Common mental disorders in Primary Health Care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic period: a cross-sectional study in the Northern health macro-region of Minas Gerais state, Brazil, 2021.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the prevalence of symptoms of common mental disorders (CMDs) in Primary Health Care professionals between August-October/2021. METHODS: this was a cross-sectional study conducted with health professionals in the Northern health macro-region of Minas Gerais state; snowball sampling was used; the dependent variable, CMDs, was evaluated using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20); Poisson regression was used to perform the statistical analysis. RESULTS: a total of 702 health professionals took part in the study; the prevalence of CDMs was 43.2%. It was higher in those with previous [prevalence ratios (PR) = 2.42; 95%CI 1.43;4.08] and current (PR = 1.54; 95%CI 1.25;1.89) symptoms of mental disorders, overwork during the pandemic (PR = 1.42; 95%CI 1.16;1.73), previous symptoms of anxiety (PR = 1.27; 95%CI 1.01;1.61), depression (PR = 1.27; 95%CI 1.06;1.52) and other mental disorders (PR = 1.20; 95%CI 1.01;1.43). CONCLUSION: there was an association between CDMs and presenting previous and current symptoms of mental disorders and work overload during the covid-19 pandemic.

Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and CoronaVac vaccines against omicron in children aged 5 to 11 years.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE) against omicron variant infection and severe corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children aged 5-11 years hospitalized with acute respiratory syndrome. METHODS: A test-negative, case-control analysis was conducted from February 2022 to June 2022. We enrolled 6950 eligible children, including 1102 cases and 5848 controls. VE was calculated after immunization with one and two doses of BNT162b2 or CoronaVac. The outcomes were hospitalization with acute respiratory symptoms and detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and severe COVID-19. The adjusted odds ratio for the association of prior vaccination and outcomes was used to estimate VE. RESULTS: For fully vaccinated children, the overall estimated VE against hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection was 42% [95% confidence interval (CI) 26 to 54]. VE peaked at 29-42 days (67%, 95% CI 40% to 82%) and then declined to 19% (95% CI, - 20% to 45%) at 57-120 days after the second dose. The BNT162b2 vaccine had a similar VE against hospitalization with SARS-CoV-2 infection (45%, 95% CI, 20 to 61) compared to the CoronaVac vaccine (40%, 95% CI, 17% to 56%). Among cases, 56 (5%) children died; 53 (94.6%) were not fully vaccinated. For cases, the two-dose schedule effectiveness against ICU admission, need for invasive ventilation, severe illness, and death were 10% (95% CI, - 54%-45%), 22% (95% CI - 70%-68%), 12% (95% CI, - 62%-52%), and 16% (95% CI, - 77%-75%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: For hospitalized children aged 5-11 years during the omicron-predominant period in Brazil, two doses of both vaccines had moderate effectiveness against hospitalization with acute respiratory symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 infection and offered limited protection against endpoints of COVID-19 severity.

Clinical Impact and Risk Factors of Mortality in Hospitalized Children and Adolescents With Hematological Diseases and COVID-19: An Observational Retrospective Cohort Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for COVID-19-related death in a large cohort of hospitalized children with hematological disorders. We performed an analysis of all pediatric patients with COVID-19 registered in a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database between February 2020 and May 2021. The primary outcome was time to death, which was evaluated considering discharge as a competitive risk by using the cumulative incidence function. Among 21,591 hospitalized pediatric patients with COVID-19, 596 cases (2.8%) had hematological diseases. Sixty-one children (27.4%) with malignant hematological diseases had a fatal outcome as compared with 4.2% and 7.4% of nonmalignant hematological and nonhematological cohorts, respectively (P<0.0001). Children with hematological diseases had a significant increased hazard of death compared with those without these conditions (hazard ratio [HR],=2.40, 95% confidence interval, 1.98 - 2.91). In multivariable analysis, the factors associated with death were the presence of malignant hematological disease (HR, 2.22, 95% CI 1.47 - 3.36), age >10 years (HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.46 - 3.19), male (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.02 - 2.27), oxygen saturation <95% (HR 2.02, 95% CI 1.38 - 2.96), and abdominal pain at admission (HR 2.75, 95% CI 1.76 - 4.27). Children with malignant hematological diseases had a higher risk of death compared with those without these disorders.

