Aerosol Management during Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation Therapy

Noninvasive ventilation [NIV] is used extensively in acute and chronic settings, at home, and in hospitals. It plays a pivotal role in managing respiratory failure during the COVID-19 pandemic with robust use in hospitals to avert the need for intubation as well as reintubation. However, its use is associated with aerosol generation, which poses an immediate threat to all who work around it, like healthcare workers. Besides, domiciliary use is also associated with the same risk to the household and caregivers. Therefore, we need to plan the therapy and forge guidelines and recommendations to keep NIV safe during infections. Here we have reviewed the available literature and applied our experience to formulate guidelines and recommendations. However, updates and appraisals are evolving rapidly, and we need to keep our eyes open to tailor our approach. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lessons Learned from the Covid-19 Pandemic to Raise the Quality of Residential Neighbourhoods: The Saudi Context

Saudi Arabia was one of the countries that undertook early precautionary measures from March 8 to June 21, 2020, to avoid the spread of Covid-19. These measures consisted of partial lockdowns and isolating some neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. The precautionary procedures impacted the isolated residents' ability to meet their needs and conduct their daily activities, but the greatest impact appeared in low-density neighbourhoods that do not have full services. This paper proposes a set of recommendations and practical procedures to improve the quality of residential neighbourhoods and avoid negative effects as a result of a partial or total lockdown in the future. The steps involved in the study include the following: identify precautionary procedures;monitor and analyse the reactions resulting from their application;and identify the shortcomings that cause the negative effects and inability to meet the needs of the population. Based on the findings, this paper outlines recommendations for a set of procedures that would improve the quality of residential neighbourhoods and avoid negative effects should future precautionary measures be required. © 2022. Scientific Journal of King Faisal University Basic and Applied Sciences. All Rights Reserved.

The association between the initial outcomes of COVID-19 and the human development index: An ecological study

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Outcomes of the pandemic COVID-19 varied from one country to another. We aimed to describe the association between the global recovery and mortality rates of COVID-19 cases in different countries and the Human Development Index (HDI) as a socioeconomic indicator. METHODS: A correlational (ecological) study design is used. The analysis used data from 173 countries. Poisson regression models were applied to study the relationship between HDI and pandemic recovery and mortality rates, adjusting for country median age and country male to female sex ratio. RESULTS: During the first three months, the global pooled recovery rate was 32.4% (95% CI 32.3% - 32.5%), and the pooled mortality rate was 6.95% (95% CI 6.94% - 6.99%). Regression models revealed that HDI was positively associated with recovery beta = 1.37, p = 0.016. HDI was also positively associated with the mortality outcome beta = 1.79, p = 0.016. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings imply that the positive association between the HDI and recovery rates is reflective of the pandemics' preparedness. The positive association between the HDI and mortality rates points to vulnerabilities in approaches to tackle health crises. It is critical to better understand the connection between nations' socioeconomic factors and their readiness for future pandemics in order to strengthen public health policies.

The Global Shortage of Essential Drugs during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence Based on Aggregated Media and Social Media Reports

Background: Implications from accumulated bodies of commentaries and media/social-media reports highlight the drug shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special report, the relation between drug shortage and response measures is discussed in the light of a preliminary data construct. Materials and Methods: Media reports and social media posts on public and national drug regulatory bodies’ websites were searched between March 1, 2020, and August 11, 2020. The search’s key terms were shortage, nonavailability, essential medicine, essential drug, imported medicine, imported drug, COVID-19, current pandemic, and corona. A qualitative and quantitative summary of drug-shortage response pages and trends of drug-shortage reports are presented. Results: In the developed countries, the drug regulatory bodies released drug-shortage response pages;such pages were not made available in the developing countries. There were reports of drug shortages from both the developing and developed countries. There were reports of drug shortage from as early as March 2020 when the lockdown was first implemented and continued until July 2020. The reported drug shortages varied from that of simple essential medicines to those needed in critical care. Conclusions: The study findings highlighted the spread (across the developing and developed countries), time trend of drug-shortage reports (started from the 1st week of the first round of lockdown and continued throughout the study duration), and nontermination of drug-shortage reports even after availability of drug-shortage response page. © 2022 Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine ;Published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow.

Emerging challenges in covid-19 with substance use disorders

Background and Objective: People with substance use disorder (SUD) may be easily vulnerable to coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Given the impaired lung function caused by COVID-19 may exacerbate the symptoms of patients already having preexisting opioids or central nervous system stimulants use disorder. This narrative review highlights the risks of interactions between COVID-19 and SUD. Methods: This article has systematically reviewed and collated relevant papers and articles identified through PubMed focusing on SUD and COVID-19. Results: SUD is characterized by an array of combined mental, physical, and behavioral symptoms, which is undoubtedly of great public health concern especially in the context of the recent advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The myriad of physiological changes caused by COVID-19 and SUD may be additive or synergistic on various organ functions, hence this review has highlighted potential challenges and possible outcomes because of these interactions. Systematic delineation to parse out the combined COVID-19 and SUD pathology on a given organ function is crucial. Moreover, the primary measures to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic like home confinement and lack of social support may be a significant predictor of relapse in already sober individuals, thus alternate methodologies may be needed to confine this problem. Conclusion: This review highlights the importance of the intertwined epidemics interactions and proposes early measures to recognize the scope of problem at the individual level to prevent future challenges.

COVID-19 vaccine in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A true operation warp speed

As of January 2021, 1 year has passed since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first discovered, which is the cause of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has infected almost 100 million people worldwide and caused almost two million deaths. In 2020, in an unprecedented scientific achievement, several vaccines were developed, underwent clinical trials, and were distributed worldwide. This was made possible, in part, by Operation Warp Speed, which promoted mass production of multiple vaccines through different technological platforms, relying on preliminary evidence to allow faster distribution as soon as clinical trials confirmed one or more of those vaccines to be safe and effective. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was one of the very first countries in the world to grant emergency use authorization to the BNT162b2 vaccine, a new type of modified RNA vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. Here, we review various COVID-19 vaccines and the success of the vaccine rollout in KSA. © 2021 Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine.

Coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic in the kingdom of saudi arabia: Mitigation measures and hospital preparedness

Coronavirus disease-2019 is currently causing a world pandemic. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) reported its first case on March 2, 2020. Due to its potential rapid dissemination within the public and a large probability of a countrywide outbreak, along with the country’s experience in battling another similar coronavirus (the Middle East respiratory syndrome–coronavirus), the KSA was among the leading bodies in the world for its swift community action and hospital preparedness. © 2020 Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine ;Published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow.