COVID-19 breakthrough infection after four doses of the vaccines: a case report

The COVID-19 vaccines provide a high degree of protection against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death. However, no vaccine claimed 100% effectiveness and it is expected that a small proportion of vaccinated individuals may develop a breakthrough infection due to individual differences, virus variants and other factors. We conducted an epidemiological investigation and analysis of an imported case who had finished four doses of vaccination, and in order to provide a relevant reference for regular epidemic prevention and control in the post-pandemic era.

High seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the capital of Chad

Background. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chad has had 7,417 confirmed cases and 193 deaths, one of the lowest in Africa. Objective. This study assessed SARS-CoV-2 immunity in N'Djamena. Methods. In August-October 2021, eleven N'Djamena hospitals collected outpatient data and samples. IgG antibodies against SARSCoV- 2 nucleocapsid protein were identified using ELISA. "Bambino Gesu" Laboratory, Rome, Italy, performed external quality control with chemiluminescence assay. Results. 25-34-year-old (35.2%) made up the largest age group at 31.9 12.6 years. 56.4% were women, 1.3 women/men. The 7th district had 22.5% and the 1st 22.3%. Housewives and students dominated. Overall seroprevalence was 69.5% (95% CI: 67.7-71.3), females 68.2% (65.8-70.5) and males 71.2% (68.6-73.8). >44-year-old had 73.9% seroprevalence. Under-15s were 57.4% positive. Housewives (70.9%), civil servants (71.5%), and health workers (9.7%) had the highest antibody positivity. N'Djamena's 9th district had 73.1% optimism and the 3rd district had 52.5%. Seroprevalences were highest at Good Samaritan Hospital (75.4%) and National General Referral Hospital (74.7%). Conclusion. Our findings indicate a high circulation of SARS-CoV- 2 in N'Djamena, despite low mortality and morbidity after the first two COVID-19 pandemic waves. This high seroprevalence must be considered in Chad's vaccine policy.

Characteristics of COVID-19 patients and risk factors of mortality in the early times of pandemic, Herat-Afghanistan

Objective: Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause different types of diseases. This study aims to evaluate the risk factors for mortality based on comorbidity and sociodemographic characteristics among COVID-19 patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted in Herat, Afghanistan, from February 24 to July 5, 2020, used data provided by the public health department, including sociodemographics, symptoms, comorbidities, hospitalization, contact history, and COVID-19 test type. The Chi-square test was used to observe differences between categorical variables. In bivariate analysis, all independent variables with a significant p-value were put into the model. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study analyzed 11,183 COVID-19 cases, with a 53.5% positivity rate. Recovery rates in the city and Herat province districts were 96.2% and 94.7%, respectively. Case-fatality rates varied with age, with 0.4% for those aged 1-29 and 33% for those aged 80-105. Mortality rates were highest for those with COPD and cancer, at 12.5% and 18.2%, respectively. In the logistic regression results, age, gender, and COPD were significant variables for COVID-19 mortality. Conclusion: By providing more health service facilities to people in risk groups, especially in rural areas, the mortality rate of COVID-19 and other diseases can be decreased.

Attitude and acceptance toward COVID-19 vaccines among Kabul city's residents: a cross sectional study

Objective: The present study aimed to assess the attitude and perception of Kabul city's residents toward COVID-19 vaccines hesitancy and acceptance. Methods: Applying a cross-sectional study design, the data was collected from 665 participants in Kabul city using a predesigned validated questionnaire. For statistical analysis, Spearman correlation, chi-square, and logistic regression techniques were used. Results: Although the vaccine availability was limited for the public during the survey period, 70.5% of the participants were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Meanwhile, 49.2% participants were concerned about the COVID-19 vaccines side effects. The presence of positive COVID-19 cases among family members and friends (OR: 2.7), presence of fears during COVID-19 pandemic (OR: 4.4) and beliefs that vaccine has important and vital role in people's protection against COVID-19 (OR: 5.3), increase the likelihood of vaccine acceptance among the participants. On the other hand, participant's mistrust of the safety of COVID-19 vaccines (OR: 0.21) and disbelief on ministry of public health "MoPH" advice about COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficiency (OR: 0.27) decrease the odds of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among the respondents. In addition, a strong correlation was found between vaccine attitude and vaccine acceptance scales (Spearman p=0.52, p<0.001). Conclusion: Although majority of the participants were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, due to high level of participant's concerns about COVID-19 vaccines-related side effects, a great proportion of the respondents were hesitate to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. Accordingly, public awareness about COVID-19 vaccines must be increased to counteract incorrect and misleading propaganda about vaccination and immunization.

