Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection
Differential clinical characteristics and performance of home antigen tests between parents and children after household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the Omicron variant pandemic
The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) BA.2 pandemic struck in 2022. Children seemed to have a lower rate of infection than adults at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the clinical scenario changed, especially after the Omicron variant outbreak [1]. The transmission of SARS-CoV-2 may vary according to different viral variants, settings, and individuals, and understanding the transmission rate and factors associated with transmission may help further control COVID-19. To this end, the difference in clinical symptoms and overall household transmission rate between children and adults needs further investigation.Transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infections in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, January-February 2022
From the end of 2020, multiple variants of concern have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, the Omicron variant has become dominant worldwide over other strains, with the potential for the emergence of other new variants or subvariants in the future. The Omicron variants have demonstrated increasing transmissibility and therefore are more challenging to control (Kraemer et al., 2021; World Health Organization, 2022). In general, increased transmissibility for a variant indicates an increased transmission strength, a higher transmission speed, or both.Risk of COVID-19 Transmission Aboard Aircraft: An Epidemiological Analysis Based on the National Health Information Platform
The transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen of COVID-19, remain still partly unclear (Yang and Duan G, 2020). According to present knowledge (Chinese Thoracic Society and Chinese Association of Chest Physicians, 2021), the main transmission routes of COVID-19 are respiratory droplets from close contacts and aerosols in confined spaces (Rabaan et al., 2021; Schijven et al., 2021). However, there is no evidence to exclude the possibility of other routes of transmission, such as gastrointestinal tract transmission (Jiao et al., 2021).Emergence of B.1.1.318 SARS-CoV-2 viral lineage and high incidence of alpha B.1.1.7 variant of concern in the Republic of Gabon
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) appear to spread more easily. Other emerging variants are also gaining attention, either known as a "variants of interest" (VOI) or "variants under investigation" (VUI), which increase transmission, warranting further studies. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 genomes have accumulated genetic diversity, leading to increased transmission with altered viral properties (Kraemer et al. 2021).Epidemiological and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 cluster infection in Anhui Province, Eastern China
COVID-19, a new contagious respiratory disease, occurred at the end of 2019, in Wuhan, China (Zu et al., 2020), and spread globally rapidly. Although various endeavors have been taken, the disease has not been well controlled except in a few countries. Up to now, COVID-19 has led to over millions of deaths, and become a pandemic and global public health crisis. The pathogen of COVID-19 was quickly confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2 (Schijns et al., 2020).Third wave of COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain
Madrid has been the epicenter of COVID-19 in Spain, primarily due to its high population density and mobility. The city has 3.3 million people, with 6.8 million across the metropolitan area. Up to March 15 2021, roughly 605 000 persons had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 14 000 had died in the Madrid region (Ministerio de Sanidad, 2021; Instituto Nacional de Estadística, 2021). These figures refer to laboratory-confirmed cases, which underestimate the true number as testing access was limited during the earlier stages of the pandemic (Soriano and Barreiro, 2020).Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis management in Spain
On 31 December 2020, China first reported a group of cases with atypical pneumonia caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (Lu et al., 2020). As of 8 December 2020, more than 68.5 million people were infected with the virus, and >1.5 million have died as a result of it (World Health Organization, 2020). In Spain, to date, >1.5 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, and 47 624 people have died from the disease (Spanish Government, 2020). To reduce the risk of transmission, governments have launched urgent measures that include widespread use of facemasks, closure of public spaces and personal mobility restrictions.The high prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection reveals the silent spread of COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has infected more than 92 million people and lead to the death of more than 1.9 million people worldwide since its outbreak in December 2019 (WHO, 2020). The disease has a wide range of presentations, from asymptomatic infection to fever, cough, shortness of breath and the loss of taste and smell. Symptoms normally appear 2–14 days following exposure to the virus and may develop into mild upper respiratory tract infections or progress to severe pneumonia, which can progress to acute respiratory distress, shock, multiorgan failure and death (Huang et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020).Surveillance of common respiratory infections during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the preventive efficacy of non-pharmaceutical interventions
