ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has fundamentally changed the way we live and work forever. The business sector is forecasting and formulating different scenarios associated with the impact of the pandemic on its employees, customers, and suppliers. Various business retrieval models are under construction to cope with life after the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis. However, the proposed plans and scenarios are static and cannot address the dynamic pandemic changes worldwide. They also have not considered the peripheral in-between scenarios to propel the shifting paradigm of businesses from the existing condition to the new one. Furthermore, the scenario drivers in the current studies are generally centered on the economic aspects of the pandemic with little attention to the social facets. This study aims to fill this gap by proposing scenario planning and analytics to study the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on large-scale information technology-led Companies. The primary and peripheral scenarios are constructed based on a balanced set of business continuity and employee health drivers. Practical action plans are formulated for each scenario to devise plausible responses. Finally, a damage management framework is developed to cope with the mental disorders of the employees amid the disease.Copyright © 2021 The Author(s)
ABSTRACT
Introduction: In severe COVID-19 patients, a pre-inflamatory condition leads to a cytokine storm syndrome. This may signify the need for using immunomodulatory drugs. Patients with rheumatic diseases (RDs) are prone to severe infectious diseases. Objectives: Whether the presence of the RD itself or the use of its drugs in patients with COVID-19 increases the severity of symptoms and outcomes remains largely unknown. Patients and Methods: In a prospective cohort study conducted in Khorshid hospital of Isfahan, Iran, 219 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled and divided into two groups of patients with a positive history for RD (n=19) and those without this history (NRD, n=200). The severity of symptoms and outcomes was compared between the groups. Results: Shortness of breath (P = 0.001), cough (P = 0.019), and weakness (P = 0.001) were significantly higher in the RD than the NRD group after, but not before, recovery. All the patients in the RD group had comorbid diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease), the number of which was significantly higher than that of the NRD group (P < 0.001). The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to predict 10-year survival in patients with multiple comorbidities. It was significantly lower in the RD group as opposed to the NRD group (P < 0.001). Logistic regression also showed a non-significantly higher chance of the composite outcome (ICU admission, death status, and intubation status) in the RD group as opposed to the NRD group, both before and after adjustment for confounding factors. However, no difference was found between the RD patient who received corticosteroid as a treatment (RD-CS) and those who did not (RD-NCS). Conclusion: The results showed an increased risk for severe forms of COVID-19 in RD patients. This risk is possibly attributable to a high prevalence of comorbidities in these patients.
ABSTRACT
Background: A novel human coronavirus (COVID-19) was reported in China at the beginning of 2020 and then emerged as a pandemic. Due to this pandemic, surgical practices changed worldwide. First, postponing elective surgeries to the end of pandemic was suggested. Therefore, conducting safe surgeries became a critical concern. Methods: This is a multicenter prospective study. The data of 85 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery in this pandemic era were recorded to evaluate their postoperative outcomes. Results: Among all patients with mean age of 43.7±15.6 and mean surgical duration of 94.6 minutes, none of them showed any complication or any COVID-19 related symptoms after surgery or in follow up time. The mean hospital stay was 3.5 days. Conclusion: There was no increased risk of postoperative complications and COVID-19 infection for patients undergoing various types of laparoscopic surgery in this study and laparoscopy was safe for the patients. © 2021, Journal of Iranian Medical Council.