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This paper aims at presenting the findings of the study on the position of street vendors in the District Srinagar, Kashmir, in India, including both men and women, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The purpose of the study was to explore various challenges street vendors faced during the COVID-19 lockdown and to highlight the vulnerability of this particular group of informal workers. The data was collected through face-to-face interviews with the use of a questionnaire, on a sample of 150 street vendors from the District Srinagar. In addition, a certain number of in-depth interviews with selected respondents from the sample was done. The study findings show that the majority of the respondents have lost their job during the peak period of COVID-19, i.e. from March to July 2020. The findings have also revealed that the lockdown directly impacted the socio-economic conditions of the workers which made it very difficult for them to survive during the peak of COVID-19. Additionally, workers were struggling very hard in order to fulfill the basic daily needs of their families. Therefore, it is suggested that the government of India should provide financial support to street vendors in order to compensate for the loss caused due to the COVID-19 lockdown.
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Deep learning based models on the edge devices have received considerable attention as a promising means to handle a variety of AI applications. However, deploying the deep learning models in the production environment with efficient inference on the edge devices is still a challenging task due to computation and memory constraints. This paper proposes a framework for the service robot named GuardBot powered by Jetson Xavier NX and presents a real-world case study of deploying the optimized face mask recognition application with real-time inference on the edge device. It assists the robot to detect whether people are wearing a mask to guard against COVID-19 and gives a polite voice reminder to wear the mask. Our framework contains dual-stage architecture based on convolutional neural networks with three main modules that employ (1) MTCNN for face detection, (2) our proposed CNN model and seven transfer learning based custom models which are Inception-v3, VGG16, denseNet121, resNet50, NASNetMobile, XceptionNet, MobileNet-v2 for face mask classification, (3) TensorRT for optimization of all the models to speedup inference on the Jetson Xavier NX. Our study carries out several analysis based on the models' performance in terms of their frames per second, execution time and images per second. It also evaluates the accuracy, precision, recall & F1-score and makes the comparison of all models before and after optimization with a main focus on high throughput and low latency. Finally, the framework is deployed on a mobile robot to perform experiments in both outdoor and multi-floor indoor environments with patrolling and non-patrolling modes. Compared to other state-of-the-art models, our proposed CNN model for face mask recognition based on the classification obtains 94.5%, 95.9% and 94.28% accuracy on training, validation and testing datasets respectively which is better than MobileNet-v2, Xception and InceptionNet-v3 while it achieves highest throughput and lowest latency than all other models after optimization at different precision levels.
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Background: Currently world is within the clutches of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, COVID-19 virus has evolved to human-to-human spread . COVID-19 infection can cause fever, fatigue, dry cough, severe pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome and in some instances death. Release of cytokine is the main process by which COVID-19 affects human system. High level of chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines has been observed among the patients with COVID-19. Methodology: 100 COVID-19 positive patients with cytokine storm and100 COVID-19 positive patients without cytokine storm with 18+ age and both gender were included after their formal consent. Interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and Vitamin-D were determined by their respective ELISA kits. SPSS software was applied for statistical analysis. Results: the results of current study showed the raised levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin 8 in case group as compared to controls. Levels of Vit D were compromised in case of Covid patients with cytokine storm than controls respectively. Conclusion: it was concluded that increased oxidative stress and lacking anti-oxidants may add to the development and advancement of cytokine storm in corona virus positive patients.
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Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) are one of the major health challenges, which has caused global concern due to their magnitude and high social cost. Industry 4.0 will significantly bring in IoT in the healthcare sector in an age of great growth in connected devices (up to 100 billion by 2030). The COVID-19 pandemic further accentuates the importance of using IoT in healthcare settings for both the providers and NCD patients due to controlled movements and enforced self-isolation throughout the world including Malaysia. In this regard, the improvement of “connected devices” has had a remarkable effect upon the entire healthcare sector and has been noticeably appreciated in “remote clinical monitoring”, “chronic disease management”, “preventive care”, and “assisted living” for senior NCD patients. This study intends to interpret the significance of IoT in connection with wearable technologies and digital healthcare. The study discusses several benefits of IoT like reducing cost, rising profits for the healthcare service providers in Malaysia, a higher level of success and productivity, and precision of “health monitoring and treatment systems”. The insights of this study will help the elderly NCD patients’ community and healthcare providers to recognise the significance of IoT Enabled Health Monitoring and Assistive Systems due to their significant contribution to improving healthcare in the country in the long run.
