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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the ability of healthcare systems to ensure the continuity of health services for patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The issue of remote consultations has emerged. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, remote consultations were not routinely provided or covered by public health funding in Latvia. This study aimed to describe the dynamics of consultations and the volume of remote consultations provided for patients with particular NCD and explore clinicians' experiences of providing remote consultations during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia., Methods: A mixed-method study focusing on the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia in Spring 2020 was conducted. Quantitative data from the National Health Services were analysed to assess the dynamics of consultations for patients with selected NCDs. Qualitative data were collected through 34 semi-structured interviews with general practitioners (GPs) and specialists and were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Purposive maximum variation sampling was used for participant selection., Results: During the period with the strongest restrictions of scheduled on-site consultations, a decrease in the total number of consultations was observed for a variety of NCDs. A significant proportion of consultations in this period were provided remotely. GPs provided approximately one-third of cancer-related consultations and almost half of consultations for the other selected conditions remotely. Among specialists, endocrinologists had the highest proportion of remote consultations (up to 72.0%), while urologists had the lowest (16.4%). Thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed five themes: 1) Adjusting in a time of confusion and fear, 2) Remote consultations: safety versus availability, 3) Sacrifice and loss of privacy, 4) Advantages and disadvantages of communication technologies, and 5) Different form of communication and a health literacy challenge., Conclusions: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia, disruptions to health care services decreased the total number of consultations for patients with NCDs provided by both GPs and specialists. In this period, remote consultations proved to be an important instrument for ensuring the continuity of health care for patients with NCDs, and the necessity to develop a well-designed system for telemedicine in Latvia was highlighted., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is generally milder in children. Acute appendicitis (AA) is a common diagnosis in children, but greater understanding is needed for more adjusted treatment of these patients when in conjunction with acute COVID-19 infection. We provide a retrospective case series study of comparison of patients with AA and positive SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.671.2) and Omicron (B.1.1.529) variants. There were 16 paediatric patients admitted to a tertiary hospital with suspected acute appendicitis and COVID-19. Compared with the Delta variant (B.1.617.2), children infected with Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) of SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to have fever (p = 0.04) and pain migration to the right lower quadrant (RLQ) (p = 0.02). Further studies are needed to characterise the differences between SARS-CoV-2 variants (Delta vs Omicron) in cases of acute appendicitis in children [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and ensuing public health policies have immensely affected the lives of billions of people worldwide and been challenging for families. There have been studies exploring mental health of different age groups during a pandemic, but few have focused on family health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This qualitative study investigates the emotional well-being of families while caring for an acutely sick child with COVD-19, using semi-structured in-depth interviews. The results demonstrate that it is one of the most affected components of the family HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related public health decisions on dental services. A retrospective study was conducted using secondary data on dental services (2019–2021). Data were obtained from the Latvian National Health Service and the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and analysed using descriptive statistics and data visualisation methods. In the first wave of COVID-19, the frequency of routine dental services decreased by 81.6% at the patient level, which coincided with the restrictions imposed as public health measures. The amount of regular dental manipulations returned to its previous level immediately after lifting restrictions. Still, they decreased to a more moderate extent (not exceeding 25% decline) with the beginning of the second wave. We observed a decrease in all manipulations, regardless of their aerosol-generating risk, and no increase in preventive manipulations that could be performed without any physical contact. We conclude that the most significant decrease in the availability of services was directly linked to existing public health measures. It seems that these measures allowed time to adapt the clinics to the new sanitary requirements, further ensuring continuity of service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the life of many. The study aimed to identify fragile groups of the population regarding nutrition during the COVID-19 restriction period. An online survey was conducted from 26 July to 3 September 2020. A total of 1173 answers were received from persons aged 18–68 years living in Latvia. The results showed that food availability mainly was not limited, although for 15.3% responders restrictions caused increased worries about not having enough food, and 12.2% noted a decrease in the ability to eat preferred food. Responders aged 40–54 noted that they ate less, and that their food stocks were scarce in comparison with other age groups. Almost 50% of responders increased food consumption. One-fifth of responders increased consumption of foods of low nutritional value, especially among 25–39 year old persons and in households where the economic situation became worse. Fragile groups regarding nutrition in times of COVID-19 restrictions included households whose economic situation became worse during the COVID-19 restrictions, younger people who increased food consumption together with consumption of food of low nutritional value, and persons aged 40–54 years. The data from the study serve as an indicator that more detailed research is needed to determine whether crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic are changing dietary habits and food availability in the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]