee Lee ◽  
Yunsoo Chang ◽  
Seung-Woo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fine Dust ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Viable Cells ◽  
Mask Material ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Sand Dust

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a general health crisis and has irreversible impacts on human societies. Globally, all people are at risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus through transmission of airborne bioaerosols. Public health actions, such as wearing a mask, are highly recommended to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases. The appropriate use of masks is necessary for effectively preventing the transmission of airborne bioaerosols. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests washing fabric masks or throwing away disposable masks after they are used. However, people often use masks more than once without washing or disposing them. The prolonged use of a single mask might—as a result of the user habitually touching the mask—promote the spread of pathogens from airborne bioaerosols that have accumulated on the mask. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate how long the living components of bioaerosols can be viable on the masks. Here, we evaluated the viability of airborne Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) in bioaerosols filtered on woven and anti-droplet (non-woven) face masks. As a simulation of being simultaneously exposed to sand dust and bioaerosols, the viability rates of bioaerosols that had accumulated on masks were also tested against fine dust and airborne droplets containing bacteria. The bioaerosols survived on the masks immediately after the masks were used to filter the bioaerosols, and the bacteria significantly proliferated after one day of storage. Thereafter, the number of viable cells in the filtered bioaerosols gradually decreased over time, and the viability of B. subtilis in bioaerosols on the masks varied, depending on the mask material used (woven or non-woven). Despite the reduction in viability, bioaerosols containing living components were still found in both woven and anti-droplet masks even after six days of storage and it took nine days not to have found them on masks. The number of viable cells in bioaerosols on masks significantly decreased upon exposure of the masks to fine dust. The results of this study should provide useful information on how to appropriately use masks to increase their duration of effectiveness against bioaerosols.

scholarly journals A Bittersweet Memoir

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-135
Author(s):  
Anita Y. N. Lim
Keyword(s):  
Video Clip ◽  
Early Period ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
The Novel ◽  
National University ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract I wrote this journal in March 2020 prior to the World Health Organization declaring the COVID-19 infection as a worldwide pandemic on March 11. The situation in Singapore was unfolding even as public healthcare institutions were tasked to lead the charge to contain the novel coronavirus as it was then called. This journal describes my experiences and impressions during my work in an isolation ward at the National University Hospital during this early period. I was to be catapulted into Pandemic Team 3 in the second and third weeks of February 2020. The urgency of hospital measures to respond to the novel coronavirus meant that the general medicine consultant roster which I was on was hijacked to support the pandemic wards. I thought wryly to myself that it was a stroke of genius to commandeer the ready-made roster of senior physicians; it would have been difficult for the roster monster to solicit senior physicians to volunteer when there were still so many unknowns about this virus. Graphic images of the dire situation in Wuhan, China, were circulating widely on social media. It was heart-wrenching to read of Dr. Li Wen Liang’s death. He had highlighted the mysterious pneumonia-causing virus. The video clip of him singing at a karaoke session that went viral underscored the tragedy of a young life cut short. Questions raced in my mind. “Are we helpless to prevent the spread of this virus?” “Is the situation in China to be replicated here in Singapore?” This seemed incredulous, yet, might it be possible? The immediate responses that jumped up within me was “yes, it’s possible, but let’s pray not. Whatever has to be done, must be done.”

scholarly journals Cutaneous presentation of COVID-19 Case Report

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 01-02
Author(s):  
Khadiga Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Spread ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Recent Attention

COVID-19 has high transmissibility and infectivity among human. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) in an effort to slow down the global spread of the virus declared the outbreak, “A global public health emergency of international concern". The skin manifestations of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 were not recognized at the early stages of the pandemic but have received much recent attention in scientific journals. Reported manifestations range from pseudo-chilblains to a morbilliform (measles-like) exanthem, urticaria, vesicular eruptions, a dengue-like petechial rash and ovate scaling macules, and plaques mimicking pityriasis rosea.

scholarly journals COVID-19 pandemic. Effects of stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 16-24
Author(s):  
Elena S. Akarachkova ◽  
◽  
Anton A. Beliaev ◽  
Dmitrii V. Blinov ◽  
Evgenii V. Bugorskii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Preventive Health Care ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Social Stability ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Health Organization

World Health Organization declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Fear of illness, self-isolation/quarantine, and reduced quality of life dramatically increased the prevalence of stress-related disorders in the population. Therefore, it is necessary to implement the preventive health-care measures aimed at short-term and long-term COVID-19 pandemic consequences reduction and promotion of social stability.

A Qualitative Comparison of the Covex Respirator with Face Shield Versus the N95 Respirator

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reid Mimmack ◽  
Elijah Germo ◽  
Garrett Augustine ◽  
Kumar Belani
Keyword(s):  
Filtration Efficiency ◽  
Current Medical ◽  
Pass Rate ◽  
World Health ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Qualitative Comparison ◽  
Medical Standard ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a worldwide pandemic. The pandemic led to concerns of shortages regarding healthcare-related resources, including personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and more. The uniquely designed COVEX respirator with face shield was engineered and manufactured by Augustine Surgical, Inc. to combat the PPE shortage. The novel COVEX mask is an “all-in-one” face shield and filter with a Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE) greater than 99%. A standard respirator qualitative fit test was completed on the COVEX respirator as well as the current medical standard 3M N95 respirator. Fit test studies comparing the two masks yielded similar outcomes. The COVEX respirator had a qualitative fit test pass rate of 96.6% and the 3M N95 respirator had a pass rate of 93.3% (n=30). Participants also reported other variables comparing the comfort and fit of each mask, which is described further in the discussion. The COVEX respirator with face shield passed a standardized qualitative fit test at a rate similar to the current medical standard N95 respirator. Our results suggest that the COVEX mask may be a viable PPE option in the future.

scholarly journals Emergency Radiology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Canadian Association of Radiologists Recommendations for Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciaran E. Redmond ◽  
Savvas Nicolaou ◽  
Ferco H. Berger ◽  
Adnan M. Sheikh ◽  
Michael N. Patlas
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Radiology ◽  
World Health ◽  
Guidance Document ◽  
Emergency Setting ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Canadian Association ◽  
Imaging Service ◽  
Emergency Imaging ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the disease caused by the novel coronavirus officially named the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to emergency radiology practice. The continuity of an effective emergency imaging service for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients is essential, while adhering to best infection control practices. Under the direction of the Board of the Canadian Association of Radiologists, this general guidance document has been synthesized by collaborative consensus of a group of emergency radiologists. These recommendations aim to assist radiologists involved in emergency diagnostic imaging to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and continue to add value to patient care in the emergency setting.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document