COVID-19 vaccination has become a pivotal global strategy in managing the pandemic. Despite COVID-19 no longer being classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the virus continues affecting people worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate risk factors and vaccine effectiveness on COVID-19-related hospital admissions, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality within the Andalusian population throughout the pandemic.

From March 2020 to April 2022, 671,229 individuals, out of 9,283,485 with electronic health records in Andalusia, experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection and were included in the analysis. Data on demographics, medical history, vaccine administration, and hospitalization records were collected. Associations between medical history, COVID-19 vaccines, and COVID-19 outcomes were assessed.

Our study identified 48,196 hospital admissions, 5,057 ICU admissions, and 11,289 deaths linked to COVID-19. Age, male sex, and chronic diseases were identified as risk factors, while the COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated protective effects, although with reduced effectiveness during the omicron variant period. However, the risk for these outcomes increased over time after receiving the last vaccine dose, particularly after six months, especially among those aged 60 or older.

The global health challenge of COVID-19 persists, marked by emerging variants with higher virulence and severity, particularly among the unvaccinated and those beyond six months post-vaccination, especially those aged 60 and above. These findings highlight the need for robust surveillance systems targeting new variants and administering booster doses, particularly for individuals aged 60 or older with underlying health conditions, to mitigate the global burden of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic generated overflow of healthcare systems in several countries. As the ethical debates focused on prioritisation for access to care with scarce medical resources, numerous recommendations were created. Late 2021, the emergence of the Omicron variant whose transmissibility was identified but whose vaccine sensitivity was still unknown, reactivated debates. Fears of the need to prioritise patients arose, particularly in France. Especially, a debate began about the role of vaccination status in the prioritisation strategy.

The Ethics Committee (EC) of the University Hospital of Bordeaux (UHB), France, identified prioritisation criteria in the literature (some recommended, such as being a healthcare worker (HCW) or having consented to research, while others were discouraged, such as age with a threshold effect or vaccination status). A survey was sent within the institution in January 2022 to explore frontline physicians' adherence to these prioritisation criteria. The decision making conditions were also surveyed.

In 15 days, 78/165 (47.3%) frontline physicians responded, and more widely 1286/12946 (9.9%) professionals. A majority of frontline physicians were opposed to prioritising HCWs (54/75, 72%) and even more opposed to participating in research (69/76, 89.6%). Conversely, the results were very balanced for non-recommended criteria (respectively 39/77, 50.7% and 34/69 49.3% in favour for age with a threshold effect and for vaccination status). Decisions were considered to be multi-professional and multi-disciplinary for 65/76, 85.5% and 53/77, 68.8% of frontline physicians. Responders expressed opposition to extending decision-making to representatives of patients, civil society or HCWs not involved in care.

Prioritisation recommendations in case of scarce medical resources were not necessarily approved by the frontline physicians, or by the other HCWs. This questions the way ethical recommendations should be communicated and discussed at a local scale, but it also questions these recommendations themselves. The article also reports the experience of seeking HCWs opinions on a sensitive ethical debate in a period of crisis.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease with a very high infectious rate caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2). Because SARS-CoV-2 is easy to mutate, the continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variant strains not only enhances the infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 but also brings great obstacles to the treatment of COVID-19. Neutralizing antibodies have achieved good results in the clinical application of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, which can be used for pre-infection protection and treatment of novel coronavirus patients. This review makes a detailed introduction to the mutation characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, focusing on the molecular mechanism of mutation affecting the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, and the impact of mutation on monoclonal antibody therapy, providing scientific reference for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 variant strains and the research and development of antibody drugs.

The aim of this study is to ascertain whether COVID-19 Omicron infection is associated with exacerbations in these myasthenia gravis (MG) patients.

In total, 289 MG patients (comprising 60% females, with an average age of 46 ± 15 years) were enrolled. A total of 80.9% of MG patients reported a COVID-19 infection, with the majority experiencing a benign course (88%). MG patients who experienced COVID-19 infection demonstrated a higher likelihood of MG exacerbation, compared to those without the infection (18.8% vs. 7.3%, p = 0.039). In the survival analysis, after adjusting for confounding factors, the hazard ratio (HR) for exacerbation post-infection was found to be 3.38 (95% CI 1.20-9.53, p = 0.021). Compared to the exacerbation rates observed in JTA21, an increase was noted in DTM23 among COVID-19-infected MG patients (4.4% vs. 17.2%, p < 0.001).

The COVID-19 is the risk of MG exacerbation.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the genus Beta coronavirus and the family of Coronaviridae. It is a positive-sense, non-segmented single-strand RNA virus. Four common types of human coronaviruses circulate globally, particularly in the fall and winter seasons. They are responsible for 10%-30% of all mild upper respiratory tract infections in adults. These are 229E, NL63 of the Alfacoronaviridae family, OC43, and HKU1 of the Betacoronaviridae family. However, there are three highly pathogenic human coronaviruses: SARS-CoV-2, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and the latest pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infection. All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, have the inherent tendency to evolve. SARS-CoV-2 is still evolving in humans. Additionally, due to the development of herd immunity, prior infection, use of medication, vaccination, and antibodies, the viruses are facing immune pressure. During the replication process and due to immune pressure, the virus may undergo mutations. Several SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the variants of concern (VOCs), such as B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), B.1.617/B.1.617.2 (Delta), P.1 (Gamma), and B.1.1.529 (Omicron) have been reported from various parts of the world. These VOCs contain several important mutations; some of them are on the spike proteins. These mutations may lead to enhanced infectivity, transmissibility, and decreased neutralization efficacy by monoclonal antibodies, convalescent sera, or vaccines. Mutations may also lead to a failure of detection by molecular diagnostic tests, leading to a delayed diagnosis, increased community spread, and delayed treatment. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Covariant, the Stanford variant Database, and the CINAHL from December 2019 to February 2023 using the following search terms: VOC, SARS-CoV-2, Omicron, mutations in SARS-CoV-2, etc. This review discusses the various mutations and their impact on infectivity, transmissibility, and neutralization efficacy.