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Objective: To evaluate the clinical and laboratory presentation and outcome of COVID-19 patients admitted to a public sector hospital in Pakistan. Methodology: This is a retrospective, cross sectional chart review of COVID-19 patients admitted to Dr. Ruth K.M Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi Isolation Ward from 28th February till May 28th 2020. Results: Out of 306 admitted patients, 216 (70%) tested SARS CoV-2 positive of whom median age was 45. COV-ID-19 was asymptomatic in 35 (16.2%), non-severe in 112 (51.9%), severe in 55 (25.5%) and critical in 14 (6.5%) patients. Severe/critical as compared to asymptomatic/non-severe disease was associated with co-morbidities (37 [53.6%] vs 35 [23.8%], p value <0.001), shortness of breath (50 [72.5%] vs 34 [23.1%], p value <0.001). Median [IQR] values demonstrated lower oxygen saturation (90 [87-92] vs 97 [97-98], p value <0.001) and lower absolute lymphocyte counts (1.3×109/L [0.9-1.82] vs 1.7×109/L [1.1-2.2], p value <0.001) with higher neutrophil to lymphocytic ratio (5.2 [3.3-8.4] vs 2.5 [1.6-3.7], p value <0.001), lactate dehydrogenase level (360U/L [271-566] vs 296U/L [207-377], p value <0.001), C-reactive protein (89mg/L [36-179] vs 19mg/L [0.9-91], p value <0.001) and ferritin level (580mg/L [331-1021] vs 341mg/L [163-679], p value <0.001). Of 216 patients, 2 (0.9%) died in the ward, whereas 13 (6%) were shifted to ICU of whom 12 died. Overall mortality was 14 (6.5%). Conclusion: In COVID-19 patients admitted to a public sector hospital, severe disease was associated with co-morbidities and elevated inflammatory markers. Mortality was very high in those that required ICU care. © 2021, Postgraduate Medical Institute. All rights reserved.
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INTRODUCTION: Learning Objective: COVID-19 is a novel viral disease. Its impact on kidney is poorly understood. Purpose of this study is to find out prevalence, risk factor and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients admitted with COVID-19 at Kulsum International hospital Islamabad. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. Data for this study was obtained from KIH electronic record and laboratory data. All adult patients (age 18 years) who had positive test for positive by Polymerase Chain Reaction testing of a Nasopharyngeal sample for COVID-19 and were hospitalized from 1 April, 2020, to 15 July, 2020, were eligible. Patients were excluded if they had, had prior kidney transplant, end-stage Renal disease (ESRD) or had <2 Serum Creatinine levels during the admission. AKI was defined according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria as follows: increase in Serum Creatinine by 0.3 mg/dl within 48 hours or a 1.5 to 1.9 times increase in Serum Creatinine from baseline within 7 days Eligible patients were selected and their further details regarding demographics, baseline history of Co-morbid conditions and home medications, past medical history. The primary outcome was the development of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). Secondary outcomes included need for Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) and hospital disposal (i.e., death or discharge) Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 22. Means,SD's,IQR were calculated. All statistical tests were 2-sided, and a P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of 93 patients 84.9% were male, and15.1% were female. A total of 12 (12.9%) patients were treated with mechanical ventilation. Fourteen patients (15.1%) died, 79 (84.9%) were cured, AKI was observed in 31 patients (33.3%). Univariate analysis showed male sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, treatment with renal-angiotensin-aldosterone- inhibiting medications, on inotropic support and mechanical ventilation had increased risk of AKI (p<0.05). Among 31 with AKI, 21 (67.7%)were cured, and 10 (32.3%) died, 6 (6.5%) patients required RRT. For patients who developed AKI and survived the median peak serum creatinine was 1.8 CONCLUSIONS: AKI frequently occurs in patients with COVID-19 and carries poor prognosis.
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Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) are one of the major health challenges, which has caused global concern due to their magnitude and high social cost. Industry 4.0 will significantly bring in IoT in the healthcare sector in an age of great growth in connected devices (up to 100 billion by 2030). The COVID-19 pandemic further accentuates the importance of using IoT in healthcare settings for both the providers and NCD patients due to controlled movements and enforced self-isolation throughout the world including Malaysia. In this regard, the improvement of "connected devices" has had a remarkable effect upon the entire healthcare sector and has been noticeably appreciated in "remote clinical monitoring", "chronic disease management", "preventive care", and "assisted living" for senior NCD patients. This study intends to interpret the significance of IoT in connection with wearable technologies and digital healthcare. The study discusses several benefits of IoT like reducing cost, rising profits for the healthcare service providers in Malaysia, a higher level of success and productivity, and precision of "health monitoring and treatment systems". The insights of this study will help the elderly NCD patients' community and healthcare providers to recognise the significance of IoT Enabled Health Monitoring and Assistive Systems due to their significant contribution to improving healthcare in the country in the long run.
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Context . The novel Corona Virus (nCoV-19) was initially reported in Wuhan, China during December 2019, and later people with nCoV-19 were identified in different parts of the world. Infected people had shown symptoms resembling pneumonia, but about 50% of patients were asymptomatic. Objective . The study intended to examine the data from studies on nCoV-19. Design . The research team performed a literature review, searching relevant literature databases. The sources of data included bioRxiv, medRxiv, Google Scholar, Embase, PsychINFO, WanFang Data and PubMed. The search terms were novel Corona Virus, and nCoV-19 structure. Setting . The study took place in the main library of the University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan. Results . The study identified 22 studies that had reported and confirmed over 2000 cases of nCoV-19 by January 26, 2020. The studies found that the virus was transmitted through respiratory droplets. The virus has two serotypes, OC43 and 229E. Conclusions . No specific curative therapy is available for CoVid-19. However, certain precautionary measures may potentially reduce the transmission, including washing hands, using sanitizers frequently, avoiding public gatherings, and quarantining or isolating patients. This virus has spread globally and immunocompromised individuals, and especially older individuals, are at significant risk. Community and healthcare professionals have a positive role to play in controlling the spread of the disease.
