Viremia and clinical manifestations in acute febrile patients of Chikungunya infection during the 2016 CHIKV outbreak in Delhi, India.

Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an infectious agent that caused several outbreaks among different countries and affected approximately 1.3 million Indian populations. It is transmitted by Aedes mosquito-either A. albopictus or A. aegypti. Generally, the clinical manifestations of CHIKV infection involve high-grade fever, joint pain, skin rashes, headache, and myalgia. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between the CHIKV virus load and clinical symptoms of the CHIKV infection so that better patient management can be done in the background of the CHIKV outbreak as there is no licensed anti-viral drug and approved vaccines available against CHIKV. Methods: CHIKV RTPCR positive samples (n = 18) (Acute febrile patients having D.O.F ≤ 7 days) were taken for the quantification of CHIKV viremia by Real-Time PCR. Clinical features of the febrile patients were recorded during the collection of blood samples. Results: The log mean virus load of 18 RT-PCR-positive samples was 1.3 × 106 copies/mL (1.21 × 103-2.33 × 108 copies/mL). Among the observed clinical features, the log mean virus load (CHIKV) of the patients without skin rash is higher than in the patients with skin rash (6.61 vs 5.5, P = 0.0435). Conclusion: The conclusion of the study was that the patients with skin rashes had lower viral load and those without skin rashes had higher viral load.

Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphism and Patho-Genetics of Trauma: A Transformational Frontier of Personalized Medicine in Neurotrauma.

Trauma is a serious public health issue, and remains a major cause of mortality and disability worldwide. The notion that genetic factors contribute to an individual's response to traumatic injury has advanced significantly. Genetic variations in severely injured patients have been linked to mortality, morbidity, and psychological outcomes. We conducted a comprehensive review of beta-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms and their impact on the pathogenetics of traumatic injuries, which could pave the way for a transformational frontier of personalized medicine in neurotrauma. It remains unclear why some individuals are vulnerable to worse outcomes, whereas others are resilient. Although genetic factors may be significant, the intricate interplay between environmental and genetic factors may be responsible for variations in the presentation and outcome after injury. Recent advancements in genetic analysis and molecular physiology have helped to shed light on the causes of such variability. Although exposure to trauma can initiate a cascade of stress-related responses, these responses alone are insufficient to explain etiopathogenesis. Therefore, gaining insights into how trauma and genetic predispositions to adrenergic variations interact at the molecular level to affect an individual's susceptibility and recuperation could provide an essential understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of traumatic injuries. Therefore, it is imperative to identify potential genetic and physiological markers to guide early management and prognosis of trauma. Such knowledge could pave the way for the discovery of novel biomarkers that can identify a transdiagnostic subgroup that is at high risk and requires early intervention. This could lead to the adoption of personalized medical approaches in neurotrauma care.

Deregulated transcription factors in the emerging cancer hallmarks.

Cancer progression is a multifaceted process that entails several stages and demands the persistent expression or activation of transcription factors (TFs) to facilitate growth and survival. TFs are a cluster of proteins with DNA-binding domains that attach to promoter or enhancer DNA strands to start the transcription of genes by collaborating with RNA polymerase and other supporting proteins. They are generally acknowledged as the major regulatory molecules that coordinate biological homeostasis and the appropriate functioning of cellular components, subsequently contributing to human physiology. TFs proteins are crucial for controlling transcription during the embryonic stage and development, and the stability of different cell types depends on how they function in different cell types. The development and progression of cancer cells and tumors might be triggered by any anomaly in transcription factor function. It has long been acknowledged that cancer development is accompanied by the dysregulated activity of TF alterations which might result in faulty gene expression. Recent studies have suggested that dysregulated transcription factors play a major role in developing various human malignancies by altering and rewiring metabolic processes, modifying the immune response, and triggering oncogenic signaling cascades. This review emphasizes the interplay between TFs involved in metabolic and epigenetic reprogramming, evading immune attacks, cellular senescence, and the maintenance of cancer stemness in cancerous cells. The insights presented herein will facilitate the development of innovative therapeutic modalities to tackle the dysregulated transcription factors underlying cancer.

