Coronavirus (COVID-19) Collection
The initial impact of a national BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine rollout
A two-dose regimen of BNT162b2, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, was shown to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 by around 95% in a randomized clinical trial and in a mass national vaccination program (Dagan et al., 2021; Polack et al., 2020). On 23 December 2020, Qatar started a national BNT162b2 rollout programme, in addition to existing COVID-19 public health control measures. The rollout initially prioritised healthcare workers, individuals aged ≥50 years, and those with chronic or immunosuppressive medical conditions.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).Main differences between the first and second waves of COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain
The emergence and rapid global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), from Wuhan, China at the end of 2019 represented an unprecedented phenomenon in medicine. COVID-19 continues to challenge health services and disrupt social and economic activities globally. In Spain, the first wave commenced in mid-March 2020 and lasted for 3 months. It finally abated due to strict lockdown and home confinement. Following relaxation of measures during the summer, a second wave commenced in mid-September 2020 and extended until Christmas 2020.Infection sustained by lineage B.1.1.7 of SARS-CoV-2 is characterised by longer persistence and higher viral RNA loads in nasopharyngeal swabs
Starting from March 2020, nasopharyngeal swabs collected in three provinces (Chieti, L’Aquila and Teramo) of Abruzzo, a central Region of Italy, were tested daily for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (IZSAM) (Danzetta et al., 2020).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.Timing of national lockdown and mortality in COVID-19: The Italian experience
On February 20, 2020, a 30-year-old patient admitted to the intensive care unit in Codogno Hospital (Lombardy, Italy) tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel beta-coronavirus that causes Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). During the next 24 h, the number of reported positive cases increased to 36 (Sebastiani et al., 2020; Grasselli et al., 2020).Vitamin D3 and K2 and their potential contribution to reducing the COVID-19 mortality rate
The COVID-19 pandemic is a current pandemic of high international interest, caused by the coronavirus strain SARS‑CoV‑2. Up to date, there is no treatment to decrease the virus-caused infection and mortality rates (Cortegiani et al., 2020). More and more voices are being raised supporting the supplementation of Vitamin D3 to counter the pandemic outbreak with the correlated mortality rates as well as economic and social consequences (Grant et al., 2020). In a recently published review article, Sharma et al.COVID-19 preventive measures showing an unintended decline in infectious diseases in Taiwan
The public health response to the threat of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may have diminished the effect of the 2020 influenza season in Japan and Singapore (Sakamoto et al., 2020; Soo et al., 2020). The Taiwan government and society also responded swiftly to the outbreak of COVID-19 (Guan et al., 2020), implementing systemic precautions and disseminating knowledge on prevention to the public (Wang et al., 2020). The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) in Taiwan managed the outbreak of COVID-19 effectively.Could the D614G substitution in the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein be associated with higher COVID-19 mortality?
The increasing number of deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic has raised serious global concerns. Increased testing capacity and ample intensive care availability could explain lower mortality in some countries compared to others. Nevertheless, it is also plausible that the SARS-CoV-2 mutations giving rise to different phylogenetic clades are responsible for the apparent death rate disparities around the world. Current research literature linking the genetic make-up of SARS-CoV-2 with fatalities is lacking.Ascertainment rate of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Japan
As of March 1, 2020, a total of 58 countries had reported at least one confirmed case of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the cumulative number of deaths had reached 2977 persons across the world (WHO, 2020). To achieve appropriate countermeasures, it is vital to understand the current epidemiological situations of the COVID-19 epidemic.COVID-19: Four Paediatric Cases in Malaysia
This is a brief report of 4 paediatric cases of COVID-19 infection in Malaysia