The association between pre-existing asthma and reduced risk of death among children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: There have been conflicting reports on the relationship between asthma and COVID-19 severity. This study aimed to compare the risk of death among children with asthma and healthy peers hospitalized due to COVID-19. METHODS: We carried out an analysis of all pediatric patients 2-19 years of age with asthma and COVID-19 registered in Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System-Gripe, a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database, between February 2020 and March 2022. The primary outcome was time to death, which was evaluated considering discharge as a competitive risk using the cumulative incidence function. RESULTS: Among 30,405 hospitalized children with COVID-19, 21,340 (70.2%) had no comorbidities, 6444 (21.2%) had comorbidities other than asthma, 2165 (7.1%) had asthma, and 465 (1.5%) had asthma with other comorbidities. The estimated probability of a fatal outcome for each group was 4.1%, 14.9%, 2.1%, and 10.7%, respectively. After adjustment, children with asthma had a 60% reduction in the hazard of death than healthy peers (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.53, p < 0.0001). Among children with asthma and no other comorbidities, two covariates were independently associated with in-hospital mortality, age ≥12 years, HR = 4.0, 95% CI, 2.5-6.4), and low oxygen saturation at admission (HR = 2.3, 95% CI, 1.4-3.2). CONCLUSION: Children with asthma and no comorbidities had a lower risk of death compared with healthy peers after controlling for clinical and demographic confounding factors.

Vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 variants in adolescents from 15 to 90 days after second dose: a population-based test-negative case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) against hospitalization and severe illness in adolescents due to infection with SARS-CoV-2 variants (gamma, delta, and omicron). STUDY DESIGN: A test-negative, case-control analysis was conducted in Brazil from July 2021 to March 2022. We enrolled 8,458 eligible individuals (12 - 19 years of age) hospitalized with an acute respiratory syndrome, including 3,075 cases with laboratory-proven COVID-19 and 4,753 controls with negative tests for COVID-19. The primary exposure of interest was vaccination status. The primary outcome was SARS-CoV-2 infection during gamma/delta vs. omicron-predominant periods. The adjusted odds ratio for the association of prior vaccination and outcomes was used to estimate VE. RESULTS: In the pre-omicron period, VE against COVID-19 hospitalization was 88% (95%CI, 83% to 92%) and has dropped to 59% (95%CI, 49% to 66%) during the omicron period. For hospitalized cases of COVID-19, considering the entire period of the analysis, 2-dose schedule was moderately effective against ICU admission (46%, [95%CI, 27 to 60]), need of mechanical ventilation (49%, [95%CI, 32 to 70]), severe COVID-19 (42%, [95%CI, 17 to 60]), and death (46%, [95%CI, 8 to 67]). There was a substantial reduction of about 40% in the VE against all endpoints, except for death, during the omicron-predominant period. Among cases, 240 (6.6%) adolescents died; of fatal cases, 224 (93.3%) were not fully vaccinated. CONCLUSION: Among adolescents, the VE against all endpoints was substantially reduced during the omicron-predominant period. Our findings suggest that the two-dose regimen may be insufficient for SARS-CoV-2 variants and support the need for updated vaccines to provide better protection against severe COVID-19.

Outcomes and risk factors for death among hospitalized children and adolescents with kidney diseases and COVID-19: an analysis of a nationwide database.

BACKGROUND: Patients with kidney diseases (KD) appear to be at particularly high risk for severe COVID-19. This study aimed to characterize the clinical outcomes and risk factors for COVID-19-related death in a large cohort of hospitalized pediatric patients with KD. METHODS: We performed an analysis of all pediatric patients with KD and COVID-19 registered in SIVEP-Gripe, a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database, between February 16, 2020, and May 29, 2021. The primary outcome was time to death, which was evaluated considering discharge as a competitive risk by using cumulative incidence function. RESULTS: Among 21,591 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, 290 cases (1.3%) had KD. Of these, 59 (20.8%) had a fatal outcome compared with 7.5% of the non-KD cohort (P < 0.001). Pediatric patients with KD had an increased hazard of death compared with the non-KD cohort (Hazard ratio [HR] = 2.85, 95% CI 2.21-3.68, P < 0.0001). After adjustment, the factors associated with the death among KD patients were living in Northeast (HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.13-4.31) or North regions (HR 3.50, 95% CI 1.57-7.80), oxygen saturation < 95% at presentation (HR 2.31, 95% CI 1.30-4.10), and presence of two or more associated comorbidities (HR 2.10, 95% CI 1.08-4.04). CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents with KD had a higher risk of death compared with the non-KD cohort. The higher risk was associated with low oxygen saturation at admission, living in socioeconomically disadvantaged regions, and presence of other pre-existing comorbidities. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Global scientific production in the pre-Covid-19 Era: An analysis of 53 countries for 22 years.

