Roles and Impact of ASHA Workers in Combating COVID-19: Case Study Bhubaneswar

The present COVID attack has significantly accentuated vulnerability of infections at community level where their basic healthcare and immunization program are being implemented by the ICDS scheme launched in 1975 through a slew of AWCs scattered all over the country. The AWC acts as a primary health center that provides supplementary nutrition to children (between 0 and 6 years of age) and pregnant and lactating mothers besides providing preschool education to children in the age group of 4–6 years. The ASHA workers associated with AWC under then NRHM are the first hand health workers available to them at the community level who act as a bridge between the dispensaries and the community members. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the role of ASHA workers has assumed increased salience as the governments are relying on them for community level combating of this outbreak. This paper takes a close look at fund allocations to the public healthcare sector among the developing and developed countries and also the interstate allocations and allocations for major schemes and the resultant impact on HDI. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Utility of nasal swabs as samples for the diagnosis of Mucormycosis using molecular methods for detection

Objectives: Mucormycosis is an aggressive, life-threatening infection caused by fungi in the order Mucorales. There was an explosion of new cases of rhino-sino-orbital mucormycosis following the COVID pandemic in India, and the need for easy and rapid diagnostics was felt. The current diagnosis of mucormycosis relies on mycological cultures, radiology, and histopathology. These methods lack sensitivity and are most definitive later in the course of infection, resulting in the failure of timely intervention. A real-time multiplex PCR platform is commercially available for the detection of Rhizopus spp., Mucor spp.Rhizomucor spp., Lichtheimia spp., and Cunninghamella spp. (PN-700, MucorGenius , PathoNostics , Maastricht, The Netherlands) This real-time PCR has been validated to identify these fungal pathogens from bronchoalveolar lavage, tissue, and serum samples. This study aimed to validate this PCR-based system to detect Mucorales from nasal swab samples and evaluate its utility in the detection of Mucorales from nasal cavities of high-risk patients developing signs and symptoms of mucormycosis. Method(s): A single-center cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 50 hospitalized adult patients with signs and symptoms of mucormycosis. Nasal swabs were taken for PCR analysis once there was a clinical suspicion and were com-pared with the results of the gold standard.The gold standard for the diagnosis of mucormycosis was the conventional method (KOHmountedmicroscopy/HPE).Demographicdetails andrisk factorsfor thesepatients wererecorded, andthe RTPCR-based test was run on the nasal swab samples of all these 50 patients. The workflow is depicted graphically in Fig. 1 (Created with BioRender.com). Result(s): The study population mean (SD) age was 50 (16) years and consisted of 32 (64%) males. A total of 39 (78%) patients were known cases of diabetes mellitus, 48 (96%) patients had amphotericin B intake, and 20 (40%) had posaconazole intake. In all, 21 (42%) patients had a past history of COVID-19 infection;14 patients had received steroids and 10 patients received oxygen support. PCR for Mucorales was positive in 15 (30%) patients while the KOH mount was positive in 4 (8%) patients. Conclusion(s): These results are not encouraging for the use of nasal swabs as the sample for diagnosis of mucormyco-sis. Though the PCR performed better on the swab samples than KOH preparation and culture techniques, it highlights the importance of using standard sampling methods.

Assessment of Air Quality Before and During COVID-19-Induced Lockdown in Jaipur, India

Air pollution is increasing at a frightening pace due to emissions from industrial plants and manufacturing activities and other anthropogenic activities affecting living beings, property, and environment. This study aims to monitor the impact of COVID-19-induced lockdown and unlock down phases on the air quality of Jaipur city, Rajasthan, India by assessing the change in ambient air quality during pre-COVID-19 (January 2018–December 2019) and COVID-19 (January 2020–December 2021) phases by evaluating air quality parameters (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, O3, Benzene and o-Xylene) using ground station data. Outcome of the study revealed that the ambient air quality improved significantly during lockdown phases (March–May 2020) as the percentage change in concentration of studied parameters declined by more than 100% at different sites. However, the concentrations tend to escalate with the introduction of unlock down phases (June–December 2020) and the onset of winter season (October–December 2020) aggravated the conditions. The AQI touched moderate and poor category many times during study period. Student's t-test was conducted on the dataset. Results revealed significant difference in the concentration of air pollutants between pre-covid and covid period.

