Search

Since December 2019, COVID-19 has rapidly spread worldwide, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a pandemic and advocate for the widespread use of face masks to mitigate transmission. In this review, we delve into the potential impact of prolonged face mask use on temporomandibular joint (TMJ) health, an area that has garnered limited attention amidst COVID-19 research. Research has revealed that improper mask fit and constant readjustment can lead to TMJ abnormalities. Similarly, there is a demonstrated correlation between continuous mask usage and an increased incidence of headaches, temporomandibular pain, and diminished quality of life. Many studies have highlighted discomfort in the preauricular area, headaches, TMJ noises, headache, jaw pain, and muscle fatigue, as well as dermatological disorders, which have been attributed to prolonged mask wear and its impact on TMJ health. Our study catalyzes future research endeavors, urging a deeper exploration of the implications of long-term mask wear, not only in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic but also among occupational groups regularly exposed to extended mask use. By unraveling the complexities of TMJ health in the face of evolving preventive measures, we aim to enhance our understanding of this issue and safeguard the well-being of mask-wearers worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since December 2019, COVID-19 has rapidly spread worldwide, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a pandemic and advocate for the widespread use of face masks to mitigate transmission. In this review, we delve into the potential impact of prolonged face mask use on temporomandibular joint (TMJ) health, an area that has garnered limited attention amidst COVID-19 research. Research has revealed that improper mask fit and constant readjustment can lead to TMJ abnormalities. Similarly, there is a demonstrated correlation between continuous mask usage and an increased incidence of headaches, temporomandibular pain, and diminished quality of life. Many studies have highlighted discomfort in the preauricular area, headaches, TMJ noises, headache, jaw pain, and muscle fatigue, as well as dermatological disorders, which have been attributed to prolonged mask wear and its impact on TMJ health. Our study catalyzes future research endeavors, urging a deeper exploration of the implications of long-term mask wear, not only in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic but also among occupational groups regularly exposed to extended mask use. By unraveling the complexities of TMJ health in the face of evolving preventive measures, we aim to enhance our understanding of this issue and safeguard the well-being of mask-wearers worldwide.

Purpose: We investigate the impact of a specific macroeconomic shock that occurred as a response to the SARS-COV-2 outbreak, namely the strict lockdown imposed in Spain on the March 14, 2020. Methods: We use fortnightly purchase data relating to over 50,000 households from a supermarket chain in Catalonia from March to June in 2019 and 2020. Using a panel data approach, we analyse the impact of the lockdown on the caloric content, sugar composition, and alcohol content in beverages and food purchases bought before and after lockdown. We corrected our results to take into account the likelihood of stockpiling. Results: The lockdown is related to an increase in unhealthy beverage and food purchases. We find heterogeneous effects across groups of the sample based on cardholder characteristics. Families with children or babies and those in the upper two income quintiles had the unhealthiest changes. As the lockdown went through phases of relaxation, households made better food decisions but maintained unhealthy beverage choices. Conclusions: The very restrictive lockdown negatively impacted the characteristics of food and beverage purchases made by Spaniards. However, we are unsure whether there was substitution to restaurant and bar visits. Additional work to find out whether there were permanent changes in purchasing behaviour after lockdown ended is needed in the future.

