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Balakrishnan KN, Yew CW, Chong ETJ, Daim S, Mohamad NE, Rodrigues K, Lee PC. Timeline of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Sabah, Malaysia: Tracking the Molecular Evolution. Pathogens 2023; 12:1047. [PMID: 37624007 PMCID: PMC10459040 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12081047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented public health challenge in Malaysia. The impact of COVID-19 varies between countries, including geographically divided states within a country. The deadly transmission of COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll in Sabah, Malaysia's third most populous state, contributing nearly 10% to the recorded national death toll as of 31 December 2022. Although several SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences have been analysed in Malaysia, molecular epidemiology data from Sabah focusing on the diversity and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants are still lacking. This study examines the major SARS-CoV-2 variants and emerging mutations from Sabah, the Malaysian Borneo, which is geographically divided from West Malaysia by the South China Sea. METHODS A total of 583 COVID-19 samples were subjected to whole genome sequencing and analysed with an additional 1123 Sabah COVID-19 sequences retrieved from the GISAID EpiCoV consortium. Nextclade and Pangolin were used to classify these sequences according to the clades and lineages. To determine the molecular evolutionary characteristics, Bayesian time-scaled phylogenetic analysis employing the maximum likelihood algorithm was performed on selected SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, using the Wuhan-Hu-1 sequence as a reference. RESULTS Sabah was affected starting from the second COVID-19 wave in Malaysia, and the early sequences were classified under the O clade. The clade was gradually replaced during subsequent waves by G, GH, GK and GRA, with the latter being dominant as of December 2022. Phylogenetically, the Delta isolates in this study belong to the three main subclades 21A, 21J and 21I, while Omicron isolates belong to 21M, 21L and 22B. The time-scaled phylogeny suggested that SARS-CoV-2 introduced into Sabah originated from Peninsular Malaysia in early March 2020, and phylodynamic analysis indicated that increased viral spread was observed in early March and declined in late April, followed by an evolutionary stationary phase in June 2020. CONCLUSION Continuous molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Sabah will provide a deeper understanding of the emergence and dominance of each variant in the locality, thus facilitating public health intervention measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishnan Nair Balakrishnan
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; (K.N.B.); (C.W.Y.); (E.T.J.C.); (N.E.M.); (K.R.)
| | - Chee Wei Yew
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; (K.N.B.); (C.W.Y.); (E.T.J.C.); (N.E.M.); (K.R.)
| | - Eric Tzyy Jiann Chong
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; (K.N.B.); (C.W.Y.); (E.T.J.C.); (N.E.M.); (K.R.)
| | - Sylvia Daim
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia;
| | - Nurul Elyani Mohamad
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; (K.N.B.); (C.W.Y.); (E.T.J.C.); (N.E.M.); (K.R.)
| | - Kenneth Rodrigues
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; (K.N.B.); (C.W.Y.); (E.T.J.C.); (N.E.M.); (K.R.)
| | - Ping-Chin Lee
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; (K.N.B.); (C.W.Y.); (E.T.J.C.); (N.E.M.); (K.R.)
- Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia
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Wu Q, Chan SCL, Lee TTL, So KWL, Tsui OWK, Kuo YH, Rainer TH, Wai AKC. Evaluating the Patient Boarding during Omicron Surge in Hong Kong: Time Series Analysis. J Med Syst 2023; 47:76. [PMID: 37462766 DOI: 10.1007/s10916-023-01964-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
The fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in Hong Kong (HK) from January to March 2022 has the highest confirmed cases and deaths compared with previous waves. Severe hospital boarding (to inpatient wards) was noted in various Emergency Departments (EDs). Our objective is to identify factors associated with hospital boarding during Omicron surge in HK. We conducted a retrospective cohort study including all ED visits and inpatient (IP) ward admissions from January 1st to March 31st, 2022. Vector Autoregression model evaluated the effects of a single variable on the targeted hospital boarding variables. Admissions from elderly homes with 6 lag days held the highest positive value of statistical significance (t-stat = 2.827, P < .05) caused prolonged admission waiting time, while medical patients with 4 lag days had the highest statistical significance (t-stat = 2.530, P < .05) caused an increased number of boarding patients. Within one week after impulses, medical occupancy's influence on the waiting time varied from 0.289 on the 1st day to -0.315 on the 7th day. While occupancy of medical wards always positively affected blocked number of patients, and its response was maximized at 0.309 on the 2nd day. Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was not the sole significant contributor, while occupancy of medical wards was still a critical factor associated with patient boarding. Increasing ward capacity and controlling occupancy were suggested during the outbreak. Moreover, streamlining elderly patients in ED could be an approach to relieve pressure on the healthcare system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihao Wu
- Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Teddy Tai-Loy Lee
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kevin Wang-Leong So
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Omar Wai-Kiu Tsui
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yong-Hong Kuo
- Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- HKU Musketeers Foundation Institute of Data Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Timothy Hudson Rainer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Accident & Emergency Department, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China
| | - Abraham Ka-Chung Wai
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Accident & Emergency Department, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
- Accident & Emergency Department, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
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Kurogi K, Ikegami K, Ando H, Hino A, Tsuji M, Igarashi Y, Nagata T, Muramatsu K, Fujino Y. Evaluation of workplace infection prevention and control measures for COVID-19: A prospective cohort study in Japan. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15996. [PMID: 37163163 PMCID: PMC10156382 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Encouraging the implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures has been necessary to prevent workplace infections caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the effectiveness of these measures in reducing infections has not been thoroughly evaluated. We evaluated employees' COVID-19 infection rates in relation to the implementation of IPC measures at their workplaces to identify effective workplace measures. Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted between December 2020 and December 2021 using Internet-based self-assessment questionnaires, with 11,982 participants included from the baseline. To estimate whether implementing workplace IPC measures was associated with COVID-19 incidence rates among participants, we estimated multivariate-adjusted relative risk (RR) using a log-binomial model. Results After adjusting for sex, age, education, household members, occupation-related factors, and personal preventive behaviors, requesting ill employees to refrain from going to work showed significantly lower COVID-19 infection rates than not requesting it (RR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34-0.91, p = 0.019). Conclusions Employees restricted from reporting to work when ill had significantly lower COVID-19 infection rates than those who did not follow this measure. The results indicated that not coming to work when ill was effective in reducing COVID-19 infections at the workplace. We suggest that companies proactively adopt this policy and encourage their employees to comply with it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazushirou Kurogi
- Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Kazunori Ikegami
- Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Hajime Ando
- Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Ayako Hino
- Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Mayumi Tsuji
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Yu Igarashi
- Disaster Occupational Health Center, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Tomohisa Nagata
- Department of Occupational Health Practice and Management, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Keiji Muramatsu
- Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Fujino
- Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1, Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu-shi, Fukuoka, 807-8555, Japan
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Lee SH, Lee KT. The impact of pandemic-related stress on attentional bias and anxiety in alexithymia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6327. [PMID: 37072486 PMCID: PMC10112327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33326-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic had negative consequences for mental health, yet it is unknown how and to what extent the psychological outcomes of this stressful event are moderated by individual traits. Alexithymia is a risk factor for psychopathology, and thus likely predicted individual differences in resilience or vulnerability to stressful events during the pandemic. This study explored the moderating role of alexithymia in the relationships of pandemic-related stress with anxiety levels and attentional bias. The participants were 103 Taiwanese individuals who completed a survey during the outbreak of the Omicron wave. Additionally, an emotional Stroop task including pandemic-related or neutral stimuli was used to measure attentional bias. Our results demonstrate that pandemic-related stress had a lesser impact on anxiety in individuals with a higher level of alexithymia. Moreover, we found that in individuals with higher exposure to pandemic-related stressors, a higher level of alexithymia indicated less attentional bias toward COVID-19-related information. Thus, it is plausible that individuals with alexithymia tended to avoid pandemic-related information, which could temporarily relieve stressors during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Hui Lee
- Center for General Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
| | - Kuan-Te Lee
- Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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Iqbal P, Ata F, Chaudhry H, Muthanna B, Waqas Younas H, Munamm SAU, Sharma R, Fadah K, Elazzazy S, Hamad A, Said Abu Tabar O, Omar NE. Post-COVID-19-associated multiorgan complications or "long COVID" with literature review and management strategy discussion: A meta-analysis. Health Sci Rep 2023; 6:e1211. [PMID: 37064319 PMCID: PMC10103688 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To investigate the post-COVID-19 long-term complications or long COVID of various organ systems in patients after 3 months of the infection, specifically before the Omicron variant, with comparative literature analysis. Methods A systemic literature search and meta-analysis were conducted using multiple electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane library) with predefined search terms to identify eligible articles. Eligible studies reported long-term complications of COVID-19 infection before the Omicron variant infection. Case reports, case series, observational studies with cross-sectional or prospective research design, case-control studies, and experimental studies that reported post-COVID-19 complications were included. The complications reported after 3 months after the recovery from COVID-19 infection were included in the study. Results The total number of studies available for analysis was 34. The effect size (ES) for neurological complications was 29% with 95% confidence interval (CI): 19%-39%. ES for psychiatric complications was 24% with 95% CI: 7%-41%. ES was 9% for cardiac outcomes, with a 95% CI of 1%-18%. ES was 22%, 95% CI: 5%-39% for the gastrointestinal outcome. ES for musculoskeletal symptoms was 18% with 95% CI: 9%-28%. ES for pulmonary complications was 28% with 95% CI: 18%-37%. ES for dermatological complications was 25%, with a 95% CI of 23%-26%. ES for endocrine outcomes was 8%, with a 95% CI of 8%-9%. ES size for renal outcomes was 3% with a 95% CI of 1%-7%. At the same time, other miscellaneous uncategorized outcomes had ES of 39% with 95% CI of 21%-57%. Apart from analyzing COVID-19 systemic complications outcomes, the ES for hospitalization and intensive care unit admissions were found to be 4%, 95% CI: 0%-7%, and 11% with 95% CI: 8%-14%. Conclusion By acquiring the data and statistically analyzing the post-COVID-19 complications during the prevalence of most virulent strains, this study has generated a different way of understanding COVID-19 and its complications for better community health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phool Iqbal
- Department of Internal MedicineNew York Medical College/Metropolitan Hospital CenterNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Fateen Ata
- Department of EndocrinologyHamad Medical CorporationDohaQatar
| | - Hassan Chaudhry
- Department of Respiratory MedicineUniversity Hospital of LeicesterLeicesterUK
| | - Bassam Muthanna
- Department of GeriatricsUniversity of Illinois at ChicagoChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | | | - Syed Ata ul Munamm
- Department of Public HealthHealth Services Academy IslamabadIslamabadPakistan
| | - Rohit Sharma
- Department of Internal MedicineGeisinger Health SystemDanvillePennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Kahtan Fadah
- Department of Internal MedicineTexas Tech University Health Sciences Center El PasoLubbockTexasUSA
| | - Shereen Elazzazy
- Pharmacy DepartmentNational Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Hamad Medical CorporationDohaQatar
| | - Anas Hamad
- Department of Clinical PharmacologyNational Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Hamad Medical CorporationDohaQatar
| | - Osama Said Abu Tabar
- Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of MedicineCase Western Reserve UniversityAbu DhabiUAE
| | - Nabil E. Omar
- Pharmacy DepartmentNational Centre for Cancer Care and Research, Hamad Medical CorporationDohaQatar
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SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant: A Challenge with COVID-19. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:diagnostics13030559. [PMID: 36766664 PMCID: PMC9913917 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13030559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there have been multiple peaks of the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus virus 2) infection, mainly due to the emergence of new variants, each with a new set of mutations in the viral genome, which have led to changes in the pathogenicity, transmissibility, and morbidity. The Omicron variant is the most recent variant of concern (VOC) to emerge and was recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 26 November 2021. The Omicron lineage is phylogenetically distinct from earlier variants, including the previously dominant Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, rapid antigen assays, and chest computed tomography (CT) scans can help diagnose the Omicron variant. Furthermore, many agents are expected to have therapeutic benefits for those infected with the Omicron variant, including TriSb92, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir, and their combination, corticosteroids, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor blockers. Despite being milder than previous variants, the Omicron variant threatens many lives, particularly among the unvaccinated, due to its higher transmissibility, pathogenicity, and infectivity. Mounting evidence has reported the most common clinical manifestations of the Omicron variant to be fever, runny nose, sore throat, severe headache, and fatigue. This review summarizes the essential features of the Omicron variant, including its history, genome, transmissibility, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, management, and the effectiveness of existing vaccines against this VOC.