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant emerged in early November 2021 and its rapid spread created fear worldwide. This was attributed to its increased infectivity and escaping immune mechanisms. The spike protein of Omicron has more mutations (>30) than any other previous variants and was declared as the variant of concern (VOC) by the WHO. The concern among the scientific community was huge about this variant, and a piece of updated information on circulating viral strains is important in order to better understand the epidemiology, virus pathogenicity, transmission, therapeutic interventions, and vaccine development. A total of 710 samples were processed for sequencing and identification up to a resolution of sub-lineage. The sequence analysis revealed Omicron variant with distribution as follows: B.1.1, B.1.1.529, BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.10, BA.2.10.1, BA.2.23, BA.2.37, BA.2.38, BA.2.43, BA.2.74, BA.2.75, BA.2.76, and BA.4 sub-lineages. There is a shift noted in circulating lineage from BA.1 to BA.2 to BA.4 over a period from January to September 2022. Multiple signature mutations were identified in S protein T376A, D405N, and R408S mutations, which were new and common to all BA.2 variants. Additionally, R346T was seen in emerging BA.2.74 and BA.2.76 variants. The emerging BA.4 retained the common T376A, D405N, and R408S mutations of BA.2 along with a new mutation F486V. The samples sequenced were from different districts of Madhya Pradesh and showed a predominance of BA.2 and its variants circulating in this region. The current study identified circulation of BA.1 and BA.1.1 variants during initial phase. The predominant Delta strain of the second wave has been replaced by the Omicron variant in this region over a period of time. This study successfully deciphers the dynamics of the emergence and replacement of various sub-lineages of SARS-CoV-2 in central India on real real-time basis.

The number of patients with COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is still increasing. In the case of COVID-19 and tuberculosis (TB), the presence of one disease affects the infectious status of the other. Meanwhile, coinfection may result in complications that make treatment more difficult. However, the molecular mechanisms underpinning the interaction between TB and COVID-19 are unclear. Accordingly, transcriptome analysis was used to detect the shared pathways and molecular biomarkers in TB and COVID-19, allowing us to determine the complex relationship between COVID-19 and TB. Two RNA-seq datasets (GSE114192 and GSE163151) from the Gene Expression Omnibus were used to find concerted differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between TB and COVID-19 to identify the common pathogenic mechanisms. A total of 124 common DEGs were detected and used to find shared pathways and drug targets. Several enterprising bioinformatics tools were applied to perform pathway analysis, enrichment analysis and networks analysis. Protein-protein interaction analysis and machine learning was used to identify hub genes (GAS6, OAS3 and PDCD1LG2) and datasets GSE171110, GSE54992 and GSE79362 were used for verification. The mechanism of protein-drug interactions may have reference value in the treatment of coinfection of COVID-19 and TB.

The purpose of this study is to summarize the health system response to COVID-19 in four East Asian countries, analyze the effectiveness of their health system response, and provide lessons for other countries to control the epidemic and optimize their health system response.

This study investigated and summarized COVID-19 data and health system response in four East Asian countries, China, Japan, Mongolia, and South Korea from national governments and ministries of health, WHO country offices, and official websites of international organizations, to assess the effectiveness of health system measures.

As of June 30, 2022, all four countries are in a declining portion of COVID-19. China has two waves, and new cases increased slowly, with the total cases per million remaining within 4, indicating a low level. Japan has experienced six waves, with case growth at an all-time high, total cases per million of 250.994. Mongolia started the epidemic later, but also experienced four waves, with total cases per million of 632.658, the highest of the four countries. South Korea has seen an increasing number of new cases per wave, with a total case per million of 473.759.

In containment strategies adopted by China and Mongolia, and mitigation strategies adopted by Japan and South Korea, health systems have played important roles in COVID-19 prevention and control. While promoting vaccination, countries should pay attention to non-pharmaceutical health system measures, as evidenced by: focusing on public information campaigns to lead public minds; strengthening detection capabilities for early detection and identification; using technical ways to participate in contact tracing, and promoting precise judging isolation.

With the reopening of schools during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it was imperative to understand the role of students and education professionals in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, we determined the seroprevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid antibodies in the school community in Campo Grande, the capital and most populous city of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil) and evaluated its association with sex, school level, and school type.

The survey was carried out in 20 public and private schools in the urban region of Campo Grande using the TR DPP® COVID-19 immunoglobulin M/immunoglobulin G (IgM/IgG) kit from the Immunobiological Technology Institute (Bio-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Testing was carried out in three periods: from October to December 2021; from March to July 2022; and from August to November 2022. The participants were students aged 6-17 years enrolled in primary or secondary schools and professionals of different ages and roles.

During the first testing period, 162 participants were seropositive for the IgM and/or IgG anti-nucleocapsid SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, with an estimated seroprevalence of 19.6% using Bayesian multilevel regression. In the second period, 251 participants were seropositive (estimated seroprevalence, 34.6%), while in the third period, 393 participants were seroconverted (estimated seroprevalence, 56.7%). In 2022, there was an increase in the seroconversion rate compared to that in 2021. The most frequently described acute manifestations in the three periods were fever, headache, sore throat, and runny nose. In terms of the demographic profile, there was no predominance of seropositivity between the sexes, although women represented approximately 70% of the study population. There were also no differences between students and school staff.

The results made it possible to evaluate the extent of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the school community through immunity developed against the virus, in addition to providing information about COVID-19 symptoms in children, adolescents, and adults.

The World Health Organization has declared Omicron as the fifth variant of concern with more than 50 mutations, particularly in the spike protein. Given increased viral infectivity due to mutations, worldwide genomic surveillance and detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is essential. The present study aimed to track Omicron lineage BA.2.40 in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

In May-August 2022, nasopharyngeal swab samples (n=3,642) were collected from international travelers to West Kalimantan (active surveillance), and patients hospitalized due to SARS-CoV-2 infection (baseline surveillance). The samples were tested for Omicron lineages based on ORF1ab, N, and HV69-70del genes, followed by whole-genome sequencing. The sequences were then identified using two genomic databases, aligned against the reference genome (Wuhan/Hu-1/2019), and then compared with BA.2.40 lineage detected across the world. Phylogenetic analysis between the samples and other SARS-CoV-2 isolates was performed using molecular evolutionary genetics analysis software.