Factors prompting augmented reality adoption in sacred places

There is evidence that sacred places across the world are launching augmented reality (AR) applications. This application of AR is somehow prompted by the most recent Covid-19 pandemic where in-person experiences are altered by the virtual. AR, as an innovative technology, augments the physical environment with digitally generated imagery that can generate privileges for tourists in sacred places and become the reason to trigger cultural conflicts and religious controversy. This in-depth interview-based research aims to explore the tourists' views and ideas of applying AR in the Mosque City of Bagerhat of Bangladesh, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in terms of possibilities, cultural conflicts, and religious controversy. Findings show that the application of AR in a sacred place can support tourists in many useful ways, can offer them positive experiences, and help in sustainability concerns of the site. However, the application of AR in a sacred place can be an element of conflicting interests between the religious and general tourists. Adequate attention is thus required from the parties involved in terms of applying AR in the Mosque City of Bagerhat of Bangladesh, a sacred religious site.

Factors associated with people's satisfaction with their sex life: a survey conducted in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: COVID-19's restrictive measures have significantly affected our health, work and social relationships. As yet, less attention has been given to the changes in sex life. Aim: This study investigates people's satisfaction with sex life in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Methods: A cross-sectional survey of the general population (18 years and over) was conducted, from 1st to 18th July 2020, in 17 municipalities in Kinshasa and several measures were used: Quality of life MANSA, EQ-5D-3L, UCLA Loneliness;PHQ-9;GAD-7. Prior to conducting data analysis, diagnostic tests for our data were performed to assess distribution, variance and multicollinearity. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation and multiple regression analysis were used. Results: Sex life satisfaction increases from young adults aged 18- 35 to those aged 36-55 and then there is a decrease from ages 56-69. After controlling for socio-demographic factors, sex life satisfaction was positively associated with the number and quality of people's friendships (B=0.30, p=0.01) and people's relationships with their families (B=0.32, p=0.03). People who feel lonely have lower sex life satisfaction (B=-0.15, p=0.01). Conclusion: People's quality of their friendships and family relationships are important for their sexual well-being. Healthcare providers and policymakers should consider people's quality of friendships and family relationships when planning to improve the sexual well-being of people in DRC.

COVID-19, climate shocks, and food security linkages: evidence and perceptions from smallholder farming communities in Tanzania

Insights on the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are critical for designing and implementing policies to alleviate the food security burden it may have caused, and for bolstering rural communities against similar macroeconomic shocks in the future. Yet estimating the causal effects of the pandemic is difficult due to its ubiquitous nature and entanglement with other shocks. In this descriptive study, we combine high-resolution satellite imagery to control for plot-level rainfall with household socio-economic panel data from 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2020, to differentiate the effect of the pandemic from climatic shocks on food security in Morogoro, Tanzania. We find evidence of decreased incomes, increased prices of staple foods, and increased food insecurity in 2020 relative to previous years, and link these changes to the pandemic by asking households about their perceptions of COVID-19. Respondents overwhelmingly attribute economic hardships to the pandemic, with perceived impacts differing by asset level.

Characterization of varieties biofortified in iron and zinc and local varieties of common bean

Iron and zinc are important minerals in humans in sub Saharan Africa, whose deficiency is known as "hidden hunger" due to the lack of recognised symptoms in the early stages. Although iron deficiency is the most prevalent, zinc is also involved in inhibition of replication of viruses, including the corona virus (COVID-19). In North Kivu and South Kivu provinces where more than 50% of common bean is produced and consumed in Democratic Republic of Congo, 36% and 47% of preschool children are anemic due to iron deficiency. This paradox is mainly due to insufficiency of iron-rich foods. The aim of this study is to characterise 59 iron and zinc biofortified varieties together with six local varieties of common bean for a potential selection programme in Butembo town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We focused on 15 qualitative and five quantitative parameters. The qualitative parameters were helpful to distinguish the different morphotypes and for cluster analysis. In addition to the descriptive statistics, the quantitative data were used for Pearson correlation and for principal component analysis, PCA. Qualitative parameters enabled grouping of the study genotypes into 14 morphotypes according to the aspect and colour of the seed coat, the colour around the hilum and the size of seeds. Clustering grouped the 65 genotypes into 12 clusters with the most similar genotypes grouped in the same cluster. Quantitative parameters showed that the study genotypes were dissimilar (P=0.00). A positive correlation was obtained between the days to flowering and the days to maturity (P<0.05) and between the number of pods per plant and the days to flowering. A strong correlation was found between the number of pods per plant and seeds per pod (P<0.01). In contrast, a negative correlation was observed between the 100 seed weight and the number of seeds per pod. The PCA represented on two perpendicular axes showed 64.1% of the total variance of which the 42.3% is explained by the first axis and 21.8% by the second axis. Overall, the study genotypes are morphologically and quantitatively different and thus can be used in a selection programme.

