Admission vital signs as predictors of COVID-19 mortality: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 remains a major healthcare concern. Vital signs are routinely measured on admission and may provide an early, cost-effective indicator of outcome - more so in developing countries where such data is scarce. We sought to describe the association between six routinely measured admission vital signs and COVID-19 mortality, and secondarily to derive potential applications for resource-limited settings. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients admitted to King Edward VIII Hospital, South Africa, with COVID-19 during June-September 2020 was undertaken. The sample was subdivided into survivors and non-survivors and comparisons made in terms of demographics and admission vital signs. Univariate and multivariate analysis of predictor variables identified associations with in-hospital mortality, with the resulting multivariate regression model evaluated for its predictive ability with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The 236 participants enrolled comprised 153(77.54%) survivors and 53(22.46%) non-survivors. Most participants were Black African(87.71%) and female(59.75%) with a mean age of 53.08(16.96) years. The non-survivor group demonstrated a significantly lower median/mean for admission oxygen saturation (%) [87(78-95) vs. 96(90-98)] and diastolic BP (mmHg) [70.79(14.66) vs. 76.3(12.07)], and higher median for admission respiratory rate (breaths/minute) [24(20-28) vs. 20(20-23)] and glucose (mmol/l) [10.2(6.95-16.25) vs. 7.4(5.5-9.8)]. Age, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, glucose and diastolic BP were found to be significantly associated with mortality on univariate analysis. A log rank test revealed significantly lower survival rates in patients with an admission oxygen saturation < 90% compared with ≥90% (p = 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression revealed a significant relationship between age and oxygen saturation with in-hospital mortality (OR 1.047; 95% CI 1.016-1.080; p = 0.003 and OR 0.922; 95% CI 0.880-0.965; p = 0.001 respectively). A ROC curve analysis generated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.778 (p < 0.001) when evaluating the predictive ability of oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, glucose and diastolic BP for in-hospital death. This improved to an AUC of 0.832 (p < 0.001) with the inclusion of age. CONCLUSION: A multivariate regression model comprising admission oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, glucose and diastolic BP (with/without age) demonstrated promising predictive capacity, and may provide a cost-effective means for early prognostication of patients admitted with COVID-19 in resource-limited settings.

Randomized controlled trial of colchicine add on to the standard therapy in moderate and severe corona virus Disease-19 infection.

Background: COVID19 complications cause inflammatory storm. Colchicine is a potent anti-inflammatory medication that has been proposed as a possible treatment option for COVID-19. Objective: to assess effectiveness and safety of add on use of colchicine to the standard treatment in moderate and severe COVID-19. Patients and methods: In this randomized controlled open label clinical trial, 160 patients hospitalized equally divided between moderate and severe COVID19 categories were randomized to 4 study groups in a 1:1:1:1 allocation (n = 40 for each group) according to type of treatment. Patients were randomly assigned to receive the standard treatment for 14 days (control group) or colchicine add on to the standard treatment 1 mg daily orally for 7 days then 0.5 mg daily for another 7 days. Survival rate, time to cure in days, and side effects were assessed. Results: Colchicine add on treatment was associated with a significantly shorter time to cure (referring to start of first symptom) by an average of 5 days in severe disease and 2 days in moderate disease (log-rank P=<0.001). In addition, the Colchicine add on significantly increased the risk of cure per unit of time by 2.69 times compared to controls after adjusting for disease severity, age, and time since the start of the disease to start of treatment. A severe COVID19 disease, a longer time for starting treatment, and the older age notably reduced the risk of cure (HR = 0.72, p = 0.07; HR = 0.74, p < 0.001; and HR = 0.59, p = 0.015 respectively). Possible side effects reported due to colchicine were 8/40 (20%) of severe COVID19 patients and 3/40 (7.5%) of moderate COVID19, non of which warranted stopping treatment by the data monitoring board. Generally, the side effects were 8/11 (72.73%) gastrointestinal disturbances. No immediate or late allergic reactions were observed. Conclusions: Colchicine add on treatment reduced significantly time to recovery in severe COVID19 (by five days) and in moderate cases (by two days) but did not lower the death rate. Side effects were mild, well tolerated and confined to gastrointestinal adverse events.