Based on the genomic databases, 10 isolates were identified as BA.2.40. All samples tested positive for the ORF1ab and N genes, but negative for the HV69-70del gene, which is a marker to detect the Omicron variant. Phylogenetic analysis showed the isolates were closely related to an isolate from Malaysia, an area dominated by BA.2.40.

Omicron lineage BA.2.40 has no HV69-70 deletion in the spike protein, a marker used to screen for the Omicron variant. BA.2.40 showed a high similarity to an isolate from Malaysia and was detected only during certain periods, indicating the effect of internationally imported cases.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a global pandemic. The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) was first discovered in November 2021 in specimens collected from Botswana, South Africa. Omicron has become the dominant variant worldwide, and several sublineages or subvariants have been identified recently. Compared to those of other mutants, the Omicron variant has the most highly expressed amino acid mutations, with almost 60 mutations throughout the genome, most of which are in the spike (S) protein, especially in the receptor-binding domain (RBD). These mutations increase the binding affinity of Omicron variants for the ACE2 receptor, and Omicron variants may also lead to immune escape. Despite causing milder symptoms, epidemiological evidence suggests that Omicron variants have exceptionally higher transmissibility, higher rates of reinfection and greater spread than the prototype strain as well as other preceding variants. Additionally, overwhelming amounts of data suggest that the levels of specific neutralization antibodies against Omicron variants decrease in most vaccinated populations, although CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses are maintained. Therefore, the mechanisms underlying Omicron variant evasion are still unclear. In this review, we surveyed the current epidemic status and potential immune escape mechanisms of Omicron variants. Especially, we focused on the potential roles of viral epitope mutations, antigenic drift, hybrid immunity, and "original antigenic sin" in mediating immune evasion. These insights might supply more valuable concise information for us to understand the spreading of Omicron variants.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has broad tissue tropism and high transmission, which are likely to perpetuate the pandemic. The study aim to analyze the clinicopathogenic characteristics in paediatric patients.

In this single-centre study, we retrospectively included all confirmed cases infected by SARS-CoV-2 infection at Xi'an Children's Hospital, China, from 1 December to 31 December 2022. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of the patients were analysed.

A total of 4,520 paediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant infections were included. Of these, 3,861 (85.36%) were outpatients, 659 (14.64%) were hospitalised patients, and nine patients (0.20%) died. Of the nine patients who died, five were diagnosed with acute necrotising encephalopathy (ANE). The most common symptoms were fever in 4,275 (94.59%) patients, cough in 1,320 (29.20%) patients, convulsions in 610 (13.50%) patients, vomiting in 410 (9.07%) patients, runny nose/coryza in 277 (6.13%) patients, hoarseness of voice in 273 (6.04%) patients. A blood cell analysis showed a slight elevation of monocytes (mean: 11.14 ± 0.07%). The main diagnoses for both outpatients and inpatients were respiratory infection with multisystem manifestations.

A high incidence of convulsions is a typical characteristic of children infected with SARS-CoV-2. Five of the nine COVID-19 fatalities were associated with ANE. This indicates that nervous system damage in children with SARS-CoV-2 infection is more significant.

The pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 brings great challenge and threats to humans worldwide. Multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 tend to be epidemic, among which Omicron is highly infectious within China. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) in the Shanghai, China.

We included 9378 pediatric patients diagnosed with Omicron and treated in the Shanghai International Convention and Exhibition Center between April 1, 2022 and May 31, 2022. We recorded and summarized the clinical characteristics, infectious conditions and biological features of the children infected with Omicron.

A total of 9355 paediatric patients were treated in isolation since Makeshift became available, including 5564 males (59.48%) and 3791 females (40.52%). More than half (55.56%) of the affected children were identified at premises screening. The number of symptomatic or asymptomatic patients was 4530 (48.42%) and 4825 (51.58%), respectively. Initial signs or symptoms in asymptomatic patients included fatigue (3582, 38.29%), cough (560, 5.99%), fever (242, 2.59%) and other (146, 1.56%). Age and number of vaccinations in paediatric patients were negatively associated with the number of days from positive to negative nucleic acid test results.

Age and number of vaccinations were key factors influencing the conversion of nucleic acid test results in paediatric patients. Early childhood vaccination is encouraged to establish a complete immune barrier.

To construct and validate nomogram models that predict the incidence of delirium in elderly patients with non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Elderly patients (≥65y) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection at the hospital were included. We used the 3-min diagnostic Confusion Assessment Method for delirium diagnosis. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistical regression analysis was performed to explore potential independent influencing factors of delirium. A predict model visualized by nomogram was constructed based on the confirmed variables. The predictive accuracy and clinical value of the model were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

The data of 311 elderly patients were analyzed, of whom 73 (23.47%) patients were diagnosed with delirium. Three independent influencing factors of delirium were confirmed: age (OR1.16,1.11-1.22), Glomerular filtration rate (OR 0.98,0.97-0.99), platelet-large cell ratio (1.06,1.02-1.10). These parameters were used to create a nomogram to predict the development of delirium, which showed good predictive accuracy confirmed by the ROC curves (AUC 0.82,0.76-0.88).

We construct a credible nomogram to predict the development of delirium in elderly patients with Non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our finding may be useful to physicians in early prevention and treatment of delirium.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mobile field hospital, a rapidly deployable healthcare facility for emergency care, was effective in ensuring rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients with mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV2 infections, effectively preventing the spread of COVID-19.

We conducted a survey to gain a thorough understanding of the epidemiological traits among the elderly who contracted the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus at a mobile field hospital set up at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

A cross-sectional study approach was employed to examine various factors such as demographic characteristics, clinical features, vaccination status, and nucleic acid testing. We utilized the DezhenTech Integrated Electronic Medical Record Platform (Municipal Isolation Hospital) to collect data and focused on elderly individuals infected with COVID-19 in the fifth isolation zone of the mobile field hospital set up at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). The patients were categorized into different age groups for analysis.