Based on an extensive analysis of public databases, we provide an overview of the global scientific output and describe the dynamics of the profound changes in the scientific enterprise during the last decades. The analysis included the scientific production of 53 countries over the 1996-2018 period. During this period, the production of articles per year has tripled. There was a strong correlation between the growth of the global gross domestic product and the increase in the number of articles (R2 = 0.973, P<0.001). Six countries showed a robust increment of their scientific production and are currently among the top 20 in the ranking of world scientific production (China, India, South Korea, Brazil, Turkey, and Iran). The mean annual growth rate was about 12.7% for these six countries. The share of the global scientific production of these countries increased from 7% in 1996 to 27.8% in 2018. Conversely, the participation of the 10 most traditional countries has dropped from 73% to 45% during the same period. In conclusion, we believe that our findings may contribute to further studies aiming to evaluate the impact and changes of the scientific endeavor over the next years in light of the forthcoming new world framework.

IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 ERA IN BRAZILIAN ORAL MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM

Objectives Due to the restrictive measures that have been implemented by the government, dentistry services underwent forced changes in their operation and function. Recent studies highlighted the difficulties and damage from the current COVID-19 pandemic to dental services in general and oral medicine (OM) and oral pathology particularly. Thus, this investigation aimed to compare Brazilian Unified Healthcare System–oriented OM clinical care in Brazil before and during the pandemic so far. Study Design The data were extracted from the public database of the Ministry of Health of Brazil and a descriptive analysis was performed of the mean number of clinical consultations in OM comparing the prepandemic period with the pandemic period. Results The data showed the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in OM clinical consultation. Brazilian general average deficit on OM clinical consultations in the pandemic period was −65.59%, representing more than 21,000 clinical consultations. Conclusions Quick and safe actions are needed to regularize or at least minimize both the critical immediate risks as well as the possible long-term negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic on oral diseases.

INCREASED HERPES ZOSTER CASES IN BRAZIL RELATED TO THE COVID-19 ERA

Objectives Recently, studies have discussed reports of patients positive for COVID-19 with skin lesions and vesicobullous oral lesions consistent with the manifestations of herpes zoster (HZ) and the involvement of this manifestations with the COVID-19 infection. The objective of this study was to compare the data from the Unified Health System on the number of diagnoses of HZ the period from March to September in each year 2017, 2018 and 2019 with the same period of 2020 in all Brazilian regions. Study Design The data were extracted from the public database of the Ministry of Health of Brazil (DATASUS) and a descriptive analysis of the numbers was performed per million inhabitants and by percentage comparing the prepandemic period with the pandemic period. Results The data showed an increase in the number of HZ diagnoses over the years and the negative impact of COVID-19, revealing an average increase corresponding to an extra 10.7 cases per million inhabitants (+35.4%) during the pandemic in Brazil. Conclusions Although the association between HZ and COVID-19 is not well stablished, we observed an increase in HZ cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, which suggests a correlation between these diseases.

Impact of COVID-19 on dental practice and anxiety among increased risk group dentists: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The likelihood of infection with SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) in the dental office is considered high. OBJECTIVES: Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 on dental practices and anxiety levels in risk group Brazilian dentists. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using an online questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using the IBM SPSS 25.0 software (Pearson's Chi-square association test, multivariate logistic regression, and Poisson multiple regression), with subsequent calculation of the odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval, with a significance level of 5%. RESULTS: Responses of 578 dentists distributed in all regions of Brazil were collected. Most of the dentists were female, with an average age of 35. Of the participants, 23.4% were part of the increased risk group for COVID-19. The professionals who belonged to the increased risk group had a greater chance of not feeling prepared to perform consultations (OR = 1.67) and were not performing any procedures during the pandemic (OR = 2.03). Belonging to the increased risk group did not influence anxiety levels among the dentists. The factors associated with increased anxiety were being female, being younger, working in the southeastern region of the country, being afraid of contracting COVID-19 while working, and being concerned for one's professional future. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic has had a negative impact on the professional practice of individuals at risk, but the level of anxiety was like professionals who were not part of the increased risk group for COVID-19.

