Acute cerebellar ataxia during acute COVID-19: A case series and review of the literature.

Acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated cerebellar ataxia without multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) or encephalopathy in children has been rarely reported. We reviewed medical records of hospitalized children who had developed cerebellar ataxia during the acute phase of COVID-19 infection, without MIS-C or encephalopathy, in our center. We also conducted a literature review and summarized the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. We found three cases in our center and additional three cases in the literature. All patients were male and five were preschool children. The cerebellar symptoms started between day 2 and day 10 during the acute phase of the COVID-19 infection. Two cases were complicated by mutism. One patient received therapy for acute cerebellar ataxia with corticosteroids, and others did not receive any specific therapy for acute cerebellar ataxia. The symptoms improved completely in all patients, with the recovery interval ranging from one week to two months. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the pathogenesis of acute cerebellar ataxia during acute COVID-19 in children.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection upon Leaving the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Objective Just before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan, the number of people infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), started to increase at an unprecedented rate. This study investigated the effectiveness of vaccines in large-scale sporting events under difficult circumstances, such as during adherence to a bubble system and confinement inside the Olympic/Paralympic Village. Methods In collaboration with medical clinics inside and outside the Village, a prospective cohort study was conducted among overseas participants using the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2 upon leaving Japan. Results A total of 12,072 foreign participants were enrolled, 13 (0.11%) of whom had a positive PCR test result. None of these cases were broadcasters or members of the press, were tested outside the Olympic Village, or had a history of COVID-19 infection. The effectiveness of full vaccination and vaccination at least once (≥14 days ago) was 74% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6-93%) and 81% (95% CI: 30-95%), respectively. Three breakthrough infections with the Delta variant were observed in 6,485 fully vaccinated participants (0.05%). The positivity rate was 0.09% among adherents to the bubble system and 0.28% among non-adherents, but this difference was not significant. Conclusion These findings indicate that even huge sporting events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games can proceed while pandemics are ongoing in the host country by combining countermeasures such as vaccination, frequent testing, social distancing, and adherence to a bubble system.

Improvement of the Japanese healthcare data system for the effective management of patients with COVID-19: A national survey.

OBJECTIVE: The burden of data entry in public platforms used for reporting patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a challenge in the healthcare setting. The key to mitigating the burden of data entry is system integration and elimination of double data entry. In addition, the linkage between public platforms and electronic medical records (EMRs) involves external networks, which are an important target for security management. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the status and challenges of infrastructure for continuous data reporting from hospitals in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online survey of Japanese care delivery institutions was conducted from January 25 to February 22, 2021, to obtain data on the admission of patients with COVID-19, use of information infrastructures, and status of network connections with external organizations. The survey request was distributed to each care delivery institution by Japanese health authorities. RESULTS: Of the care delivery institutions that responded to the survey, 53.9% treated patients with COVID-19. Of these institutions, 73.3% used EMRs. 57.8% of the EMRs were connected to an external network. The purpose of connecting to the external network was to contribute to regional health information-sharing with other hospitals (22.0%), report online medical insurance claims (27.5%), and conduct intrahospital system maintenance (61.5%). A frequent concern about connecting an EMR to an external network was data leakage. DISCUSSION: In cases where the frequency of reporting patients with COVID-19 is high, health authorities should provide information regarding anti-data-leakage measures and coordinate frameworks for efficient, sustainable data collection. CONCLUSIONS: We obtained information on existing infrastructures for patient data sharing among care delivery institutions and public health authorities. Our findings may be referenced by the government to make informed decisions about investments.

Differential Kinetics of Cycle Threshold Values during Admission by Symptoms among Patients with Mild COVID-19: A Prospective Cohort Study.

In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, more than half of the cases of transmission may occur via asymptomatic individuals, which makes it difficult to contain. However, whether viral load in the throat during admission is different between asymptomatic and symptomatic patients is not well known. By conducting a prospective cohort study of patients with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19, cycle threshold (Ct) values of the polymerase chain reaction test for COVID-19 were examined every other day during admission. The Ct values during admission increased more steadily in symptomatic patients and febrile patients than in asymptomatic patients, with significance (p = 0.01 and p = 0.004, respectively), although the Ct values as a whole were not significantly different between the two groups. Moreover, the Ct values as a whole were higher in patients with dysosmia/dysgeusia than in those without it (p = 0.02), whereas they were lower in patients with a headache than those without (p = 0.01). Patients who were IgG-positive at discharge maintained higher Ct values, e.g., more than 35, during admission than those with IgG-negative (p = 0.03). Assuming that viral load and Ct values are negatively associated, the viral loads as a whole and their changes by time may be different by symptoms and immune reaction, i.e., IgG-positive at discharge.