Predictive Ability of Factors in diagnosing COVID-19: Experiences from Qatar's Primary Care Settings.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to establish the predictive ability of demographic and clinical factors in diagnosing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Qatar's publicly funded primary care settings. Methods: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) test and COVID-19 screening data (COVID-19 related factors) were extracted from electronic medical records for all individuals who visited a primary health care centre in Qatar between 15th March to 15th June 2020. Data analysis was undertaken to assess the validity of individual factors in predicting a positive rt-PCR test. Results: Fever/history of fever [N= 1471 (54.7%); OR 4.6 (95% CI 4.16 - 5.08)], followed by cough [N=1020 (37.9%); OR 1.82 (95% CI 1.65 - 2)] and headache [N=372 (13.8%); OR 1.45 (95% CI 1.27 - 1.67)] were the most frequently reported clinical symptoms amongst individuals who tested positive for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection by rt-PCR. Only five factors, fever/history of fever, cough, working/living in an area reporting local transmission, gender and headache (ranked according to predictive power), were found to be statistically significant. Fever/history of fever alone had a specificity of 79.2% and it gradually increased to 99.9% in combination with runny nose, cough, male gender and age ≥ 50. Conclusions: The study identified predictive ability of factors in diagnosing COVID-19, individually and in combination. It proposes a scoring system for use in publicly funded primary care settings in Qatar without an rt-PCR test, thus enabling early isolation and treatment where necessary. Further similar studies are needed as newer variations of SARS-CoV2 are continuously emerging to ensure its accuracy.

SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and subsequent infection risk: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: This aim of this study was to examine the relationship between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seropositivity and subsequent infection. Design: A cohort study design was employed. Methods: Stratified random sampling was undertaken to identify individuals aged 10 years and above registered with Qatar's largest primary healthcare provider. A questionnaire was administered, and blood samples were collected and analyzed for immunoglobulin G antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 at baseline. Participants were followed up until March 31, 2021 (a 34-week follow-up period) for vaccination status and a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS-CoV-2. Results: A total of 2044 individuals participated in the study (97.2% of the planned sample). Of these, 185 (9%) were found to be seropositive at baseline. 450 individuals were vaccinated during the follow-up period - 246 with one dose and 204 with two doses. 86 (4.2%) individuals had a positive PCR test during the follow-up period, of which 80 (3.9%) were seronegative and six (0.3%) were seropositive (five undiluted and one with a titer ≥ 1:8). Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that reinfections are uncommon. Antibody concentrations potentially influence the risk of subsequent infection. Therefore, it might not be necessary to subject seropositive individuals to vaccination and the quarantine policies that apply to seronegative individuals.

Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2: A Cohort Study in Qatar's Primary Care Settings.

BACKGROUND: Globally, countries are rolling out Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) quarantine policies and vaccination programs. Research studies are needed in helping understand the likelihood of acquired immunity to reinfection and identify priority groups for vaccination to inform them. This study aimed to assess period prevalence and longitudinal changes in antibody levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection in Qatari primary care settings. METHODS: A cohort study design with 2 data collection phases was undertaken-Phase 1 (conducted in July 2020) and Phase 2 (conducted in October 2020). A stratified random sampling technique by age, gender and nationality was utilized to identify the study sample. The total sample size required for the study was estimated to be 2102. Participants were invited to an appointment where they were administered a questionnaire and provided samples for polymerase chain reaction and Immunoglobulin G immunoassay tests. RESULTS: A total of 943 individuals participated in both Phase 1 and Phase 2. In this cohort, seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be 12% (N = 113) in Phase 1 and 17.2% (N = 162) in Phase 2. Of the 113 participants who were seropositive in Phase 1, 38.1% (CI 29.5-47.2%, N = 43) had a reduction, 54.9% (CI 45.7-63.8%, N = 62) had no change, and 7.1% (CI 3.4-12.9%, N = 8) had an increase in IgG titer in Phase 2. All (N = 18) participants aged 10 to 17 years retained their antibodies. The proportion of men who retained their antibodies was slightly higher compared to women-92.5% (N = 74) and 87.9% (N = 29) respectively. Similarly, symptomatic individuals (97.8%; N = 45) had a higher antibody retention compared with asymptomatic individuals (86.4%; N = 57). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary information on the longitudinal changes in antibody levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings will help inform quarantine policies and vaccination programs.

