COVID-19: a wreak havoc across the globe

Pandemic-Proofing: Intercepting Zoonotic Spillover Events

Zoonotic spillover events pose a significant and growing threat to global health. By focusing on preventing these cross-species transmissions, we can significantly mitigate pandemic risks. This review aims to analyze the mechanisms of zoonotic spillover events, identify key risk factors, and propose evidence-based prevention strategies to reduce future pandemic threats. Through a comprehensive literature review and analysis of major databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from 1960-2024, we examined documented spillover events, their outcomes, and intervention strategies. This article emphasizes that targeting the root cause-the spillover event itself-is key to averting future pandemics. By analyzing historical and contemporary outbreaks, we extract crucial insights into the dynamics of zoonotic transmission. Factors underlying these events include increased human-animal contact due to habitat encroachment, agricultural intensification, and wildlife trade. Climate change, global travel, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure exacerbate risks. The diversity of potential viral reservoirs and rapid viral evolution present major challenges for prediction and prevention. Solutions include enhancing surveillance of wildlife populations, improving biosecurity measures, investing in diagnostic capabilities, and promoting sustainable wildlife management. A "One Health" approach integrating human, animal, and environmental health is crucial. Predictive modelling, international cooperation, and public education are key strategies. Developing pre-exposure prophylactics and post-exposure treatments is essential for mitigating outbreaks. While obstacles remain, advances in genomics and ecological modelling offer hope. A proactive, comprehensive approach addressing the root causes of spillover events is vital for safeguarding global health against future pandemics.

Lung Opacity and Coronary Artery Calcium Score: A Combined Tool for Risk Stratification and Outcome Prediction in COVID-19 Patients

PURPOSE

To assess and correlate pulmonary involvement and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia with the degree of coronary plaque burden based on the CAC-DRS classification (Coronary Artery Calcium Data and Reporting System).

METHODS

This retrospective study included 142 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia (58 ± 16 years; 57 women) who underwent non-contrast CT between January 2020 and August 2021 and were followed up for 129 ± 72 days. One experienced blinded radiologist analyzed CT series for the presence and extent of calcified plaque burden according to the visual and quantitative HU-based CAC-DRS Score. Pulmonary involvement was automatically evaluated with a dedicated software prototype by another two experienced radiologists and expressed as Opacity Score.

RESULTS

CAC-DRS Scores derived from visual and quantitative image evaluation correlated well with the Opacity Score (r=0.81, 95% CI 0.76-0.86, and r=0.83, 95% CI 0.77-0.89, respectively; p<0.0001) with higher correlation in severe than in mild stage SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia (p<0.0001). Combined, CAC-DRS and Opacity Scores revealed great potential to discriminate fatal outcomes from a mild course of disease (AUC 0.938, 95% CI 0.89-0.97), and the need for intensive care treatment (AUC 0.801, 95% CI 0.77-0.83). Visual and quantitative CAC-DRS Scores provided independent prognostic information on all-cause mortality (p=0.0016 and p<0.0001, respectively), both in univariate and multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Coronary plaque burden is strongly correlated to pulmonary involvement, adverse outcome, and death due to respiratory failure in patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, offering great potential to identify individuals at high risk.

A Comparative Study of Nine SARS-CoV-2 IgG Lateral Flow Assays Using Both Post-Infection and Post-Vaccination Samples

Background: Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, lateral flow assays (LFA) detecting specific antibodies have entered the market in abundance. Despite being CE-IVD-labeled, the antigenic compounds of the assays are often unknown, the performance characteristics provided by the manufacturer are often incomplete, and the samples used to obtain the data are not detailed. Objective: To perform a comparative evaluation of nine lateral flow assays to detect IgG responses against SARS-CoV-2. For the evaluation, a carefully designed serum panel containing post-infection samples and post-vaccination (both mRNA vaccine and inactivated virus vaccine) samples was used. Results: The sensitivity of the assays overall ranged from 9 to 90.3% and the specificity ranged from 94.2 to 100%. Spike protein-containing assays performed generally better than the assays with only nucleocapsid protein. The sensitivity of some assays was higher on post-infection samples, while other assays had a higher sensitivity to post-vaccination samples. Conclusion: A comparative approach in the verification of LFAs with an adequately designed serum panel enabled the identification of the antigens used in the assays. Sensitivities differed between post-infection and post-vaccination samples, depending on the assays used. This demonstrates that the verification of assays must be performed with samples representative of the intended use of the assay.

Structural Modeling on the Determinants of Effectiveness of SOPs Containing COVID-19 in Mass Gatherings

The study is aimed to analyze the determinants of the effectiveness of SOPs in mass gatherings for containing COVID-19. The overall design of the study involves a literature review, data collection by field survey, structural modeling, and analysis. The study is built on the experts' opinion of a focus group (representing people who recently participated in and are responsible for mass gatherings). The study uses the discussion of the literature review to identify the determinants, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) for developing and analyzing a structural model, and Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquée a un Classement (MICMAC) for corroboration of results of the ISM/classification of determinants. From the literature review, a list of determinants is generated and verified by a panel of experts. The results of the ISM revealed that the determinants “legal environment of the country,” “practicability of SOPs,” “perceived benefit of adapting SOPs,” and “possibilities of avoiding gathering” occupied the top of the model, therefore, they are less critical determinants, whereas “nature of gathering” occupied the bottom of the model, and is thus the most critical determinant. The remaining determinants form the middle of the model, and are therefore moderately severe. The results of MICMAC show that the determinant “perceived benefit of adapting SOPs” is dependent, “nature of gathering” is independent, and all others are linked. The results of MICMAC implicitly substantiate the findings of the ISM. The overall results of the study show that “nature of gathering” is the key determinant. This research does not require a priori theory since it is a theory-building study that uses an inductive approach. It is based on real data and it is useful for local authorities, organizers, participants (attendees/visitors) of mass gatherings, health officials/regulators, researchers, and the community at large. This study has fundamental importance for planning and preparing for such events while ensuring the minimum risk of COVID-19 transmission.