51
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Ortiz-Prado E, Fernandez Naranjo RP, Vasconez E, Simbaña-Rivera K, Correa-Sancho T, Lister A, Calvopiña M, Viscor G. Analysis of Excess Mortality Data at Different Altitudes During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Ecuador. High Alt Med Biol 2021; 22:406-416. [PMID: 34905395 DOI: 10.1089/ham.2021.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Ortiz-Prado, Esteban, Raul Patricio Fernandez Naranjo, Eduardo Vasconez, Katherine Simbaña-Rivera, Trigomar Correa-Sancho, Alex Lister, Manuel Calvopiña, and Ginés Viscor. Analysis of excess mortality data at different altitudes during the COVID-19 outbreak in Ecuador. High Alt Med Biol. 22:406-416, 2021. Background: It has been speculated that living at high altitude confers some risk reduction in terms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, reduced transmissibility, and arguable lower COVID-19-related mortality. Objective: We aim to determine the number of excess deaths reported in Ecuador during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to different altitude categories among 221 cantons in Ecuador, ranging from sea level to 4,300 m above. Methods: A descriptive ecological country-wide analysis of the excess mortality in Ecuador was performed since March 1, 2020, to March 1, 2021. Every canton was categorized as lower (for altitudes 2,500 m or less) or higher (for altitudes >2,500 m) in a first broad classification, as well as in two different classifications: The one proposed by Imray et al. in 2011 (low altitude <1,500 m, moderate altitude 1,500-2,500 m, high altitude 2,500-3,500 m, or very high altitude 3,500-5,500 m) and the one proposed by Bärtsch et al. in 2008 (near sea level 0-500 m, low altitude 500-2,000 m, moderate altitude 2,000-3,000 m, high altitude 3,000-5,500 m, and extreme altitude 5,500 m). A Poisson fitting analysis was used to identify trends on officially recorded all-caused deaths and those attributed to COVID-19. Results: In Ecuador, at least 120,573 deaths were recorded during the first year of the pandemic, from which 42,453 were catalogued as excessive when compared with the past 3 years of averages (2017-2019). The mortality rate at the lower altitude was 301/100,000 people, in comparison to 242/100,000 inhabitants in elevated cantons. Considering the four elevation categories, the highest excess deaths came from towns located at low altitude (324/100,000), in contrast to the moderate altitude (171/100,000), high-altitude (249/100,000), and very high-altitude (153/100,000) groups. Conclusions: This is the first report on COVID-19 excess mortality in a high-altitude range from 0 to 4,300 m above sea level. We found that absolute COVID-19-related excess mortality is lower both in time and in proportion in the cantons located at high and very high altitude when compared with those cantons located at low altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Eduardo Vasconez
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Trigomar Correa-Sancho
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Alex Lister
- University Hospital Southampton NHS FT, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel Calvopiña
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Ginés Viscor
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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52
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Santander-Gordon D, Iturralde GA, Freire-Paspuel B, Zambrano-Mila MS, Morales-Jadan D, Vallejo-Janeta PA, Coronel B, Galvis H, Jaramillo-Vivanco T, Bilvao CD, Paredes-Espinosa MB, Rodriguez AS, Laglaguano JC, Herrera H, Tito-Alvarez AM, Ortiz-Prado E, Rivera-Olivero IA, Henriquez-Trujillo AR, Lozada T, Garcia-Bereguiain MA. Crucial contribution of the universities to SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in Ecuador: Lessons for developing countries. One Health 2021; 13:100267. [PMID: 34056057 PMCID: PMC8146272 DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic has challenged public health systems worldwide, particularly affecting developing countries in Latin America like Ecuador. In this report, we exposed the fundamental role of the Ecuadorian universities to improve COVID-19 surveillance in the country, with an overall contribution over 15% of the total SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR tests done. We highlight the role of our university during the first semester of the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to a massive free SARS-CoV-2 testing up to almost 10% of the total diagnosis completed in the country, mainly focus on underserved urban, rural and indigenous communities. Finally, we described our contribution to a high quality and low-cost SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR diagnostic in Ecuador.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Santander-Gordon
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Gabriel A. Iturralde
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Byron Freire-Paspuel
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Marlon S. Zambrano-Mila
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Diana Morales-Jadan
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Paolo A. Vallejo-Janeta
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Barbara Coronel
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Heberson Galvis
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Tatiana Jaramillo-Vivanco
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Christian D. Bilvao
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Maria Belen Paredes-Espinosa
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Angel S. Rodriguez
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan C. Laglaguano
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Henry Herrera
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Ana M. Tito-Alvarez
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- Carrera de Enfermería, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | | | | | - Tannya Lozada
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
- Laboratorio de Diagnóstico de SARS-CoV-2, Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
- One Health Research Group, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
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53
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Alonso‐Palomares LA, Cáceres CJ, Tapia R, Aguilera‐Cortés P, Valenzuela S, Valiente‐Echeverría F, Soto‐Rifo R, Gaggero A, Barriga GP. Surveillance of seasonal respiratory viruses among Chilean patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Sci Rep 2021; 4:e433. [PMID: 34849406 PMCID: PMC8611180 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Luis A. Alonso‐Palomares
- SARS‐CoV‐2 Research Group, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Virology, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- HIV/AIDS Work Group, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - C. Joaquín Cáceres
- Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Rodrigo Tapia
- Laboratory of Emerging Viruses, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Paulina Aguilera‐Cortés
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Virology, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- HIV/AIDS Work Group, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Santiago Valenzuela
- Laboratory of Environmental Virology, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Fernando Valiente‐Echeverría
- SARS‐CoV‐2 Research Group, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Virology, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- HIV/AIDS Work Group, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Ricardo Soto‐Rifo
- SARS‐CoV‐2 Research Group, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Virology, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- HIV/AIDS Work Group, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Aldo Gaggero
- SARS‐CoV‐2 Research Group, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- Laboratory of Environmental Virology, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
| | - Gonzalo P. Barriga
- SARS‐CoV‐2 Research Group, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
- Laboratory of Emerging Viruses, Virology Program, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversidad de ChileSantiagoChile
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54
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Zeynali Bujani M, Behnampour M, Rahimi N, Safari T, Khazaei Feizabad A, Hossein Sarbazi A, Baniasadi M, Rezaei N, Ansari Moghaddam A. The Effect of Influenza Vaccination on COVID-19 Morbidity, Severity and Mortality: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Malays J Med Sci 2021; 28:20-31. [PMID: 35002487 PMCID: PMC8715887 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2021.28.6.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly developing worldwide with a high mortality rate. In this meta-analysis study, the effect of influenza vaccination on the prevention of COVID-19 and its consequences in patients were investigated. The systematic search for this study was performed from November 2019 to 25 November 2020, in the databases of Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Ebsco, Cochrane and medRxiv. Search terms used included COVID-19, coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, covid, influenza, flu, grippe and vaccine. The present study examined the association between influenza vaccination and COVID-19 including COVID-19 infection, mortality, hospitalisation and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Finally, the pooled estimates for different outcomes were calculated by the software for statistics and data science (STATA) version 15 and I2 was used to determine the heterogeneity. By analysing the data of articles, the pooled estimates of these data indicated that influenza vaccination could lower probability of COVID-19 infection up to 24% (OR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.65, 0.91), of death up to 32% (OR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.42, 1.11), of the hospitalisation up to 25% (OR = 0.75; 95% CI: 0.46; 1.23) and of admission to ICU up to 29% (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.40, 1.27). Influenza vaccination can help decrease the COVID-19 infection and reduce hospitalisation and the need for ICU and mortality rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meysam Zeynali Bujani