Spectrum of echocardiographic findings in patients with severe and critical COVID-19: a single center experience

Introduction: Information on the cardiac manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is scarce. In this study we assessed the echocardiogram of consecutive patients with COVID-19 infection to assess the frequency of cardiac abnormalities. Materials and Methods: This retrospective descriptive study examined the echocardiographic study of 43 patients with severe and critical COVID-19 infection admitted at the ICU of Chitwan Medical College from May 16, 2021 to June 05, 2021. The study focused on left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) function. The results were then compared between severe and critical infections to examine if any differences exist between them. Results: The mean age of the study population was 54 years and predominately males. One-third were classified as critical COVID-19 while the remaining were severe COVID-19. Majority(83.7%) had a normal echocardiogram. Among the patients with abnormal reports, the distribution of echocardiographic pattern were biventricular dilation with biventricular dysfunction in two patients (4.6%), LV dialtion with LV dysfunction in two patients (4.6%) and isolated LV dysfunction (diastolic and systolic) in three patients (6.9%). None of the echocardiographic parameters were significantly different between the severe and the critical infection. Conclusion: COVID-19 in primarily a respiratory disease and the cardiac complications is largely attributed to the critical nature of the illness than the specific infection. Considering the risk of infection spread, routine echocardiography for all patients with COVID-19 infection is not advisable.

Impact of COVID-19 (2020-2022) on cotton and garments market of Bangladesh: a small country case. (Special Issue: COVID-19 impacts on selected commodities.)

Bangladesh imports roughly 98% of cotton from abroad to produce fabric or yarn (USDA 2020. Cotton and Products Update. Bangladesh. Also available at https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?fileName=Cotton%20and%20Products%20Update_Dhaka_Bangladesh_11-30-2020). The production of textiles in Bangladesh depends on the price of raw material, the demand for garment products in the importing countries, smooth supply chain management, and the domestic supply of cheap garment laborers. The global pandemic of COVID-19 disrupted the supply chain of almost all physical goods and services, including textiles. It caused the price of textiles to fall due to a drop in worldwide demand, and increased the marginal cost of textile production due to supply chain interruptions. This paper shows how the decline in the demand for garments, coupled with an increase in cost, shrinks the producer welfare of textile manufacturing and garment exports of the small producing country, Bangladesh.

Special Issue: Recent learnings and development in healthcare financing: A global perspective. (Special Issue: Recent learnings and development in healthcare financing: A global perspective.)

This special issue contains 11 s that discuss recent learnings and developments in healthcare financing from a global perspective. The s cover a range of topics such as the impact of mental illness on poverty and catastrophic health expenditure in India, financing challenges in the American healthcare industry, comparative analysis of health system financing in India and Saudi Arabia, and the contribution of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme to inequality in healthcare utilisation. Other s explore the influence of socio-economic status on health financing choices in Jambi Province, households' willingness to pay for community-based health insurance in Bangladesh, and changes in household expenditures during the first wave of COVID-19 in India. The issue also includes discussions on managing the provider-purchaser split in India and reconsidering patient value to create better healthcare.

Special Issue: COVID-19 impacts on selected commodities. (Special Issue: COVID-19 impacts on selected commodities.)

This special issue consists of seven articles examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the markets of selected commodities, including: seafood, lumber, crawfish, cattle/beef, fruits and vegetables in the USA, cotton and garments in Bangladesh, and fuel oil globally.