The outbreak of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-induced disease, COVID-19, spread rapidly from Wuhan, China, in December 2019. This led to China experiencing a major public health emergency with over 83,000 confirmed cases and 4634 deaths as of June 2020 (Rai et al., 2020). Although there are a few newly developed vaccines and treatments, it is conceivable that without some impact on transmission, the virus will continue to circulate, infect, and cause serious disease, in certain segments of the unvaccinated population.Parallel trends in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and retail/recreation and public transport mobility during non-lockdown periods
The mobility of hosts and/or vectors has always influenced the transmission of disease (Tizzoni et al., 2014), and this is true for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (Kraemer et al., 2020).Low-dose and oral exposure to SARS-CoV-2 may help us understand and prevent severe COVID-19
Where efficiently applied, a broad range of restrictive non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) has succeeded in preempting or mitigating explosive outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations and deaths in many settings. Elsewhere, it has proven difficult to fully implement, maintain, or reimpose these interventions. Much of the public reluctance lies in their huge social and economic consequences, exacerbated by the failure of political leaders to convincingly advocate for these measures.Characteristics of COVID-19 epidemic and control measures to curb transmission in Malaysia
The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in Malaysia on January 25, 2020, marking the first wave of infection in the country that lasted for about 3 weeks (Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), 2020). The total number of cases was low, with 22 confirmed infections, 20 of which were imported, and no fatality.A call for strengthened evidence on targeted, non-pharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19 for the protection of vulnerable individuals in sub-Saharan Africa
A curious imbalance exists between the research and development (R&D) efforts dedicated to pharmaceutical versus non-pharmaceutical interventions in outbreak control. The scientific output as well as the associated R&D investments for pharmaceutical interventions are often a factor higher than those for non-pharmaceutical interventions, even though the latter commonly represent a cornerstone of outbreak control. This seems no different in the case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: at the time of writing, a PubMed search indicated that the number of published peer-reviewed articles on COVID-19 and treatment/vaccination was approximately double that of COVID-19 and containment/prevention.Bats in ecosystems and their Wide spectrum of viral infectious potential threats: SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses
Over the last decades of the Anthropocene, the role of wild animals and their ecosystems in the emergence and expansion of infectious diseases has public health's attention. Bats are especially important as they have been potentially related to the current evere cute espiratory yndrome oronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the previous emergence of Middle East espiratory yndrome oronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012, and the SARS-CoV epidemic in 2002 (Ahmad et al., 2020; Biscayart et al., 2020; Bonilla-Aldana et al., 2020a; Gutiérrez et al., 2020; Tiwari et al., 2020; Bonilla-Aldana et al., 2020b).Estimating the impact of physical distancing measures in containing COVID-19: an empirical analysis
A combination of physical distancing measures, if implemented early, can be effective in containing COVID-19—tight border controls to limit importation of cases, encouraging physical distancing, moderately stringent measures such as working from home, and a full lockdown in the case of a probable uncontrolled outbreak.Effect of a wet market on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) transmission dynamics in China, 2019–2020
A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) originating from Wuhan spread rapidly around the world to give rise to the most important pandemic event in recent history. As of May 17, 2020, the cumulative number of confirmed cases had reached 3.5 million, including 250,000 deaths (WHO, 2019). Early mean estimates of the reproduction number, based on the epidemic's growth rate, were estimated to be in the range of 1.4–3.5, comparable with estimates for seasonal flu, the 2009 pandemic flu, SARS, and MERS (WHO, 2005; Biggerstaff et al., 2014; Chowell et al., 2004; Chowell et al., 2014; Kucharski et al., 2020; Liu et al., 2020).Do superspreaders generate new superspreaders? A hypothesis to explain the propagation pattern of COVID-19
The patterns of propagation of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003 were not explained by conventional epidemic models that assumed homogeneity of infectiousness. Instead, the existing datasets were best matched by models that used negative binomial distributions, in which a small proportion of cases were highly infectious (Lloyd-Smith et al., 2005; McDonald et al., 2004; Shen et al., 2004). Data and modelling supported the existence of superspreaders, which played a crucial role in propagating the disease by being very efficient at transmitting SARS-CoV-1, such that in the absence of superspreading events most cases infected few, if any, secondary contacts (Stein, 2011).Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19): From causes to preventions in Hong Kong
An outbreak of pneumonia with unknown etiology emerged in Wuhan of Hubei Province, China on December in 2019. Chinese scientists confirmed that a new coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of pneumonia outbreak. Now, this severe acute respiratory syndrome has been termed as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health of Organization (WHO) (Peng et al., 2020).
