ABSTRACT
Aim: The authors studied the role of soluble ST2 (sST2) in COVID-19 and its relationship with inflammatory status and disease severity. Materials & methods: Serum levels of sST2 and interleukin (IL)-33, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid protein (SAA), IL-6 and procalcitonin (PCT), and T lymphocyte subsets from 80 subjects diagnosed with COVID-19 including 36 mild, 41 severe and three asymptomatic cases were tested. Results: Serum sST2 levels were significantly increased in COVID-19 patients, which were positively correlated with CRP, but negatively correlated with CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte counts. Serum sST2 levels in nonsurviving severe cases were persistently high during disease progression. Conclusion: Serum sST2 level test is helpful for reflecting inflammatory status and illness severity of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , COVID-19/blood , Interleukin-1 Receptor-Like 1 Protein/blood , SARS-CoV-2/metabolism , Severity of Illness Index , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Biomarkers/blood , C-Reactive Protein/metabolism , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Procalcitonin/blood , Serum Amyloid A Protein/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: A large number of healthcare workers (HCWs) were infected by SARS-CoV-2 during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Hospitals are significant epicenters for the human-to-human transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 for HCWs, patients, and visitors. No data has been reported on the details of hospital environmental contamination status in the epicenter of Wuhan. METHODS: We collected 626 surface swabs within the Zhongnan Medical Center in Wuhan in the mist of the COVID-19 outbreak between February 7 - February 27, 2020. Dacron swabs were aseptically collected from the surfaces of 13 hospital function zones, five major objects, and three major PPE. The SARS-CoV-2 RNAs were detected by reverse transcription-PCR. RESULTS: The most contaminated zones were the intensive care unit specialized for taking care of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) (31.9%), Obstetric Isolation Ward specialized for pregnant women with NCP (28.1%), and Isolation Ward for NCP (19.6%). We classified the 13 zones into four contamination levels. The most contaminated objects were self-service printers (20.0%), desktop/keyboard (16.8%), and doorknob (16.0%). Both hand sanitizer dispensers (20.3%) and gloves (15.4%) were the most contaminated PPE. CONCLUSION: Our findings emphasize the urgent need to ensure adequate environmental cleaning, strengthen infection prevention training, and improve infection prevention among HCWs during the outbreak of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Coronavirus Infections/transmission , Cross Infection/transmission , Disease Outbreaks/statistics & numerical data , Environmental Monitoring , Hospitals , Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional , Pneumonia, Viral/transmission , COVID-19 , China/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control , Disinfection , Equipment Contamination/prevention & control , Humans , Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional/prevention & control , Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional/statistics & numerical data , Intensive Care Units , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
We found that all 5 asymptomatic household contacts of a Wuhan, China, physician with coronavirus disease had severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detected by PCR. The index patient and 2 contacts also had abnormal chest computed tomography scans. Asymptomatic infected household contacts of healthcare workers with coronavirus disease might be underrecognized.