Co-Infection of Covid-19 with Dengue and Chikungunya: A Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital (preprint)

Purpose The present study is aimed to identify the co-infection of Covid-19 with Dengue and/or Chikungunya. The present study was conducted from June 2021 to August 2021.Method 125 serum samples were collected from febrile patients of all age groups suffering from cold and fever. These samples were tested for the presence of Covid-19 antibodies. The Covid-19 positive sample were tested for the Dengue and/or Chikungunya infections by using IgM ELISA.Results Among 125 samples, 91 samples were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In these 91 Covid-19 positive samples, 3 samples were Dengue IgM positive and 14 were positive for Chikungunya by IgM ELISA.Conclusion In the present study, antibodies against CHIKV, DENV were detected in Covid-19 positive patients. 14 cases of coinfection between Covid-19 and Chikungunya and 3 cases of coinfection between Covid-19 and Dengue were reported from the present study.

Prevalence and Characterization of Long Covid-19 Symptoms in Health Care Professionals- A Need of the Hour (preprint)

Background: With the global advent of Covid-19, Healthcare workers (HCW) were under a lot of physical and psychological pressure. Information on persistent symptoms post Covid-19 Infection in HCWs is lacking.  Objectives: This Study is aimed at assessing the impact of the post Covid-19 syndrome in HCWs.  Materials and Methods: A Questionnaire was prepared as google form and shared with the HCWs through WhatsApp enquiring regarding the health conditions that are still persistent post recovery from Covid-19 infection.  Results: A total of 328 Health Care Professionals participated in the present survey (18-65 yrs). The gender distribution revealed 67.7% were females and 32.3% were males. 60.3% of the participants were infected with COVID-19 before taking the first dose of vaccination which is reduced to 17.5% after vaccination. The post COVID complications observed from the study were hair loss (35.4%), easy fatigability (25%), mood swings (22.9%), anxiety (18.8%), insomnia/sleeplessness (13.9%), depression (12.5%) and joint pains/arthritis (11.8%). The other complications observed were loss of taste (9%), lightheadedness/postural hypotension (8.3%), amnesia/loss of memory and anosmia/loss of smell (7.6%), gastritis (6.3%), palpitations, hypersomnia and pulmonary complications (5.6%) and chest pain (4.9%). Unpaired t-test and One-Way ANNOVA resulted in a significant value (p values of >0.05).  Discussion: Despite the fact that females experienced more post-Covid-19 symptoms (15 out of 17), males experienced more chest pain and anxiety symptoms. According to our findings, 57 of 100 Covid-19 health care workers have post-Covid complications. The participants presented with non-specific symptoms such as easy fatigability, mood swings, light headedness, anxiety but most of the participants quoted more specific symptoms such as depression, pulmonary complications, hair loss, joint pains, gastritis, chest pain, palpitations, loss of taste, amnesia, hyperglycemia, insomnia, hypersomnia and anosmia. However, non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, mood swings, lightheadedness, and anxiety were also mentioned. The symptoms of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome vary greatly. Early detection requires a unified definition of long COVID and characterization of its manifestation. Furthermore, more research should be conducted to identify risk factors and the precise mechanisms that lead to the development of long COVID syndrome. Such knowledge may aid future research aimed at preventing such a complication.