A randomised controlled trial of effectiveness and safety of Niclosamide as add on therapy to the standard of care measures in COVID-19 management.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has ignited the urge for repurposing old drugs as candidate antiviral medicines to treat novel challenges of viral infections. Niclosamide (NCS) is an anti-parasitic drug of known antiviral potential. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate the antiviral effect and safety of NCS on SARS-CoV-2 caused COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Randomized controlled open label clinical trial encompassed 75 COVID-19 patients treated with standard of care plus NCS were included as experimental group and 75 COVID-19 patients treated with only standard of care therapy as control group. Survival rate, time to recovery, and side effects were the main endpoints for the assessment of the therapeutic effect and safety of NCS. RESULTS: No significant difference between the two study groups in the incidence of death Vs recovery within 30 days of follow up(p = 1).Median survival time to cure in the NCS addon group was significantly less than controls (5 Vs 7days, Log rank p = 0.005).All the recoveries took place within 20 days in the NCS add on group, which is 10 days shorter than that in the controls (30 days), NCS add on treatment increased the risk of cure by 60% per day compared to control group (adjusted HR = 1.6,p = 0,007) after adjusting for the count of comorbidities. Additionally, two or more comorbidities reduced the risk of cure to 33% (p < 0.001).Male gender increased the risk of cure by 42% (p = 0.046). Older age group decreased the risk of recovery per day to 0.58 and 0.53 for 50-59 and 60+ years of age. Hyypertension (HT) and diabetes mellitus (DM) significantly reduced the risk of being cured per day to 0.56 (p = 0.003)and 0.65 (p = 0.039) respectively. No significant signals of safety in NCS add on therapy compared to control group. CONCLUSION: adding NCS to the standards of care measures increased the risk of the cure and had shorter time to stay in the hospital compared with controls., male gender increased the risk of cure, while older patients>40 years, HT, and DM decreased the risk of cure. Also, NCS add on therapy was relatively safe; hence, NCS is of clinical benefit for freeing hospital beds for more patients in pandemic crisis.

Epidemiology of SARS-CoV2 in Qatar's primary care population aged 10 years and above.

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need to elucidate the epidemiology of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) and characterize its potential impact. Investing in characterising the SARS-CoV2 will help plan and improve the response to the pandemic. Furthermore, it will help identify the most efficient ways of managing the pandemic, avoiding public health policies and interventions that may be unduly restrictive of normal activity or unnecessarily costly. This paper describes the design and reports findings of a population based epidemiological study undertaken to characterise SARS-CoV2 in Qatar using limited resources in a timely manner. METHODS: Asymptomatic individuals ≥10 years registered with Qatar's publicly funded primary health provider were eligible. A stratified random sampling technique was utilized to identify the study sample. Participants were invited to an appointment where they completed a questionnaire and provided samples for polymerase chain reaction and Immunoglobulin M and G immunoassay tests. Data collected were analyzed to calculate point and period prevalence by sociodemographic, lifestyle and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Of 18,918 individuals invited for the study, 2084 participated (response rate 10.8%). The overall point prevalence and period prevalence were estimated to be 1.6% (95% CI 1.1-2.2) and 14.6% (95% CI 13.1-16.2) respectively. Period prevalence of SARS-CoV2 infection was not considerably different across age groups (9.7-19.8%). It was higher in males compared to females (16.2 and 12.7% respectively). A significant variation was observed by nationality (7.1 to 22.2%) and municipalities (6.9-35.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The study provides an example of a methodologically robust approach that can be undertaken in a timely manner with limited resources. It reports much-needed epidemiological data about the spread of SARS-CoV2. Given the low prevalence rates, majority of the population in Qatar remains susceptible. Enhanced surveillance must continue to be in place, particularly due to the large number of asymptomatic cases observed. Robust contact tracing and social distancing measures are key to prevent future outbreaks.

