Rehabilitation facilitates the natural recovery of symptoms, mental health and quality of life outcomes post COVID-19

Aim: To investigate the effects of rehabilitation (Rehab) added to usual care (UC) versus UC on symptoms, mental health and quality of life (QoL) outcomes post COVID-19. Method(s): A supervised Rehab program was offered to 55 post COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized with severe/critical COVID-19 pneumonia and a Copd Assesment Test (CAT) score >= 10, post hospital discharge (6-8 weeks). Twenty-eight patients accepted to enroll to Rehab, whereas 27 refused to participate (UC). All patients were evaluated at baseline and after 2 months. Result(s): Groups were not different in mean age (56 years), gender (53% ), ICU admission (65%), intubation (47%), days of hospitalization (31), number of symptoms (9), and number of comorbidities (1.4). The baseline evaluation was conducted at 82+/-30 days after symptoms onset. Only Rehab was associated with improvements in respiratory symptoms, dyspnea, fatigue, depression/anxiety, cognitive impairment, and QoL. (Table 1) Conclusion(s): Rehabilitation facilitates recovery of symptoms and QoL post COVID-19 that otherwise would remain incomplete with usual care.

Acute respiratory tract infections in SARS-CoV-2-negative children during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the early stage of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was a priority;however, influenza viruses and RSV continued to cause seasonal epidemics complicating the diagnostic strategies. In the present study we estimated the proportion of SARS-CoV-2-negative pediatric cases attributed to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza viruses during a 3-month period after the identification of the first COVID-19 case in Greece. Ninety SARS-CoV-2-negative children hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infection were included in the study. Following a SARS-CoV-2 negative result, the samples were tested by molecular methods for detection of RSV and influenza viruses. The positive samples were further tested for identification of the subtype of the viruses. We detected RSV or influenza viruses in 22 (24.4%) samples. Influenza virus was detected in 13 (14.4%) patients (two of type A and 11 of type B), and RSV (all RSV-A) was detected in 9 (10%) patients. In conclusion, a syndromic approach for simultaneous detection of at least influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV will be beneficial for the prompt implementation of appropriate hospital management including antiviral treatment and isolation measures.

P.0797 Effects on mental health, sleep and quality of life in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 infection

Background: Experience from previous coronavirus outbreaks had shown that infected patients are at risk for developing psychiatric disorders, such as mood and sleep disturbances. Similarly, accumulating evidence suggests that patients with COVID-19 infection experience an excess of adverse psychological outcomes and neuropsychiatric complications [1,2]. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization on the mental health, quality of life, and sleep of patients following hospital discharge. Methods: Patients were assessed during follow up visits in the outpatient clinic 1-2 months after hospital discharge from a large Covid-19 reference hospital in Athens, Greece (from May 8th 2020 till February 4th 2021) using validated screening tools for Depression and Anxiety (HADS), post-traumatic stress disorder (IES-R), sleeping difficulties (Athens Insomnia Scale, AIS), and Quality of Life (EQ-5D-5L). Sociodemographic information, smoking history, co-morbidities and severity of disease (hospitalization, ICU) were also collected. Results: A total of 131 eligible patients who provided informed consent were included. Overall, Covid-19 patients experienced considerable levels of mental health symptoms following hospital discharge. Moreover, rates were significantly higher for female compared to male patients despite having shorter duration of hospitalizations (14.89 vs 18.82 bed days) and/or ICU admissions (13.51 vs 14.92). This finding was consistent across all recorded psychological outcomes i.e. depression (p=0.004), anxiety (p=0.017), traumatic stress (p<0.001), fear (p<0.001) and insomnia (p=0.002). In addition, differences in prevalence rates between genders were particularly marked for moderate levels of depression and traumatic stress and for severe levels of anxiety. Smoking and comorbidities were not found to significantly correlate with the presence of affective symptoms or sleep dysfunction. However, an association was observed between severity and the existence of comorbidity with the proportion of patients with comorbidities increasing from 67.5% of the patients with minimal depression to 91.43% to those with mild and 80% with moderate depression (p-value=0.018). Finally, quality of life was worse for patients that have had an admission in the ICU (EQ-5D-5L: 15.82 ± 5.27) compared to those who were hospitalized but did not require ICU treatment (EQ-5D-5L: 8.39 ± 2.81) (p-value<0.001). Conclusion: COVID-19 disease can have a significant psychological impact on hospitalized patients and particularly women despite the relative less severe course of their illness. This finding is in line with a previous study, showing that, despite significantly lower levels of baseline inflammatory markers, female patients suffered more for both anxiety and depression at one-month follow-up following hospital admission (3). Regardless of potential sex differences, the prevalence of moderate and severe mental illness symptoms in COVID‐19 patients may be higher compared with the general population or other high risk groups such as different patient groups or healthcare workers [2-4]. Our results highlight the need for appropriate interventions to promote physical and mental wellbeing of COVID-19 survivors and cater for long-term needs. No conflict of interest

A Case Study of Three Finnish Pre-Service Teachers' Emotions and Understanding of CLIL During an Online Practicum

The novel exigencies of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift towards online learning environments and teleconference platforms, which have also affected teaching practicums. The impact of this approach on teacher preparation is yet unknown and may render pre-service teachers (PSTs) more vulnerable to the challenges of early professional learning through practice, especially when implementing a methodology they have been insufficiently introduced to. Following three students of primary teacher education who opted for a practicum in a CLIL class at a Finnish teacher training school, this case study examines how the online practicum affected these PSTs' emotions and understanding of CLIL. The case study is based on the analytical categories of teacher identity and emotion and draws on essay, diary, and interview data. The thematic analysis of the data suggests that the online practicum met participants' expectations for building confidence and was perceived as an overall instructive experience, which was improved by the quality of mentorship and peer support they received. However, feelings of frustration or dissatisfaction accompanied moments of conflict with incoming expectations, principally related to using English in CLIL. The analysis further suggests that the online practicum strengthened participants' earlier conception of CLIL as a language-oriented teaching tool. Regardless of whether online CLIL practicums remain a future option, acquiring disciplinary and language knowledge alike are important aspects in teacher preparation for CLIL, which could be an optional part of teacher education programs for PSTs who are aware of or sensitive to language as a tool for learning.

International Master's Degree Students' Well-being at a Finnish University during COVID-19

The rapid developments and consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for university students' well-being are presently being studied across the world. This study contributes to the growing discourse on university students' well-being by exploring changes in international Master's degree students' well-being in relation to the move to online teaching and learning at a Finnish university during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study draws on 37 answers to an open-ended question about remote teaching and learning at the end of a survey on university students' stress. The text data were analysed conducting a preliminary quantitative content analysis and a more detailed thematic analysis, from which two themes were developed. The first theme concerned respondents' well-being with regard to their friends and family, including the desire for human connection, ways of coping and health concerns. The second theme concerned respondents' well-being with regard to their studies, including the importance of social life on campus, affected concentration and motivation, degree-related complications, and online teaching and supervision. The findings suggest that sociocultural well-being may extend beyond acculturation and that decreased psychological well-being has repercussions for international students' studies. The study concludes with a discussion of the study's limitations and practical implications. © 2020 Sotiria Pappa et al., published by De Gruyter.