Ali Mohammad Mokhtari; Rebecca Susan Dewey; Alireza Mirahmadizadeh
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a challenging health problem around the world. At time of this study, the pandemic is still underway, so prevention and control are of great importance. This review provides a comprehensive examination and analysis of the literature related to the challenges of controlling ...
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a challenging health problem around the world. At time of this study, the pandemic is still underway, so prevention and control are of great importance. This review provides a comprehensive examination and analysis of the literature related to the challenges of controlling COVID-19. Methods: In this narrative review study, the search was performed on international databases including PubMed, Scopus and Embase, using relevant keywords. The resulting articles and texts were reviewed and screened, and then the relevant information was extracted. Results: The number of patients who are thought to have contracted COVID-19 is much higher than that in the SARS and MERS epidemics. Despite a lower mortality rate, COVID-19 has caused more deaths. One of the challenges that have made the control of the disease more difficult include the emergence of multiple viral mutations. In this review, it was found that the best course of action comprises continuous monitoring of disease-related indicators as part of a series of measures taken together to ensure their effectiveness. Conclusion: It is recommended that governments should form international partnerships in their efforts to overcome the pandemic, and that preventive and control measures should be taken simultaneously. Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) started in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, China, and one of China's main transportation hubs, and spread to other parts of the world (1, 2). One of the main reasons for the spread of the disease was the intense migration of Chinese people during New Year celebrations (1). With the rise of international trade, epidemics of new infectious diseases such as COVID-19 are able to spread more rapidly than ever before (3). On December 31, 2019, China announced the outbreak of the disease, at the time named 2019-nCoV, to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2, 4). On February 11, 2020, the WHO adopted a new name called coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In acknowledgement of the genetic structure of the virus, the International Committee on Virus Classification renamed 2019-nCoV as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (5). On January 30, 2020, the WHO announced that the outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern (5, 6) and in March 2020 classified it as a pandemic (7, 8). COVID-19 has been declared the sixth international public health emergency and, therefore, requires the public, health professionals and governments to work together to prevent its spread worldwide (5). Rapid production and sharing of knowledge at the international level is one of the useful measures for disease control that has been done (9). One of the greatest fallacies of the 21st century is that infectious diseases are disappearing, which is not the case (10). The COVID-19 epidemic has become a challenging health problem for many countries around the world (8), and as of 28 February 2021, it was estimated that there were 113,472,187 cases of the disease, 2,520,653 deaths, and about 91 million cases of recovery reported worldwide (11, 12). Although more than a year has passed since the beginning of this epidemic, the disease has not yet been controlled and no specific treatment has been found for it (13), so measures related to its prevention and control are very important. The aim of this study was to examine and characterize the global challenges of controlling COVID-19, and to provide comprehensive recommendations for action.
Abiodun Ebenezer Kolapo; Olayinka Stephen Ilesanmi; Temitope Olajumoke Omoju; Olugbenga Adeola Odukanmi; Dayo Olufemi Akanbi; James Olatunde Okediran; Muhammad Shakir Balogun
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, perception, and sources of COVID-19 information among Nigerian youths. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among 817 National Youth Service Corps members. Participants’ overall general knowledge about COVID-19 was ...
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Background: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, perception, and sources of COVID-19 information among Nigerian youths. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study among 817 National Youth Service Corps members. Participants’ overall general knowledge about COVID-19 was assessed using nine questions that consisted of general knowledge on the cause, origin, mode of transmission, signs and symptoms, availability of a potent vaccine and specific therapy, prevention strategies of COVID-19 and knowledge of proper handwashing practices. P-values Results: The mean age of the respondents was 24.1± 2 years, 317 (41.2%) were males, and 73 (8.9%) had studied a health-related course. Of the 754 respondents who responded to the COVID-19 knowledge questions, 187 (24.8%) had general knowledge about COVID-19, while 280 (37.1%) had knowledge in all domains; mode of spread, symptoms and signs, and prevention of COVID-19. Among the respondents, 129 (40.7%) males had satisfactory knowledge of COVID-19 (p=0.070), while 38 participants (52.1%) who had studied a health-related course had satisfactory knowledge of COVID-19 (p=0.003). Regarding the knowledge of handwashing, 184 (58%) males displayed satisfactory knowledge (p=0.007). Social media (64.4%) and television (58%) were the main sources of COVID-19 information. Respondents who had studied a health-related course were twice likely to have satisfactory knowledge of COVID-19 (AOR=2, 95% CI=1.25-2.5 p=0.003,) and six times likely to have satisfactory knowledge of handwashing (AOR=5.6, 95%CI=3.3-10.0, p=<0.0001). Conclusion: Utilization of both social media and the mainstream mass media in disseminating health education information and correcting fake news and misconceptions is needed. Health promotion strategies should be organized for all youths, especially among those who have no previous education in the health and allied courses.