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Dhama K, Nainu F, Frediansyah A, Yatoo MI, Mohapatra RK, Chakraborty S, Zhou H, Islam MR, Mamada SS, Kusuma HI, Rabaan AA, Alhumaid S, Mutair AA, Iqhrammullah M, Al-Tawfiq JA, Mohaini MA, Alsalman AJ, Tuli HS, Chakraborty C, Harapan H. Global emerging Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2: Impacts, challenges and strategies. J Infect Public Health 2023; 16:4-14. [PMID: 36446204 PMCID: PMC9675435 DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2022.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 109.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Revised: 11/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Newly emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are continuously posing high global public health concerns and panic resulting in waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Depending on the extent of genomic variations, mutations and adaptation, few of the variants gain the ability to spread quickly across many countries, acquire higher virulency and ability to cause severe disease, morbidity and mortality. These variants have been implicated in lessening the efficacy of the current COVID-19 vaccines and immunotherapies resulting in break-through viral infections in vaccinated individuals and recovered patients. Altogether, these could hinder the protective herd immunity to be achieved through the ongoing progressive COVID-19 vaccination. Currently, the only variant of interest of SARS-CoV-2 is Omicron that was first identified in South Africa. In this review, we present the overview on the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants with a special focus on the Omicron variant, its lineages and hybrid variants. We discuss the hypotheses of the origin, genetic change and underlying molecular mechanism behind higher transmissibility and immune escape of Omicron variant. Major concerns related to Omicron including the efficacy of the current available immunotherapeutics and vaccines, transmissibility, disease severity, and mortality are discussed. In the last part, challenges and strategies to counter Omicron variant, its lineages and hybrid variants amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuldeep Dhama
- Division of Pathology, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly 243122, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Firzan Nainu
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia
| | - Andri Frediansyah
- Research Division for Natural Product Technology (BPTBA), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta 55861, Indonesia
| | - Mohd Iqbal Yatoo
- Division of Veterinary Clinical Complex, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry Shuhama, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 190006, India
| | - Ranjan K Mohapatra
- Department of Chemistry, Government College of Engineering, Keonjhar 758002, Odisha, India
| | - Sandip Chakraborty
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, R.K. Nagar, West Tripura, Tripura, India
| | - Hao Zhou
- College of Medical Technology, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China; Department of Microbiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA
| | - Md Rabiul Islam
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Asia Pacific, 74/A Green Road, Farmgate, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh
| | - Sukamto S Mamada
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hasanuddin University, Makassar 90245, Indonesia
| | - Hendrix Indra Kusuma
- Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh 23111, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia; Biology Education Department, Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry, Jl. Syeikh Abdur Rauf, Kopelma Darussalaml, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia
| | - Ali A Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia; College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia; Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22610, Pakistan
| | - Saad Alhumaid
- Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Al-Ahsa Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abbas Al Mutair
- Research Center, Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Al-Ahsa 36342, Saudi Arabia; College of Nursing, Prince Nora University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia; School of Nursing, Wollongong University, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; Nursing Department, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran 33048, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Iqhrammullah
- Graduate School of Mathematics and Applied Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia
| | - Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq
- Specialty Internal Medicine and Quality Department, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mohammed Al Mohaini
- Basic Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia; King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulkhaliq J Alsalman
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha 91911, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hardeep Singh Tuli
- Department of Biotechnology, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana, Ambala 133207, Haryana, India
| | - Chiranjib Chakraborty
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Adamas University, Barasat-Barrackpore Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700126, India
| | - Harapan Harapan
- Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh 23111, Indonesia; Tropical Diseases Centre, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh 23111, Indonesia; Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh 23111, Indonesia.
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Hilal W, Chislett MG, Snider B, McBean EA, Yawney J, Gadsden SA. Use of AI to assess COVID-19 variant impacts on hospitalization, ICU, and death. Front Artif Intell 2022; 5:927203. [DOI: 10.3389/frai.2022.927203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid spread of COVID-19 and its variants have devastated communities worldwide, and as the highly transmissible Omicron variant becomes the dominant strain of the virus in late 2021, the need to characterize and understand the difference between the new variant and its predecessors has been an increasing priority for public health authorities. Artificial Intelligence has played a significant role in the analysis of various facets of COVID-19 since the early stages of the pandemic. This study proposes the use of AI, specifically an XGBoost model, to quantify the impact of various medical risk factors (or “population features”) on the possibility of a patient outcome resulting in hospitalization, ICU admission, or death. The results are compared between the Delta and Omicron COVID-19 variants. Results indicated that older age and an unvaccinated patient status most consistently correspond as the most significant population features contributing to all three scenarios (hospitalization, ICU, death). The top 15 features for each variant-outcome scenario were determined, which most frequently included diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and complications of pneumonia as highly significant population features contributing to serious illness outcomes. The Delta/Hospitalization model returned the highest performance metric scores for the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC), F1, and Recall, while Omicron/ICU and Omicron/Hospitalization had the highest accuracy and precision values, respectively. The recall was found to be above 0.60 in most cases (with only two exceptions), indicating that the total number of false positives was generally minimized (accounting for more of the people who would theoretically require medical care).