Academic and healthcare efforts from Cessation to complete resumption of professional football tournaments during COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative review.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to over 626 million infections and 6.5 million deaths worldwide and forced to cancel or postpone several sporting events. Effective control techniques are therefore urgently required to avoid COVID-19 spread at these local and global events. This narrative review addressed the healthcare and research efforts on the intersections between COVID-19 and major professional sports leagues worldwide, with special reference to the FIFA World Cup football 2022. This explained how the broader transformation of COVID-19 from being a potential risk to an urgent pandemic public health emergency, caused the world of Football to halt between February and March 2020. This review could add to the growing literature on the importance of scientific research in understanding the relationship between mass sports events and COVID-19 trajectory, concerning studies conducted globally and particularly for the recommencement of major professional football competitions. The information outlined in the article may help sports organizations understand the risks associated with sports and their settings and improve their preparedness for future events under unprecedented circumstances. There were tremendous global healthcare and research efforts to deal with this unprecedented pandemic. The successful FIFA World Cup football tournament was an indicator of the success of these efforts.

Trauma Quality Improvement Program: A Retrospective Analysis from A Middle Eastern National Trauma Center.

BACKGROUND: The Trauma Quality Improvement Program (American College of Surgery (ACS-TQIP)) uses the existing infrastructure of the Committee on Trauma programs and provides feedback to participating hospitals on risk-adjusted outcomes. This study aimed to analyze and compare the performance of the Level I Hamad Trauma Centre (HTC) with other TQIP participating centers by comparing TQIP aggregate database reports. The primary goal was to pinpoint the variations in adult trauma outcomes and quality measures, identify areas that need improvement, and leverage existing resources to facilitate quality improvement. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the TQIP data from April 2019-March 2020 to April 2020-March 2021. We used the TQIP methodology, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and outcomes. RESULTS: There were 915 patients from Fall 2020 and 884 patients from Fall 2021 that qualified for the TQIP database. The HTC patients' demographics differed from the TQIP's aggregate data; they were younger, more predominantly male, and had significantly different mechanisms of injury (MOI) with more traffic-related blunt trauma. Penetrating injuries were more severe in the other centers. During the TQIP Fall 2020 report, the HTC was a low outlier (good performer) in one cohort (all patients) and an average performer in the remaining cohorts. However, during Fall 2021, the HTC showed an improvement and was a low outlier in two cohorts (all patients and severe TBI patients). Overall, the HTC remained an average performer during the report cycles. CONCLUSIONS: There was an improvement over time in the risk-adjusted mortality, which reflects the continuous and demanding effort put together by the trauma team. The ACS-TQIP for the external benchmarking of quality improvement could be a contributor to better monitored patient care. Evaluating the TQIP data with emphases on appropriate methodologies, quality measurements, corrective measures, and accurate reporting is warranted.

Patterns of horse and camel- related injuries: A descriptive analysis from a national trauma registry (2007-2021).

BACKGROUND: The large animal-related injuries are emerging major trauma but remain underestimated public health problem worldwide. We aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, mechanisms and patterns of horse and camel-related injuries (HCRIs) in a Middle Eastern country. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all patients who were hospitalized due to HCRIs was conducted. Data included patient's demographics, mechanism of injury, anatomical location and severity of injury, and hospital outcomes. RESULTS: Between November 2007 and December 2021, there were 273 hospitalized patients with HCRIs representing1.3 % of the total trauma admissions. Of these, 145 (53.1 %) and 128 (46.9 %) were horse (HRI) and camel-related injuries (CRI) respectively. The most common presenting age group of the cohort was 20-29 years and 88 % were males. Patients with HRIs were younger (27.5 ± 11 years) than CRIs (34 ± 13.5 years). Injuries to the extremities were the most common (62 % vs. 40 %), followed by the head injury (25.5 % vs. 31 %) among the HRIs and CRIs, respectively. The most common mechanism of injury was falling off followed by getting kicked by the HCRIs. Major trauma (ISS ≥12) was found in 23 % of HRIs (47.5 %) and CRIs (52.5 %). Only 5 % of patients had shock index >0.90 on admission; two thirds were due to CRIs. There were four fatalities (1.5 %), all attributed to traumatic brain injury, of which three were due to HRIs and one due to CRIs. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that HCRIs predominantly affect young adult males and may involve serious injuries, exhibit distinct injury patterns, however, it is associated with low mortality. Preventive measures need to be revisited.

