Audit of the Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit notification and contact tracing system during the first wave of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a real-time audit to assess a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activity to improve the quality of public health data in the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) Public Health Unit during the first wave of COVID-19. METHODS: A real-time audit of the Notifiable Conditions Information Management System was conducted for positive cases of COVID-19 and their close contacts from SLHD. After recording missing and inaccurate data, the audit team then corrected the data. Multivariable regression models were used to look for associations with workload and time. RESULTS: A total of 293 cases were audited. Variables measuring completeness were associated with improvement over time (p<0.0001), whereas those measuring accuracy reduced with increased workload (p=0.0003). In addition, the audit team achieved 100% data quality by correcting data. CONCLUSION: Utilising a team, separate from operational staff, to conduct a real-time audit of data quality is an efficient and effective way of improving epidemiological data. Implications for public health: Implementation of CQI in a public health unit can improve data quality during times of stress. Auditing teams can also act as an intervention in their own right to achieve high-quality data at minimal cost. Together, this can result in timely and high-quality public health data.

In silico studies evidenced the role of structurally diverse plant secondary metabolites in reducing SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis.

Plants are endowed with a large pool of structurally diverse small molecules known as secondary metabolites. The present study aims to virtually screen these plant secondary metabolites (PSM) for their possible anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties targeting four proteins/ enzymes which govern viral pathogenesis. Results of molecular docking with 4,704 ligands against four target proteins, and data analysis revealed a unique pattern of structurally similar PSM interacting with the target proteins. Among the top-ranked PSM which recorded lower binding energy (BE), > 50% were triterpenoids which interacted strongly with viral spike protein-receptor binding domain, > 32% molecules which showed better interaction with the active site of human transmembrane serine protease were belongs to flavonoids and their glycosides, > 16% of flavonol glycosides and > 16% anthocyanidins recorded lower BE against active site of viral main protease and > 13% flavonol glycoside strongly interacted with active site of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The primary concern about these PSM is their bioavailability. However, several PSM recorded higher bioavailability score and found fulfilling most of the drug-likeness characters as per Lipinski's rule (Coagulin K, Kamalachalcone C, Ginkgetin, Isoginkgetin, 3,3'-Biplumbagin, Chrysophanein, Aromoline, etc.). Natural occurrence, bio-transformation, bioavailability of selected PSM and their interaction with the target site of selected proteins were discussed in detail. Present study provides a platform for researchers to explore the possible use of selected PSM to prevent/ cure the COVID-19 by subjecting them for thorough in vitro and in vivo evaluation for the capabilities to interfering with the process of viral host cell recognition, entry and replication.