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Freire-Neto FP, Teixeira DG, da Cunha DCS, Morais IC, Tavares CPM, Gurgel GP, Medeiros SDN, dos Santos DC, Sales ADO, Jeronimo SMB. SARS-CoV-2 reinfections with BA.1 (Omicron) variant among fully vaccinated individuals in northeastern Brazil. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010337. [PMID: 36191040 PMCID: PMC9560550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The first case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil, was diagnosed on March 12, 2020; thereafter, multiple surges of infection occurred, similar to what was seen elsewhere. These surges were mostly due to SARS-CoV-2 mutations leading to emergence of variants of concern (VoC). The introduction of new VoCs in a population previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or after vaccination has been a challenge to understanding the kinetics of the protective immune response against this virus. The aim of this study was to investigate the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections observed in mid-January 2022 in Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil. It describes the clinical and genomic characteristics of nine cases of reinfection that occurred coincident with the introduction of the omicron variant. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Of a total of 172,965 individuals with upper respiratory symptoms tested for SARS-CoV-2, between March 2020 through mid-February 2022, 58,097 tested positive. Of those, 444 had documented a second SARS-CoV-2 infection and nine reinfection cases were selected for sequencing. Genomic analysis revealed that virus lineages diverged between primary infections and the reinfections, with the latter caused by the Omicron (BA.1) variant among individuals fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that the Omicron variant is able to evade both natural and vaccine-induced immunity, since all nine cases had prior natural infection and, in addition, were fully vaccinated, emphasizing the need to develop effective blocking vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco P. Freire-Neto
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Departmento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Getúlio Sales Diagnósticos, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Diego G. Teixeira
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Dayse C. S. da Cunha
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Ingryd C. Morais
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Celisa P. M. Tavares
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | | | | | - David C. dos Santos
- Instituto Metrópole Digital, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | | | - Selma M. B. Jeronimo
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Departmento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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10
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Freire-Neto FP, Teixeira DG, da Cunha DCS, Morais IC, Tavares CPM, Gurgel GP, Medeiros SDN, Santos DCD, Sales ADO, Jeronimo SMB. SARS-CoV-2 reinfections with BA.1 (Omicron) variant among fully vaccinated individuals in northeastern Brazil. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010337. [PMID: 36191040 DOI: 10.1101/2022.04.08.22272726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The first case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil, was diagnosed on March 12, 2020; thereafter, multiple surges of infection occurred, similar to what was seen elsewhere. These surges were mostly due to SARS-CoV-2 mutations leading to emergence of variants of concern (VoC). The introduction of new VoCs in a population previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or after vaccination has been a challenge to understanding the kinetics of the protective immune response against this virus. The aim of this study was to investigate the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections observed in mid-January 2022 in Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil. It describes the clinical and genomic characteristics of nine cases of reinfection that occurred coincident with the introduction of the omicron variant. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Of a total of 172,965 individuals with upper respiratory symptoms tested for SARS-CoV-2, between March 2020 through mid-February 2022, 58,097 tested positive. Of those, 444 had documented a second SARS-CoV-2 infection and nine reinfection cases were selected for sequencing. Genomic analysis revealed that virus lineages diverged between primary infections and the reinfections, with the latter caused by the Omicron (BA.1) variant among individuals fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that the Omicron variant is able to evade both natural and vaccine-induced immunity, since all nine cases had prior natural infection and, in addition, were fully vaccinated, emphasizing the need to develop effective blocking vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco P Freire-Neto
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Departmento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Getúlio Sales Diagnósticos, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Diego G Teixeira
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Dayse C S da Cunha
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Ingryd C Morais
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Celisa P M Tavares
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | | | | | - David C Dos Santos
- Instituto Metrópole Digital, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | | | - Selma M B Jeronimo
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical do Rio Grande do Norte, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Departmento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
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11
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Yu CY, Wong SY, Liew NWC, Joseph N, Zakaria Z, Nurulfiza I, Soe HJ, Kairon R, Amin-Nordin S, Chee HY. Whole genome sequencing analysis of SARS-CoV-2 from Malaysia: From alpha to Omicron. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:1001022. [PMID: 36213636 PMCID: PMC9537942 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1001022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Countries around the world are gearing for the transition of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from pandemic to endemic phase but the emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants could lead to a prolonged pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 has continued to evolve as it optimizes its adaptation to the human host and the successive waves of COVID-19 have been linked to the explosion of particular variant of concern. As the genetic diversity and epidemiological landscape of SARS-CoV-2 differ from country to country, this study aims to provide insights into the variants that are circulating in Malaysia. Whole genome sequencing was performed for 204 SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 cases and an additional 18,667 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were retrieved from the GISAID EpiCoV database for clade, lineage and genetic variation analyses. Complete genome sequences with high coverage were then used for phylogeny investigation and the resulting phylogenetic tree was constructed from 8,716 sequences. We found that the different waves of COVID-19 in Malaysia were dominated by different clades with the L and O clade for first and second wave, respectively, whereas the progressive replacement by G, GH, and GK of the GRA clade were observed in the subsequence waves. Continuous monitoring of the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 is important to identify the emergence and dominance of new variant in different locality so that the appropriate countermeasures can be taken to effectively contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choo Yee Yu
- Laboratory of Vaccine and Biomolecules, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Sie Yeng Wong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Nancy Woan Charn Liew
- Laboratory of Vaccine and Biomolecules, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Narcisse Joseph
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Zunita Zakaria
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
- Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Isa Nurulfiza
- Laboratory of Vaccine and Biomolecules, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Syafinaz Amin-Nordin
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Hui Yee Chee
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
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12
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He Y, Yu W, Shen L, Yan W, Xiao L, Qi J, Hu T. A SARS-CoV-2 vaccine based on conjugation of SARS-CoV-2 RBD with IC28 peptide and mannan. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 222:661-670. [PMID: 36152702 PMCID: PMC9490959 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.09.180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is a particularly transmissible virus that causes a severe respiratory disease known as COVID-19. Safe and effective vaccines are urgently needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein elicits most neutralizing antibodies during viral infection and is an ideal antigen for vaccine development. In particular, RBD expressed by E. coli is amenable to low cost and high-yield manufacturability. The adjuvant is necessitated to improve the immunogenicity of RBD. IC28, a TLR5-dependent adjuvant, is a peptide from bacterial flagellin. Mannan is a ligand of TLR-4 or TLR-2 and a polysaccharide adjuvant. Here, IC28 and mannan were both covalently conjugated with RBD from E. coli. The conjugate (RBD-IC28-M) elicited high RBD-specific IgG titers, and a neutralization antibody titer of 201.4. It induced high levels of Th1-type cytokines (IFN-γ) and Th2-type cytokines (IL-5 and IL-10), along with high antigenicity and no apparent toxicity to the organs. The mouse sera of the RBD-IC28-M group competitively interfered with the interaction of RBD and ACE2. Thus, conjugation with IC28 and mannan additively enhanced the humoral and cellular immunity. Our study was expected to provide the feasibility to develop an affordable, easily scalable, effective vaccine SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxia He
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Weili Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lijuan Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Wenying Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Lucheng Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jinming Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| | - Tao Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
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13
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Chu DT, Thi HV, Al-Tawfiq JA, Memish ZA. Children orphaned by COVID-19: A grim picture and the need of urgent actions. Travel Med Infect Dis 2022; 50:102446. [PMID: 36064076 PMCID: PMC9439863 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2022.102446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The COVID-19 had caused as a global pandemic and resulted in enormous burdens. In addition, faced with the proliferation of SARS-CoV 2 variant strains, this pandemic is continuing unremitting. The world seemed to focus primarily on middle-aged and elderly deaths, however the interest of the impact of COVID-19 on children is limited. Scientists have estimated that orphanhood and caregiver death related to COVID-19 had increased twice in the last six months compared with the first 14 months of the pandemic. Orphans face directly the health consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinh-Toi Chu
- Center for Biomedicine and Community Health, International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Hue Vu Thi
- Center for Biomedicine and Community Health, International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq
- Infectious Disease Unit, Specialty Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA; Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ziad A Memish
- Director Research and Innovation Centre, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health and College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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14
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Al-Tawfiq JA, Chu DT, Hoang VT, Memish ZA. From Pandemicity to Endemicity: The Journey of SARS-CoV-2. J Epidemiol Glob Health 2022; 12:147-149. [PMID: 35704175 PMCID: PMC9198624 DOI: 10.1007/s44197-022-00046-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq
- Infectious Disease Unit, Specialty Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dinh-Toi Chu
- Center for Biomedicine and Community Health, International School, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Van-Thuan Hoang
- Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Thai Binh, Vietnam
| | - Ziad A Memish
- Director Research and Innovation Centre, King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health and College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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15
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In-Person Schooling Amidst Children’s COVID-19 Vaccination: Exploring Parental Perceptions Just after Omicron Variant Announcement. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10050768. [PMID: 35632524 PMCID: PMC9147905 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10050768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron spread fast globally and became the predominant variant in many countries. Resumption of public regular life activities, including in-person schooling, presented parents with new sources of worry. Thus, it is important to study parental worry about the Omicron variant, willingness to vaccinate their children, and knowledge about school-based COVID-19 precautionary measures. Methods: A national, cross-sectional, pilot-validated online questionnaire targeting parents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was distributed between 31 December 2021, and 7 January 2022. The survey included sociodemographic, COVID-19 infection data, parental and children vaccination status, attitudes towards booster vaccine, parents’ Omicron-related perceptions and worries, and attitude towards in-person schooling. Results: A total of 1340 participants completed the survey, most (65.3%) of whom were mothers. Of the parents, 96.3% either received two or three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Only 32.1% of the parents were willing to vaccinate their young children (5–11 years of age). In relation to their children 12–18 years of age, 48% had already had them vaccinated, 31% were planning to vaccinate them, and 42.8% were willing to administer a booster dose. Only 16% were more worried about the Omicron variant compared to the Delta variant. Residents of western KSA were more worried about Omicron compared to Delta. Parents worried about the Omicron variant and male participants were significantly less aware of school-based COVID-19 precautionary measures. Parents with post-graduate degrees and those having more children were significantly more inclined to send their children to school even if COVID-19 outbreaks could occur in schools, while parents who were more worried about the Omicron variant and were more committed to infection prevention measures were significantly less inclined to do so. Conclusions: Overall, parents had lower worry levels about the Omicron variant compared to the Delta variant. They had a higher willingness to vaccinate their older children compared to the younger ones. In addition, our cohort of parents showed high willingness to send their children to schools and trusted the school-based preventative measures. These findings can inform policy makers when considering school related decisions during the current or future public health crises.
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Temsah MH, Aljamaan F, Alenezi S, Alhasan K, Alrabiaah A, Assiri R, Bassrawi R, Alhaboob A, Alshahrani F, Alarabi M, Alaraj A, Alharbi NS, Halwani R, Jamal A, Al-Eyadhy A, AbdulMajeed N, Alfarra L, Almashdali W, Fayed A, Alzamil F, Barry M, Memish ZA, Al-Tawfiq JA, Alsubaie S. SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant: Exploring Healthcare Workers' Awareness and Perception of Vaccine Effectiveness: A National Survey During the First Week of WHO Variant Alert. Front Public Health 2022; 10:878159. [PMID: 35400032 PMCID: PMC8989964 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.878159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spreads in several countries, healthcare workers' (HCWs) perceptions and worries regarding vaccine effectiveness and boosters warrant reassessment. Methods An online questionnaire among HCWs in Saudi Arabia (KSA) was distributed from Dec 1st-6th 2021 to assess their perceptions, vaccine advocacy to the Omicron variant, and their perception of the effectiveness of infection prevention measures and vaccination to prevent its spread, their Omicron variant related worries in comparison to the other variants, and their agreement with mandatory vaccination in general for adults. Results Among the 1,285 HCW participants, two-thirds were female, 49.8 % were nurses, 46.4% were physicians, and 50.0% worked in tertiary care hospitals. 66.9% considered vaccination to be the most effective way to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant and future variants. The respondents however perceived social distancing (78.0%), universal masking (77.8%), and avoiding unnecessary travel (71.4%) as slightly superior to vaccination to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants. HCWs aging 55 or older agreed significantly with vaccine ineffectiveness to control Omicron spread, while those who believed in non-pharmacological infection prevention measures agreed significantly with vaccination for that purpose. Male HCWs had a significant agreement with mandatory vaccination of all eligible adult populations. On the other hand, unwilling HCWs to receive the vaccine had strong disagreements with mandatory vaccination. Conclusions The current study in the first week of Omicron showed that only two-thirds of HCWs felt that vaccination was the best option to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant, indicating the need for further motivation campaigns for vaccination and booster dose. HCWs had a strong belief in infection prevention measures to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants that should be encouraged and augmented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad-Hani Temsah
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Prince Abdullah Ben Khaled Celiac Disease Research Chair, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fadi Aljamaan
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Critical Care, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shuliweeh Alenezi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Alhasan
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulkarim Alrabiaah
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rasha Assiri
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rolan Bassrawi
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Alhaboob
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fatimah Alshahrani
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Alarabi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ali Alaraj
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
- Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nasser S. Alharbi
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rabih Halwani
- Sharjah Institute of Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Amr Jamal
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ayman Al-Eyadhy
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naif AbdulMajeed
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Lina Alfarra
- Department of Ob-Gyn, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Mishari Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wafa Almashdali
- Department of Ob-Gyn, Dr. Fatina Imran Medical Complex, Doha, Qatar
| | - Amel Fayed
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fahad Alzamil
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mazin Barry
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ziad A. Memish
- King Saud Medical City, Ministry of Health and Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq
- Department of Specialty Internal Medicine and Quality, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahra, Saudi Arabia
- Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sarah Alsubaie