Among the 3,183 elderly patients, 54.7% were males and 45.3% were females, with an average age of 65.32 ± 4.41 years. Among them, 47.8% (1523/3183) were 60-64 years old, 34.0% (1082/3183) were 65-69 years old, 14.0% (444/3183) were 70-74 years old, 3.2% (103/3183) were 75-79 years old, and 1.0% (31/3183) were ⩾ 80 years old. The majority (95.7%) of the elderly patients with chronic conditions had hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. The first viral nucleic acid screening showed a higher positive rate in the community and hospital fever clinics. The cumulative positive rate of the nucleic acid test in the mobile field hospital was 38.7%. The average CT value of the COVID-19 ORF1ab gene was 34.56 ± 5.98, while the average CT value of the N gene was 33.10 ± 6.50. The patients took an average of 3.40 ± 0.45 days to test negative, with a positive rate of 15.4% and an average hospital stay of 7.45 ± 0.53 days. The overall rate of COVID-19 vaccine coverage was 68.0%, with an enhanced coverage rate of 40% and a non-coverage rate of 29.3%.

The overall prognosis for elderly patients who experienced a mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection at the mobile field hospital was favorable, although the vaccination rate in general was not high. By effectively managing underlying health conditions, the duration of their hospital stay in the mobile field hospital was reduced.

Patients with hematologic malignancies are often immunodeficient and therefore have a higher risk of severe symptoms from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We retrospectively examined a cohort of 289 patients from 16 hospitals in Zhejiang Province who had hematologic malignancies and COVID-19 during a period when the Omicron variant was predominant. Univariate analysis showed that some clinical characteristics, including elder age (P = 0.014), multiple comorbid conditions (P = 0.011), and receipt of active antineoplastic therapy (P = 0.018) were associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19. Patients with severe/critical COVID-19 had significantly lower levels of lymphocytes and serum albumin, and significantly higher levels of D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6 (all P < 0.05). Fifty-four patients (18.7%) had symptoms lasting ≥3 weeks, suggesting that persistent long-term COVID-19 infection is likely present in a significant proportion of patients. Receipt of the inactivated vaccine was unrelated to disease severity (P = 0.143), which indicated that many patients with hematologic malignancies may not have effective humoral immunity to inactivated vaccines.

The pathophysiology of the severe course of COVID-19 is multifactorial and not entirely elucidated. However, it is well known that the hyperinflammatory response and cytokine storm are paramount events leading to further complications. In this paper, we investigated the vascular response in the pathophysiology of severe COVID-19 and aimed to identify novel biomarkers predictive of ICU admission. The study group consisted of 210 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (age range: 18-93; mean ± SD: 57.78 ± 14.16), while the control group consisted of 80 healthy individuals. We assessed the plasma concentrations of various vascular factors using the Luminex technique. Then, we isolated RNA from blood mononuclear cells and performed a bioinformatics analysis investigating various processes related to vascular response, inflammation and angiogenesis. Our results confirmed that severe COVID-19 is associated with vWF/ADAMTS 13 imbalance. High plasma concentrations of VEGFR and low DPP-IV may be potential predictors of ICU admission. SARS-CoV-2 infection impairs angiogenesis, hinders the generation of nitric oxide, and thus impedes vasodilation. The hypercoagulable state develops mainly in the early stages of the disease, which may contribute to the well-established complications of COVID-19.

There are few comparative studies on efficiency of broad range COVID19 vaccination strategy. This pilot aims to describe the effect of mixed COVID19 vaccination on vaccination adoption and subsequent total immunity, Conducted in Republic of Belarus, this pilot clinical study shows varying immunogenic responses to Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), Russian Federation (RF) and Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV), People's Republic of China (PRC) vaccines.

To compare the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) and Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) vaccines in vaccinated individuals.Materials and MethodsA total of 60 adults participated in the present study. The immune response after vaccination was assessed using enzyme immunoassay. IgG levels were measured in all participants at three time points: before vaccination, on the 42nd day after the first vaccine dose, and in 6 months after the first vaccine dose. Age, sex of participants, vaccine type, history of COVID-19/IgG seropositivity were included in the multivariate analysis. The results of the SARS-CoV-2 infection antibody test were quantified according to the WHO First International Standard (NIBSC code:20/136) and measured in international units (BAU/ml).

The study participants (n = 60) were divided into two groups where 50 % (n = 30) were vaccinated with Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac), and 50 % (n = 30) were vaccinated with Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV). Women represented 63 % and 77 % of Sputnik V and Sinopharm groups, respectively. The IgG levels on day 42 after the first vaccine dose were: Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac): Me = 650.4 (642.2-669.4); Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV: Me = 376.5 (290.9-526.4) (UMann-Whitney = 164, p = 0.000024). The IgG levels in 6 months after the first vaccine dose were: Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac)Me = 608.7 (574.6-647.1); Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) Me = 106.3 (78.21-332.4); (UMann-Whitney = 172.5, p-value = 0.000042)). In a multivariate model Sputnik V vaccine type and IgG seropositivity at the baseline were significantly associated with higher levels of IgG both at 42 days and 6 months post-vaccination. Reactions after vaccination appeared in 27 vaccinated people (45 %).

This pilot study demonstrated that Sputnik V (Gam-COVID-Vac) vaccine was more immunogenic than Sinopharm (BBIBP-CorV) vaccine. IgG levels in vaccinated individuals who previously recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection (hybrid immunity) were higher than in SARS-CoV-2 infection immune-naive people. Reactions after vaccines administration were mild to moderate.

Safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines were demonstrated by several clinical trials which led to the first FDA/EMA approvals in 2021. Because of mass immunizations, most social restrictions were waived with effects on quality of life. Therefore, our a-priori hypothesis was that COVID-19 vaccination impacted the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients with breast and gynecological cancer.

From March 15th until August 11th, 2022, fully vaccinated patients with breast and gynecological cancer treated in the oncological outpatient clinics of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany filled out a vaccine related QoL survey. Patients were asked about demographics (age, comorbidities), clinical parameters related to previous COVID-19 infections, and HR-QoL related parameters (living situation, responsibilities in everyday life). Subsequently, a questionnaire with 12 items was designed using a 5-point Likert scale (0 - strongly disagree/4 - strongly agree), covering the aspects health and therapy, social environment, participation in everyday life and overall assessment.