Clinical severity of patients with COVID-19 presenting to Nepal armed police force hospital: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), since its emergence, has spread rapidly as a pandemic causing massive loss of human life. This study aims to describe clinical severity of the disease in relation to age, mode of oxygen delivery and clinical outcome of patients admitted to a tertiary care center in Nepal. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of data records of 130 COVID-19 patients 18 years and above admitted in Nepal Armed Police Force Hospital from April 2021 to June 2021 with Severe Acute Respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2 Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction positive status. Ethical approval was obtained from Nepal Health research Council. Data were collected using structured proforma and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Patients with severe illness (52/130) constituted 40% of the bulk of COVID-19 patients, 48 of them requiring intensive care. Among them, 38.5% required non-invasive ventilation and 32.7% were intubated during treatment. Severity of illness was variable among different age groups but mortality was high among severely ill patients, 19/52 (36.5%) and with increasing age. The overall mortality was 19/130 (14%) over the study period, all of which were among severely ill patients. Conclusions: Most of the clinically severe cases required Intensive Care Unit admission, the majority receiving oxygen therapy via non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, with a high mortality rate. The number of severely ill COVID-19 patients was variable in different age groups. Mortality, however, was observed in severely ill patients only and proportionately increased in COVID-19 patients with advancing age.

Oral manifestations in COVID-19 patients among the Bangladeshi population: a cross-sectional study

Background: COVID-19 is a multi-system all-pervasive disease with protean manifestations, and its major signs and symptoms, such as incessant dry cough, fever, and pneumonia, are well known. Yet, its mucocutaneous manifestations, particularly those of the oral cavity, appear to be little recognized. This may be due either to the rarity of oral manifestations of COVID-19, or poor detection of such symptoms by attending physicians who may do only a cursory examination of the oral mucosa because of the overwhelming gravity of the other major systemic presentations. Nevertheless, there are now a considerable number of reports, including systematic reviews, on oral manifestations of COVID-19 in the literature. This observational study was performed to determine the oral manifestations among COVID-19 patients. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among COVID-19 recovered patients. 120 Covid 19 recovered patients were purposively selected as study samples. All the samples diagnosed as mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 disease were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The study comprised the majority of males (68%) where females represent (32%) of the study population and the mean age was 39.3+or-12.4. Oral manifestations among study subjects during and after the disease illness including loss of taste being the commonest symptom (40%), followed by erythema and coated tongue (7.5%), mouth ulcerations (6.7%) and dry mouth (1.7%). The study revealed that the 41-60 age group subjects represented the highest (43%) oral manifestations. Conclusions: Early identification of oral symptoms in COVID-19 recovered or suspected cases can help a dentist or a general physician to diagnose high-risk groups, mitigate transmission, and promote overall health.

Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases: progress report, 2021

In 2021, the number of children who required PC for STH decreased for pre-SAC from 291.2 million to 260.6 million and for SAC from 732.3 million to 653.7 million (Figure 2). This change was mainly due to revision of the numbers of children who require PC for STH in India, which decreased from 103.5 to 80.7 million for pre-SAC and from 332.1 to 259.1 million for SAC. The decreases were based on impact assessment surveys conducted in the past few years, which changed the endemicity status of some districts. Globally, PC coverage of SAC increased from 47% in 2020 to 62.9% in 2021.The number of SAC reached with deworming increased almost to that before the COVID-19 pandemic (411 million in 2021, 344 million in 2020, 455.9 million in 2019), indicating that countries are recovering.

Complication on premature rupture of membrane in intrapartum mother infected with COVID-19: meta-analysis

Background: Pregnant women and fetuses are populations that are at high risk of being infected with the virus. COVID-19 in pregnant women is considered a risk factor for causing complications in pregnancy such as premature rupture of membranes. This study aims to analyze complications of premature rupture of membranes in mothers infected with COVID-19. Subjects and Method: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. Article searches were conducted using electronic databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct. The articles used are articles published from 2020-2022. Keywords to search for articles were: "COVID-19" OR "2019-nCoV" OR "novel coronavirus" OR "SARS-CoV-2" OR "coronavirus 2" AND "premature rupture of membrane" OR "prelabour rupture of membrane" AND "pregnancy." The inclusion criteria used were full text articles in English with a cohort study design, multivariate analysis with Adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR), research subjects were pregnant women, intervention was COVID-19 infection, comparison was not infected with COVID-19, the outcome of the study was premature rupture of membranes. The results of the search for articles were included in the PRISMA diagram and analyzed using the Review Manager 5.3 application. Results: A total of 9 cohort study articles from the United States, Bangladesh, China, India, Mexico, Romania, and Spain were selected for systematic review and meta-analysis. The results showed that pregnant women infected with COVID-19 had a risk of complications of premature rupture of membranes as much as 2.26 times compared to pregnant women who were not infected with COVID-19 and the results were statistically significant (aOR = 2.26;95% CI = 1.33 to 3.82;p = 0.002). Conclusion: Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 increase the risk of premature rupture of membranes.