Remodelling post-COVID 19 resilience of emerging market microenterprises

Microenterprises have been valued for the development of emerging economies across demography. Though the opportunities of growth for microenterprises vary significantly across countries, their susceptibility to business environment-driven vulnerabilities, especially in emerging markets, has been of avid research interest. This study makes a novel contribution in viewing mindfulness as a differentiator in building resilience of microenterprises. Equating the need for disaster resilience to post-COV1D 19 business remodelling for microenterprises in emerging markets, the study delves into qualitative multi-case research to propose an extension of the model of microenterprises' survival postCOVID 19 pandemic by including mindfulness as a component. Three failed enterprises in three different sectors are taken as distinct experiments of structural, cognitive, and relational failure due to pandemic-induced disruptions. In this naturalistic enquiry, we validate the role of social capital in building resilience through detailed within-case descriptions and interpretations. Further, mindfulness is explored in the context of microenterprise resilience to build cognitive flexibility and alertness.

CodeWalk: Facilitating Shared Awareness in Mixed-Ability Collaborative Software Development

COVID-19 accelerated the trend toward remote software development, increasing the need for tightly-coupled synchronous collaboration. Existing tools and practices impose high coordination overhead on blind or visually impaired (BVI) developers, impeding their abilities to collaborate effectively, compromising their agency, and limiting their contribution. To make remote collaboration more accessible, we created CodeWalk, a set of features added to Microsoft's Live Share VS Code extension, for synchronous code review and refactoring. We chose design criteria to ease the coordination burden felt by BVI developers by conveying sighted colleagues' navigation and edit actions via sound effects and speech. We evaluated our design in a within-subjects experiment with 10 BVI developers. Our results show that CodeWalk streamlines the dialogue required to refer to shared workspace locations, enabling participants to spend more time contributing to coding tasks. This design offers a path towards enabling BVI and sighted developers to collaborate on more equal terms. © 2022 ACM.

Diagnostic performance of MucorGenius® real-time polymerase chain reaction assay on tissue samples for the diagnosis of mucormycosis

Poster session 3, September 23, 2022, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM:   Objectives: To assess the diagnostic utility of MucorGenius® real-time PCR in tissue samples for the diagnosis of mucormycosis in patients suspected of having invasive mucormycosis (IM) during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 193 clinically suspected cases of IM presenting at our tertiary care center from May to July 2021 were included and defined as proven, probable, possible, or negative for invasive fungal disease (IFD) according to EORTC/MSGERC guidelines. One sample from each patient (nasal/sinus biopsy, nasal crust, or orbital tissue) was subjected to conventional methods for diagnosis of IM and MucorGenius® real-time PCR (hereafter called ‘the assay’). Results: A total of 5 (1.92%), 124 (47.6%), and 44 (16.9%) cases respectively were classified as having proven, probable, and possible IM. The remaining 20 (7.69%) were classified as not having invasive fungal infections and were used as controls to calculate the specificity of the test. The majority of cases were classified as ‘probable’ because specimens received included biopsy from the nasal or sinus cavity.According to radiological findings, sino-nasal involvement was seen in 26/173 (15.02%), sino-orbital involvement in 122/173 (70.5%), and additional intracranial extension in 25/173 (14.4%) of the 173 cases of IM.Among 129 proven and probable cases, direct microscopy of samples showed only aseptate hyphae in 70 cases, and both aseptate and septate hyphae in 36 cases;the assay was positive in 53 and 13 of these cases respectively. In the remaining 23 cases, direct microscopy of samples showed only septate hyphae and the assay was negative.Additionally, the assay was able to detect the presence of Mucorales among 44 possible cases of IM in which direct microscopy of samples showed no fungal elements, but the patients displayed clinical and radiological features of IM and improved with antifungal therapy.The overall sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 63.21% and 90.48% respectively.The sensitivity of the assay in proven and probable cases of IM was 60% and 66.7% respectively, while specificity was 90% for both, using the presence of aseptate hyphae in direct microscopy as a gold standard. Sensitivity and specificity in possible cases were 27.27% and 90% respectively, using the presence of clinical and radiological features of IM and response to antifungal treatment as a reference.When sensitivity and specificity were determined independently in cases of mucormycosis and mixed infection (mucormycosis + aspergillosis), they increased to 75.71% and 90.48% respectively in the former, and both decreased to 38% in the latter. Conclusion: The MucorGenius® real-time PCR performs well in detecting IM as a single infection, especially in cases of possible IM which are not detected by conventional methods. However, it is inefficient in detecting co-infections of invasive mucormycosis and aspergillosis, possibly because Aspergillus can suppress the growth of Mucorales. With further studies using the results to guide clinical intervention and measuring the impact on the outcome, it can be a useful tool to make an early diagnosis of mucormycosis in patients with a high index of clinical suspicion.