Exosome nanovesicles as potential biomarkers and immune checkpoint signaling modulators in lung cancer microenvironment: recent advances and emerging concepts.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally, and the survival rate remains low despite advances in diagnosis and treatment. The progression of lung cancer is a multifaceted and dynamic phenomenon that encompasses interplays among cancerous cells and their microenvironment, which incorporates immune cells. Exosomes, which are small membrane-bound vesicles, are released by numerous cell types in normal and stressful situations to allow communication between cells. Tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs) possess diverse neo-antigens and cargoes such as proteins, RNA, and DNA and have a unique molecular makeup reflecting tumor genetic complexity. TEXs contain both immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory factors and may play a role in immunomodulation by influencing innate and adaptive immune components. Moreover, they transmit signals that contribute to the progression of lung cancer by promoting metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and immunosuppression. This makes them a valuable resource for investigating the immune environment of tumors, which could pave the way for the development of non-invasive biomarkers that could aid in the prognosis, diagnosis, and immunotherapy of lung cancer. While immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy has shown promising results in treating initial-stage cancers, most patients eventually develop adaptive resistance over time. Emerging evidence demonstrates that TEXs could serve as a prognostic biomarker for immunotherapeutic response and have a significant impact on both systemic immune suppression and tumor advancement. Therefore, understanding TEXs and their role in lung cancer tumorigenesis and their response to immunotherapies is an exciting research area and needs further investigation. This review highlights the role of TEXs as key contributors to the advancement of lung cancer and their clinical significance in lung immune-oncology, including their possible use as biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and prognosis, as well as emerging shreds of evidence regarding the possibility of using exosomes as targets to improve lung cancer therapy.

Pushing the Boundaries of Scientific Research with the use of Artificial Intelligence tools: Navigating Risks and Unleashing Possibilities.

The language of science is communicated through various modes, such as lectures, informal discussions, conferences, and peer-reviewed publications. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based writing tools, like ChatGPT, have recently become increasingly popular due to natural language processing technology advancements. ChatGPT is an AI language model that can generate text close to human writing, making it suitable for tasks such as summarizing literature, composing essays, and producing statistical studies. This technology has the potential to transform scientific communication, but concerns have been raised about its impact on the integrity of research and the role of human researchers. While this technology has advantages such as accelerating the innovation process and enhancing diversity in scientific viewpoints, it is important for the scientific community to debate and envision the consequences of its use. Publishers are working to develop guidelines for its application, which may be capable of future activities such as experiment design and peer review. As we enter the early stages of the AI revolution, it is imperative that the scientific community engages in discourse and contemplate the potential outcomes of this potentially transformative technology. With this in mind, we have outlined relevant topics as a starting point for discussion.

FIFA Arab Cup tournament with full capacity of spectators during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: We sought to assess the risk of COVID-19 and seasonal flu including respiratory syncytial (RSV) and influenza viruses during the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 in Qatar with full capacity of spectators. We also, evaluated the post-event attitude toward resumption of mass football events. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study in which spectators (age ≥ 18 years) were invited for reverse-transcription PCR testing for COVID-19 and seasonal flu. At the same time, between 7 and 14 days after the event, the participants completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding their concerns during the tournament. RESULTS: The tournament included 16 international football teams from the Arab countries. As per the study protocol, 10,000 spectators were approached and 6,475 participated. Among the participants, 4,195 (65.1%), 2,253 (34.9%) and 27 (0.4%) were vaccinated with 2 doses, vaccinated with 3 doses, and recovered from SARS-Cov-2 infection, respectively. There were 61 (0.9%), 41(0.6%) and 11(0.2%) participants who tested positive for COVID-19, RSV and influenza (A/B), respectively. The average cycle threshold (Ct) value for COVID-19 positive cases was 26.1±7.3. Among those who were electronically approached, 6,102 completed the survey whereas 373 had incomplete survey. Overall, 2069 (33.9%) participants reported symptoms that theoretically could be related to COVID-19, of them 39 had positive PCR test (1.9%). Spectators (94.3%) were optimistic about returning sport events to the pre-pandemic status. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant increase in the daily COVID-19 cases during FIFA Arab Cup 2021 with a full capacity of spectators. Therefore, upcoming mass football events can be held safely.