Economía versus epidemiologia: uma análise do trade-off entre mercados e vidas em tempos de COVID-19

O objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar como o surto de novo coronavírus levou à contaminação das principais indústrias da economia global e como a resposta política e fiscal rápida de vários governos desencadeou e prolongou a recessão enquanto tentava salvar as vidas dos cidadãos. Investigamos também o efeito das políticas de distanciamento social no nível de atividades econômicas e nos preços dos índices de ações. Foram coletados dados das bolsas de valores em quatro continentes: América do Norte, África, Ásia e Europa. Extraímos informações do mercado de ações sobre o preço de fechamento (PF), preço mais baixo (PB) e preço mais alto (PMA) dos principais indicadores do mercado de ações nos quatro continentes: o índice FTSE 500 (Reino Unido);SP 500 (EUA);Nikkei 225 (Japão);e o índice SA Top 40 (África do Sul). Nas estimativas, adotamos o logaritmo natural de cada dado de preço para reduzir a assimetria observada na distribuição dos dados de preço das ações. Concentramos a análise no período que vai de Janeiro à Maio de 2020, quando o coronavírus começou a se espalhar para outros países e mercados internacionais. Examinamos empiricamente o impacto das políticas de distanciamento social nas atividades econômicas e nos índices do mercado de ações. As conclusões revelam que o crescente número de dias de bloqueio, decisões de política monetária e restrições internacionais de viagens afetaram severamente o nível de atividades econômicas e o fechamento, abertura, menor e mais alto preço das ações dos principais índices da bolsa. Por outro lado, a restrição imposta ao movimento interno e o aumento dos gastos com políticas fiscais tiveram um impacto positivo no nível das atividades econômicas, embora o número crescente de casos confirmados de covo coronavírus não tenha afetado significativamente o nível das atividades econômicas. A discussão neste artigo contribui para a literatura sobre crise financeira (e.g., Allen & Carletti, 2010;Mian & Sufi, 2010;Stiglitz, 2010;Jagannathan, Kapoor & Schaumburg, 2013), pois evidencia que fatores não financeiros e/ou não econômicos podem desencadear um colapso financeiro e econômico de maneiras sem precedentes.Alternate abstract:El objetivo de este articulo es evaluar cómo el brote del nuevo coronavirus (COVID-19) ha conducido a la contaminación de las principales industrias de la economia global;asimismo, se busca analizar cómo la rápida respuesta politica y fiscal de varios gobiernos desencadenó y prolongó la recesión al intentar salvar las vidas de los ciudadanos. También se investiga el efecto de las politicas de distanciamiento social en las actividades económicas y en los precios de los indices bursátiles. Se recopilaron datos de las bolsas de valores de cuatro continentes: América del Norte, África, Asia y Europa. Se tomó información del mercado de valores sobre el precio de cierre (PF), el precio más bajo (PB) y el precio más alto (PMA) de los principales indicadores del mercado de valores en los cuatro continentes: el indice FTSE 500 (Reino Unido), SP 500 (EE. UU.), Nikkei 225 (Japón) y el índice SA Top 40 (Sudáfrica). En las estimaciones, se adoptó el logaritmo natural de cada información de precios para reducir la asimetría observada en la distribución de datos de precios de acciones. El análisis se centró en el período de enero a mayo de 2020, época en la que el coronavirus comenzó a extenderse a otros países y mercados internacionales. Se examinó empíricamente el impacto de las políticas de distancia social en las actividades económicas y los índices bursátiles. Los hallazgos revelan que el creciente número de días de bloqueo, las decisiones de política monetaria y las restricciones a los viajes internacionales han afectado severamente al nivel de las actividades económicas, al cierre, a la apertura, y a los precios de acciones más bajos y más altos de los principales índices bursátiles. Por otro lado, la restricción impuesta al movimiento in erno y el aumento del gasto en políticas fiscales tuvieron un impacto positivo en el nivel de las actividades económicas, aunque el creciente número de casos confirmados de coronavirus no afectó significativamente el nivel de las actividades económicas. La discusión en este artículo contribuye a la literatura sobre crisis financiera (por ejemplo, Allen & Carletti, 2010;Mian & Sufi, 2010;Stiglitz, 2010;Jagannathan, Kapoor & Schaumburg, 2013), ya que muestra que factores no financieros y/o no económicos pueden desencadenar el colapso financiero y económico de formas sin precedentes.Alternate abstract:The aim of this paper is to assess how the outbreak of the new coronavirus led to the contamination of major industries in the global economy and how the rapid political and fiscal response of several governments triggered and prolonged the recession while trying to save the lives of citizens. We also investigated the effect of social distance policies on the level of economic activities and on the prices of stock indexes. Data were collected from stock exchanges on four continents: North America, Africa, Asia and Europe. We extracted information from the stock market on the closing price (PF), lowest price (PB) and highest price (PMA) of the main stock market indicators on the four continents: the FTSE 500 index (United Kingdom);SP 500 (USA);Nikkei 225 (Japan);and the SA Top 40 index (South Africa). In the estimates, we adopted the natural logarithm of each price data to reduce the asymmetry observed in the distribution of stock price data. We concentrated the analysis in the period from January to May 2020, when the coronavirus started to spread to other countries and international markets. We empirically examine the impact of social distance policies on economic activities and stock market indices. The findings reveal that the increasing number of blocking days, monetary policy decisions and international travel restrictions have severely affected the level of economic activities and the closing, opening, lower and higher share prices of the main stock indexes. On the other hand, the restriction imposed on the domestic movement and the increase in spending on fiscal policies had a positive impact on the level of economic activities, although the growing number of confirmed cases of coronavirus virus did not significantly affect the level of economic activities. The discussion in this article contributes to the literature on financial crisis (eg, Allen & Carletti, 2010;Mian & Sufi, 2010;Stiglitz, 2010;Jagannathan, Kapoor & Schaumburg, 2013), as it shows that non-financial and / or non-economic factors they can trigger financial and economic collapse in unprecedented ways.