By August 11th, 2022, 108 out of 114 (94.7%) patients had received at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccine and six patients at least two doses. More than half of the surveyed patients were >55y (52.6%; mean: 55.1y, range 29-86y). Patients with breast cancer (n= 83) had early (59.0%) or metastatic cancer (41.0%); gynecological cancers (n=31) also included metastatic (54.8%) and non-metastatic cancer (45.2%). 83.3% of the patients stated that COVID-19 vaccination had a positive impact on their HR-QoL. Furthermore, 29 patients (25.4%) had undergone a COVID-19 infection. These patients reported self-limiting symptoms for a median duration of 5.9 days and no hospital admissions were registered.

Our study demonstrates that vaccination against COVID-19 was positively associated with HR-QoL in patients with breast and gynecological cancer. Furthermore, vaccinated patients who underwent COVID-19 disease experienced only self-limiting symptoms.

Omicron variants have become the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants due to their increased transmissibility and immune-escape ability. An outbreak of the Omicron variant BA.5.1.3 occurred in August 2022 in Sanya, China. Studying Omicron variants can promote the understanding of them and further contribute to managing the SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. This retrospective study analyzed the data of 258 patients with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 admitted to the First Cabin Hospital of Sanya, China, between August 14 and September 4, 2022. The 258 patients comprised 128 males and 130 females with a mean age of 36.6 years and mean length of medical observation (LMO) of 10.1 days. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that LMO was positively and negatively associated with age (p = 0.036) and vaccination status (p = 0.004), respectively. A Cox proportional-hazards model revealed that age (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.99, p = 0.029) and vaccination (HR = 1.23, p = 0.023) were risk and protective factors for LMO, respectively. Causal mediation analysis indicated that vaccination suppressed the effect of prolonging LMO caused by increasing age. Recovery times became longer with increasing age, which could be counterbalanced by vaccination. The present results indicate that vaccination interventions, even those developed through inactivated approaches, can still provide protection against Omicron variants.

There is a global trend for countries to adopt the Living with the Virus (LWV) policy regarding COVID-19. Little is known about the public's supportiveness and emotional responses (e.g., anticipated panic) related to this policy. Such responses may be associated with illness representations of COVID-19 (i.e., how people think and feel about COVID-19). This novel topic was investigated in this study to facilitate policy-making and health communication.

A random, population-based telephone survey interviewed 500 adults aged ≥18 of the Hong Kong general adult population from March to April 2022.

The prevalence of the public's support and anticipated panic regarding the LWV policy, which were negatively correlated with each other, was 39.6 and 24.2%, respectively. The illness representation constructs of consequences, timeline, identity, illness concern, and emotional representations were negatively associated with supportiveness and positively associated with anticipated panic regarding the LWV policy. Illness coherence was significantly associated with policy support but not with anticipated panic. The associations between personal control/treatment control and supportiveness/anticipated panic were statistically non-significant. Moderation analyses showed that the above significant associations were invariant between those with and without previous COVID-19 infection.

Policymakers need to be sensitized about the public's supportive/unsupportive attitude and potential worry (panic) when adopting the LWV policy. Such attitudes/emotional responses may be affected by people's illness representations of COVID-19. In general, those who found COVID-19 involving a milder nature and less negative emotions would be more supportive and anticipated less panic under the LWV policy.

Isolation strategies have been implemented in numerous countries worldwide during the ongoing community transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, various countries and organizations have implemented their isolation measures at varying intensities, even during the same period. Therefore, we systematically reviewed the key information contained in currently available guidelines regarding the isolation of the general population, aiming to better identify the heterogeneity of the current isolation strategies.

We conducted searches in four evidence-based medicine (EBM) databases and five guideline websites to identify guidelines, guidance, protocols, and policy documents published by authoritative advisory bodies or healthcare organizations, which provided information on the implementation of isolation for general populations with COVID-19. One author extracted data using a standardized data extraction checklist, and a second author double-checked all extractions for completeness and correctness. Discrepancies were resolved through discussion. The information extracted from the included articles was summarized both narratively and using tables.

We included 15 articles that provided information on isolation measures recommended by nine different countries and organizations. The included articles consistently recommended isolating individuals with a positive COVID-19 test, regardless of the presence of symptoms. However, there were variations in the duration of isolation, and substantial differences also existed in the criteria for ending the isolation of COVID-19 patients.

Different countries and organizations have substantial differences in their isolation policies. This reminds us that scientifically sound guidelines on isolation that balance the risk of prematurely ending isolation with the burden of prolonged isolation are a crucial topic of discussion when faced with a pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a major health concern worldwide, and SARS-CoV-2 is continuously evolving. There is an urgent need to identify new antiviral drugs and develop novel therapeutic strategies. Combined use of newly authorized COVID-19 medicines including molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir, and remdesivir has been actively pursued. Mechanistically, nirmatrelvir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication by targeting the viral main protease (Mpro ), a critical enzyme in the processing of the immediately translated coronavirus polyproteins for viral replication. Molnupiravir and remdesivir, on the other hand, inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication by targeting RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp), which is directly responsible for genome replication and production of subgenomic RNAs. Molnupiravir targets RdRp and induces severe viral RNA mutations (genome), commonly referred to as error catastrophe. Remdesivir, in contrast, targets RdRp and causes chain termination and arrests RNA synthesis of the viral genome. In addition, all three medicines undergo extensive metabolism with strong therapeutic significance. Molnupiravir is hydrolytically activated by carboxylesterase-2 (CES2), nirmatrelvir is inactivated by cytochrome P450-based oxidation (e.g., CYP3A4), and remdesivir is hydrolytically activated by CES1 but covalently inhibits CES2. Additionally, remdesivir and nirmatrelvir are oxidized by the same CYP enzymes. The distinct mechanisms of action provide strong rationale for their combined use. On the other hand, these drugs undergo extensive metabolism that determines their therapeutic potential. This review discusses how metabolism pathways and enzymes involved should be carefully considered during their combined use for therapeutic synergy.

To investigate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of newborns infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the Omicron wave.

From December 1, 2022, to January 4, 2023, clinical data were collected from neonates with COVID-19 who were admitted to 10 hospitals in Foshan City, China. Their epidemiological histories, clinical manifestations and outcomes were analysed. The neonates were divided into symptomatic and asymptomatic groups. The t test or χ2 test was used for comparisons between groups.

