Drawing Parallels Among Past Public Health Crises and COVID-19.

In the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there were shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and health-care personnel across severely affected regions. Along with a lack of testing, these shortages delayed surveillance, and possible containment of the virus. The pandemic also took unprecedented tolls on the mental health of many health-care workers who treated and witnessed the deaths of critically ill patients. To address these effects and prepare for a potential second wave, a literature review was performed on the response of health-care systems during the influenza pandemics of 1918, 1957, 2009, and the epidemics of Ebola, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). We can use lessons identified to develop a competent and effective response to the current and future pandemics. The public must continue to engage in proper health mitigation strategies, including use of face coverings, physical distancing, and hand washing. The impact the pandemic has had on the mental health of frontline health-care workers cannot be disregarded as it is essential in ensuring effective patient care and mitigating psychological comorbidities. The lessons identified from past public health crises can help contain and limit morbidity and mortality with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome.

The novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2), also referred to as coronavirus disease 2019, has caused a global pandemic that cost more than 900,000 deaths and affected nearly 80 million Americans since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. A majority of cases have primarily been reported in the adult population. Initially, lower morbidity and mortality rates were noted in children, compared with adults. However, some pediatric patients have been shown to develop a rare, but severe complication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection, referred to as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. The condition has now been reported in adults as well. In this article, the origins, clinical features, pathogenesis, treatment, and latest literature on multisystem inflammatory syndrome are explored.