- Student Research Committee, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Interest Group of Coronavirus 2019 (IGCV-19), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Zahedan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Behnampour
- Student Research Committee, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Interest Group of Coronavirus 2019 (IGCV-19), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Zahedan, Iran
| | - Nima Rahimi
- Student Research Committee, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Interest Group of Coronavirus 2019 (IGCV-19), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Zahedan, Iran
| | - Tahereh Safari
- Department of Physiology, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Interest Group of Coronavirus 2019 (IGCV-19), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Zahedan, Iran
| | | | - Armaghan Hossein Sarbazi
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Interest Group of Coronavirus 2019 (IGCV-19), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Zahedan, Iran
| | - Marzieh Baniasadi
- Student Research Committee, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Interest Group of Coronavirus 2019 (IGCV-19), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Zahedan, Iran
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Ansari Moghaddam
- Interest Group of Coronavirus 2019 (IGCV-19), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Zahedan, Iran
- Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
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55
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Forero-Peña DA, Carrión-Nessi FS, Mendoza-Millán DL, Omaña-Ávila ÓD, Mejía-Bernard MD, Camejo-Ávila NA, Flora-Noda DM, Velásquez VL, Chacón-Labrador FR, Doval-Fernández JM, Maricuto AL, Grillet ME, Hernández-Villena JV, Vincenti-González MF, Paniz-Mondolfi AE, Orejas J, Rodríguez VI, Contreras MB, Guevara RN, Carballo M, Caldera J, Redondo MC, Landaeta ME. First wave of COVID-19 in Venezuela: Epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical characteristics of first cases. J Med Virol 2021; 94:1175-1185. [PMID: 34761824 PMCID: PMC8662004 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has particularly affected countries with weakened health services in Latin America, where proper patient management could be a critical step to address the epidemic. In this study, we aimed to characterize and identify which epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical risk factors defined COVID‐19 infection from the first confirmed cases through the first epidemic wave in Venezuela. A retrospective analysis of consecutive suspected cases of COVID‐19 admitted to a sentinel hospital was carried out, including 576 patient cases subsequently confirmed for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Of these, 162 (28.1%) patients met the definition criteria for severe/critical disease, and 414 (71.2%) were classified as mild/moderate disease. The mean age was 47 (SD 16) years, the majority of which were men (59.5%), and the most frequent comorbidity was arterial hypertension (23.3%). The most common symptoms included fever (88.7%), headache (65.6%), and dry cough (63.9%). Severe/critical disease affected mostly older males with low schooling (p < 0.001). Similarly, higher levels of glycemia, urea, aminotransferases, total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were observed in severe/critical disease patients compared to those with mild/moderate disease. Overall mortality was 7.6% (44/576), with 41.7% (28/68) dying in hospital. We identified risk factors related to COVID‐19 infection, which could help healthcare providers take appropriate measures and prevent severe clinical outcomes. Our results suggest that the mortality registered by this disease in Venezuela during the first epidemic wave was underestimated. An increase in fatalities is expected to occur in the coming months unless measures that are more effective are implemented to mitigate the epidemic while the vaccination process is ongoing. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to assess the epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical characteristics of COVID‐19 patients in Venezuela. Regarding the occupation, 15% of the patients were healthcare workers. Patients with more year's smoking, bilateral crackles and altered state of consciousness were associated with severe/critical disease. Only 42% of the patients with severe/critical disease criteria were hospitalized, of which 41.7% died.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Forero-Peña
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
| | - Fhabián S Carrión-Nessi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.,Department of Medicine, "Dr. Francisco Battistini Casalta" Health Sciences School, University of Oriente - Bolivar Nucleus, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
| | - Daniela L Mendoza-Millán
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.,Department of Medicine, "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Óscar D Omaña-Ávila
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.,Department of Medicine, "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Mario D Mejía-Bernard
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.,Department of Medicine, "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Natasha A Camejo-Ávila
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.,Department of Medicine, "Dr. Francisco Battistini Casalta" Health Sciences School, University of Oriente - Bolivar Nucleus, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela
| | - David M Flora-Noda
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Viledy L Velásquez
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Fabián R Chacón-Labrador
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.,Department of Medicine, "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Juan M Doval-Fernández
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Biomedical Research and Therapeutic Vaccines Institute, Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela.,Department of Medicine, "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Andrea L Maricuto
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - María E Grillet
- Vector Biology Laboratory, Institute of Zoology and Tropical Ecology, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Juan V Hernández-Villena
- Vector Biology Laboratory, Institute of Zoology and Tropical Ecology, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - María F Vincenti-González
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alberto E Paniz-Mondolfi
- Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States
| | - José Orejas
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Verónica I Rodríguez
- Department of Medicine, "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Mariana B Contreras
- Department of Medicine, "Luis Razetti" School of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Rafael N Guevara
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Martín Carballo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Jocays Caldera
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - María C Redondo
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - María E Landaeta
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
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Rafiqul Islam A, Ferdousi J, Shahinozzaman M. Previously published ethno-pharmacological reports reveal the potentiality of plants and plant-derived products used as traditional home remedies by Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients to combat SARS-CoV-2. Saudi J Biol Sci 2021; 28:6653-6673. [PMID: 34305428 PMCID: PMC8285211 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Several plants have traditionally been used since antiquity to treat various gastroenteritis and respiratory symptoms similar to COVID-19 outcomes. The common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever or chills, cold, cough, flu, headache, diarrhoea, tiredness/fatigue, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, asthma, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, etc. This study aims to find out the plants and plant-derived products which are being used by the COVID-19 infected patients in Bangladesh and how those plants are being used for the management of COVID-19 symptoms. In this study, online and partially in-person survey interviews were carried out among Bangladeshi respondents. We selected Bangladeshi COVID-19 patients who were detected Coronavirus positive (+) by RT-PCR nucleic acid test and later recovered. Furthermore, identified plant species from the surveys were thoroughly investigated for safety and efficacy based on the previous ethnomedicinal usage reports. Based on the published data, they were also reviewed for their significant potentialities as antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory agents. We explored comprehensive information about a total of 26 plant species, belonging to 23 genera and 17 different botanical families, used in COVID-19 treatment as home remedies by the respondents. Most of the plants and plant-derived products were collected directly from the local marketplace. According to our survey results, greatly top 5 cited plant species measured as per the highest RFC value are Camellia sinensis (1.0) > Allium sativum (0.984) > Azadirachta indica (0.966) > Zingiber officinale (0.966) > Syzygium aromaticum (0.943). Previously published ethnomedicinal usage reports, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activity of the concerned plant species also support our results. Thus, the survey and review analysis simultaneously reveals that these reported plants and plant-derived products might be promising candidates for the treatment of COVID-19. Moreover, this study clarifies the reported plants for their safety during COVID-19 management and thereby supporting them to include in any future pre-clinical and clinical investigation for developing herbal COVID-19 therapeutics.
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Key Words
- BAL, Bronchoalveolar lavage
- BALF, Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
- Bangladesh
- CHO-K1, Wild-type Chinese hamster ovary CHO-K1 cells
- CIK, Ctenopharyngodon idellus kidney Cell line
- COPD, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- COVID-19
- CRD, Complex chronic respiratory disease
- CRFK, Crandell-Reese feline kidney cells
- EGCG, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate
- EPO, Eosinophil peroxidase
- Ethnobotany
- FRhk-4cells, Fetal rhesus monkey kidney cells
- H1N1, Hemagglutinin Type 1 and Neuraminidase Type 1
- HEK293T, Human embryonic kidney cells
- HEp-2 cells, Epithelial cells of human larynx carcinoma
- HLAC, Human lymphoid aggregate cultures
- HeLa, Human epithelial cervical carcinoma cell lines
- Huh-7, Human hepatocyte-derived carcinoma cell line
- IBD, Inflammatory bowel disease
- ICU, Intensive care unit
- IFN‐γ, Interferon‐gamma
- IL, Interleukin
- IgE, Immunoglobulin E
- MARC-145 cells, African green monkey kidney cell line
- MCP-1, Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1
- MDCK, Madin-Darby Canine Kidney cell lines
- MEF, Mouse embryonic fibroblast cells
- Medicinal plants
- NF-κB, Nuclear factor-kappaB
- PBMCs, Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
- RT-PCR, Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
- SARS, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, MERS, Middle East respiratory syndrome
- TNF-β, Tumor necrosis factor‐beta
- TNF‐α, Tumor necrosis factor‐alpha
- Th, T-helper
- Traditional home remedies
- VERO cell lines, African green monkey kidney cell lines
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Affiliation(s)
- A.T.M. Rafiqul Islam
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Bio-Sciences, University of Barishal, Barishal 8200, Bangladesh
| | - Jannatul Ferdousi
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Bio-Sciences, University of Barishal, Barishal 8200, Bangladesh
| | - Md Shahinozzaman
- Department of Botany, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh
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Lana RM, Freitas LP, Codeço CT, Pacheco AG, Carvalho LMFD, Villela DAM, Coelho FC, Cruz OG, Niquini RP, Porto VBG, Gava C, Gomes MFDC, Bastos LS. Identification of priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination in Brazil. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2021; 37:e00049821. [PMID: 34644749 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311x00049821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In a context of community transmission and shortage of vaccines, COVID-19 vaccination should focus on directly reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by the disease. It was thus essential to define priority groups for vaccination by the Brazilian National Immunization Program (PNI in Portuguese), based on the risk of hospitalization and death from the disease. We calculated overrisk according to sex, age group, and comorbidities using hospitalization and death records from severe acute respiratory illness with confirmation of COVID-19 (SARI-COVID) in all of Brazil in the first 6 months of the epidemic. Higher overrisk was associated with male sex (hospitalization = 1.1 and death = 1.2), age over 45 years for hospitalization (OvRag ranging from 1.1 to 8.5), and age over 55 year for death (OvRag ranging from 1.5 to 18.3). In the groups with comorbidities, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease were associated with overrisk, while there was no such evidence for asthma. Chronic kidney disease or diabetes and age over 60 showed an even stronger association, reaching overrisk of death 14 and 10 times greater than in the general population, respectively. For all the comorbidities, there was higher overrisk at older ages, with a downward gradient in the oldest age groups. This pattern was reversed when examining overrisk in the general population, for both hospitalization and death. The current study provided evidence of overrisk of hospitalization and death from SARI-COVID, assisting the definition of priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Martins Lana
- Programa de Computação Científica, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Flávio Codeço Coelho
- Fundação Getúlio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.,Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Roberta Pereira Niquini
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | - Caroline Gava
- Coordenação-geral do Programa Nacional de Imunizações, Ministério da Saúde, Brasília, Brasil
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Alves ATJ, Raposo LM, Nobre FF. Spatial Analysis of the Sociodemographic Characteristics, Comorbidities, Hospitalization, Signs, and Symptoms Among Hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases in the State of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH SERVICES 2021; 52:38-46. [PMID: 34617799 DOI: 10.1177/00207314211044991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
After more than 1 year from the beginning of the pandemic, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reached all continents. The number of infected people is still increasing, and Brazil is among the countries with the highest number of registered cases in the world. In this study, we investigated the profile of hospitalized COVID-19 cases and the eventual clusters of similar areas, using geographic information systems. The study was conducted using secondary data. Variables such as sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, hospitalization, signs, and symptoms among confirmed cases were considered for each microregion/city of the state of Rio de Janeiro. These proportions were used when calculating the Global Moran's I. The local indicator of spatial association was used to identify local clusters. A significant global spatial auto correlation was found in 28% of the variables. The presence of spatial autocorrelation indicates that the proportions of patients with COVID-19 according to these characteristics are spatially oriented. Moran maps reveal 2 clusters, 1 of high proportions and 1 of low proportions. Understanding the geographic patterns of COVID-19 may assist public health investigators, contributing to actions to prevent and control the pandemic in the state.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Letícia M Raposo
- 89111Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Flávio F Nobre
- 28125Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Candelli M, Pignataro G, Torelli E, Gullì A, Nista EC, Petrucci M, Saviano A, Marchesini D, Covino M, Ojetti V, Antonelli M, Gasbarrini A, Franceschi F. Effect of influenza vaccine on COVID-19 mortality: a retrospective study. Intern Emerg Med 2021; 16:1849-1855. [PMID: 33743150 PMCID: PMC7980752 DOI: 10.1007/s11739-021-02702-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
It has been proposed that vaccines may exert an unspecific protective effect against infectious agents, different than expected. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic infection with high mortality in older patients due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The high number of vaccinations may be one of the reasons why children show a lower susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection and milder severity when compared to adults. We have designed a study aimed at investigating whether the influenza vaccine may reduce the susceptibility and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We retrospectively enrolled 635 patients who accessed our Emergency Department from March 1st to June 30th, 2020, and were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection confirmed by an RT-PCR on an oropharyngeal swab. Clinical data, outcomes, and influenza vaccination status were collected from the electronic medical records of our Hospital. We also used data from the Italian Health Ministry to compare the prevalence of flu vaccination among the general population of the Lazio Region and our enrolled patients. We then compared clinical outcomes between vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients, by univariate and multivariate analysis. COVID-19-positive patients older than 65 years reported a lower prevalence of flu vaccination when compared to the general population residing in the Lazio (p = 0.004). After correction for gender, age, and comorbidities, we found a lower risk of death at 60 days in patients with flu vaccination than in not vaccinated patients (p = 0.001). Our study shows that flu vaccination could reduce the mortality of COVID-19. Prospective studies are needed to confirm this result.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Candelli
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy.