The balanced discrete triplet Lindley model and its INAR(1) extension: properties and COVID-19 applications.

This paper proposes a new flexible discrete triplet Lindley model that is constructed from the balanced discretization principle of the extended Lindley distribution. This model has several appealing statistical properties in terms of providing exact and closed form moment expressions and handling all forms of dispersion. Due to these, this paper explores further the usage of the discrete triplet Lindley as an innovation distribution in the simple integer-valued autoregressive process (INAR(1)). This subsequently allows for the modeling of count time series observations. In this context, a novel INAR(1) process is developed under mixed Binomial and the Pegram thinning operators. The model parameters of the INAR(1) process are estimated using the conditional maximum likelihood and Yule-Walker approaches. Some Monte Carlo simulation experiments are executed to assess the consistency of the estimators under the two estimation approaches. Interestingly, the proposed INAR(1) process is applied to analyze the COVID-19 cases and death series of different countries where it yields reliable parameter estimates and suitable forecasts via the modified Sieve bootstrap technique. On the other side, the new INAR(1) with discrete triplet Lindley innovations competes comfortably with other established INAR(1)s in the literature.

Bio-secure bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic to host the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League: A retrospective observational study.

Background and Aims: To describe the COVID-19 positivity rate among football players, team staff, and local organizing committee members participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (West) tournament organized with the Bio-secure bubble protocol in place. Methods: A retrospective observational study was carried out to include a total of 2184 participants during the AFC-West tournament in Qatar, which was a 3-week event (September 14-October 3, 2020). This event was undertaken under the Bio-secure bubble protocol, which was developed and implemented for sports events in Qatar during the pandemic. Within 72 h of departure and upon arrival in Qatar, all participants underwent reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing (RT-PCR) to diagnose COVID-19. The test was considered positive based on the cycle threshold (cT) value which was <30, whereas, reactive if cT value was ≥30 and <40, and negative (cT > 40). Results: Of the 2184 participants (528 players, 388 team staff, and 1268 local staff), 916 international participants were tested for COVID-19 PCR upon arrival at the Hamad International Airport, whereas the local staff (n = 1268) were tested 2 days before entering the bubble. The mean age of the players was 27.5 ± 9.8. Fifteen teams participated and as many as 60 matches were played over 3 weeks. Most participants tested negative (95.3%) and 3.9% tests were inconclusive. During the entire tournament, the positivity rate was 2.7% among all participants. Of the total positive cases, 0.8% were positive before entering the bubble system. The remaining (1.9%) tested positive during the tournament phase (19 players, 16 team officials, and 8 organizing committee staff). Conclusion: Bio-secure bubble protocol operated in a controlled environment presents a minimal risk of COVID-19 infection for hosting international football events. This framework could be benchmarked to resume professional football competitions under unprecedented pandemic situations.

The evolving role of extracellular vesicles (exosomes) as biomarkers in traumatic brain injury: Clinical perspectives and therapeutic implications.

Developing effective disease-modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) requires reliable diagnostic, disease activity, and progression indicators. While desirable, identifying biomarkers for NDs can be difficult because of the complex cytoarchitecture of the brain and the distinct cell subsets seen in different parts of the central nervous system (CNS). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are heterogeneous, cell-derived, membrane-bound vesicles involved in the intercellular communication and transport of cell-specific cargos, such as proteins, Ribonucleic acid (RNA), and lipids. The types of EVs include exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies based on their size and origin of biogenesis. A growing body of evidence suggests that intercellular communication mediated through EVs is responsible for disseminating important proteins implicated in the progression of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other NDs. Some studies showed that TBI is a risk factor for different NDs. In terms of therapeutic potential, EVs outperform the alternative synthetic drug delivery methods because they can transverse the blood-brain barrier (BBB) without inducing immunogenicity, impacting neuroinflammation, immunological responses, and prolonged bio-distribution. Furthermore, EV production varies across different cell types and represents intracellular processes. Moreover, proteomic markers, which can represent a variety of pathological processes, such as cellular damage or neuroinflammation, have been frequently studied in neurotrauma research. However, proteomic blood-based biomarkers have short half-lives as they are easily susceptible to degradation. EV-based biomarkers for TBI may represent the complex genetic and neurometabolic abnormalities that occur post-TBI. These biomarkers are not caught by proteomics, less susceptible to degradation and hence more reflective of these modifications (cellular damage and neuroinflammation). In the current narrative and comprehensive review, we sought to discuss the contemporary knowledge and better understanding the EV-based research in TBI, and thus its applications in modern medicine. These applications include the utilization of circulating EVs as biomarkers for diagnosis, developments of EV-based therapies, and managing their associated challenges and opportunities.