A total of 286 children were diagnosed, including 166 males, 120 females, 273 full-term infants and 13 premature infants. They were 5.5 (0-30) days old on average when they were admitted to the hospital. These children had contact with patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and were infected through horizontal transmission. This study included 33 asymptomatic and 253 symptomatic patients, among whom 143 were diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infections and 110 were diagnosed with pneumonia. There were no severe or critical patients. Fever (220 patients) was the most common clinical manifestation, with a duration of 1.1 (1-6) days. The next most common clinical manifestations were cough with nasal congestion or runny nose (4 patients), cough (34 patients), poor appetite (7 patients), shortness of breath (15 patients), and poor general status (1 patient). There were no significant abnormalities in routine blood tests among the neonates infected with COVID-19 except for mononucleosis. However, compared with the asymptomatic group, in the symptomatic group, the leukocyte and neutrophil granulocyte counts were significantly decreased, and the monocyte count was significantly increased. C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly increased (≥10 mg/L) in 9 patients. Myocardial enzyme, liver function, kidney function and other tests showed no obvious abnormalities.

In this study, neonates infected with the Omicron variant were asymptomatic or had mild disease. Symptomatic patients had lower leucocyte and neutrophil levels than asymptomatic patients.

After three years since the beginning of the pandemic, the new coronavirus continues to raise several questions regarding its infectious process and host response. Several mutations occurred in different regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, such as in the spike gene, causing the emergence of variants of concern and interest (VOCs and VOIs), of which some present higher transmissibility and virulence, especially among patients with previous comorbidities. It is essential to understand its spread dynamics to prevent and control new biological threats that may occur in the future. In this population_based retrospective observational study, we generated data and used public databases to understand SARS-CoV-2 dynamics.

We sequenced 1,003 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from naso-oropharyngeal swabs and saliva samples from Pará from May 2020 to October 2022. To gather epidemiological data from Brazil and the world, we used FIOCRUZ and GISAID databases.

Regarding our samples, 496 (49.45%) were derived from female participants and 507 (50.55%) from male participants, and the average age was 43  years old. The Gamma variant presented the highest number of cases, with 290 (28.91%) cases, followed by delta with 53 (5.28%). Moreover, we found seven (0.69%) Omicron cases and 651 (64.9%) non-VOC cases. A significant association was observed between sex and the clinical condition (female, p = 8.65e-08; male, p = 0.008961) and age (p = 3.6e-10).

Although gamma had been officially identified only in December 2020/January 2021, we identified a gamma case from Belém (capital of Pará State) dated May 2020 and three other cases in October 2020. This indicates that this variant was circulating in the North region of Brazil several months before its formal identification and that Gamma demonstrated its actual transmission capacity only at the end of 2020. Furthermore, the public data analysis showed that SARS-CoV-2 dispersion dynamics differed in Brazil as Gamma played an important role here, while most other countries reported a new infection caused by the Delta variant. The genetic and epidemiological information of this study reinforces the relevance of having a robust genomic surveillance service that allows better management of the pandemic and that provides efficient solutions to possible new disease-causing agents.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of prevention and control strategies and put forward further measures according to the epidemiological characteristics of Omicron. It summarized the national response during the Omicron epidemic in four countries: China, Israel, South Africa, and the United States.

This study summarized prevention and control measures in China, Israel, South Africa, and the United States in their response to the Omicron epidemic, and it also evaluated the effectiveness of these measures.

After the Omicron variant emerged, China and Israel adopted containment strategies, using the "dynamic zero" policy and country closure measures. Meanwhile, South Africa and the United States adopted mitigation strategies, which virtually abandoned social interventions and only focused on medical measures and vaccines. From the first day of reported Omicron cases to 28 February 2022, the four countries reported the following cases: China reported 9,670 new confirmed cases and no deaths, with total deaths per million of 3.21; Israel reported 2,293,415 new confirmed cases and 2,016 deaths, with total deaths per million of 1,097.21; South Africa reported 731,384 new confirmed cases and 9,509 deaths, with total deaths per million reaching 1,655.708; the United States reported 3,042,743 new confirmed cases and 1,688,851 deaths, with total deaths per million reaching 2,855.052, which was much higher than the other countries.

Based on this study, it seems that China and Israel adopted containment strategies, while South Africa and the United States adopted mitigation strategies. A rapid response is a powerful weapon against the Omicron epidemic. Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis, and non-pharmacological measures should be used in addition to them. According to the SPO model, future work should consider the strengthening of emergency management capacity, adhering to public health measures, promoting vaccination, and strengthening patient care and close contact management, which are effective measures in coping with Omicron.

Background The Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus has spread rapidly worldwide, even in areas with high vaccination rates. Consequently, it has further exacerbated the current global pandemic. In this study, we aimed to characterize the clinical severity of patients with the COVID-19 variant Omicron and analyze vaccine effectiveness in predicting clinical severity. Methodology A total of 142 patients who contracted the COVID-19 virus in the Omicron era were retrospectively studied, and differences in their clinical severity were analyzed. They were stratified as follows: unvaccinated vs. vaccinated, unvaccinated vs. one to two vaccine doses vs. three vaccine doses, and cycle threshold (CT) values ≤ 28 vs. CT > 28. Results Of the 142 patients, 27 were asymptomatic, 83 had mild disease, and 32 had moderate disease. The median age was 32 years for asymptomatic patients vs. 31 years for those with mild disease vs. 59 years for those with moderate disease (P＜0.05), and the direct medical hospitalization costs were ¥4901 for asymptomatic patients vs. ¥5259 for those with mild disease vs. ¥8378 for those with moderate disease (P＜0.05). Of the 142 patients, 112 (78.8%) were vaccinated, 11 (7.7%) had one vaccine dose, 63 (44.4%) had two vaccine doses, and 38 (26.7%) received three vaccine doses. The median direct medical cost in the vaccinated group was significantly lower than that in the unvaccinated group (¥5470.5 vs. ¥7535.5, P＜0.05). For ORF1ab and N genes, hospital stay length and direct medical cost significantly decreased in the group with CT values > 28 compared with those in the group with CT values ≤ 28 (P＜0.05). Multiple regression analysis showed that being ≥ 60 years old could be a predictor of moderate disease severity in patients, and three vaccine doses could be effective against moderate COVID-19. Conclusion Mild infection is the main clinical manifestation of the Omicron variant. Vaccination can significantly decrease direct Omicron-associated medical costs. Although vaccination cannot provide protection against severe disease caused by this variant, three vaccine doses are highly effective in preventing moderate COVID-19.