| | - Giulia Pignataro
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Torelli
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Gullì
- Anestesiology and Resuscitation Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Celestino Nista
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Petrucci
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Saviano
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Debora Marchesini
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Covino
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Veronica Ojetti
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Antonelli
- Anestesiology and Resuscitation Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Gasbarrini
- Internal Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Franceschi
- Emergency Medicine Department, Fondazione Universitaria Policlinico Gemelli-IRCCS-Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00135, Rome, Italy
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Ashktorab H, Pizuorno A, Fierro NA, Villagrana EDC, Solis MEH, Cardenas G, Alvarez DZ, Oskrochi G, Adeleye F, Dalivand MM, Laiyemo AO, Aduli F, Sherif ZA, Brim H. A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of COVID-19 in Latin America. SOJ MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2021; 8:1-11. [PMID: 35937158 PMCID: PMC9355387 DOI: 10.15226/sojmid/8/1/001108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Latin America has become the epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aim to perform a systematic comparative review of the clinical characteristics that are associated with this disease in Latin American countries. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of published articles, journal and/or epidemiological reports of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Latin America. Data were obtained either through publicly available information from Ministries of Health, published journal reports and/or unpublished datasets. We analyzed data from SARS-CoV-2 positive patients evaluated at healthcare centers and hospitals of 8 countries including Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia, between March 1st and July 30th, 2020. These countries consist of a total population that exceeds 519 million. Demographics, comorbidities, and clinical symptoms were collected. Statistical descriptive analysis and correlation analyses of symptoms, comorbidities and mortality were performed. RESULTS A total of 728,282 COVID-19 patients were included in this study. Of these, 52.6% were female. The average age was 48.4 years. Peru had the oldest cohort with 56.8 years and highest rate of females (56.8%) while Chile had the youngest cohort (39 years old). Venezuela had the highest male prevalence (56.7%). Most common symptoms were cough with 60.1% (Bolivia had the highest rate 78%), fatigue/tiredness with 52.0%, sore throat with 50.3%, and fever with 44.2%. Bolivian patients had fever as the top symptom (83.3%). GI symptoms included diarrhea which was highest in Mexico with 22.9%. Hypertension was among the top (12.1%) comorbidities, followed by diabetes with 8.3% and obesity at 4.5%. In multivariate analyses, the leading and significant comorbidities were hypertension (r = 0.83, p = 0.02), diabetes (r = 0.91, p = 0.01), and obesity (r = 0.86, p = 0.03). Mortality was highest in Mexico (16.6%) and lowest in Venezuela (0.9%) among the analyzed cohorts. CONCLUSION Overall, COVID-19 patients in Latin America display cough, fatigue, and fever as main symptoms. Up to 53% of patients with COVID-19 have GI manifestations. Different clinical symptoms were associated with COVID-19 in Latin American countries. Metabolic syndrome components were the main comorbidities associated with poor outcome. Country-specific management and prevention plans are needed and can be established from this meta-analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Ashktorab
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC
| | - Antonio Pizuorno
- La Universidad Del Zulia, Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, Postal Code 4002, Maracaibo, Zulia state, Venezuela
| | - Nora A Fierro
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Ciudad University, CP 04510, Mexico
| | - Edgar D Copado Villagrana
- Residence in Epidemiology, Family Medicine Unit Number 53,Mexican Social Security Institute, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | - Maria E Herrera Solis
- Auxiliary Epidemiological Surveillance Coordination Mexican Social Security Institute, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | - Graciela Cardenas
- Department of Neurology, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico
| | | | - Gholamreza Oskrochi
- College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Kuwait
| | - Folake Adeleye
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC
| | - Maryam Mehdipour Dalivand
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC
| | - Adeyinka O Laiyemo
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC
| | - Farshad Aduli
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC
| | - Zaki A Sherif
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC
| | - Hassan Brim
- Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC
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Leon-Abarca JA, Portmann-Baracco A, Bryce-Alberti M, Ruiz-Sánchez C, Accinelli RA, Soliz J, Gonzales GF. Diabetes increases the risk of COVID-19 in an altitude dependent manner: An analysis of 1,280,806 Mexican patients. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255144. [PMID: 34343179 PMCID: PMC8330906 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS The objective of this study is to analyze how the impact of Diabetes Mellitus [DM] in patients with COVID-19 varies according to altitudinal gradient. METHODS We obtained 1,280,806 records from adult patients with COVID-19 and DM to analyze the probability of COVID-19, development of COVID-19 pneumonia, hospitalization, intubation, admission to the Intensive Care Unit [ICU] and case-fatality rates [CFR]. Variables were controlled by age, sex and altitude of residence to calculate adjusted prevalence and prevalence ratios. RESULTS Patients with DM had a 21.8% higher prevalence of COVID-19 and an additional 120.2% higher prevalence of COVID-19 pneumonia. The adjusted prevalence was also higher for these outcomes as well as for hospitalization, intubation and ICU admission. COVID-19 and pneumonia patients with DM had a 97.0% and 19.4% higher CFR, respectively. With increasing altitudes, the probability of being a confirmed COVID-19 case and the development of pneumonia decreased along CFR for patients with and without DM. However, COVID-19 patients with DM were more likely to require intubation when residing at high altitude. CONCLUSIONS The study suggests that patients with DM have a higher probability of being a confirmed COVID-19 case and developing pneumonia. Higher altitude had a protective relationship against SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, it may be associated with more severe cases in patients with and without DM. High altitude decreases CFR for all COVID-19 patients. Our work also shows that women are less affected than men regardless of altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Alonso Leon-Abarca
- Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Facultad de Medicina Albero Hurtado, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
| | - Arianna Portmann-Baracco
- Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Facultad de Medicina Albero Hurtado, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
| | - Mayte Bryce-Alberti
- Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Facultad de Medicina Albero Hurtado, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
| | - Carlos Ruiz-Sánchez
- Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Facultad de Medicina Albero Hurtado, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
| | - Roberto Alfonso Accinelli
- Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Facultad de Medicina Albero Hurtado, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- * E-mail:
| | - Jorge Soliz
- Institute Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec [IUCPQ], Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
- High Altitude Pulmonary and Pathology Institute (HAPPI-IPPA), La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Gustavo Francisco Gonzales
- Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
- Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo [LID], Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Alberto Cazorla Tálleri, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Perú
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62
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Castañeda S, Patiño LH, Muñoz M, Ballesteros N, Guerrero-Araya E, Paredes-Sabja D, Flórez C, Gomez S, Ramírez-Santana C, Salguero G, Gallo JE, Paniz-Mondolfi AE, Ramírez JD. Evolution and Epidemic Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia: A Year into the Pandemic. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9080837. [PMID: 34451962 PMCID: PMC8402472 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9080837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Current efforts to understand the epidemiology, transmission dynamics and emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants worldwide has enabled the scientific community to generate critical information aimed at implementing disease surveillance and control measures, as well as to reduce the social, economic and health impact of the pandemic. Herein, we applied an epidemic model coupled with genomic analysis to assess the SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in Colombia. This epidemic model allowed to identify the geographical distribution, Rt dynamics and predict the course of the pandemic considering current implementation of countermeasures. The analysis of the incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants carried out across different regions of Colombia allowed visualizing the changes in the geographic distribution of cases. The cumulative incidence during the timeframe March 2020 to March 2021 revealed that Bogotá (8063.0), Quindío (5482.71), Amazonas (5055.68), Antioquia (4922.35) and Tolima (4724.41) were the departments with the highest incidence rate. The highest median Rt during the first period evaluated was 2.13 and 1.09 in the second period; with this model, we identified improving opportunities in health decision making related to controlling the pandemic, diagnostic testing capacity, case registration and reporting, among others. Genomic analysis revealed 52 circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Colombia detected from 774 genomes sequenced throughout the first year of the pandemic. The genomes grouped into four main clusters and exhibited 19 polymorphisms. Our results provide essential information on the spread of the pandemic countrywide despite implementation of early containment measures. In addition, we aim to provide deeper phylogenetic insights to better understand the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in light of the latent emergence of novel variants and how these may potentially influence transmissibility and infectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Castañeda
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 111221, Colombia; (S.C.); (L.H.P.); (M.M.); (N.B.)
| | - Luz H. Patiño
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 111221, Colombia; (S.C.); (L.H.P.); (M.M.); (N.B.)
| | - Marina Muñoz
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 111221, Colombia; (S.C.); (L.H.P.); (M.M.); (N.B.)