Background: Stagnation of social activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic probably reduces motivation to maintain a healthy diet. It is important to report on the dietary changes observed in older adults during a period of restriction on outings and to clarify the relationship between dietary variety and frailty. This one-year follow-up study examined the association between frailty and dietary variety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Baseline and follow-up surveys were conducted in August 2020 and August 2021, respectively. The follow-up survey was distributed by mail to 1635 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥65 years. Of the 1235 respondents, 1008 respondents who were non-frail at baseline are included in this study. Dietary variety was examined using a dietary variety score developed for older adults. Frailty was assessed using a five-item frailty screening tool. The outcome was frailty incidence. Results: In our sample, 108 subjects developed frailty. A linear regression analysis revealed a significant association between dietary variety score and frailty score (β, −0.032; 95% CI, −0.064 to −0.001; p = 0.046). This association was also significant in Model 1, adjusted for sex and age, (β, −0.051; 95% CI, −0.083 to −0.019; p = 0.002) and in a multivariate analysis that added adjustments for living alone, smoking, alcohol use, BMI, and existing conditions to Model 1 (β, −0.045; 95% CI, −0.078 to −0.012; p = 0.015). Conclusions: A low dietary variety score was associated with an increased frailty score during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restricted daily routine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will probably continue to have a long-term effect in terms of reduced dietary variety. Thus, vulnerable populations, such as older adults, might require dietary support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has adversely affected social contact and physical activity. This study investigated the correlation between physical activity, social contact, and sedentary time among adults aged 65 years and above during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This study was conducted in N City, H Prefecture, Japan. The authors randomly selected 4,996 adults, aged 65 years and above (mean age 74.1 ± 6.1 years), living in N City, and survey forms were distributed by mail in mid-August 2020. Altogether, 1,925 participants were included in this study. The survey comprised questions concerning the participants’ sex, height, weight, age, smoking and drinking habits, living arrangements, social contact assessments, physical activity levels, and sedentary time. Moreover, linear regression analysis was utilized to investigate the associations between the variables. Results The reported median physical activity was 1272 metabolic equivalent of task-min/week (interquartile range 528–2628), and the reported median sedentary time was 360 min/week (interquartile range 240–600). COVID-19 “somewhat,” “quite a lot,” or “completely” hindered the frequency of in-person contact with friends among 75.5% of the respondents and hampered the frequency of virtual contact with friends among 38.8% of the respondents. Physical activity was associated significantly with in-person contact indicators: “interaction with friends” (B = -0.111; 95%CI: -0.187, -0.035; p = 0.004) and “social participation” (B = -0.163; 95%CI: -0.248, -0.079; p

Objectives: Little is known about the burden and the clinical presentation and prognosis of individuals with Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 during concurrent outbreaks. We aimed to describe the burden, clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized adults during the Influenza A/H3N2 and Omicron outbreaks in Brazil., Study Design: Cross-sectional analysis of national surveillance data., Methods: We described the health system burden and clinical features of confirmed cases of Influenza and/or SARS-CoV-2 reported in the national surveillance system during the Influenza A H3N2 out-of-season outbreak and the first Omicron surge between November 2021 and March 2022 in Brazil. A multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model adjusted by a priori defined confounders was used to evaluate the association between the infection type and resource use and mortality., Results: The outbreaks occurred simultaneously across all Brazilian regions. Coinfected patients had clinical features from both infections. Influenza coinfected cases had similar odds for requiring ICU admission (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 0.96, 95 % CI, 0.80-1.15, p = 0.634), mechanical ventilation (aOR 0.88, 95 % CI, 0.70-1.11, p = 0.290), and in-hospital mortality (aOR 1.02, 95 % CI, 0.84-1.23, p = 0.847) compared to COVID-19 only. Influenza had lower odds for requiring ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and in-hospital mortality compared to COVID-19 only., Conclusions: Simultaneous surges of Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 increased the pressure on the health system of Brazil. Coinfection was not associated with higher resource use or death; Influenza was associated with better outcomes, compared to COVID-19., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

• Two quanta estimation methods are integrated. • Consistent quanta estimates are made for four COVID-19 outbreaks. • Different viral load and conversion factor datasets are tested. • Novel criteria for selecting the quanta generation rate distribution are proposed. • Top 30% of the quanta generation rates follow a power-law distribution. Minimising airborne infection with respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, requires knowledge of the infectious quanta generation rate for determining the minimum dilution requirement. The two existing methods for estimating quanta generation rates are the viral load method and outbreak method. The former method is challenged by significant uncertainty in input data, including dose-response parameters and infectious viral loads. The latter method, based on the Wells–Riley equation, is challenged by significant individual heterogeneity in quanta generation rates and lack of outbreak data. In this study, the two methods are integrated for studying the quanta generation profile of all individuals infected with an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain, based on four reported outbreaks of infection. The airborne transmission droplet size ranges in the four outbreaks, which were determined in previous studies, are used to estimate the hourly volume of expired droplets for the viral load method. Various viral load datasets and conversion factors from RNA copies to infectious quanta are tested. Two criteria are used to identify the probable quanta generation profile, i.e. 70% of infected individuals do not infect others, and the estimated quanta generation rates estimated using the outbreak method should be within the top 80%–99% of infected individuals. The predicted quanta generation profile of all individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 follows a log-normal distribution, whereas that of the top 30% of infected individuals approximately follows a power-law distribution. Practical significance: A major obstacle in defining dilution requirements for minimising airborne infection is the lack of infectious quanta generation rates for the general population. Our approach integrates two existing quanta estimation methods and paves the way to obtaining reliable quanta generation rate profiles at the population level. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The year 2020 was characterized by the outbreak of a new pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. To face the pandemic, many countries worldwide imposed general lockdowns, closing all non-essential businesses. As primary care services, pharmacies had to remain open, thus putting pharmacy staff at significant risk of viral infection and overwork. This study aimed to assess the mental health of Italian Pharmacists, considering demographic and occupational characteristics, lifestyle, and habits, during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown period (March-May 2020). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web-based survey was created using Google® Forms to collect data from March 30, 2020, to June 1, 2020. The questionnaire consisted of three sections investigating: (1) demographic and occupational variables, (2) lifestyle and habits variables, (3) psychological distress and perceived well-being. RESULTS: A total of 401 participants completed the questionnaire. Older workers and those with more work experience reported more psychological stress. Older and female workers, who felt lonely at home and reported psychological stress, perceived poor well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that the Sars-CoV-2 outbreak and subsequent lockdown rules affected pharmacists' mental health and that it is important to put in place preventive measures against the occurrence of mental disorders among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges for palliative care. Terminal patients cannot wear masks and may demonstrate unspecific symptoms reminiscent of those caused by COVID-19. This report is about a terminally ill patient with lung cancer who displayed fever, cough, and fatigue. During hospital admission screening, the patient tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. When admitting his wife to stay with him, she also had to test for SARS-CoV-2 and displayed a positive test result. Until the positive results were reported, six staff members were infected with SARS-CoV-2, even though they were routinely wearing respirators. This resulted in the palliative care unit having to be closed. Hospitals need strict and adequate testing and re-testing strategies even for intra-hospital transfers. Workers must strictly adhere to recommended respirator practices. Ventilation of patient rooms is essential due to the possible enrichment of particle aerosols containing viruses, as negative pressure rooms are not recommended in all countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global health issue that was declared as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The Eastern Mediterranean region, which includes the island of Cyprus, is one of the affected regions. This study aimed to analyse the awareness, practices, and attitudes towards the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak among Northern Cyprus residents during the period of a partial lockdown from April 7 to 17, 2020 through the online platform. Materials and Methods: A descriptive research study using the online survey method was completed by Northern Cyprus residents anonymously. An online questionnaire was designed consisting of 21 questions focused on demographics (five questions), awareness (seven questions), practices (six questions), and attitudes toward the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak (three questions) and was completed by 738 Northern Cyprus residents. Statistical Package for Social Sciences Statistics, Version 24.0 was used in the statistical analysis. Results: Facebook was the most often used platform for following news and information with regard to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Additionally, most of the participants had good attitudes toward the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, believing that Northern Cyprus would win the battle against the virus. Conclusion: Once again, it was proven that online platforms, specifically Facebook, were the most used sources for following the news related to SARS-CoV-2. This strongly suggests that, in order to prevent dissemination of incorrect information, reliable authorities, such as the Ministry of Health, should publish information on online platforms to reach more people with correct information.

Introduction: Little is known on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 circulation on asthma daily symptoms in children. We compared asthma exacerbations, asthma symptom control and lung function before and after SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in children.Methods: Retrospective study of children with persistent asthma referred for lung function testing. The second quarter of 2020 being a period with nearly no activity, we compared the activity between the first, third and fourth quarters of 2019 and 2020 (Q1-2019 vs. Q1-2020, Q3-2019 vs. Q3-2020 and Q4-2019 vs. Q4-2020).Results: We retrieved 1,871 files in 2019 and 1,548 in 2020. The whole population [2,165 (63.3%) boys] had a median [IQR] age of 9.7 [6.8;13.1] years. There was no difference in age, sex, and ethnicity between 2019 and 2020 populations. Asthma was better controlled during Q4-2020 compared to Q4-2019 (P = 0.042), and there was a lower proportion of children with at least one exacerbation in the previous 3 months after the reopening, compared to the same period in 2019 (P < 0.0001). Baseline FEV1 (Z-score) recorded after the reopening was significantly higher (with less reversibility) compared to the same period before the epidemic (P < 0.0001). Baseline FEV1/FVC (Z-score) was significantly higher during Q3-2020 compared to Q3-2019 (P = 0.026), with fewer children having a significant reversibility (P = 0.035).Discussion: We demonstrated a trend toward increased exacerbations just before the recognition of the epidemic, and fewer exacerbations, better asthma symptom control and improvement in the lung function of asthmatic children after the reopening.