A quick scoping review of the first year of vaccination against the COVID-19 pandemic: Do we need more shots or time?

BACKGROUND: The emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants, along with the waning of vaccine-induced immunity, has increased breakthrough infections and urged booster jabs and debates. In the short term, the administration of booster doses has been reported to be safe and enhance severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific neutralizing antibody levels. However, the effects of these doses on the pandemic trajectory and herd immunity are unclear. There is insufficient evidence that a third booster shot of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine maintains longer immunity and covers new viral variants. The lack of sufficient evidence, combined with the fact that millions of people have not yet received 1 or 2 jabs of the COVID-19 vaccine, has raised concerns regarding the call for booster vaccinations. METHODS: We conducted a quick scoping review to explore the literature on the need for a booster COVID-19 vaccination from January 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022. RESULTS: Sixty-one relevant publications were identified, of which 17 were related to waning immunity after 2 doses of the vaccine among the general population or healthcare workers, 19 were related to the third or booster dose of vaccination after the second dose among the general population or healthcare workers, and 25 were related to booster dose among immunocompromised patient. CONCLUSIONS: Initially, the need for a booster dose was equivocal; however, several studies demonstrated the benefit of the booster dose over time. Adequate scientific information is required regarding the administration of booster doses to the general population as well as the high-risk individuals.

Heavy Metal Accumulation in Fruits and Vegetables and Human Health Risk Assessment: Findings From Maharashtra, India.

background: Vegetables are consumed enormously by humans all over the world. Consumption of contaminated fruits and vegetables is the most likely route of heavy metal exposure. Hence, it is important to quantify heavy metal concentration in frequently consumed fruits and vegetables. materials and methods: The main aim of our study is to investigate heavy metal (Pb, Cd, As, and Hg) contamination in 24 different kinds of vegetables and fruits grown in the industrialized city of Solapur, Maharashtra, India. Potential health risks due to the consumption of fruits and vegetables were assessed. Heavy metal concentration and quality of native soil were also determined. Vegetable and fruit samples were analyzed using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) Agilent 7500. results: The mean concentrations of selected heavy metals in fruits and vegetables analyzed were: Lead (0.17 ± 0.38 mg/kg) > Mercury (0.06 ± 0.09 mg/kg) > Cadmium (0.02 ± 0.007 mg/kg) > Arsenic (0.002 ± 0.003 mg/kg). Among them, garlic showed the highest heavy metal accumulation followed by potato. conclusion: Overall, vegetables showed higher metal accumulations than fruits. Some vegetables showed alarming levels of human health risk indices such as the Metal Pollution Index (MPI), Health Risk Index (HRI) and Hazard Index (HI), suggesting that reducing the intake amount of these vegetables may lower the adverse health effects.

Resumption of professional football league with spectators during the COVID-19 pandemic: The implementation of Bio-secure bubble protocol.

