ABSTRACT
Introduction Telemedicine is a desirable option for healthcare in Saudi Arabia. The challenges of telemedicine in cardiovascular care in Saudi Arabia are not known. The COVID-19 pandemic offered an unprecedented opportunity to identify real-life challenges of telemedicine in Saudi Arabia. We sought to identify the challenges of telemedicine among patients with cardiovascular diseases using the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is a cross-sectional survey-based study through a self-filled questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic data, type of cardiovascular disease, and difficulties faced by the patients during the COVID-19 lockdown. Results 394 (60% male, mean age 51.4 ± 19.3 years) participated in the study. 30.3% had valve diseases, 26.4% had heart failure, and 24.1% had coronary artery disease. 45.6% reported difficulty with telemedicine during COVID-19 lockdown. Among those who have difficulties, almost half of the participants had difficulty with the cancellation of telemedicine appointments, and 15.5% had difficulty in getting medications. Conclusion Cancellation of telemedicine appointments and getting the medications were cardiovascular patients' main challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown. Telemedicine is a feasible option for the follow-up of chronic cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it should be implemented to increase the availability of specialized cardiovascular care over a wide geographical area.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: In this commentary, we suggest that the unprecedented global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic provides a compelling reason for researchers to stretch beyond usual limits and find new ways to engage in global collaborations. METHODS: We point to data that have emerged on the mental health and economic consequences of the pandemic to illustrate the extent to which these common issues cross national borders. There is high likelihood that these burdens will continue to persist long after the pandemic is declared "over." RESULTS: We urge researchers, particularly those from countries with higher income economies, to share resources to increase international collaborative research efforts. We present a case study of an ongoing project and offer some lessons learned for individual investigators. CONCLUSION: Global problems require global solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis that should prompt researchers to engage in science and research across national borders.
ABSTRACT
Background As of 26 March 2021, the Africa CDC had reported 4,159,055 cases of COVID-19 and 111,357 deaths among the 55 African Union Member States; however, no country has published a nationally representative serosurvey as of May 2021. Such data are vital for understanding the pandemic's progression on the continent, evaluating containment measures, and policy planning. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, nationally representative, age-stratified serosurvey in Sierra Leone in March 2021 by randomly selecting 120 Enumeration Areas throughout the country and 10 random households in each of these. One to two persons per selected household were interviewed to collect information on socio-demographics, symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, exposure history to laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, and history of COVID-19 illness. Capillary blood was collected by fingerstick, and blood samples were tested using the Hangzhou Biotest Biotech RightSign COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette. Total seroprevalence was was estimated after applying sampling weights. Findings The overall weighted seroprevalence was 2.6% (95% CI 1.9-3.4). This is 43 times higher than the reported number of cases. Rural seropositivity was 1.8% (95% CI 1.0-2.5), and urban seropositivity was 4.2% (95% CI 2.6-5.7). Interpretation IgM positivity was elevated as of March 2021 suggesting the second wave had not yet fully abated. Although overall seroprevalence was low compared to countries in the Global North (suggesting relatively successful containment in Sierra Leone), our findings indicate enormous underreporting of active cases. This is concerning because it may reflect significant underreporting of incidence and mortality across the continent. The low level of natural immunity is also worrisome in that it presents a very large population of susceptible individuals at risk for future variant waves in a country with only 0.2% of people fully vaccinated.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Respiratory viruses can be transmitted through contact, droplet and airborne routes. Viruses that are not naturally airborne may be aerosolised during medical procedures and transmitted to healthcare workers. Most resource-limited healthcare settings lack complex air handling systems to filter air and create pressure gradients that are necessary for minimising viral transmission. This review explores the association between ventilation and the transmission of respiratory viruses like SAR-CoV-2. When used appropriately, both natural and mechanical ventilation can decrease the concentration of viral aerosols, thereby reducing transmission. Although mechanical ventilation systems are more efficient, installation and maintenance costs limit their use in resource-limited settings, whereas the prevailing climate conditions make natural ventilation less desirable. Cost-effective hybrid systems of natural and mechanical ventilation may overcome these limitations.