- ANID—Millennium Science Initiative Program—Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of the Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago 7510689, Chile; (E.G.-A.); (D.P.-S.)
| | - Nathalia Ballesteros
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 111221, Colombia; (S.C.); (L.H.P.); (M.M.); (N.B.)
| | - Enzo Guerrero-Araya
- ANID—Millennium Science Initiative Program—Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of the Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago 7510689, Chile; (E.G.-A.); (D.P.-S.)
- Microbiota-Host Interactions and Clostridia Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago 7510689, Chile
| | - Daniel Paredes-Sabja
- ANID—Millennium Science Initiative Program—Millennium Nucleus in the Biology of the Intestinal Microbiota, Santiago 7510689, Chile; (E.G.-A.); (D.P.-S.)
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Carolina Flórez
- Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (C.F.); (S.G.)
| | - Sergio Gomez
- Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá 111321, Colombia; (C.F.); (S.G.)
| | - Carolina Ramírez-Santana
- Centro de Estudio de Enfermedades Autoinmunes (CREA), Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 111221, Colombia;
| | - Gustavo Salguero
- Instituto Distrital de Ciencia, Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud (IDCBIS), Bogotá 111611, Colombia;
| | - Juan E. Gallo
- Genoma Ces Biotechnologies, Universidad CES, Medellin 050021, Colombia;
| | | | - Juan David Ramírez
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Biotecnología-UR (CIMBIUR), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá 111221, Colombia; (S.C.); (L.H.P.); (M.M.); (N.B.)
- Correspondence:
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63
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Vallejo-Janeta AP, Morales-Jadan D, Freire-Paspuel B, Lozada T, Cherrez-Bohorquez C, Garcia-Bereguiain MA. COVID-19 outbreaks at shelters for women who are victims of gender-based violence from Ecuador. Int J Infect Dis 2021; 108:531-536. [PMID: 34119677 PMCID: PMC8191306 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the constraints in containing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador is limited testing capacity, especially in high-risk populations such as people living in humanitarian shelters. OBJECTIVES The "United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees" office in Ecuador in collaboration with "Universidad de Las Américas" performed surveillance screening at shelters for women victims of gender-based violence. They had been granted access to RT-qPCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis since July 2020, a few weeks after the general population lockdown was lifted. RESULTS From 411 people tested, 52 tests were SARS-CoV-2 positive, yielding an overall high attack rate of 12.65%. Moreover, COVID-19 outbreaks were found in nine of 11 shelters that were included in the study. While attacks rates varied among shelters, no association was found with occupancy. CONCLUSION This study is key to clarifying the epidemiological situation in this highly vulnerable population in Latin America. It highlights the importance of mass testing beyond the symptomatic population to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Tannya Lozada
- Dirección General de Investigación, Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
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64
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Ortiz-Prado E, Fernandez-Naranjo R, Torres-Berru Y, Lowe R, Torres I. Exceptional Prices of Medical and Other Supplies during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ecuador. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021; 105:81-87. [PMID: 34014837 PMCID: PMC8274761 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Shortages of essential supplies used to prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID-19 have been a global concern, and price speculation and hikes may have negatively influenced access. This study identifies variability in prices of products acquired through government-driven contracts in Ecuador during the early pandemic response, when the highest mortality rates were registered in a single day. Data were obtained from the National Public Procurement Service (SERCOP) database between March 1 and July 31, 2020. A statistical descriptive analysis was conducted to extract relevant measures for commonly purchased products, medical devices, pharmaceutical drugs, and other goods. Among the most frequently purchased products, the greatest amounts were spent on face masks (US$4.5 million), acetaminophen (US$2.2 million), and reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay kits (US$1.8 million). Prices varied greatly, depending on each individual contract and on the number of units purchased; some were exceptionally higher than their market value. Compared with 2019, the mean price of medical examination gloves increased up to 1,307%, acetaminophen 500 mg pills, up to 796%, and oxygen flasks, 30.8%. In a context of budgetary constraints that actually required an effective use of available funds, speculative price hikes may have limited patient access to health care and the protection of the general population and health care workers. COVID-19 vaccine allocations to privileged individuals have also been widely reported. Price caps and other forms of regulation, as well as greater scrutiny and transparency of government-driven purchases, and investment in local production, are warranted in Ecuador for improved infectious disease prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- 1One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador.,2Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raul Fernandez-Naranjo
- 1One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Yeferson Torres-Berru
- 3University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.,4Instituto Superior Tecnológico Sudamericano, Loja, Ecuador
| | - Rachel Lowe
- 5Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.,6Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Ortiz-Prado E, Henriquez-Trujillo AR, Rivera-Olivero IA, Lozada T, Garcia-Bereguiain MA. High prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among food delivery riders. A case study from Quito, Ecuador. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 770:145225. [PMID: 33513511 PMCID: PMC7813502 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
AIM COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented pressure on health systems and economies worldwide. Delivery services have grown as an alternative source of revenue for many people. Consumers generally perceive that delivery services are safer than going into a restaurant, because they reduce exposure to other people and their risk of SARS-CoV-2 contagion. There are no studies analyzing viral load or the burden of COID-19 within this population. This study aims to describe the presence of SARS-CoV-2 among food delivery riders in the city of Quito, Ecuador. STUDY DESIGN From July and August 2020, bike and motorbike riders self-employed in two of the main online delivery services in Quito, Ecuador, were invited for RT-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection during the compulsory lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) RT-qPCR Diagnostic Panel was used to identify the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swabs. All samples were processed in the BSL2 certified molecular biology laboratory at Universidad de Las Americas. RESULTS A total of 22 out of 145 delivery workers (15.2%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The majority of workers were men (n = 138), the average age of male workers was 32 years-old (±7.3) and 38 years-old (± 10.6) for females. The presence of mild symptoms was reported in only 9 subjects (6%). The calculated viral load was higher among males with 1.31E+08 copies/mL vs 2.30E+06 in females, although this difference was not statistically significant (p value: 0.68, [CI: -53 to -79]). CONCLUSIONS The self-employed food delivery riders have a high incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in relation to the national average. It is important to point out that this is the first study of its kind in Latin-American and probably one of the very few in the world. The results emphasize the need for policy makers to look at the pandemic from as many population's sub-groups as possible. Delivery riders are a highly moving population that offer their services to a wide range of clients, including vulnerable populations such as the elderly or those less likely to leave their house for basic needs stoking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador.