Technology and HealthCare in the Coming Era

The fast-emerging technologies in this century fueled by covid19 crises has taught every stakeholder (technology giants, pharmacists, hospitals, patients etc.) a great lesson. Hospital with good healthcare system will have some of these technologies while there are least developed countries with no infrastructure and no technology. Using technology in healthcare will change the working of existing healthcare system to brighter one. This paper will portray different technology trends like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Block chain, Robotic Surgery, Smart devices, telemedicine and so on. The promises and the obstacles with impact of the technology are discussed too. © 2022 IEEE.

Effect of coronavirus (COVID-19) on production of spices and its economy in Bangladesh

Coronavirus was detected in Bangladesh first time on March 8, 2020 officially. But Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), first reported in December 2019 from Wuhan in China, had reached the stage of a pandemic. This study was conducted to know the effects of spices against Covid-19 disease, impact of Covid-19 on agro-economy of spices crop and point out of mitigating of spices problem in Bangladesh. Major production of spices was severely affected, causing raw material shortages to the spice production of Bangladesh. Major for spices crop problem were shortages caused by the migration of the workforce due to lockdown. Continuing operation on the industry floor, in the midst of social distancing, and ensuring safety of the spices production, was also a major issue. Although the entire sectors were hit by the economic disruptions, the small-scale spice producers and processors most severely affected. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the prolonged lockdown have made thousands of farmers, labours and traders feel the pinch of a falling spices yield and sale. Increased production cost of onion, chilli, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander and black cumin due to Covid-19 situation over normal situation were 10.33, 9.54, 9.04, 11.46, 9.58, 6.21 and 7.21%, respectively. Market price of onion, chilli, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander and black cumin were also increased 5.00, 3.90, 1.39, 3.13, 1.40, 1.25 and 2.67 times, respectively, due to the influence of Covid-19.

Risk assessment of global COVID-19 pandemic in January 2023

Objective: To assess the global epidemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in January 2023 and the risk of importation. Methods: According to the daily COVID-19 data publicly released by Johns Hopkins University, combined with the travel restrictions published by Sherpa, an epidemiological description method was used to provide a comprehensive and timely assessment of the global epidemic risk through a general overview, a comprehensive assessment of the epidemic trends in each continent and key countries, as well as a comprehensive analysis of the epidemic and travel requirements in 14 neighbouring countries. Results: Compared with the previous month, the number of confirmed cases and deaths respectively decreased by 40.37% and increased by 147.95% globally in January 2023. Daily new confirmed cases showed a decreasing trend, while deaths in all continents stayed stable except Asia in January. The time taken for every 50 million new confirmed cases and 500 thousand deaths globally has increased slightly. The number of deaths in Japan, America, China, and Australia increased rapidly. Zambia, Argentina, New Zealand and Mexico were the countries that showed a sharp rise in the number of deaths in January. Russia was the country with special concern among the 14 neighbouring countries. Conclusion: The global daily new confirmed cases and deaths showed a downward trend in January, but the epidemic situation was prominent in some regions and countries. It is necessary to continuously monitor countries with global focus and establish a communication mechanism with relevant agencies to exchange information and provide timely warnings.

Abusive behaviors: long-term forced quarantine and intimate partner violence during Covid-19 outbreak

Purpose: As Covid-19 became a pandemic, numerous people were forced to stay at home, leading to increased intimate partner violence (IPV) in many countries, particularly in developing and least-developed ones. This paper aims to highlight the IPV based on 15 different cases formed from the practical evidence of five developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: The authors interviewed 15 women from five countries who were the victims of IPV during the early periods of Covid-19 outbreak. Due to geographical remoteness, the authors conducted informal telephone interviews to collect the participants' personal experiences. The conversations were recorded with participants' permission;afterwards, the authors summarized participants' experiences into 15 different cases without revealing their original identities (instead, disguised names were used). Findings: It was revealed that the women were the primary victims of such violence, particularly from their intimate partners (husbands). In most cases, such IPV, as reported by the interviewees, originated or increased after the pandemic when they were forced to stay at home, losing their partners' jobs or income sources. Originality/value: The authors summarized the causes of IPV and put forward a few action recommendations based on the interviewees' practical experience and existing literature. This paper will open a new window for research investigations on IPV during emergencies such as Covid-19 outbreak. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.