As of March 12th Italy has the largest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in Europe as well as outside China. The infections, first limited in Northern Italy, have eventually spread to all other regions. When controlling an emerging outbreak of an infectious disease it is essential to know the key epidemiological parameters, such as the basic reproduction number R0, i.e. the average number of secondary infections caused by one infected individual during his/her entire infectious period at the start of an outbreak. Previous work has been limited to the assessment of R0 analyzing data from the Wuhan region or Mainland China. In the present study the R0 value for SARS-CoV-2 was assessed analyzing data derived from the early phase of the outbreak in Italy. In particular, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was analyzed in 9 cities (those with the largest number of infections) fitting the well-established SIR-model to available data in the interval between February 25–March 12, 2020. The findings of this study suggest that R0 values associated with the Italian outbreak may range from 2.43 to 3.10, confirming previous evidence in the literature reporting similar R0 values for SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Care homes have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the potential role of asymptomatic infection and silent transmission in London care homes that reported no cases of COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods: Five care homes with no cases and two care homes reporting a single case of COVID-19 (non-outbreak homes) were investigated with nasal swabbing for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR and serology for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies five weeks later. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on RT-PCR positive samples. Serology results were compared with those of six care homes with recognised outbreaks. Findings: Across seven non-outbreak homes, 718 (387 staff, 331 residents) individuals had a nasal swab and 651 (386 staff, 265 residents) had follow-up serology. Sixteen individuals (13 residents, 3 staff) in five care homes with no reported cases were RT-PCR positive (care home positivity rates, 0 to 7.6%) compared to 13 individuals (3.0 and 10.8% positivity) in two homes reporting a single case.Seropositivity across these seven homes varied between 10.7-56.5%, with four exceeding community seroprevalence in London (14.8%). Seropositivity rates for staff and residents correlated significantly (rs 0.84, [95% CI 0.51-0.95] p

Keywords: containement measures; coronavirus; epidemiology history; pandemic; pandemic management; SARS-cov-2 outbreak EN containement measures coronavirus epidemiology history pandemic pandemic management SARS-cov-2 outbreak 1 6 6 06/23/20 20200502 NES 200502 In 1854, Dr. John Snow laid the foundations of epidemiology by applying statistical thinking to the investigation of the cholera epidemic in London, but also by acting on it despite the great uncertainty that reigned ([5]). No one could say with certainty that the COVID-19 epidemic would finally "blow up" to millions of cases in Europe and America: nearly 2 months had gone by since the first case was allegedly reported in Wuhan at this point. It should be noted that in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the closest-to-reality "predictive model" was, in the absence of mitigation measures, the one simply using the transmission rate derived from the Chinese experience at the epicenter of this pandemic. Containement measures, coronavirus, epidemiology history, pandemic, pandemic management, SARS-cov-2 outbreak. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: We investigate the impact of a specific macroeconomic shock that occurred as a response to the SARS-COV-2 outbreak, namely the strict lockdown imposed in Spain on the March 14, 2020., Methods: We use fortnightly purchase data relating to over 50,000 households from a supermarket chain in Catalonia from March to June in 2019 and 2020. Using a panel data approach, we analyse the impact of the lockdown on the caloric content, sugar composition, and alcohol content in beverages and food purchases bought before and after lockdown. We corrected our results to take into account the likelihood of stockpiling., Results: The lockdown is related to an increase in unhealthy beverage and food purchases. We find heterogeneous effects across groups