ABSTRACT
Objective: To describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of pediatric patients who were treated for suspected COVID-19 infecion, between March and October 2020, at the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio (HUSI), in Bogota, Colombia. Material(s) and Method(s): Cross-sectional design. Description of patients aged 1 month to 1 day before their 18th birthday, assessed between March and October 2020, who were approached by any pediatric care service of a university hospital for suspected COVID-infection. 19, according to current national and institutional protocols. Demographic variables and the reason for consultation of all individuals with suspected infection were recorded. Only when SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed were variables related to clinical aspects of the disease and its evolution recorded. Result(s): 920 medical records of pediatric patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection were evaluated, of which there were 157 confirmed cases with COVID-19 infection. The main reason for consultation to suspect infection was fever in 50% of the cases. In patients with virological confirmation, 32.48% of the cases attended required hospital management. MIS-C was suspected in 5 patients who required intensive care unit management. In the evaluated period, there were no deaths associated with COVID-19 infection. Conclusion(s): SARS-CoV-2 infection is related in most cases to a spectrum of mild disease in the pediatric population. This study may be larger than pediatric patients presenting with gastrointestinal rather than respiratory symptoms, and the frequency of renal complications should be taken into account in patients in whom the systemic inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19 is suspected.Copyright © 2023 Asociacion Colombiana de Infectologia. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Introduction. The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 virus variants raises concerns about their potential evasion of the immune response and associated clinical consequences. Decay in the magnitude of the immune response over time after completion of the vaccination schedule has been evidenced. The aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetics of neutralizing antibodies after vaccination and the impact of circulating variants. Materials and methods. Prospective longitudinal study' with a cohort of 60 Colombian adults' who received the complete BNT162b2 vaccine schedule' and were followed for 6 months to determine the kinetics of antibodies. Plaque reduction neutralization assays were performed with live virus' using the B.1 lineage (D614G)' and the Gamma' Alpha' Delta' Mu and Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Results. Neutralizing capacity against all variants was observed in all individuals after 1 month of vaccination;however' a progressive decrease in neutralizing capacity was observed after 3 and 6 months. Compared to the B.1 lineage' the neutralizing response against the Delta' Mu and Omicron variants presented the greatest decrease' evidencing their immune escape capacity' followed by the Gamma and Alpha variants. The decrease in antibody titers was more evident in men older than 40 years. Conclusions. Despite the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines' it is important to improve and monitor them in order to improve the protective response they can offer.
ABSTRACT
Medical education has been confronted with the rapid changes that occurred as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The Pediatrics Department of the Faculty of Medicine of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana have faced the need of modifications and have encountered challenges of new technologies giving academic continuity to undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the area of pediatrics, as well as adjusting practices to ensure medical training. In this article we present the experiences and reflections of changes related to medical training and new technologies in Pediatrics learning.