Articles: coronavirus.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in China in December 2019, and declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. To study the clinical features of patients with COVID-19, we analyzed the correlation between some inflammation-related indicators in patients' serum and the severity of the disease, especially PV (pneumonia volume under CT scan) and pneumonia volume ratio (PVR). Sixty-six COVID-19 patients in Huai'an, China were selected as the research subjects. ⋯ PV had a clear correlation with PVR (r = 1). Severe patients' hs-CRP, PV, PVR were higher than mild to moderate group (P = .006; P = .001; P < .001, respectively), but OI was lower (P < .001). The clinical features of COVID-19 were similar to general viral pneumonia. hs-CRP, ESR showed a certain correlation with the PV and PVR, which might play a certain role in assessing the severity of COVID-19.
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Extensive evidence in the literature supports the mandatory use of facemasks to reduce the infection rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, the effect of mask use on the disease course remains controversial. This study aimed to determine whether mandatory mask use influenced the case fatality rate in Kansas, USA between August 1st and October 15th 2020. ⋯ These findings suggest that mask use might pose a yet unknown threat to the user instead of protecting them, making mask mandates a debatable epidemiologic intervention. The cause of this trend is explained herein using the "Foegen effect" theory; that is, deep re-inhalation of hypercondensed droplets or pure virions caught in facemasks as droplets can worsen prognosis and might be linked to long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. While the "Foegen effect" is proven in vivo in an animal model, further research is needed to fully understand it.
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COVID-19 vaccine-related myocarditis has been reported worldwide. We herein report two Japanese cases with suspected vaccine-related myocarditis. A 27-year-old man was admitted with chest pain 4 days after the second vaccination. ⋯ In both cases, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings were consistent with myocarditis. They recovered with symptomatic relief within a few days. These cases suggest that the benefit of COVID-19 vaccination exceeds the risk of vaccine-related myocarditis.
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Influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) are common in military populations and can impair mission-readiness, particularly in the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic; therefore, it is important to identify potential risk factors for infection and better understand the burden of infection. ⋯ ILIs are likely to be more common during training than healthcare records indicate and may result in decreased training effectiveness. Increasing access to handwashing facilities and education about the importance of handwashing to prevent the spread of disease will likely reduce the ILI burden in this population.