of the sample based on cardholder characteristics. Families with children or babies and those in the upper two income quintiles had the unhealthiest changes. As the lockdown went through phases of relaxation, households made better food decisions but maintained unhealthy beverage choices., Conclusions: The very restrictive lockdown negatively impacted the characteristics of food and beverage purchases made by Spaniards. However, we are unsure whether there was substitution to restaurant and bar visits. Additional work to find out whether there were permanent changes in purchasing behaviour after lockdown ended is needed in the future., Competing Interests: An unrestricted grant from the Ministry of Science supported this research. All authors have no financial or other conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Daycare centers are of substantial sociopolitical and pedagogical relevance; at the same time, the close contact of children in daycare groups among each other and with employees favors the transmission of infections. In the COVID-19 pandemic, questions arose about how infection events occur in daycare centers, what role daycare children play in the pandemic, and what protective and hygienic measures are implemented in daycare centers. From 06/2020 to 12/2021, we conducted the "Corona Day Care Study," in which we address pedagogical and infection epidemiological topics in a joint approach., Methods: In the study, data are collected from different sources. Official reporting data as well as weekly data from daycare centers in the so-called KiTa Register are continuously evaluated. In addition, SARS-CoV‑2 outbreaks in daycare centers are investigated on site by repeated sample collection and interviews., Results: SARS-CoV‑2 infection incidence in daycare centers or in daycare-aged children was very dynamic from 03/2020 to 05/2021. In the second and third pandemic waves, the number of SARS-CoV‑2 outbreaks in daycare centers rose sharply, accompanied by a substantial increase in daycare and group closures. Most recently, the proportion of affected children in outbreaks increased steadily. However, preliminary examinations of SARS-CoV‑2 outbreaks (n = 28) revealed that, on average, only a fraction of daycare contact persons (6.8%) were infected by child index cases. Transmission frequencies differed markedly between the individual daycare centers., Discussion: The combination of regularly collected reporting and survey data as well as outbreak investigations allows a multilayered monitoring and understanding of infection events in daycare centers; its findings could be incorporated into recommendations for public health measures., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Little is known on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 circulation on asthma daily symptoms in children. We compared asthma exacerbations, asthma symptom control and lung function before and after SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in children. Methods: Retrospective study of children with persistent asthma referred for lung function testing. The second quarter of 2020 being a period with nearly no activity, we compared the activity between the first, third and fourth quarters of 2019 and 2020 (Q1-2019 vs. Q1-2020, Q3-2019 vs. Q3-2020 and Q4-2019 vs. Q4-2020). Results: We retrieved 1,871 files in 2019 and 1,548 in 2020. The whole population [2,165 (63.3%) boys] had a median [IQR] age of 9.7 [6.8;13.1] years. There was no difference in age, sex, and ethnicity between 2019 and 2020 populations. Asthma was better controlled during Q4-2020 compared to Q4-2019 ( P = 0.042), and there was a lower proportion of children with at least one exacerbation in the previous 3 months after the reopening, compared to the same period in 2019 ( P < 0.0001). Baseline FEV 1 (Z-score) recorded after the reopening was significantly higher (with less reversibility) compared to the same period before the epidemic ( P < 0.0001). Baseline FEV 1 /FVC (Z-score) was significantly higher during Q3-2020 compared to Q3-2019 ( P = 0.026), with fewer children having a significant reversibility ( P = 0.035). Discussion: We demonstrated a trend toward increased exacerbations just before the recognition of the epidemic, and fewer exacerbations, better asthma symptom control and improvement in the lung function of asthmatic children after the reopening., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Taytard, Coquelin and Beydon.)