Sina Vakili; Sarvenaz Roshanisefat; Leila Ghahramani; Sheida Jamalnia
Abstract
Background: The latest outbreak of coronavirus (2019-nCoV), emerging in Wuhan, China, has spread exponentially in 2019. Management of gallbladder stones during COVID-19 pandemic may be challenging. We report an Iranian COVID-19 Case in a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Patient. Case presentation: In the ...
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Background: The latest outbreak of coronavirus (2019-nCoV), emerging in Wuhan, China, has spread exponentially in 2019. Management of gallbladder stones during COVID-19 pandemic may be challenging. We report an Iranian COVID-19 Case in a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Patient. Case presentation: In the present study, we documented a case of COVID-19 in an Iranian patient for laparoscopic cholecystectomy and established the diagnosis, symptoms, and treatments of the case in order to provide non-emergent surgical procedure triage guidelines. Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of good collaboration between doctors and the authorities of public health in Iran, plus the demand for urgent exchange of clinical experience and knowledge with regard to the treatment of this infectious disease.
Hamed Delam; Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe respiratory illness with an unknown cause that was diagnosed in December 2019 in Wuhan, China (1-3). Iran is one of the countries involved with this disease. The global outbreak of the disease raises concerns about increased anxiety due to the risk of contracting ...
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe respiratory illness with an unknown cause that was diagnosed in December 2019 in Wuhan, China (1-3). Iran is one of the countries involved with this disease. The global outbreak of the disease raises concerns about increased anxiety due to the risk of contracting the virus (4). Therefore, in addition to causing physical harm, COVID-19 also has a serious effect on people's mental health. To date, no exact information is available on the mental health problems and psychological effects of COVID-19 on people, nor is it clear how people react when faced with such a crisis; therefore, for health care providers how best to respond to challenges related to COVID-19 is confusing. However, observing the consequences of mental health and the measures taken during the outbreak of SARS in 2003 can help the health care systems to make mental health interventions for people that are involved with COVID-19 (5). However, many people may not be sure that their health care systems are ready to deal with coronavirus, and a lack of trust in the country's health care system is likely to raise concerns about the consequences of the disease. In such circumstances, people use different methods of obtaining information when faced with crisis situations; sometimes these methods are invalid. One of these methods is to obtain information from invalid social media such as Instagram, WhatsApp and so on. Nowadays, with the availability of smartphones, the expansion of activities in virtual networks has become more and more. Therefore, people in anxious situations are looking for information to relieve their anxiety and for this purpose, they search social networks and being exposed to incorrect information in social networks can aggravate their anxiety (6). Therefore, in this situation, several factors may lead to development of Chronophobia. One of these conditions is using unreliable social media. In this regard, a study conducted by the Indian people on awareness, attitude and anxiety about COVID-19 showed that people's anxiety about this disease was at a high level and distress-related social media was seen in 36.4% of the people, and the participants expressed that one of the most important resources of anxiety was the social media (7). At this time, the important question is whether the health care systems in the country are ready to deal with the growing concern of the people in such a situation that is the result of misinterpretation of the symptoms of COVID-19 and in cases where mild respiratory symptoms may develop Chronophobia. Meanwhile, the role of health care provider in reducing people's anxiety and preventing Chronophobia is vital (8, 9). Finally, it can be said that health care systems can prevent Chronophobia by increasing people's knowledge, thus improving their attitudes towards COVID-19.
Mohebat Vali; Alireza Mirahmadizadeh; Zahra Maleki; Fatemeh Goudarzi; Arefe Abedinzade; Haleh Ghaem
Abstract
Backgrounds: Given the novelty of COVID-19, reviewing diagnostic methods can be of great help to community health policymakers. Considering the importance of diagnosing COVID-19 and the need for reducing the number of false positive and false negative cases that appear to be different in various ...