- College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pediatric, King Saud University Medical City, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Garout MA, Saleh SAK, Adly HM, Abdulkhaliq AA, Khafagy AA, Abdeltawab MR, Rabaan AA, Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Al-Tawfiq JA, Alandiyjany MN. Post-COVID-19 syndrome: assessment of short- and long-term post-recovery symptoms in recovered cases in Saudi Arabia. Infection 2022; 50:1431-1439. [PMID: 35294728 PMCID: PMC8924350 DOI: 10.1007/s15010-022-01788-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Recent studies investigated the endurance of symptoms and occurrence of complications three months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aims to examine the prevalence, variation, and severity of continual symptoms in the post‐COVID-19 using a single-center questionnaire. Methods The questionnaire was distributed among population in Saudi Arabia who recovered from COVID‐19 between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. Results A total of 744 participants completed the questionnaire, 318 (42.8%) recovered less than 3 months, 75 (10.1%) recovered 3–6 months, while 351 (47.2%) recovered more than 6 months. About half of the participants 353 (47.5%) had incessant symptoms and of those patients, more than half had two or more symptoms. Common symptoms included fatigue 189 (25.4%), headache 118 (15.9%), and myalgia 63 (8.5%). Of the participants, 189 (21.4%) experienced continual symptoms including anxiety in 98 (13.2%) and depression in 70 (9.5%). Conclusion The current study showed a high proportion of individuals with long-COVID-19 symptoms. Thus, proper assessment of the individuals in the post-recovery period can guide the patients to the relevant clinics for rehabilitation. Moreover, there is a great importance to decrease COVID-19 infection, populations should be targeted to boost vaccine efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed A Garout
- Community Medicine and Pilgrims Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh A K Saleh
- Biochemisty Department, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.,Oncology Diagnostic Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Heba M Adly
- Community Medicine and Pilgrims Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Altaf A Abdulkhaliq
- Biochemisty Department, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah A Khafagy
- Community Medicine and Pilgrims Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Magda R Abdeltawab
- Medical Microbiology and Immunology Department, Aim Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ali A Rabaan
- Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, 31311, Saudi Arabia.,College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, 11533, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur, 22610, Pakistan
| | - Alfonso J Rodriguez-Morales
- Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, 660003, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.,Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, 4861, Peru.,School of Medicine, Universidad Privada Franz Tamayo (UNIFRANZ), 4780, Cochabamba, Bolivia
| | - Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq
- Specialty Internal Medicine and Quality Department, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. .,Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. .,Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Maher N Alandiyjany
- Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, 21955, Saudi Arabia.,Quality and Development Affair, Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, 21442, Saudi Arabia
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AlMayouf A, AlShahrani D, AlGhain S, AlFaraj S, Bashawri Y, AlFawaz T, AlDosari E, Al-Awdah L, AlShehri M, AlGoraini Y. Clinical Characteristics, Laboratory Findings, Management, and Outcome of Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Children at a Tertiary Care Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Study. Front Pediatr 2022; 10:865441. [PMID: 35592844 PMCID: PMC9110698 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2022.865441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous studies worldwide have reported COVID-19 in children; however, the clinical symptoms and consequences of COVID-19 in children have only been reported in a few studies in Saudi and gulf region. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in children and the therapeutic interventions used. METHODS This retrospective cohort study included 96 patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection aged ≤14 years who were admitted to a tertiary governmental care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between March 2020 and November 2020. Data on children with COVID-19, including demographics, comorbidities, symptoms, imaging and laboratory results, therapies, and clinical outcomes, were analyzed. RESULTS Of 96 children admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, 63.8% were aged ≤ 3 years, 52.1% were male, 56.2% had an unknown source of infection, and 51% had no comorbidities. Most cases had severe infection (71.88%) as they required oxygen, 10.42% of whom were critical. The most common symptoms were respiratory-related (98%), and the common physical sign was fever (49%). High D-dimer (90.7%) and C-reactive protein (72.09%) levels were found in most cases. Oxygen (71.88%) was the most commonly used treatment. Most patients were discharged home and fully recovered (97.92%). We reported two deaths (2.08%). CONCLUSIONS Our findings showed that the majority of the admitted children with COVID-19 were ≤3 years of age (52.1%) and infected with an unknown source (56.2%). Moreover, the majority of the cases had severe COVID-19 infection as they required oxygen (71.88%), although they had favorable outcomes. However, some cases were critical and resulted in death. Future studies will be crucial to better understand the disease spectrum and potential therapeutic options for COVID-19 in children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Salwan AlGhain
- King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarah AlFaraj
- Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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