Outcomes and risk factors of death among hospitalized children and adolescents with obesity and COVID-19 in Brazil: An analysis of a nationwide database.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a well-recognized risk factor for critical illness and death among adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the clinical outcomes and risk factors of death related to obesity in a cohort of hospitalized paediatric patients with COVID-19. METHODS: We performed an analysis of all paediatric patients with obesity and COVID-19 registered in SIVEP-Gripe, a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database, between February 2020 and May 2021. The primary outcome was time to death, which was evaluated by using cumulative incidence function. RESULTS: Among 21 591 hospitalized paediatric patients with COVID-19, 477 cases (2.2%) had obesity. Of them, 71 (14.9%) had a fatal outcome as compared with 7.5% for patients without obesity (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.59-2.53, p < 0.001). After adjustment, the factors associated with death among patients with obesity were female gender (HR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.70-4.61), oxygen saturation < 95% (HR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.38-4.79), presence of one (HR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.11-3.26), and two or more comorbidities (HR = 4.0, 95% CI 2.21-7.56). CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents with obesity had higher risk of death compared with those without obesity. The higher risk of death was associated with female gender, low oxygen saturation at admission, and presence of other comorbidities.

Risk factors for COVID-19-related mortality in hospitalized children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus: An observational retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes has been recognized as a major comorbidity for COVID-19 severity in adults. This study aimed to characterize the clinical outcomes and risk factors for COVID-19-related death in a large cohort of hospitalized pediatric patients with diabetes. METHODS: We performed an analysis of all pediatric patients with diabetes and COVID-19 registered in SIVEP-Gripe, a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database, between February 2020 and May 2021. The primary outcome was time to death, which was evaluated considering discharge as a competitive risk by using cumulative incidence function. RESULTS: Among 21,591 hospitalized pediatric patients with COVID-19, 379 (1.8%) had diabetes. Overall, children and adolescents with diabetes had a higher prevalence of ICU admission (46.6% vs. 26%), invasive ventilation (16.9% vs. 10.3%), and death (15% vs. 7.6%) (all P < 0.0001). Children with diabetes had twice the hazard of death compared with pediatric patients without diabetes (Hazard ratio [HR] = 2.0, 95% CI, 1.58-2.66). Among children with diabetes, four covariates were independently associated with the primary outcome, living in the poorest regions of the country (Northeast, HR, 2.17, 95% CI 1.18-4.01, and North, (HR 4.0, 95% CI 1.79-8.94), oxygen saturation < 95% at admission (HR 2.97, 95% CI 1.64-5.36), presence of kidney disorders (HR 3.39, 95% CI 1.42-8.09), and presence of obesity (HR 3.77, 95% CI 1.83-7.76). CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with diabetes had a higher risk of death compared with patients without diabetes. The higher risk of death was associated with clinical and socioeconomic factors.

Public oral health services: impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of this study was to describe the oral health services offered by the Unified Health System in the northern macro-region of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was an observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study. Data collection took place between August and September 2020 through the completion of online questionnaires by oral health managers in the northern municipalities of Minas Gerais and by consultation of information available in the Special Epidemiological Bulletin Coronavirus North Macro-region n° 14. After collection, data were transferred to SPSS® (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows, version 24.0). Analyses were performed using frequency, mean, standard deviation and percentages. It was found that all included municipalities suspended elective treatments and maintained emergency dental care at all levels of care. In 62.5% of municipalities there were oral health professionals contaminated by COVID-19. Oral health teams implemented specific interventions to address the pandemic,with the most frequent being tele-orientation (74.7%), use of sanitary barriers (72%), and telemonitoring (68%). At the beginning of the pandemic, 62.5% of municipalities lacked personal protective equipment. Comsidering these results, it was found that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the supply of dental services in northern Minas Gerais due to the suspension of elective care, contamination of professionals, lack of personal protective equipment, and development of new interventions. Thus, oral health teams had to adapt to new contexts of health interventionsto face COVID-19 and maintain dental care services.