ABSTRACT
COVID-19 disease has been associated with fungal infections such as aspergillosis and mucormycosis, especially in diabetic patients who have suffered from a moderately severe form of COVID-19 infection and are treated with steroids. Though there are multiple case reports describing co-infection with mucormycosis during the second wave of the COVID outbreak, the report of a dual fungal infection along with superadded bacterial infection is rare. Here we report a case where the same patient had a fungal storm with aspergillosis and mucormycosis and superadded Klebsiella. She was treated aggressively with antifungal agents, antibiotics, surgical debridement, and other supportive care. She improved and was discharged from the hospital after a long stay. She is being followed up regularly in the outpatient department and doing well.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Due to increased exposure risk and the potential impact of COVID-19 infection, health care professionals (HCP) are a target group for COVID-19 vaccination. This study aimed to examine the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among HCP at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of HCP was conducted between February 14 and 27, 2021 using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, knowledge of novel coronavirus, intention to accept the COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine literacy (VL), and perceptions and attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Mean VL scores were calculated. The relationship between socio-demographic variables and vaccine intent was assessed using a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: Of 343 HCPs, 55.1% indicated they would accept the COVID-19 vaccine if it were available; 44.9% expressed hesitancy towards the COVID-19 vaccine. We assessed the impact of socio-demographic factors and previous vaccine behavior on vaccine intent; after adjustment of the multivariable logistic regression model, non-Barbadian nationality and previous flu vaccine uptake were statistically significant predictors of reported intent to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Persons who indicated that they would take the vaccine had a higher mean vaccine literacy score [3.46 95% CI (3.40, 3.52)] than those who were not ready to take the vaccine immediately [3.23 95% CI (3.15, 3.30)]. VL scores were higher among the 29.5% of HCPs who believed vaccines should be mandatory. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted vaccine hesitancy among HCPs in the sole public tertiary hospital of Barbados. As HCP perceptions may help or hinder the campaign to promote vaccine uptake in Barbados, vaccine promotion programs targeting HCPs are needed to ensure the success of the country's COVID-19 vaccination drive.
ABSTRACT
Human being has been the most vulnerable lot amongst living species on earth. And all this is because human being has the ability to think! In fact, they think more, much more beyond requirement. Corona crisis gave humans ample time to think, yes, about pros and cons of different scenarios emerging and they tried their level best to cope up with such a situation. More so, interestingly, in this critical situation of CoViD lockdowns, there arose the psycho-connect, obviously not to be understood by the masses, but then as researchers and students of management or applied sciences, we chose to bring forward this unique write-up involving the ‘appeal’ parlance. The paper is based upon observations encountered during CoViD days right from March 2020 till today and tries to explore the situation through the ‘appeal’ lens.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Earlier serosurveys in India revealed seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) of 0.73% in May-June 2020 and 7.1% in August-September 2020. A third serosurvey was conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the general population and healthcare workers (HCWs) in India. METHODS: The third serosurvey was conducted in the same 70 districts as the first and second serosurveys. For each district, at least 400 individuals aged ≥10 years from the general population and 100 HCWs from subdistrict-level health facilities were enrolled. Serum samples from the general population were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against the nucleocapsid (N) and spike (S1-RBD) proteins of SARS-CoV-2, whereas serum samples from HCWs were tested for anti-S1-RBD. Weighted seroprevalence adjusted for assay characteristics was estimated. RESULTS: Of the 28,598 serum samples from the general population, 4585 (16%) had IgG antibodies against the N protein, 6647 (23.2%) had IgG antibodies against the S1-RBD protein, and 7436 (26%) had IgG antibodies against either the N protein or the S1-RBD protein. Weighted and assay-characteristic-adjusted seroprevalence against either of the antibodies was 24.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 23.0-25.3%]. Among 7385 HCWs, the seroprevalence of anti-S1-RBD IgG antibodies was 25.6% (95% CI 23.5-27.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one in four individuals aged ≥10 years from the general population as well as HCWs in India had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by December 2020.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Antibodies, Viral , Health Personnel , Humans , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus (CoV) has resulted in a global pandemic despite drastic measures to avoid contagious spread. On April 3, 2020, there were around 1 million reported cases and 51,515 deaths due to CoV disease 2019. The disease presents with flu-like symptoms such as fever, dry cough, and fatigue. India being a resource-limited country, it is very important to differentiate the suspected cases clinically. AIM: The aim was to know the correlation of various clinical features of severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected cases in selected districts of UP. SETTING AND DESIGN: This was a retrospective cross-sectional hospital-based study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study performed on 1243 suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection from March 25, 2020 to April 17, 2020 in the department of microbiology of our institute to know the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in selected districts of Uttar Pradesh. These cases were analyzed to see the association of various clinical symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 infection. For statistical analysis, Pearson's Chi-square test was performed using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: Out of total suspected cases, 4.5% were positive. Travel history was present in 80.4% of positive cases. About 83.9% had fever, 28.6% had shortness of breath, 35.7% had dry cough, 17.9% had either Type I or II diabetes mellitus, 12.5% had chronic kidney disease, and 7.1% had obstructive pulmonary diseases. CONCLUSION: Negative clinical history is very important in ruling out the suspected cases who came out to be free from the infection.