| | | | - Ismar A Rivera-Olivero
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Tannya Lozada
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
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He M, Li X, Tan Q, Chen Y, Kong Y, You J, Lin X, Lin Y, Zheng Q. Disease burden from COVID-19 symptoms among inpatients at the temporary military hospitals in Wuhan: a retrospective multicentre cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e048822. [PMID: 34006559 PMCID: PMC8130755 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-048822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We aimed to establish a set of disability weights (DWs) for COVID-19 symptoms, evaluate the disease burden of inpatients and analyse the characteristics and influencing factors of the disease. DESIGN This was a multicentre retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study. SETTING The medical records generated in three temporary military hospitals in Wuhan. PARTICIPANTS Medical records of 2702 inpatients generated from 5 February to 5 April 2020 were randomly selected for this study. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES DWs of COVID-19 symptoms were determined by the person trade-off approach. The inpatients' medical records were analysed and used to calculate the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The mean DALY was evaluated across sex and age groups. The relationship between DALY and age, sex, body mass index, length of hospital stay, symptom duration before admission and native place was determined by multiple linear regression. RESULTS For the DALY of each inpatient, severe expiratory dyspnoea, mild cough and sore throat had the highest (0.399) and lowest (0.004) weights, respectively. The average synthetic DALY and daily DALY were 2.29±1.33 and 0.18±0.15 days, respectively. Fever and fatigue contributed the most DALY at 31.36%, whereas nausea and vomiting and anxiety and depression contributed the least at 7.05%. There were significant differences between sex and age groups in both synthetic and daily DALY. Age, body mass index, length of hospital stay and symptom duration before admission were strongly related to both synthetic and daily DALY. CONCLUSIONS Although the disease burden was higher among women than men, their daily disease burdens were similar. The disease burden in the younger population was higher than that in the older population. Treatment at the hospitals relieved the disease burden efficiently, while a delay in hospitalisation worsened it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maihong He
- Department of National Defense Education and Research, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Disease Control and Prevention, The No. 900 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Troop of PLA, Fuzhou, China
- Clinical College in Fuzhou General Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Li
- Department of National Defense Education and Research, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
- Department of Disease Control and Prevention, The No. 900 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Troop of PLA, Fuzhou, China
- Clinical College in Fuzhou General Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qing Tan
- Department of Disease Control and Prevention, The No. 923 Hospital of PLA, Nanning, China
| | - Yong Chen
- Chinese PLA Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Kong
- Department of Education, The No. 900 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Troop of PLA, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jianping You
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University of PLA, Chongqing, China
| | - Xian Lin
- Department of Disease Control and Prevention, The No. 900 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Troop of PLA, Fuzhou, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Department of Disease Control and Prevention, The No. 900 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Troop of PLA, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qing Zheng
- Meifeng Branch, The No. 900 Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Troop of PLA, Fuzhou, China
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Influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations are not associated to COVID-19 outcomes among patients admitted to a university hospital. Vaccine 2021; 39:3493-3497. [PMID: 34020813 PMCID: PMC8106908 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
In order to reduce the burden on healthcare systems and to support differential diagnosis with COVID-19, influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations were strongly recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in vulnerable groups. However, no univocal and conclusive evidence on the relationship between influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations and COVID‐19 outcomes exists. We evaluated the association between such vaccinations, COVID-19 hospitalization, intensive care unit admissions and deaths in a cohort (N = 741) of COVID-19 patients who had access to the emergency room of a large Italian University hospital between March 1, 2020 and June 1, 2020. Results show that influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations did not affect hospitalization, intensive care unit admission and deaths in COVID-19 patients in the overall sample and in those ≥65 years. The same pattern of results was confirmed considering timing of influenza vaccine administration, vaccination type, and number of uptakes in the last five vaccination campaigns. In conclusion, our study does not support an impact of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations on COVID-19 outcomes.
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Vasishtha G, Mohanty SK, Mishra US, Dubey M, Sahoo U. Impact of COVID-19 infection on life expectancy, premature mortality, and DALY in Maharashtra, India. BMC Infect Dis 2021; 21:343. [PMID: 33845774 PMCID: PMC8040360 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-021-06026-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 infections and deaths have largely been uneven within and between countries. With 17% of the world's population, India has so far had 13% of global COVID-19 infections and 8.5% of deaths. Maharashtra accounting for 9% of India's population, is the worst affected state, with 19% of infections and 33% of total deaths in the country until 23rd December 2020. Though a number of studies have examined the vulnerability to and spread of COVID-19 and its effect on mortality, no attempt has been made to understand its impact on mortality in the states of India. METHOD Using data from multiple sources and under the assumption that COVID-19 deaths are additional deaths in the population, this paper examined the impact of the disease on premature mortality, loss of life expectancy, years of potential life lost (YPLL), and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) in Maharashtra. Descriptive statistics, a set of abridged life tables, YPLL, and DALY were used in the analysis. Estimates of mortality indices were compared pre- and during COVID-19. RESULT COVID-19 attributable deaths account for 5.3% of total deaths in the state and have reduced the life expectancy at birth by 0.8 years, from 73.2 years in the pre-COVID-19 period to 72.4 years by the end of 2020. If COVID-19 attributable deaths increase to 10% of total deaths, life expectancy at birth will likely reduce by 1.4 years. The probability of death in 20-64 years of age (the prime working-age group) has increased from 0.15 to 0.16 due to COVID-19. There has been 1.06 million additional loss of years (YPLL) in the state, and DALY due to COVID-19 has been estimated to be 6 per thousand. CONCLUSION COVID-19 has increased premature mortality, YPLL, and DALY and has reduced life expectancy at every age in Maharashtra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guru Vasishtha
- International Institute for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400088 India
| | - Sanjay K. Mohanty
- Department of Fertility Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
| | - Udaya S. Mishra
- Centre for Development Studies, Prashant Nagar, Medical College P.O, Ullor Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala India
| | - Manisha Dubey
- Centre for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India
| | - Umakanta Sahoo
- International Institute for Population Sciences, Govandi Station Road, Deonar, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400088 India
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Gutierrez B, Márquez S, Prado-Vivar B, Becerra-Wong M, Guadalupe JJ, da Silva Candido D, Fernandez-Cadena JC, Morey-Leon G, Armas-Gonzalez R, Andrade-Molina DM, Bruno A, de Mora D, Olmedo M, Portugal D, Gonzalez M, Orlando A, Drexler JF, Moreira-Soto A, Sander AL, Brünink S, Kühne A, Patiño L, Carrazco-Montalvo A, Mestanza O, Zurita J, Sevillano G, du Plessis L, McCrone JT, Coloma J, Trueba G, Barragán V, Rojas-Silva P, Grunauer M, Kraemer MU, Faria NR, Escalera-Zamudio M, Pybus OG, Cárdenas P. Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 transmission lineages in Ecuador. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2021:2021.03.31.21254685. [PMID: 33851177 PMCID: PMC8043474 DOI: 10.1101/2021.03.31.21254685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Characterisation of SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity through space and time can reveal trends in virus importation and domestic circulation, and permit the exploration of questions regarding the early transmission dynamics. Here we present a detailed description of SARS-CoV-2 genomic epidemiology in Ecuador, one of the hardest hit countries during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. We generate and analyse 160 whole genome sequences sampled from all provinces of Ecuador in 2020. Molecular clock and phylgeographic analysis of these sequences in the context of global SARS-CoV-2 diversity enable us to identify and characterise individual transmission lineages within Ecuador, explore their spatiotemporal distributions, and consider their introduction and domestic circulation. Our results reveal a pattern of multiple international importations across the country, with apparent differences between key provinces. Transmission lineages were mostly introduced before the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), with differential degrees of persistence and national dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Gutierrez