BACKGROUND: Elite professional sports events involving mass gatherings carry a high risk of viral transmission during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We describe the potential impact of resuming professional football leagues involving international participants adhering to a strict Bio-secure bubble protocol and investigate the consequences of spectators/fan attendance at such mass events during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cohort study involving football players, referees, match officials, local organizing committee (LOC) members, hotel and security staff working in close coordination, and over 10,000 spectators from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (East) and the final match. The study covered almost four weeks of the event (November 19 to December 19, 2020) under a robust Bio-secure bubble protocol. It included extensive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) every 3-6 days and clinical symptom monitoring on and off the field. Target variables included positive RT-PCR results and clinical symptom monitoring among participants, and rapid antigen testing for fan attendance to examine their safe return to the stadiums. RESULTS: A total of 12,250 RT-PCR tests involving 3158 individuals in the Bio-secure bubble were done over one month for all the AFC (East) matches, including the final match. Overall, 44 matches involving 16 teams were played. During the championship, only five individuals (three LOC members and two match officials) returned positive for COVID-19 infections. Four individuals (three team staff/officials and one person outside the Bio-secure bubble) had reactive results. None of the players tested positive for COVID-19 infection. All individuals testing positive were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, with no one requiring hospitalization other than symptomatic treatment. The overall positivity rate was 0.15% for the entire duration of the AFC (East) Champions League. For the final match, a total of 10,320 rapid antigen tests were done for spectators, of which only one test was positive for COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: This report shows a very low incidence rate of COVID-19 infections during mass gathering events at the international level. For the resumption of football with spectators, careful mitigation strategies should be considered to reduce the risk of transmission to a sufficiently safe level. This may require proper coordination and measures (i.e., physical distancing, testing, entry, and exit routes in the stadium, and seating arrangement inside the stadium with limited attendance). Based on this, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the supervised and controlled resumption of football matches with spectators can be done safely provided that a strict Bio-secure bubble protocol has been implemented.

Modeling Medical Data by Flexible Integer-Valued AR(1) Process with Zero-and-One-Inflated Geometric Innovations.

In this paper, we introduce a new stationary first-order integer-valued autoregressive process (INAR) with zero-and-one-inflated geometric innovations that is useful for modeling medical practical data. Basic probabilistic and statistical properties of the model are discussed. Conditional least squares and maximum likelihood estimators are proposed to estimate the model parameters. The performance of the estimation methods is assessed by some Monte Carlo simulation experiments. The zero-and-one-inflated INAR process is subsequently applied to analyze two medical series that include the number of new COVID-19-infected series from Barbados and Poliomyelitis data. The proposed model is compared with other popular competing zero-inflated and zero-and-one-inflated INAR models on the basis of some goodness-of-fit statistics and selection criteria, where it shows to provide better fitting and hence can be considered as another important commendable model in the class of INAR models.

Recommencement of football competition with spectators during the active phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in a Middle Eastern country.

BACKGROUND: With the global spread of COVID-19 infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 virus (SARS-CoV-2), all the national and international sports events were ceased early in 2020. The sport activities have been reinstated since then, albeit without spectators. However, several governments have established a variety of risk-mitigation measures to gradually reintroduce the spectators to stadiums. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the implementation of a strict health protocol to ensure the resumption of professional football with spectators and to access its effectiveness in limiting the spread of COVID-19 infections within the community. METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study involving football players, match officials, local organizing committee members, working in close coordination, and over 16,000 spectators in the state of Qatar. We examined data from the Amir Cup final (December 18th, 2020), which was played under a strict protocol that included extensive reverse transcription-Polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for players and match officials, as well as the utility of COVID-19 rapid antigen and antibody testings as screening tools for spectators to ensure their safe return to the stadiums. In addition, we reviewed the guidelines and protocols that were put in place to organize Qatar's Amir Cup Football Final, which drew over 16,000 spectators in the stadium. RESULTS: A total of 16,171 spectators undertook rapid antigen and antibody tests for the Amir cup final (from December16-December18, 2020). Fifteen Spectators (n = 15) returned with a positive result for COVID-19 infection during the final event (positivity rate = 0.12%). All players underwent RT-PCR testing 48 h before the match. None of the players tested positive for COVID-19 infections. 1311 individuals reported having symptoms related to COVID-19 post final of Amir Cup. These spectators were tested for COVID-19 RT-PCR with an overall positivity rate (positive/reactive) to be 0.42% (69/16171). CONCLUSION: This report shows a meagre incidence rate of COVID-19 infections during and post-Amir Cup football final. Based on the low infectivity rate reported during and post the Amir Cup, we propose that supervised and controlled resumption of football matches with spectators can be carried out safely following a strict testing and tracing protocol. Similar infection control policies can be replicated with a higher number of spectators.