ABSTRACT
The geographic and evolutionary origins of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (BA.1), which was first detected mid-November 2021 in Southern Africa, remain unknown. We tested 13,097 COVID-19 patients sampled between mid-2021 to early 2022 from 22 African countries for BA.1 by real-time RT-PCR. By November-December 2021, BA.1 had replaced the Delta variant in all African sub-regions following a South-North gradient, with a peak Rt of 4.1. Polymerase chain reaction and near-full genome sequencing data revealed genetically diverse Omicron ancestors already existed across Africa by August 2021. Mutations, altering viral tropism, replication and immune escape, gradually accumulated in the spike gene. Omicron ancestors were therefore present in several African countries months before Omicron dominated transmission. These data also indicate that travel bans are ineffective in the face of undetected and widespread infection.
ABSTRACT
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249249.].
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mental health-related positive and negative aspects of telework are understudied. This study aimed to evaluate anxiety, depression and sleep quality in full-time teleworkers during lockdown imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and explore potential relationships between these variables, sociodemographic characteristics, quality of life and perceived productivity. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 143 full-time teleworkers. Participants were assessed for anxiety, depression and sleep quality using validated clinical instruments. RESULTS: This study found a high prevalence of poor sleep quality (74%, N = 106). Participants reported anxiety/depressive symptoms with the predominance of anxiety and very high levels of sleep impairment. Better sleep quality was associated with longer sleep duration and better job satisfaction, whereas the use of hypnotic medication and higher depression/anxiety scores seem to point a correlation with sleep impairment. Anxiety/depression positively correlated with worse sleep quality and negatively associated with quality of life. Male sex was negatively associated with perceived productivity. CONCLUSIONS: A higher prevalence of poor sleep quality was found in comparison with other studies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as high levels of anxiety and depression. These results highlight the relevance of considering the potential negative impact of telework on mental health.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders , Male , Humans , Pandemics , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/psychology , COVID-19/epidemiology , Teleworking , SARS-CoV-2 , Quality of Life , Cross-Sectional Studies , Sleep Quality , Communicable Disease Control , Anxiety/epidemiology , Anxiety/psychology , Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/epidemiology , SleepABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the characteristics related to SARS-CoV-2 in Luanda, Angola. A total of 622 individuals were screened for SARS-CoV-2 from January to September 2020. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to identify the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and SARS-CoV-2. Of the 622 tested, 14.3% tested positive. The infection rate was the same for both genders (14.3%). Individuals ≥40 years old, from non-urbanized areas, and healthcare professionals had a higher frequency of infection. The risk of infection was very high in individuals ≥60 years old (AOR: 23.3, 95% CI: 4.83-112), in women (AOR: 1.24, 95% CI: 0.76-2.04), in Luanda (AOR: 7.40, 95% CI: 1.64-33.4), and healthcare professionals (AOR: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.60-2.71), whereas a low risk was observed in individuals from urbanized areas (AOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.26-0.75). Our results suggest that Angolan authorities should implement a greater effort in non-urbanized areas and among healthcare professionals since when these individuals presented any indication for a COVID-19 test, such as fever/cough/myalgia, they were more likely to test positive for SARS-CoV-2 than having some other cause for symptoms.