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Sully Márquez
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Belén Prado-Vivar
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Mónica Becerra-Wong
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Juan José Guadalupe
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Vegetal, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Juan Carlos Fernandez-Cadena
- Omics Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador
| | - Gabriel Morey-Leon
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Rubén Armas-Gonzalez
- Faculty of Sciences, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Derly Madeleiny Andrade-Molina
- Omics Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo, Samborondón, Ecuador
| | - Alfredo Bruno
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Universidad Agraria del Ecuador
| | - Domenica de Mora
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Maritza Olmedo
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Denisse Portugal
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Manuel Gonzalez
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Alberto Orlando
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andres Moreira-Soto
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Sander
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian Brünink
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arne Kühne
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leandro Patiño
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | | | - Orson Mestanza
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil, Ecuador
| | - Jeannete Zurita
- Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- Unidad de Investigaciones en Biomedicina, Zurita & Zurita Laboratorios, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Gabriela Sevillano
- Unidad de Investigaciones en Biomedicina, Zurita & Zurita Laboratorios, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - John T. McCrone
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josefina Coloma
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Gabriel Trueba
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Verónica Barragán
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Michelle Grunauer
- Escuela de Medicina, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Nuno R. Faria
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, J-IDEA, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Oliver G. Pybus
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College London, London, UK
| | - Paúl Cárdenas
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
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Arias-Reyes C, Carvajal-Rodriguez F, Poma-Machicao L, Aliaga-Raduán F, Marques DA, Zubieta-DeUrioste N, Accinelli RA, Schneider-Gasser EM, Zubieta-Calleja G, Dutschmann M, Soliz J. Decreased incidence, virus transmission capacity, and severity of COVID-19 at altitude on the American continent. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0237294. [PMID: 33780470 PMCID: PMC8006995 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in North, Central, and South America has become the epicenter of the current pandemic. We have suggested previously that the infection rate of this virus might be lower in people living at high altitude (over 2,500 m) compared to that in the lowlands. Based on data from official sources, we performed a new epidemiological analysis of the development of the pandemic in 23 countries on the American continent as of May 23, 2020. Our results confirm our previous finding, further showing that the incidence of COVID-19 on the American continent decreases significantly starting at 1,000 m above sea level (masl). Moreover, epidemiological modeling indicates that the virus transmission rate is lower in the highlands (>1,000 masl) than in the lowlands (<1,000 masl). Finally, evaluating the differences in the recovery percentage of patients, the death-to-case ratio, and the theoretical fraction of undiagnosed cases, we found that the severity of COVID-19 is also decreased above 1,000 m. We conclude that the impact of the COVID-19 decreases significantly with altitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Arias-Reyes
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Institute Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Québec, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Favio Carvajal-Rodriguez
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Institute Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Québec, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Liliana Poma-Machicao
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Institute Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Québec, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Fernanda Aliaga-Raduán
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Institute Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Québec, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Danuzia A. Marques
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Institute Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Québec, Quebec City, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Mathias Dutschmann
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jorge Soliz
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Institute Universitaire de Cardiologie et de Pneumologie de Québec (IUCPQ), Québec, Quebec City, Canada
- High Altitude Pulmonary and Pathology Institute (HAPPI-IPPA), La Paz, Bolivia
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Lincango-Naranjo E, Espinoza-Suarez N, Solis-Pazmino P, Vinueza-Moreano P, Rodriguez-Villafuerte S, Lincango-Naranjo J, Barberis-Barcia G, Ruiz-Sosa C, Rojas-Velasco G, Gravholt D, Golembiewski E, Soto-Becerra P, Khan M, Ortiz-Prado E. Paradigms about the COVID-19 pandemic: knowledge, attitudes and practices from medical students. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2021; 21:128. [PMID: 33627116 PMCID: PMC7903404 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-021-02559-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND As the disease caused by the novel coronavirus has spread globally, there has been significant economic instability in the healthcare systems. This reality was especially accentuated in Ecuador where, the shortage of healthcare workers combined with cultural and macroeconomic factors has led Ecuador to face the most aggressive outbreak in Latin America. In this context, the participation of final-year medical students on the front line is indispensable. Appropriate training on COVID-19 is an urgent requirement that universities and health systems must guarantee. We aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Ecuadorian final-year medical students that could potentially guide the design of better medical education curricula regarding COVID-19. METHODS This was a cross-sectional 33-item online survey conducted between April 6 to April 2020 assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and prognosis toward COVID-19 in Ecuadorian final-year medical students. It was sent by email, Facebook, and WhatsApp. RESULTS A total of 309 students responded to the survey. Out of which 88% of students scored high (≥ 70% correct) for knowledge of the disease. The majority of students were pessimistic about possible government actions, which is reflected in the negative attitude towards the control of COVID-19 and volunteering during the outbreak in Ecuador (77%, and 58% of the students, respectively). Moreover, 91% of students said they did not have adequate protective equipment. The latter finding was significantly associated with negative attitudes. CONCLUSIONS Although a large number of students displayed negative attitudes, the non-depreciable percentage of students who were willing to volunteer and the coexisting high level of knowledge displayed by students, suggests that Ecuador has a capable upcoming workforce that could benefit from an opportunity to strengthen, improve and advance their training in preparation for COVID-19. Not having personal protective equipment was significantly associated to negative attitudes. Providing the necessary tools and creating a national curriculum may be one of the most effective ways to ensure all students are trained, whilst simultaneously focusing on the students' most pressing concerns. With this additional training, negative attitudes will improve and students will be better qualified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eddy Lincango-Naranjo
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Paola Solis-Pazmino
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Santiago Rodriguez-Villafuerte
- Facultad de Medicina, Programa de Pós-graduação em Hepatología, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Hospital Vozandes Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | | | - Carlos Ruiz-Sosa
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Giovanni Rojas-Velasco
- Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Derek Gravholt
- Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | | | | | - Maryam Khan
- Centro de Excelencia en Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales de Salud, Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Lima, Peru
| | - Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.
- OneHealth Global Research Group, Universidad de las Americas, Ecuador Calle de los Colimes y Avenida De los Granados, 170137, Quito, Ecuador.