The highly contagious Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is a recent cause of concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified SARS-CoV-2 variants into variants of concern (VOCs), variants of interest (VOIs), and variants under monitoring (VUMs). VOCs were categorized as Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), and Delta (B.1.617.2). Omicron (B.1.1.529) was a further modified strain that has a short incubation period; it was called VOC by the WHO, and it became fifth on the list of variants. Omicron has spread faster than any other variant since its emergence in late 2021. Omicron is currently the only circulating VOC. The various subvariants of Omicron are BA.1 (B.1.1.529.1), BA.2 (B.1.1.529.2), BA.3 (B.1.1.529.3), BA.4, BA.5, and descendent lineages. More recently, identified Omicron subvariants and sublineages BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BA.4.6, BF.7, BA.2.75.2, XBB.1, and BF.7 have also attracted global attention. The BA.5 strain of Omicron is the most contagious and dominant subvariant globally. Recent spikes in cases in China are due to the BF.7 subvariant. With the large increase in the number of cases, there has been an increase in hospitalisations in countries worldwide. In many countries, the lifting of infection prevention protocols, such as the use of masks and physical distancing, contributes to the spread of the virus. This article highlights the potential impacts of SARS-CoV-2 variants and subvariants, which have made the pandemic far from over. Effective vaccination remains the safest option to kerb transmission of these variants. Therefore, people must be vaccinated, wear masks, perform regular hand hygiene, and observe social distancing. Additionally, genome sequencing of positive samples can help detect various virus variants; thus, mapping cases in a particular area can be performed.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first emerging in December 2019 and continuously evolving, poses a considerable challenge worldwide. It was reported in the literature that neonates had mild upper respiratory symptoms and a better outcome after Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infection, but there was insufficient data about complications and prognosis.

In this paper, we present the clinical and laboratory characteristics of four COVID-19 neonate patients with acute hepatitis during the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant wave. All patients had a clear history of Omicron exposure and were infected via contact with confirmed caregivers. Low to moderate fever and respiratory symptoms were the primary clinical manifestations, and all patients had a normal liver function at the initial stage of the course. Then, the fever lasted 2 to 4 days, and it was noted that hepatic dysfunction might have occurred 5 to 8 days after the first onset of fever, mainly characterized by moderate ALT and AST elevation (>3 to 10-fold of upper limit). There were no abnormalities in bilirubin levels, blood ammonia, protein synthesis, lipid metabolism, and coagulation. All the patients received hepatoprotective therapy, and transaminase levels gradually decreased to the normal range after 2 to 3 weeks without other complications.

This is the first case series about moderate to severe hepatitis in COVID-19 neonatal patients via horizontal transmission. Besides fever and respiratory symptoms, the clinical doctor should pay much attention to evaluating the risk of liver function injury after SARS-CoV-2 variants infection, which is usually asymptomatic and has a delayed onset.

The COVID-19 pandemic brings great pressure to the public health systems. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the clinical outcomes among different virus variants, to clarify their impact on medical resources and to provide evidence for the formulation of epidemic prevention policies.

A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases using the key words "Omicron" and "Delta." The adjusted Risk ratios (RRs), Odds ratios (ORs) and Hazard ratios (HRs) were extracted, and RRs and Rate difference % (RD%) were used to interpret the risk estimates of the outcomes ultimately.

Forty-three studies were included, with 3,812,681 and 14,926,841 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variant, respectively. The relative risks of hospitalization, death, ICU admission, and mechanical ventilation use after infection with the Omicron variant were all significantly reduced compared those after infection with the Delta variant (RRhospitalization = 0.45, 95%CI: 0.40-0.52; RRdeath = 0.37, 95%CI: 0.30-0.45; RRICU = 0.35, 95%CI: 0.29-0.42; RRmechanical ventilation = 0.33, 95%CI: 0.25-0.44). The change of both absolute and relative risks for hospitalization was more evident (RR = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.42-0.53；RD% =10.61, 95%CI: 8.64-12.59) and a significant increase was observed for the absolute differences in death in the elderly (RD% = 5.60, 95CI%: 4.65-6.55); the change of the absolute differences in the risk of hospitalization and death were most markedly observed in the patients with booster vaccination (RD%hospitalization = 8.60, 95CI%: 5.95-11.24; RD%death = 3.70, 95CI%: 0.34-7.06).

The ability of the Omicron variant to cause severe clinical events has decreased significantly, as compared with the Delta variant, but vulnerable populations still need to be vigilant. There was no interaction between the vaccination doses and different variants.

Anecdotal clinical observation suggests that rates of chemosensory dysfunction associated with COVID-19 infection may be decreasing. To investigate, the National COVID Cohort Collaborative database was queried for all patients with and without smell and taste loss within 2 weeks of COVID-19 diagnosis. Six-week periods of peak variant prevalence were selected by using CoVariants.org for analysis. Of 3,678,214 patients with COVID-19 in the database, 616,318 met inclusion criteria during the time intervals of interest, with 3431 having an associated smell or taste disturbance diagnosis. With the initial/untyped variant set as the baseline, the odds ratios for alpha, delta, and omicron (December 27, 2021-February 7, 2022) were 0.50 (95% CI, 0.45-0.55; P < .0001), 0.44 (95% CI, 0.41-0.48; P < .0001), and 0.17 (95% CI, 0.15-0.18; P < .0001), respectively. These data strongly support the clinical observation that patients infected with more recent variants are at a significantly lower risk of developing associated chemosensory loss.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, and rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is crucial for infection surveillance and epidemic control. This study developed a centrifugal microfluidics-based multiplex reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) assay for endpoint fluorescence detection of the E, N, and ORF1ab genes of SARS-CoV-2. The microscope slide-shaped microfluidic chip could simultaneously accomplish three target genes and one reference human gene (i.e., ACTB) RT-RPA reactions in 30 min, and the sensitivity was 40 RNA copies/reaction for the E gene, 20 RNA copies/reaction for the N gene, and 10 RNA copies/reaction for the ORF1ab gene. The chip demonstrated high specificity, reproducibility, and repeatability. Chip performance was also evaluated using real clinical samples. Thus, this rapid, accurate, on-site, and multiplexed nucleic acid test microfluidic chip would significantly contribute to detecting patients with COVID-19 in low-resource settings and point-of-care testing (POCT) and, in the future, could be used to detect emerging new variants of SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has changed across the last two years. The development and approval of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the emergence of new variants has opened up a new scenario. On this regard, Spanish Society of Nephrology (S.E.N.) Council considers that an update of the previous recommendations should be performed. In the present statement, and taking into account the current epidemiological situation, are included updated recommendations of protection and isolation for patients on dialysis programs.