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Backgrounds: Given the novelty of COVID-19, reviewing diagnostic methods can be of great help to community health policymakers. Considering the importance of diagnosing COVID-19 and the need for reducing the number of false positive and false negative cases that appear to be different in various diagnostic methods, this systematic review aimed at comparison of PCR test accuracy with laboratory data and CT SCAN in COVID-19.
Methods: In this systematic review, EMBASE (Elsevier, 2018), MEDLINE (National Library of
Medicine, 2018), Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics, 2018b), and Google Scholar
data bases were searched for the studies published prior to 3 April 2020. Based on the inclusion criteria, 20 out of 859 primarily screened studies were finally assessed.
Results: The results indicated that the laboratory diagnosis of viral nucleic acid could have false-negative results, and serological testing of virus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies should be used as an option for diagnosis. Moreover, chest Computerized Tomography (CT) was found to be more sensitive in comparison toReverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) (98% vs. 71%). Hence, the articles offered the combined use of chest CT, SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, and multi-plex PCR.
Conclusions: Follow-up RT-PCR and chest CT are necessary in COVID-19. In addition, serological testing of virus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies along with laboratory diagnosis of viral nucleic acid can lead to the highly sensitive and accurate diagnosis. Moreover, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is one of the cost-effective methods in epidemic conditions in low- and middle-income countries.
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Hamed Delam; Maasumeh Elahi; Sahar Akbarpoor; Zohreh Faramarzian
Abstract
Background: The mental health of healthcare workers has been a concern during the outbreak of 2019 novel Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19). Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the anxiety of the healthcare workers during Covid-19 epidemic and to discover the factors affecting it.
Methods:The ...
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Background: The mental health of healthcare workers has been a concern during the outbreak of 2019 novel Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19). Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the anxiety of the healthcare workers during Covid-19 epidemic and to discover the factors affecting it.
Methods:The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. In this study, the anxiety of 124 nurses, operating room staff, midwives and anesthetists working in different wards of Imam Reza Hospital in Lar in 2020 was assessed using the Corona Anxiety Scale Questionnaire.
Results: The results showed that most of the samples were female, married, with a bachelor's degree and an average age of 33 years. 53 (42.8%) participants had mild anxiety and 34 (27.4%) had severe anxiety. Comparison of anxiety levels based on demographic variables of participants in the study showed that there was no significant relationship between anxiety levels with gender, marital status, education level, and field of study (P> 0.05).
Conclusion:According to the results of the study and the worsening of the COVID-19 epidemic, there is a need to strengthen the awareness and address the issues related to mental health of healthcare workers.
Mohebat Vali; Alireza Mirahmadizadeh; Zahra Maleki; Fatemeh Goudarzi; Arefe Abedinzade; Haleh Ghaem
Abstract
Background: The new Corona virus disease (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Methods, such as quarantine, isolation, and social distancing, if implemented properly, can help prevent the transmission of the disease. This study aimed to examine the effects of quarantine, isolation, and ...
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Background: The new Corona virus disease (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Methods, such as quarantine, isolation, and social distancing, if implemented properly, can help prevent the transmission of the disease. This study aimed to examine the effects of quarantine, isolation, and social distancing on the prevention of COVID-19.
Methods: In this systematic review, EMBASE (Elsevier, 2018), MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, 2018), Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics, 2018b), and Google Scholar databases were searched for the studies published prior to 10 April 2020. The search and data extraction were conducted by two authors and to check and control the quality of the articles, we used the Newcastle-Ottawa checklist.
Results: Based on the inclusion criteria, 24 out of the 768 primarily screened studies were finally assessed.
Studies showed that the short-term negative psychological effects of quarantine included frustration, boredom, anger, and confusion. Nonetheless, extending the adult quarantine period to 18-21 days could be effective in preventing the spread of the virus and controlling the disease. Moreover, the decision to control the people’s travels through restrictions on freedom of movement must be balanced regarding the estimated epidemiological impact and the expected economic outcome.
Conclusions: Although isolation, quarantine, and social distancing all have challenges, they are very useful methods for controlling the disease, which can be best used by knowing their duration of implementation.
Hamed Delam; Safoura Izanloo
Abstract
In December 2019, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China led to its spread around the world and became one of the major international concerns (1). The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that COVID-19 has become a global health concern and causes severe respiratory infections ...