AI to Machine Learning: Lifeless Automation and Issues

Machine learning makes the computer able to perform without explicit programming. So, machine learning is now applied to each and every field of our daily life. The broad range of applications of machine learning are disease detection, weather forecasting, gaming, political discussion, business analytics, acoustics, agriculture, energy forecasting, genomics, etc. The advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning is a combination of tools and techniques used together to solve cognitive problems. The concepts have been effectively executed through BERT and the GPT-2 architectures. Convolutional neural network which implements depthwise separable convolution and other neural networks are also used based on the requirement of the application. Machine learning strategies used for prediction and prognosis of the COVID-19 are partial derivative regression and nonlinear machine learning. Adaptive neural fuzzy inference system is used for wind power detection in power systems. Hence, it gives richer proposals and bits of knowledge for the ensuing decisions based on past information and activities with the extreme scope of production enhancement. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Work from home issues due to COVID-19 lockdown in Indian higher education sector and its impact on employee productivity

Purpose: This study focuses on work from home (WFH) issues faced by faculty members of higher education institutes in India during the coronavirus infection (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aims to understand the impact of these issues on faculty productivity. The study also analyzes the moderating effect of information technology (IT) training on the relationship between work- from-home issues and faculty productivity. Design/methodology/approach: This study is quantitative. Data were collected from 215 faculty members working in higher education institutes in India. Correlation and hierarchical regression analysis have been used to analyze the data. Findings: The analysis revealed that online teaching, lack of technology acceptance, poor working environment and work–life conflict negatively impacts faculty productivity. Thus, IT training work as a moderator plays an important role in reducing the WFH issues mainly Online Teaching, Lack of Technology acceptance & Poor Working Enviornment by increasing faculty productivity. IT training work does not moderate the relationship between work–life conflict and faculty productivity. Research limitations/implications: This research is limited to the higher education sector;the research limits the generalization of the higher education sector's finding to other sectors. Practical implications: The findings would help policymakers and educational institutes to explore the use of digital technology to break boundaries of workplace and education institutes to disseminate knowledge to a global level. The findings also help to understand how the workplace is essential for the smooth functioning of tasks of the institute. Social implications: The study will also help management, institute, organization, society and individuals to change their mindset that education can be imparted through online mode in a better way with the help of digital technology. Originality/value: There is a scarcity of research work examining WFH issues in conducting mandatory online classes due to COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19's relation to faculty productivity in the higher education sector. This study contributes to the knowledge regarding the impact of COVID-19 on faculty productivity in the education sector. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Clinical and Demographic Characteristics of COVID - 2019 in Asian Pediatric Population – A Systematic Review

Background: Data on demographics, clinical presentation and outcome of COVID-19 in children is increasing day by day. Studies done in Europe states infected children develop less severe disease with a low case fatality rate, no such review is available from Asia. Methods: Adhering to the PRISMA (Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines a systemic review of the literature was performed looking for clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in the Asian pediatric population searching (PUBMED, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and WHO -19 databases) from 01 January 2020 to 15 September 2020 to find any relevant article with medical subject headings (MeSH) terms like COVID-19, clinical characteristics, children, Asia, demography, outcome, management were used in different combinations. Results: We identified 26 case series across Asian countries consisting of 1664 pediatric patients. Asymptomatic children were 14.9 %. Fever 45.65 % and cough 32.62% were the most common symptoms. Contact history with confirmed COVID-19 positive children was 70.21%. Respiratory coinfection and other co morbidities were present in was present at 36.49 % and 14.09 % children respectively. Abnormal x-ray was observed in 52.1% children and ground-glass opacity were seen among 43.71% of abnormal CT scans. Abnormal laboratory data noted were leucocyte and lymphocytes count, C-reactive protein (CRP), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and Procalcitonin. One death from COVID-19 was reported from our review. Conclusion: Children mostly acquired infection from adults, the course of the disease is usually milder, they have a good prognosis even with associated respiratory infections and co morbidities, and mortality rate is almost nil from Asia due to COVID -19 in our review.