COVID-19 Surveillance in the Primary Health Care Population of Qatar: Experience of Prioritizing Timeliness Over Representativeness When Sampling the Population.

SARS-CoV2 a new emerging Corona Virus Disease in humans, which called for containment measures by many countries. The current paper aims to discuss the impact of two different sampling methodologies when executing a drive through COVID-19 survey on the quality of estimated disease burden measures. Secondary data analysis of a pilot cross-sectional survey targeting Qatar's primary health care registered population was done. Two groups with different sampling methods were compared for estimating COVID-19 point prevalence using molecular testing for nasopharyngeal swabs. The first group is a stratified random sample non-proportional to size (N = 260). A total of 16 population strata based on age group, gender, and nationality were sampled. The second group is the Open invitation group (N = 841). The results showed that the two groups were obviously and significantly different in age and nationality. Besides, reporting of COVID-19 symptoms was more frequent in the open invitation group (28.2%) than the random sample (16.2%). The open invitation group overestimated the symptomatic COVID-19 prevalence rate by more than four times, while it overestimated the asymptomatic COVID-19 cases by a small margin. The overall prevalence rate of active COVID-19 cases in the open invitation sample (13.3%) was almost double that of the random sample (6.9%). Furthermore, using population sampling weights reduced the prevalence rate to 0.8%. The lesson learned here is that it is wise to consider the magnitude of bias introduced in a surveillance system when relying on convenient sampling approaches in response to time constraints.

Public policy and health in the Trump era

This report by the Lancet Commission on Public Policy and Health in the Trump Era assesses the repercussions of President Donald Trump's health-related policies and examines the failures and social schisms that enabled his election. Trump exploited low and middle-income white people's anger over their deteriorating life prospects to mobilise racial animus and xenophobia and enlist their support for policies that benefit high-income people and corporations and threaten health. Although Trump's actions were singularly damaging, many of them represent an aggressive acceleration of neoliberal policies that date back 40 years. The suffering and dislocation inflicted by COVID-19 has exposed the frailty of the US social and medical order, and the interconnectedness of society. A new politics is needed, whose appeal rests on a vision of shared prosperity and a kind society. Health-care workers have much to contribute in formulating and advancing that vision, and our patients, communities, and planet have much to gain from it. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention: FY2018-2020.