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Ortiz-Prado E, Henriquez-Trujillo AR, Rivera-Olivero IA, Freire-Paspuel B, Vallejo-Janeta AP, Lozada T, Garcia-Bereguiain MA. Massive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Testing on Rural Communities in Manabi Province (Ecuador) Reveals Severe COVID-19 Outbreaks. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021; 104:1493-1494. [PMID: 33556041 PMCID: PMC8045655 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-1208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rural communities from Latin America are particularly susceptible to develop serious outbreaks of infectious diseases. Inadequate diagnosis and poor health infrastructure jeopardize proper contact tracing and other actions to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in the region. We herein describe the preliminary data of our ongoing fieldwork of massive testing among nonhospitalized rural population in Manabi Province of the coastal region of Ecuador. A total of 1,479 people from six different rural communities were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR following the CDC protocol; 350 individuals tested positive, resulting in an overall attack rate of 23.7% for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This ultrahigh prevalence must urge to the public health authorities from Ecuador to take immediate actions to counteract this dramatic scenario in Manabi Province and to improve SARS-CoV-2 testing countrywide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain
- Address correspondence to Miguel Angel Garcia-Bereguiain, One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Las Américas, Campus Queri, Calle Jose Queri, 100101, Quito, Ecuador. E-mail:
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Fernández-Naranjo RP, Vásconez-González E, Simbaña-Rivera K, Gómez-Barreno L, Izquierdo-Condoy JS, Cevallos-Robalino D, Ortiz-Prado E. Statistical data driven approach of COVID-19 in Ecuador: R 0 and R t estimation via new method. Infect Dis Model 2021; 6:232-243. [PMID: 33506154 PMCID: PMC7811040 DOI: 10.1016/j.idm.2020.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The growth of COVID-19 pandemic throughout more than 213 countries around the world have put a lot of pressures on governments and health services to try to stop the rapid expansion of the pandemic. During 2009, H1N1 Influenza pandemic, statistical and mathematical methods were used to track how the virus spreads around countries. Most of these models that were developed at the beginning of the XXI century are based on the classical susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model developed almost a hundred years ago. The evolution of this model allows us to forecast and compute basic and effective reproduction numbers (R t and R 0 ), measures that quantify the epidemic potential of a pathogen and estimates different scenarios. In this study, we present a traditional estimation technique forR 0 with statistical distributions by best fitting and a Bayesian approach based on continuous feed of prior distributions to obtain posterior distributions and computing real timeR t . We use data from COVID-19 officially reported cases in Ecuador since the first confirmed case on February 29th. Because of the lack of data, in the case ofR 0 we compare two methods for the estimation of these parameters below exponential growth and maximum likelihood estimation. We do not make any assumption about the evolution of cases due to limited information and we use previous methods to compare scenarios aboutR 0 and in the case ofR t we used Bayesian inference to model uncertainty in contagious proposing a new modification to the well-known model of Bettencourt and Ribeiro based on a time window of m days to improve estimations. EcuadorianR 0 with exponential growth criteria was 3.45 and with the maximum likelihood estimation method was 2.93. The results show that Guayas, Pichincha and Manabí were the provinces with the highest number of cases due to COVID-19. Some reasons explain the increased transmissibility in these localities: massive events, population density, cities dispersion patterns, and the delayed time of public health actions to contain pandemic. In conclusion, this is a novel approach that allow us to measure infection dynamics and outbreak distribution when not enough detailed data is available. The use of this model can be used to predict pandemic distribution and to implement data-based effective measures.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Lenin Gómez-Barreno
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | | | - Esteban Ortiz-Prado
- One Health Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de las Americas, Quito, Ecuador
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Siba S, Anjana NN, Annie T, Meenu M, Chintha S, Anish TN. Manifestations and risk factors of post COVID syndrome among COVID-19 patients presented with minimal symptoms – A study from Kerala, India. J Family Med Prim Care 2021; 10:4023-4029. [PMID: 35136762 PMCID: PMC8797119 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_851_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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Gutierrez B, Márquez S, Prado-Vivar B, Becerra-Wong M, Guadalupe JJ, Candido DDS, Fernandez-Cadena JC, Morey-Leon G, Armas-Gonzalez R, Andrade-Molina DM, Bruno A, De Mora D, Olmedo M, Portugal D, Gonzalez M, Orlando A, Drexler JF, Moreira-Soto A, Sander AL, Brünink S, Kühne A, Patiño L, Carrazco-Montalvo A, Mestanza O, Zurita J, Sevillano G, Du Plessis L, McCrone JT, Coloma J, Trueba G, Barragán V, Rojas-Silva P, Grunauer M, Kraemer MUG, Faria NR, Escalera-Zamudio M, Pybus OG, Cárdenas P. Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 transmission lineages in Ecuador. Virus Evol 2021; 7:veab051. [PMID: 34527281 PMCID: PMC8244811 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veab051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterisation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic diversity through space and time can reveal trends in virus importation and domestic circulation and permit the exploration of questions regarding the early transmission dynamics. Here, we present a detailed description of SARS-CoV-2 genomic epidemiology in Ecuador, one of the hardest hit countries during the early stages of the coronavirus-19 pandemic. We generated and analysed 160 whole genome sequences sampled from all provinces of Ecuador in 2020. Molecular clock and phylogeographic analysis of these sequences in the context of global SARS-CoV-2 diversity enable us to identify and characterise individual transmission lineages within Ecuador, explore their spatiotemporal distributions, and consider their introduction and domestic circulation. Our results reveal a pattern of multiple international importations across the country, with apparent differences between key provinces. Transmission lineages were mostly introduced before the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions, with differential degrees of persistence and national dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Gutierrez
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Sully Márquez
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Belén Prado-Vivar
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Mónica Becerra-Wong
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Juan José Guadalupe
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Vegetal, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | | | - Juan Carlos Fernandez-Cadena
- Omics Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo, Samborondón 092301, Ecuador
| | - Gabriel Morey-Leon
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil 090613, Ecuador
| | - Rubén Armas-Gonzalez
- Faculty of Sciences, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil 090112, Ecuador
| | - Derly Madeleiny Andrade-Molina
- Omics Sciences Laboratory, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo, Samborondón 092301, Ecuador
| | - Alfredo Bruno
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil 3961, Ecuador
| | - Domenica De Mora
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil 3961, Ecuador
| | - Maritza Olmedo
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil 3961, Ecuador
| | - Denisse Portugal
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil 3961, Ecuador
| | - Manuel Gonzalez
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil 3961, Ecuador
| | - Alberto Orlando
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil 3961, Ecuador
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Andres Moreira-Soto
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Anna-Lena Sander
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Sebastian Brünink
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Arne Kühne
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Leandro Patiño
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública, Guayaquil 3961, Ecuador
| | | | - Orson Mestanza
- Servicio de Genética, Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño San Borja, Lima 15037, Perú
| | - Jeannete Zurita
- Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito 170143, Ecuador
| | - Gabriela Sevillano
- Unidad de Investigaciones en Biomedicina, Zurita & Zurita Laboratorios, Quito 170104, Ecuador
| | - Louis Du Plessis
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3SY, UK
| | - John T McCrone
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK
| | - Josefina Coloma
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley CA 94704, USA
| | - Gabriel Trueba
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Verónica Barragán
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Patricio Rojas-Silva
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Michelle Grunauer
- Escuela de Medicina, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Moritz U G Kraemer
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Nuno R Faria
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3SY, UK
| | | | - Oliver G Pybus
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Paúl Cárdenas
- Instituto de Microbiología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito 170901, Ecuador
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