Clinical Presentation and Outcome of COVID-19 in Children: A Case Series

The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an illness caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which affects children as well as adults. This case series pertains an observation on six patients, aged 10-17 years, who were admitted to the hospital and found to be COVID-19 positive on testing. All patients had history of contact with COVID-19 positive confirmed family members. Most common symptoms were fever (n=4), cough (n=2) and breathlessness (n=2). No patient had any pre existing co-morbidity. Raised levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and D-dimer were present in four patients (66.6%) each and elevated serum ferritin levels were seen in 3 (50%) patients. Peribronchial cuffing was seen in chest X-ray of one patient. Supportive therapy along with antibiotics (Azithromycin and Doxycycline) was given to all children. Mean duration of hospital stay was 7.5 days. No patient required intensive care support. All patients recovered at discharge.

Assessing behavioral intention toward green hotels during COVID-19 pandemic: the moderating role of environmental concern

Purpose: The study aims to investigate the consumers' behavioral intention toward green hotels. The tendency of individuals to afford green hotels is further escalating with progressing coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic recurring waves. The increased worry of consumers toward health, hygiene and the climate is acquiring momentum and transforming how consumers traditionally perceive green hotels. Design/methodology/approach: The study has recommended an integrated framework incorporating various research fields as attitude-behavior-context theory, theory of planned behavior (TPB) and moderating influences to study the associations among the antecedents of consumers' behavioral intention toward green hotels. The study comprised the participation of 536 respondents residing in the Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) of India. The data analysis strategy involved the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to test the proposed research framework. Findings: The results and findings of the study indicated a significant influence of fear and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental concern on green trust. The results also revealed the considerable impact of green trust on willingness to pay premium, attitude and subjective norms, which significantly influenced behavioral intention. The analysis also revealed the moderating influence of environmental concern in the relationship of green trust and behavioral intention. Research limitations/implications: The study has recommended significant theoretical. The theorists may use this research framework to analyze better the transforming consumer behavior trends toward green hotels in the ongoing fearful and uncertain COVID-19 pandemic scenario. Practical implications: The study has recommended significant managerial implications. The industry practitioners may also utilize the framework to sustain the hotel business and bring new strategic insights into practice to combat the impact of the pandemic and simultaneously win consumers' trust in green hotels. Originality/value: Although the researchers have previously emphasized consumers' intention toward green practices embraced by hotels, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the green hotel industry gained noticeable attention from researchers. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of literature providing insights on the behavioral dynamism of hotel customers' trust, attitude and willingness to pay for green hotels during the repetitive waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will support the existing literature gap by enlightening the associations among the various antecedents of green hotels' behavioral intention, COVID-19 and environmental concern. © 2022, Rajiv Kumar Dwivedi, Manoj Pandey, Anil Vashisht, Devendra Kumar Pandey and Dharmendra Kumar.

Association of COVID-19 with Mucormycosis-An Appalling and Enervating Disease in North West India

Introduction: The pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to be a significant problem worldwide. The disease pattern ranges from mild to life threatening pneumonia. Association of COVID-19 with mucormycosis is rare but an increase in this association has been observed recently, particularly in a background of immunocompromised state with rhino-orbital-cerebral region being the most common site of involvement. Aim: To study the site and presentation of mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients with histopathological association. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted at American International Institute of Medical Sciences, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, in which 1st 20 patients of COVID-19 with mucormycosis of rhino-orbital region were included in the study. The study was conducted for a period of two months (April-May 2021). Detailed clinical history and associated co-morbidities were noted for each patient. Histopathological examination of all the specimens resected for fungal infection was done along with special stain. Statistical analysis was done using Chi-square test. Results: COVID-19 association with mucormycosis was observed in all 20 cases. Maximum number of cases (11) was present in the age group of 20-40 years. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) had a strong association with mucormycosis. Maxillary sinus was most commonly associated site. Preoperative Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) was positive in all 20 cases, detailed histopathology study along with Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) stain was performed in all cases. Additional microscopic findings like angioinvasion (03), granuloma (01) and giant cell reaction (13) were also recorded. Conclusion: COVID-19 has emerged as a global threat to mankind. In the present scenario the entire medical fraternity should have a prompt and team approach towards the management of this pandemic, in terms of, early detection of the infection, meticulous use of corticosteroids and screening of comorbidities to safeguard patients from such life threatening fungal infections.

Comparative pathology, molecular pathogenicity, immunological features, and genetic characterization of three highly pathogenic human coronaviruses (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2).