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In December 2019, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China led to its spread around the world and became one of the major international concerns (1). The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that COVID-19 has become a global health concern and causes severe respiratory infections in humans (1, 2). Human-to-human transmission has been described through droplets, and contaminated hands and surfaces. Early diagnosis, quarantine, and supportive care are essential in treating the patients (1). With the spread of COVID 19 worldwide (3) and also because of the lack of specific antiviral treatment and clinical pressure of treatment, thousands of severe cases of the disease die every day in the world (4). COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of social life, including mental health and physical health(5), and the direct and indirect psychological and social effects of COVID-19 epidemic disease are now apparent. It can affect the mental health now and in future (5). Concerns such as fear of death are increasing among patients in epidemics(6). By forcing several directives, including house arrests and quarantine, to deal with the spread of the virus, patients, health professionals, and the general public are under unbearable psychological pressure. COVID-19 appears to be a serious mental health challenge(7, 8). Some groups, such as the elderly, may be more vulnerable than others(9). The world's growing elderly population highlights the need to pay more attention to the psychological problems of the elderly, such as death anxiety(10). One of the important issues of the elderly health is its psychological dimension, which requires special attention and prevention of disorders such as anxiety(10). Anxiety is one of the most common psychological problems in old age because people face all kinds of deficiencies and disabilities at this stage of life. Studies show that older people are more likely to be anxious because of low self-esteem, reduced activity and movement, loss of friends, reduced financial and physical independence, and chronic illness. Their most common anxiety is death anxiety(11). Death anxiety is a natural experience, and having a low degree of death anxiety throughout life is necessary to lead us to positive activities, but high abnormal death anxiety may lead to incompatibility. Such anxiety exacerbates the stressful situations and creates feelings of emptiness and frustration about life(12). The elderly people face various life challenges day by day that is inevitable. Approaching death and anxiety about death is one of the topics discussed in the elderly health. On the other hand, since home quarantine is known to be the best way to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that stress, including death anxiety, increases in people, especially the elderly.
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Hamed Delam
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a cluster of acute respiratory illnesses for unknown reasons that first occurred in December 2019 in Wuhan, China (1). With continuation of the coronavirus transmission, various health ...
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a cluster of acute respiratory illnesses for unknown reasons that first occurred in December 2019 in Wuhan, China (1). With continuation of the coronavirus transmission, various health authorities, including the World Health Organization, advise people stay at home for restricting people from exposure to the virus (2).Although staying at home can reduce the spread of the disease, the COVID-19 epidemic had a destructive global economic impact (3). In this regard, studies show that the number of suicides in people has increased during the economic crisis. For example, in the 2008 European and American economic crisis like other economic crises such as that in 1997 in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Asia, the number of suicides has risen and the economic crisis has been cited as one of the most important factors in increasing suicide rates. In this period of economic crisis, the number of unemployed individuals has increased and suicide rates have increased in countries with higher levels of job loss (4). However, the increase in the number of suicides shows a small part of the emotional distress of the economic crisis. In addition to successful suicides, there are many more thoughts about killing oneself without preparatory behavior, a self-destructive and non-lethal act and other suicidal behavior and preparatory acts, but a closer look reveals that although the results of studies show that the suicide rate has increased in many countries during the economic crisis, it has not been the same in all countries that have been affected by the crisis, and these results can be explained by the fact that in countries where there are social assistance networks, suicide prevention activities are being carried out, and national suicide prevention programs have been developed, the rate of suicide is more controlled at a time when economic insecurity is high. In other words, the lack of a clear correlation between suicide rates and the economic crisis shows that suicide rates are influenced by a number of national factors (5). Finally, it can be said that, in times of economic crisis, vulnerable people use suicide as the only way to escape the problems. Therefore, the existence of social support and also supporting the labor market in different countries can reduce the harmful psychological effects of economic recession.
Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan; Ahmadreza Eidi; Zahra Keshtkaran; Nasrin Shokrpour; Parisa Zand; Hamed Delam
Abstract
Background: In December 2019, a series of pneumonia cases of unknown cause appeared in Wuhan, China, which was very similar to viral pneumonia. In late January 2020, the World Health Organization named this disease the sixth public health emergency of international concern due to an increase in ...
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Background: In December 2019, a series of pneumonia cases of unknown cause appeared in Wuhan, China, which was very similar to viral pneumonia. In late January 2020, the World Health Organization named this disease the sixth public health emergency of international concern due to an increase in the number of COVD-19 cases. This study was designed to determine different epidemiological and clinical aspects of COVID-19 worldwide. Methods: This is a review study. We searched for articles related to COVID-19 from December 20, 2019 to June 05, 2020. Two researchers performed the search separately, and finally articles containing information on coronavirus, its mortality and epidemiology and clinical characteristics of the patients were selected for review and extraction. Results: The results of various studies show that the most common symptoms of the disease include fever, cough and fatigue, and the most common respiratory symptom is Rhinorrhoea. Transmission occurs primarily when an infected person sneezes or coughs through respiratory droplets, such as the spread of influenza and other respiratory pathogens. Some studies have reported that the COVID-19 incubation period is an average of 4.6 days, ranging from 1.2 to 11.1 days and can potentially be asymptomatic. Conclusion: The significant increases in the morbidity and mortality necessitate prevention and control activities by educating people on important health issues such as staying at home, using clean masks and gloves, as well as performing proper and timely medical interventions.
Esmaeil Kavi; Mohammad-Rafi Bazrafshan
Abstract
The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which belongs to a group of families of viruses, was found in Wuhan, China, on December 29, 2019 and became a highly contagious disease. This unknown disease was introduced with symptoms of fever, cough, myalgia, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, hemoptysis, shortness of ...
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The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which belongs to a group of families of viruses, was found in Wuhan, China, on December 29, 2019 and became a highly contagious disease. This unknown disease was introduced with symptoms of fever, cough, myalgia, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, hemoptysis, shortness of breath, severe bilateral lung infiltrates, arrhythmia, acute heart injury, impaired renal function, liver dysfunction, and some death cases (1). There is no doubt that COVID-19 has been an unprecedented challenge for humanity and since the World Health Organization warned of a crisis(2), people were faced with a huge amount of right and wrong information published in the cyberspace; despite the few symptoms and possibility of low infection, many people searched the cyberspace to get information for self-care(3). Experience with the results of previous studies also shows that despite the benefits of using the Internet and smartphones by users, checking the health of users on the Internet pathologically when a disease spreads (Cyberchondria) can be worrying, and in such situations, individuals may try to attribute an illness to themselves by examining the Internet sites and social networks(4). However, research conducted after the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of "CoV" searches on Google shows that the volume of the searched content on "CoV" about 2019-nCoV is rapidly increasing, and in spite of the fact that much of the information in the social media is invalid, it can raise public concern about the disease. Therefore, searching for information about COVID-19 online and confrontation with such huge information may increase anxiety and distress and cause cyberchondria(5). Therefore, healthcare authorities in different countries, including Iran, must be prepared to face with the health challenges of this emerging disease, address the general anxiety caused by its outbreak, and adopt appropriate programs to manage public opinion during the prevalence of this disease; also, we should expand people's access to the right information to prevent the spread of Cyberchondria, which can be caused by incorrect information received about COVID-19. Finally, it can be said that due to the growing concerns about COVID-19, people may eventually ignore vital information published about this disease by the media because of the fear of knowing.
Ogholgol Ghajari; Farzaneh Kasraie; Abdolrahim Asadollahi
Abstract
Background: COVID-19[1] is a new infectious disease that has been declared by WHO[2] as a public health emergency worldwide due to its rapid spread to China and then to other parts of the world. The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations of this disease in the elderly. ...
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Background: COVID-19[1] is a new infectious disease that has been declared by WHO[2] as a public health emergency worldwide due to its rapid spread to China and then to other parts of the world. The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations of this disease in the elderly. Methods: We performed a systematic review on the database of the World Health Organization, CDC[3], PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and lancet. All of the articles published until March 15, 2020, have been extracted from the above articles in English on coronavirus infection, disease, virology, epidemiology, clinical features, treatment, and prevention of the disease. Of the 1376 articles, 5 were selected out of recently published articles focusing on the epidemiological information of the virus, pneumonia caused by new corona virus, and the effects of the disease on different age groups, especially the elderly, and the rest were excluded from the review. The mean age of the patients, the mean age of mortality and the underlying diseases were chosen as the criteria of data extraction. Findings: Based on the researchers' perceptions of the text of the articles, 342 cases were included in these 5 studies. The mean age of the patients was 58.4 and that of the diceased patients was 66.5. More than 50% of the total cases had one or more underlying diseases. Conclusion: Despite the involvement of various age groups in this infection, the virus is most likely to cause severe complications and fatalities in older people with underlying diseases.