The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mainly infects the upper respiratory tract. This study aimed to determine whether the probability of pulmonary infection and the cycle threshold (Ct) measured using the fluorescent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method were related to pulmonary infections diagnosed via computed tomography (CT).

To analyze the chest CT signs of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infections with different Ct values, as determined via PCR.

The chest CT images and PCR Ct values of 331 patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infections were retrospectively collected and categorized into low (< 25), medium (25.00-34.99), and high (≥ 35) Ct groups. The characteristics of chest CT images in each group were statistically analyzed.

The PCR Ct values ranged from 13.36 to 39.81, with 99 patients in the low, 155 in the medium, and 77 in the high Ct groups. Six abnormal chest CT signs were detected, namely, focal infection, patchy consolidation shadows, patchy ground-glass shadows, mixed consolidation ground-glass shadows, subpleural interstitial changes, and pleural changes. Focal infections were less frequent in the low Ct group than in the medium and high Ct groups; these infections were the most common sign in the medium and high Ct groups. Patchy consolidation shadows and pleural changes were more frequent in the low Ct group than in the other two groups. The number of patients with two or more signs was greater in the low Ct group than in the medium and high Ct groups.

The chest CT signs of patients with pulmonary infection caused by the Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 varied depending on the Ct values. Identification of the characteristics of Omicron variant infection can help subsequent planning of clinical treatment.

Accumulating studies demonstrated that patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) could develop a variety of neurological manifestations and long-term neurological sequelae, which may be different from the strains. At the peak of the Omicron variant outbreak in Shanghai, China, no relevant epidemiological data about neurological manifestations associated with this strain was reported.

To investigate neurological manifestations and related clinical features in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 patients with Omicron variant.

A self-designed clinical information registration form was used to gather the neurological manifestations of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients admitted to a designated hospital in Shanghai from April 18, 2022 to June 1, 2022. Demographics, clinical presentations, laboratory findings, treatments and clinical outcomes were compared between patients with and without neurological manifestations.

One hundred sixty-nine(48.1 %) of 351 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate COVID-19 exhibited neurological manifestations, the most common of which were fatigue/weakness(25.1 %) and myalgia(20.7 %), whereas acute cerebrovascular disease(0.9 %), impaired consciousness(0.6 %) and seizure(0.6 %) were rare. Younger age(p = 0.001), female gender(p = 0.026) and without anticoagulant medication(p = 0.042) were associated with increasing proportions of neurological manifestations as revealed by multivariate logistic regressions. Patients with neurological manifestations had lower creatine kinase and myoglobin levels, as well as higher proportion of patchy shadowing on chest scan. Vaccination status, clinical classification of COVID-19 and clinical outcomes were similar between the two groups.

Nearly half of the involved patients have neurological manifestations which were relatively subjective and closely associated with younger age, female gender and without anticoagulation. Patients with neurologic manifestations may be accompanied by increased lung patchy shadowing.

After the initial outbreak in China (December 2019), the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11th, 2020. This paper aims to describe the first 2 years of the pandemic in Mexico.

This is a population-based longitudinal study. We analyzed data from the national COVID-19 registry to describe the evolution of the pandemic in terms of the number of confirmed cases, hospitalizations, deaths and reported symptoms in relation to health policies and circulating variants. We also carried out logistic regression to investigate the major risk factors for disease severity.

From March 2020 to March 2022, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Mexico underwent four epidemic waves. Out of 5,702,143 confirmed cases, 680,063 were hospitalized (11.9%), and 324,436 (5.7%) died. Even if there was no difference in susceptibility by gender, males had a higher risk of death (CFP: 7.3 vs. 4.2%) and hospital admission risk (HP: 14.4 vs. 9.5%). Severity increased with age. With respect to younger ages (0-17 years), the 60+ years or older group reached adjusted odds ratios of 9.63 in the case of admission and 53.05 (95% CI: 27.94-118.62) in the case of death. The presence of any comorbidity more than doubled the odds ratio, with hypertension-diabetes as the riskiest combination. While the wave peaks increased over time, the odds ratios for developing severe disease (waves 2, 3, and 4 to wave 1) decreased to 0.15 (95% CI: 0.12-0.18) in the fourth wave.

The health policy promoted by the Mexican government decreased hospitalizations and deaths, particularly among older adults with the highest risk of admission and death. Comorbidities augment the risk of developing severe illness, which is shown to rise by double in the Mexican population, particularly for those reported with hypertension-diabetes. Factors such as the decrease in the severity of the SARS-CoV2 variants, changes in symptomatology, and advances in the management of patients, vaccination, and treatments influenced the decrease in mortality and hospitalizations.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the course of human history and killed millions of people worldwide. Its long-term consequences remain uncertain. This study aimed to describe the short- and long-term symptoms of COVID-19 among individuals in Goiás, central Brazil, who experienced acute mild or non-symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first wave of the pandemic. This prospective cohort study included 110 healthcare workers, 18 safety workers, and 19 administrative support workers, who were followed up for 12 months after the onset of COVID-19. Most participants were healthy adult female healthcare professionals. At the onset of infection, the major symptoms were headache, myalgia, nasal congestion, cough, coryza, anosmia, ageusia, sore throat, fatigue, diarrhea, and dyspnea. Furthermore, 20.3% of the participants had three or more COVID-19 symptoms that persisted for at least 12 months. These included coryza, congestion, hair loss, sore throat, headache, myalgia, cough, memory loss, anosmia, and fatigue. This study revealed a high prevalence of persistent symptoms of COVID-19 in healthy individuals from central Brazil, which may present an additional burden on healthcare services. Further studies are required to investigate the sequelae of COVID-19 over periods greater than 12 months.