The last two decades have witnessed the emergence of three deadly coronaviruses (CoVs) in humans: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). There are still no reliable and efficient therapeutics to manage the devastating consequences of these CoVs. Of these, SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the currently ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has posed great global health concerns. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented crisis with devastating socio-economic and health impacts worldwide. This highlights the fact that CoVs continue to evolve and have the genetic flexibility to become highly pathogenic in humans and other mammals. SARS-CoV-2 carries a high genetic homology to the previously identified CoV (SARS-CoV), and the immunological and pathogenic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS contain key similarities and differences that can guide therapy and management. This review presents salient and updated information on comparative pathology, molecular pathogenicity, immunological features, and genetic characterization of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2; this can help in the design of more effective vaccines and therapeutics for countering these pathogenic CoVs.

Predictors of mortality in patients of COVID-19 pneumonia in intensive care unit: An observational study in a tertiary care hospital, Lucknow, India

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is an enveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus. Initial steps of the infection involve binding of the spike protein(S) of the virus to Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptor on the mucosal surfaces of various organs like lungs, kidney, heart, intestine. Pathogenesis of complications are still poorly understood. Aim: This study was designed to find out the baseline biochemical parameters at the time of admission which may predict outcome in COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted in a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (Dr. RMLIMS), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, from 1st July, 2020 to 30th November, 2020 . A total of 109 moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia patients who required Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, were enrolled. Based on their outcome, patients were divided into two groups: “Survived” and “Expired”. Biochemical characteristics of patients were compared among the two groups using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: On Univariate analysis Coagulation profile, Prothrombin Time (PT), International Normalised Ratio (INR), Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) and D-Dimer vales were raised significantly in the expired group. Among other acute phase reactants Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Creatinine Phosphokinase-MB (CPKMB) were raised in expired group and this difference was significant statistically too. On Multivariate analysis among all acute phase reactant only IL-6 was increased significantly. All other variables were found to be non-significantly associated with mortality, statistically (p-value<0.05). Conclusion: Baseline biochemical parameters have prognostic values in COVID-19 patients. Raised IL-6 levels can be viewed as an independent predictor of mortality among COVID-19 patients at the time of admission in ICU.

Impact of Co-morbidities on outcome of COVID-19 patients: An observational study among patients admitted to intensive care unit

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) has been a major cause of apprehension, morbidity, and mortality in 2020. It had been postulated that associated co-morbid conditions in COVID-19 patients increase the severity of COVID-19 which leads to six times more chances of hospitalisation than patients without co-morbid condition. Mortality is also 12 times higher in such patients. Aim: To find out the association between co-morbidities and mortalities due to COVID-19 pneumonia. Materials and Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted in a tertiary teaching institute of North India which was designated Level 3 (L-3) facility for treatment of COVID-19 patients. All 109 COVID-19 patients confirmed by Reverse Transcriptase - Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-PCR), admitted in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from 1st July 2020 to 30th November 2020 formed the sample of the study. Data were taken regarding past history, clinical histories and examinations and ICU care and treatments. Based on their final outcome at the end of ICU care, patients were divided into 2 groups-group 1 (Non-survivor or Expired) and group 2 (Survived) and intergroup differences were studied. results: COVID-19 infection was about three times more common in males. Severe category of COVID-19 patients had higher mortality (59.2 % of severe category expired during hospital course, 1.7% patients expired in moderate category group). Most common co-morbidities were hypertension (n=48, 46.8%) and diabetes (n=51, 44%). Multivariate analysis showed that co-morbidities in the form of chronic liver disease (OR -0.127(0.024-0.681, p-value 0.016)) and post tubercular sequel (OR 0.036(0.003-0.442, p-value 0.009)) were less likely to occur in COVID-19 patients who survived, thus making these co-morbidities significant contributor to the adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients. More number of co-morbidities in a patient were associated with higher chance of mortality and this trend was significant statistically (p-value<0.001). conclusion: Patients with multiple co-morbidities, chronic liver disease and post tubercular sequel were associated with higher mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Clinico-demographic, hematological, and comorbidity profile of COVID-19 patients admitted at tertiary care center

Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has caused a worldwide pandemic. This study was aimed to describe the clinico-demographic, hematological, and comorbidity profile in a group of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients at a tertiary care center in north India. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-center collection of data regarding clinico-epidemiological, hematological parameters, and comorbidity profile of COVID-19 patients admitted at a tertiary care facility. Results: Data from 200 patients with COVID-19 were collected and analyzed. The median age of the patients was 48 years, with 63% males, and 78% patients were from urban area. Ten patients were smokers while 11 patients were alcoholic. The occupation of 20.6% of patients was related directly or indirectly with medical or allied professions. The most common mode of transmission of COVID-19 was direct close contact with microbiologically confirmed patients. Fever (n = 93;46.5%) was the most common presenting symptom and the median duration of onset of symptoms before admission were 3.5 days (range 2-6 days). In hematological profile, lymphopenia (n = 48;24%) had been the most common documented finding. Comorbidities were present in 39 (19.5%) patients, of which diabetes mellitus (n = 25;12.5%) was the most common. Furthermore, the case fatality rate in our study was 1.5%. Conclusion: Among all patients of COVID-19 at our center, the characteristic findings included high proportion of male patients with younger to middle-age group, diabetes as most common comorbidity and people who were directly or indirectly in contact with the health-care system were more prone for developing the disease.

SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic - an update. (Special Issue: SARS-CoV-2.)

The coronavirus disease - 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus virus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2), set it foots in China during December 2019 as a high-alert public health emergency. This malady had thereafter spread rapidly across the globe in more than 215 countries, affecting more than 50 million people and causing the death of nearly 1.3 million as of 9th November, 2020 and resulted in a massive panic, fear, and economic crashes in most of the world. A better understanding of the disease, the virus, structural biology, clinical manifestations, risk factors, transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and management can be extrapolated from the literature review of the research up to date. In addition, deliberations on animal linkages, spillover and zoonotic implications for exploring the actual origin of the disease and all possible animal-human interfaces, intermediate host;diagnosis for devising specific and sensitive tests of ease, accessibility and affordability;advances in the development of safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics for prevention and treatment;management of COVID-19 practicable in all countries;application of traditional or regularly used modalities including plant-based products and medicinal herbs against SARS-COV-2;nutritious dietary foods against this disease;and socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 can provide valuable information on these various aspects. Most of the research currently focuses on disease, development of a vaccine or therapeutic modalities. But the future mortality rate and virulence of virus not only depends on the evolution of the virus, but also on how we develop preventive measures and effective treatment as well as in advance preparedness. The present review highlights salient aspects of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, pathology, risk factors, transmission, diagnosis, potential treatment, and alternative/supportive therapeutic options.

Morbidity and mortality among health care workers due to coronavirus disease 2019

Background: A novel coronavirus disease started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. With its rapid spread, many cases were reported from other countries resulting in more than 2 million confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. Health care workers (HCWs) are the frontline warriors of any outbreak response and as such are exposed to hazards that put them at risk of infections, here with the coronavirus. Aim and Objective: Incidences of morbidity and mortality among HCWs have also been reported in many countries. Despite these isolated reports, a comparative data among the majorly affected countries were not available. In this article, an attempt has been made to review the effect of COVID-19 on the health of the HCWs. Materials and Methods: This is an observational study where data regarding morbidity and mortality among HCWs were collected by online search until April 30, 2020. Data were collected from the World Health Organization website and government and health-care websites. Various online newspaper articles were also checked and relevant information was collected. To evaluate and analyze, a data collection sheet was prepared. Results: In our study, the number of affected HCWs was highest in Spain, followed by Italy, the United States of America, China, and the UK. Till April 2020, the total number of affected HCWs in India although very less, the correlation between infection and death in HCWs due to COVID-19 was found statistically significant. Conclusion: The HCWs being the frontline warriors in the fight against COVID-19, they should be provided with adequate protective measures to minimize morbidity and mortality in them.

A probe into performance analysis of real-time forecasting of endemic infectious diseases using machine learning and deep learning algorithms

The current work aims at probing the performance of real-time forecasting of endemic infectious diseases by means of machine learning and deep learning techniques. An LSTM-based time series forecasting framework and machine learning-based framework are proposed for forecasting the endemic infectious diseases in real time. With recent outbreaks of Ebola, Zika, cholera, and COVID 2019, a question is being raised on our alertness as well as preparedness toward controlling the spread of these pandemics. Accurate and reliable prediction occurrences of these diseases are compulsory for the health personals to enable timely response in handling these outbreaks. The diversities of the communities make it more complex along with the humongous data generated due to the convergence of SMAC technologies. The data generated due to this complex network is nonlinear and non-stationary. Processing of this data requires an effort from a multidimensional perspective. The current work proposed the utilization of machine learning and deep learning-based long short-term memory (LSTM) techniques for the assessment of time series forecasting of casualties in case of cholera outbreak that happened recently in Yemen. The feasibility of these two techniques is probed using performance evaluation metrics. The core objective of using these two techniques is in considering nonlinear and non-stationary behavior. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.