Background: From February 2020 onwards, our country has been hit by the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. At a glance, hospitals became overrun and had to reformulate all the assistance guidelines, focusing on the coronavirus disease 2019. One year after the start of the pandemic, we present the results of a morbimortality study., Aim: To analyze how our department was affected by the outbreak in terms of morbimortality, and to analyze demographic data, admission to hospital-related data, and subgroups analyses for patients with hip fractures and polytrauma., Methods: We designed a study comparing data from patients who were admitted to our unit due to a lower limb fracture or a high energy trauma during the pandemic (from March to April 2020) to those admitted during the same period in 2019 before the pandemic. during the pandemic situation. Both cohorts completed a minimum of 6 mo of follow-up., Results: The number of patients admitted to hospital in 2020 was nearly half of those in 2019. Hip fractures in the elderly represented 52 out of 73 of the admitted patients. Twenty patients had a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were admitted to the hospital for a longer time than the non-infected ( P < 0.001), and had a higher mortality rate during hospitalization and follow-up ( P = 0.02). Patients with a hip fracture associated with a severe respiratory syndrome were mostly selected for conservative treatment ( P = 0.03)., Conclusion: Mortality and readmission rates were higher in the 2020 cohort and during follow-up, in comparison with the cohort in 2019., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have nothing to declare., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In March 2020 formally declared pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused a global impact on public health. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) encompassing pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is frequently observed in patients with COVID-19, while the pandemic influence on non COVID-19 VTE prevalence remains unknown. Previous meta -analysis supported an association between regular physical activity and lower risk of VTE when compared with a sedentary or less active lifestyle. Aim: to investigate the influence of pandemic circumstances on the prevalence of non COVID-19 patients hospitalized due to VTE. Patients and Methods: Single centre retrospective analysis of consecutive non COVID-19 patients admitted for VTE was performed. We compared demographic characteristics and diagnostics findings in patients hospitalized for VTE between 1st of March and 31st of October 2019 and non COVID-19 VTE patients hospitalized between the same period in 2020. All patients underwent laboratory tests, venous ultrasonography of the lower limbs and/or CT pulmonary angiography and had negative swab test for SARS-CoV2 at admission. One patient had previously recovered from COVID-19. Results: During the period of 8 months 70 VTE patients (female 48 %, mean age 60.8 ± 17.2 years) were admitted in 2019, while 86 non COVID-19 VTE patients (female 50 %, mean age 68.5± 16.8 years) were admitted in 2020. There was no significant difference in prevalence of VTE hospitalization (4.1 % vs 5.4%, p=0.106), but patients in 2020 were significantly older (p=0.002). Dividing the VTE cases into isolated PE, isolated DVT and combined DVT+PE we found a significant increase in prevalence of DVT+PE during pandemic (34 vs 36, p=0.23; 23 vs 25, p=0.24 and 13 vs 25, p=0.03, respectively). Conclusion: During COVID 19 pandemic we observed significant increase in prevalence of hospitalized non COVID-19 patients with combined DVT+ PE but not with isolated PE or isolated DVT. Possible explanation could be a less active lifestyle due to pandemic social restriction recommendation and delaying treatment for initial DVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Care homes have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the potential role of asymptomatic infection and silent transmission in London care homes that reported no cases of COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic., Methods: Five care homes with no cases and two care homes reporting a single case of COVID-19 (non-outbreak homes) were investigated with nasal swabbing for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR and serology for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies five weeks later. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on RT-PCR positive samples. Serology results were compared with those of six care homes with recognised outbreaks., Findings: Across seven non-outbreak homes, 718 (387 staff, 331 residents) individuals had a nasal swab and 651 (386 staff, 265 residents) had follow-up serology. Sixteen individuals (13 residents, 3 staff) in five care homes with no reported cases were RT-PCR positive (care home positivity rates, 0 to 7.6%) compared to 13 individuals (3.0 and 10.8% positivity) in two homes reporting a single case.Seropositivity across these seven homes varied between 10.7-56.5%, with four exceeding community seroprevalence in London (14.8%). Seropositivity rates for staff and residents correlated significantly (r s 0.84, [95% CI 0.51-0.95] p <0.001) across the 13 homes. WGS identified multiple introductions into some homes and silent transmission of a single lineage between staff and residents in one home., Interpretation: We found high rates of asymptomatic infection and transmission even in care homes with no COVID-19 cases. The higher seropositivity rates compared to RT-PCR positivity highlights the true extent of the silent outbreak., Funding: PHE., Competing Interests: The authors have nothing to disclose., (Crown Copyright © 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

As of March 12 th Italy has the largest number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in Europe as well as outside China. The infections, first limited in Northern Italy, have eventually spread to all other regions. When controlling an emerging outbreak of an infectious disease it is essential to know the key epidemiological parameters, such as the basic reproduction number R 0 , i.e. the average number of secondary infections caused by one infected individual during his/her entire infectious period at the start of an outbreak. Previous work has been limited to the assessment of R 0 analyzing data from the Wuhan region or Mainland China. In the present study the R 0 value for SARS-CoV-2 was assessed analyzing data derived from the early phase of the outbreak in Italy. In particular, the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was analyzed in 9 cities (those with the largest number of infections) fitting the well-established SIR-model to available data in the interval between February 25-March 12, 2020. The findings of this study suggest that R 0 values associated with the Italian outbreak may range from 2.43 to 3.10, confirming previous evidence in the literature reporting similar R 0 values for SARS-CoV-2., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (© 2020 Chinese Medical Association Publishing House. Published by Elsevier B.V.)