BACKGROUND: Many civil liberties organizations have raised concerns that substandard medical care in United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities have led to preventable deaths. The 2018 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill required ICE to make public all reports regarding in-custody deaths within 90 days beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. Accordingly, ICE has released death reports following each in-custody death since April of 2018. This study describes characteristics of deaths among individuals in ICE detention following the FY2018 mandate. METHODS: Data was extracted from death reports published by ICE following the FY2018 mandate. Causes of death were categorized as suicide or medical, and medical deaths as COVID-19-related or not. Characteristics were compared between medical and suicide deaths, and among medical deaths between COVID-19-related and non-COVID-19-related deaths. Additionally, death rates per person-year and per 100,000 admissions were calculated for FY2018, 2019, and 2020 using methods from prior work evaluating deaths among detained immigrants in the United States. RESULTS: Since April 2018, 35 individuals have died in ICE detention. The death rate per 100,000 admissions in ICE detention was 2.303 in FY2018, 1.499 in FY2019, and 10.833 in FY2020. Suicide by hanging was identified as the cause of death in 9 (25.7%), and medical causes in the remaining 26 (74.3%). Among 26 deaths attributable to medical causes, 8 (30.8%) were attributed to COVID-19, representing 72.7% of 11 deaths occurring since April 2020. CONCLUSIONS: The death rate among individuals in ICE detention is increasing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Potentially preventable causes of death including COVID-19 and suicide contribute to at least half of recent deaths. Findings suggest that individuals detained by ICE may benefit from improved psychiatric care and prevention measures to combat suicide, as well as increased infection control efforts to reduce mortality associated with COVID-19.

Estimating point prevalence of COVID-19 in Qatar's primary care registered population: an RT-PCR drive-through study protocol.

BACKGROUND: The first COVID-19 cases in Qatar were reported on 29 February 2020. As the epidemic progresses, essential epidemiological information is needed to facilitate monitoring of COVID-19 in the population and plan the pandemic response in Qatar. AIM: The primary aim of this cross-sectional study is to estimate the point prevalence of COVID-19 in Qatar's primary care registered population. DESIGN & SETTING: A cross-sectional study design will be utilised. One publicly funded health centre from each of three geographical regions in Qatar will be identified as a study location and set up to facilitate a drive-through for the study. METHOD: Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) is publicly funded and the largest primary care provider in Qatar. The study will include randomly selected individuals from the full list of PHCC's registered population on its electronic medical records system. The sample selection will be done using a proportional to size sampling technique stratified by age, sex, and nationality representative of the overall PHCC-registered population. Considering the total population registered in PHCC, a sample of 2080 is proposed. A questionnaire will be administered to collect sociodemographic information, and nasal and throat swab samples will be taken. Data will be analysed to report overall symptomatic and asymptomatic point prevalence of COVID-19. CONCLUSION: This study, with the help of a randomly selected representative sample from Qatar's primary care registered population, will provide results that can be applied to the entire population. This study design will closely represent a real-world scenario of the outbreak and is likely to provide important data to guide COVID-19 pandemic planning and response in Qatar.

Haematological abnormalities and risk of COVID-19 infection in adult patients attending primary healthcare settings.

Centres for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) reports that there are limited data and information about the impact of underlying medical conditions and the risk of infection. To date, there are no studies that report on the risk of infection among patients with haematological diseases or abnormalities. This cross-sectional study reports on the baseline complete blood count in patients attending publicly funded primary care settings with a diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 infections in the state of Qatar. The study will report on the descriptive characteristics of the population, including gender, age and prior abnormalities to their blood test results. We will compare the results of those with positive and negative PCR test results, where appropriate. Nine hundred sixty-two adult patients attended publicly funded primary health care settings in the state of Qatar between February the 10th and April the 30th 2020 with a diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 infections had prior recorded blood investigations in the last six months and were included in this study. The population was young, mean of age is 38.8±11.6. (Median: 36 [Min: 19 - Max: 85]). Complete blood count of the sample had minimal missing data points. Females were more presented in our samples, Female (n=560, 58.21%) and Male (n=402, 41.79%). Most of our sample had a documented PCR test result, negative (n=831, 86.38%); positive (n=123, 12.79%) and missing (n=8, 0.83%). Low haemoglobin values (n=265, 27.5%) and low red blood cell count (n =170, 17.7%) were the most prevalent complete blood count abnormality in the population. Leukopenia was less common (n=50, 8.2%). Most of the population had normal platelet count (n=895, 93%). Gender was the most influential factor in our sample to increase the odds of having a positive PCR test results; males were more likely to be affected (P<0.001, Chi-square test) (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.73-3.77). Categories for haematological abnormalities were not associated with increased risk of having a positive PCT test result. In a population attending primary healthcare settings with early presentation of symptoms of COVID-19 infection, the risk of infection among our cohort was not affected by the prior haematological values of those patients. Gender was the most influential parameter in the risk of infection in our population. Analysis of the results using gender-specific categories for different haematological parameters suggested that patients with abnormal haematological values were not at increased risk of having a positive COVID-19 infection.