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Roughly 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide (80 per cent living in developing countries) are being marginalized by factors related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For the first time in a long time, huge numbers of people are feeling segregated from ‘normal life’ and are being quarantined in homes and hospitals. Due to apparently endless and restrictive lockdown rules, patterns of social isolation and detachment appear far from temporary. The present paper aims to highlight the issues and challenges faced by persons with disabilities and their caregivers during the coronavirus pandemic. © 2020 Sociological Demography Press.
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SESSION TITLE: Late-breaking Abstract Posters SESSION TYPE: Original Investigation Posters PRESENTED ON: October 18-21, 2020 PURPOSE: There is pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. RT-PCR is done for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Purpose of this study to follow the dynamics of RT-PCR in patients with COVID-19 and determine average time taken by them to become RT-PCR SARS-CoV2 negative. METHODS: A retrospective study.60 confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized at Kulsum Internationl Hospital were included. Demographic characteristics of the patients were collected like age and gender. Clinical characteristics such as date of onset (defined as the first date when the clinical symptoms were reported), date of admission and date of discharge were recorded. SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR characteristics: Nasal swabs were collected for the SARS-CoV-2 viral nucleic acid detection in sequential time-points. Positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay is defined as the period from the date of onset of the symptoms to the date of last positive RT-PCR test result. Effective negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay is defined as the period from the date of onset of symptoms to the date of first negative RT-PCR test Confirmed case: patient who had Nasal swab positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Upper respiratory specimens (throat and/or nasal swabs) were obtained and analyzed by realtime RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Period of viral infection and the contagious stage were analyzed. RESULTS: A total 68 patients were enrolled. Median age was 55.5 years (IQR 50 – 65 range: 21 – 85). Among them 56 were male (82.4%) and 12(17.6%) were female. The total number of SARS CoV-2 RT-PCR assay from 68 patients was 162, with 2.4 tests per patient. The median duration from onset of symptoms to first RT-PCR assay was 7 days (IQR: 5.5 – 9;range: 3 – 5 days). All patients presenting at 0-7 days of symptoms were tested positive. Whereas positive rate of RT-PCR assay was 64.3 %, 20.9% and 12.5 % at day 8-14, day 15-21 and >21 days respectively. We studied the dynamic profile of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR that shows a comparatively longer duration for onset of symptoms to a negative PCR in positive patients of age > 65 years. They had longer duration of illness;however, the difference was not statistically significant. Also, male patients had a significantly longer median duration from onset to negative test results as compared to female patients. (Median 16 days, IQR: 14.75 – 20 days, Range: 12 – 21 days, p value: 0.03) CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that average contagious period of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients was 16 days. This period was prolonged in patients with age more than 65 years so longer followups are required in this age group. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: In older population a prolong period of isolation may be required. DISCLOSURES: no disclosure on file for Muhammad Sajid Abbasi;No relevant relationships by Nadir Ali, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Shazli Manzoor, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by rukhsana Manzoor, source=Web Response
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SESSION TITLE: Late-breaking Abstract Posters SESSION TYPE: Original Investigation Posters PRESENTED ON: October 18-21, 2020 PURPOSE: COVID-19 is pandemic and global health issue declared by WHO. Pakistan is also badly affected by COVID-19. disease is caused by SARS-CoV-2. Diagnosis is commonly made by RT PCR of Nasopharyngeal or Oropharyngeal swab. purpose of this study is to compare positive detection rate of both these swabs. METHODS: It was a retrospective study. A data record of 626 patients from 1st April, 2020 to 15th May, 2020 was taken from the settings of Kulsum International Hospital, Islamabad. Sampling criteria was established at the hospital in accordance with the WHO guidelines to perform the test for the diagnosis. Sample was Nasopharyngeal and Oropharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 detection taken simultaneously from all patients. Samples were collected according to guidelines. Patients who came with cough, fever, dyspnea or close contacts of SARS-CoV-2 patients at outpatient department and who got admitted to the hospital with any illnesses were included. Their socio-demographic characteristics were recorded. Data was entered in SPSS 22 version for analysis RESULTS: A data of total 626 patients with age mean of 46 years was evaluated. Out of them 439 (70.1%) were men. Total nasopharyngeal positive swab rate was 20.8% while it was 11.5% and 59.5% in outpatient and inpatient respectively. In comparison to this total oropharyngeal positive swab rate was 17.6% while it was 10.5% in outpatient and 47.1% in inpatient (Table1). Also, nasopharyngeal swab showed good positive results as compared to oropharyngeal swabs irrespective of gender, inpatient and outpatient population with significant P value CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggest that nasopharyngeal swab has more positive detection rate than oropharyngeal swab so it alone can be used for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 diagnosis. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Nasopharyngeal swab should be used as diagnostic tool to detect SARS-Cov-2 in COVID-19 patients. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Shazli Manzoor, source=Web Response