Educação à distância: Uma revisão da literatura sobre ensino e aprendizagem online no contexto da formação de professores (Distance Education: A Review of the Literature on Online Teaching and Learning in the Context of Teacher Education) (preprint)

Portuguese Abstract: A pandemia da COVID-19 (provocada pelo vírus Sars-Cov2) impactou a educação em todos os níveis de várias maneiras no Brasil. As instituições e os formadores de professores tiveram que responder rapidamente a uma transição inesperada e "forçada" do ensino presencial para o ensino remoto. Os educadores também tiveram que criar ambientes de aprendizagem para professores em formação, fazendo sua preparação à luz dos requisitos dos programas de formação de professores e das condições em que as universidades e as escolas deveriam funcionar. Dessa forma, este artigo apresenta uma revisão da literatura sobre práticas de ensino e aprendizagem online na formação de professores. No total, foram analisados 130 estudos empíricos. Foram identificadas práticas de ensino e aprendizagem online relacionadas à presença social, cognitiva e docente. Os resultados evidenciaram a necessidade de uma visão abrangente da pedagogia da educação online que integra tecnologia para apoiar o ensino e a aprendizagem. As implicações deste estudo para o desenvolvimento de práticas de ensino e aprendizagem online são discutidas. Sugestões para pesquisas futuras também são examinadas, para que sirvam de base na formulação de políticas educacionais para os próximos anos.English Abstract: A COVID-19 pandemic (caused by the Sars-Cov2 virus) impacted education at all levels in several ways in Brazil. Institutions and teacher educators had to respond quickly to an unexpected and "forced" transition from face-to-face to remote education. Educators also have to create learning environments for teachers in training, preparing them in the light of the requirements of teacher training programs and the conditions in which trained schools operate. Thus, this article presents a review of the literature on online teaching and learning practices in teacher education. In total, there were 130 empirical studies. Online teaching and learning practices related to social, cognitive and teaching presence were identified. The results showed the need for a comprehensive view of the pedagogy of online education that integrates technology to support teaching and learning. As a result, studies for the development of online teaching and learning practices are discussed. Suggestions for future research are also examined, to serve as a basis for educational policies for the coming years.

Acúmulo de Alimentos durante a Pandemia da COVID-19: Uma Análise à luz da Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP) (Food Accumulation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis in the Light of Planned Behavior Theory (TCP)) (preprint)

Portuguese Abstract: O objetivo do presente artigo é examinar o modelo expandido da Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP) com a variável de percepção de risco de intenção de acumular alimentos sob a condição pandêmica da COVID-19. Todas as suposições são apoiadas pelas variáveis independentes tradicionais do modelo TCP que afetam a intenção de acumular alimentos. No entanto, os resultados deste estudo são diferentes dos estudos precedentes ao usar a variável percepção de risco no modelo da Teoria do Comportamento Planejado. Em estudos anteriores, a variável percepção de risco sempre afetou negativamente a atitude, o comportamento percebido e a intenção de compra. Neste estudo, por outro lado, quanto maior a percepção de risco que os consumidores obtêm, mais forte a atitude de comprar bens de reserva. Isso demonstra que uma percepção de alto risco, no caso da pandemia da COVID-19 ou de outros distúrbios civis, causará a intenção de comprar bens que não seguem mais o senso comum. Os participantes do estudo foram selecionados usando uma técnica de amostragem de conveniência, que resultou na participação de 155 respondentes entre os dias 10 de abril e 19 de maio de 2020.English Abstract: The objective of this article is to examine the expanded model of Theory of Planned Behavior (TCP) with the variable of risk perception of intention to accumulate food under the pandemic condition of COVID-19. All assumptions are supported by the traditional independent variables of the TCP model that affect the intention to accumulate food. However, the results of this study are different from previous studies when using the risk perception variable in the Theory of Planned Behavior model. In previous studies, the risk perception variable has always negatively affected attitude, perceived behavior and purchase intention. In this study, on the other hand, the greater the perception of risk that consumers obtain, the stronger the attitude of buying reserve goods. This demonstrates that a high risk perception, in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic or other civil unrest, will cause the intention to buy goods that no longer follow common sense. Study participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique, which resulted in the participation of 155 respondents between April 10 and May 19, 2020.