Can CO2 be used as an indicator of the probability of cross-infection?

The validity of using CO2 as an indicator of airborne infection probability was studied. Tracer gas measurements were conducted in a field lab with two breathing thermal manikins resembling "infected” and "susceptible” persons seated at desks. The room was ventilated with a mixing air distribution. Experiments were performed at three ventilation rates. CO2 gas was dosed into the air exhaled by the manikins to simulate the metabolic CO2 generation by people. Simultaneously, nitrous oxide (N2O) tracer gas was dosed into the air exhaled by one of the manikins ("infected person”) to simulate the emission of exhaled infectious particles. CO2 and N2O concentrations were measured at several points. The probability of infection was calculated based on the concentration of CO2 and N2O measured in the air inhaled by the exposed manikin ("susceptible person”). The results did not confirm that CO2 can be used as a proxy to assess the infection probability. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

Doffing Corridor: Establishing Expedited High-Volume Doffing With Exposure Reduction to Contaminated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in a COVID-19 Hospital in India.

Background Considering the virulent nature of the COVID-19, the safety of healthcare workers (HCW) became a challenge for hospital administrators. Wearing a personal protective equipment (PPE) kit, called donning, which can be easily done by the help of another staff. But correctly removing the infectious PPE kit (doffing) was a challenge. The increased number of HCWs for COVID-19 patient care raised the opportunity to develop an innovative method for the smooth doffing of PPEs. Objective We aimed to design and establish an innovative PPE doffing corridor in a tertiary care COVID-19 hospital during the pandemic in India with a heavy doffing rate and minimize the COVID-19 virus spread among healthcare workers. Methodology A prospective, observational cohort study at the COVID-19 hospital, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, was conducted from July 19, 2020, to March 30, 2021. The time taken for PPE doffing process of HCWs was observed and compared between the doffing room and doffing corridor. The data was collected by a public health nursing officer using Epicollect5 mobile software and Google forms. The following parameters, like grade of satisfaction, time and volume of doffing, the errors in the steps of doffing, rate of infection, were compared between the doffing corridor and the doffing room. The statistical analysis was done by the use of SPSS software. Result 'Doffing corridor' decreased the overall doffing time by 50% compared to the initial doffing room. The doffing corridor solved the purpose of accommodating more HCWs for PPE doffing and an overall saving of 50% time. Fifty-one percent of HCWs rated the satisfaction rate as Good in the grading scale. The errors in the steps of doffing that occurred in the doffing process were comparatively lesser in the doffing corridor. The HCWs who doffed in the doffing corridor were three times less likely to get self-infection than the conventional doffing room. Conclusion Since COVID-19 was a new pandemic, the healthcare organizations focused on innovations to combat the spread of virus. One of these was an innovative doffing corridor to expedite the doffing process and decrease the exposure time to the contaminated items. The doffing corridor process can be considered at a high-interest rate to any hospital dealing with infectious disease, with high working satisfaction, less exposure to the contagion, and less risk of infection.

COVID-19 and implications for automation

COVID-19 may accelerate the automation of jobs as employers invest in technology to safeguard against pandemics. We identify occupations that have high automation potential and also exhibit a high risk of viral infection. We examine regional variation in terms of which U.S. local labour markets are most at risk. Next, we outline the differential impacts COVID-19 may have on different demographic groups. We find that the highest-risk occupations in the U.S. are those held by females with mid- to low-wage and education levels. Using comparable data for 25 other countries, we also find that women in this demographic are at the highest risk internationally.

Glycemic control predicts SARS-CoV-2 prognosis in diabetic subjects.

AIM: The coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 incidence was higher in diabetes mellitus (DM), although several differences should be considered on the basis of characteristics of cohorts evaluated. This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence and potential consequences of COVID-19 in a large diabetic population in Northern Italy. DESIGN: Observational, longitudinal, retrospective, clinical study. METHODS: Subjects with both type 1 and type 2 DM living in the Province of Modena and submitted to at least one SARS-CoV-2 swab between March 2020 and March 2021 were included. Data were extracted from the Hospital data warehouse. RESULTS: 9553 diabetic subjects were enrolled (age 68.8 ± 14.1 years, diabetes duration 11.0 ± 6.9 years, glycated hemoglobin 57.2 ± 16.2 mmol/mol). COVID-19 was detected in 2302 patients (24.1%) with a death rate of 8.9%. The mean age and diabetes duration were significantly lower in infected versus non-infected patients. SARS-CoV-2 infection was more frequent in youngest people, according to quartile of age and retirement pension age of 65 years. No differences were detected considering sex. Higher HbA1c was detected in infected compared to non-infected patient. Death was predicted by diabetes duration and HbA1c. ROC analyses for death risk showed significant threshold for diabetes duration (10.9 years) and age (74.4 years). CONCLUSION: In our cohort, SARS-CoV-2 infection correlates with age, diabetes duration and disease control. Diabetic patients with COVID-19 should be carefully followed when older than 74 years and with more than 10 years of DM duration.

Ethical problems among nurses during pandemics: A study from Turkey.

Background: Fighting Covid 19 at the forefront, increased the risk of infection and scarcity of resources have caused the ethical problems among nurses. It was planned to examine the ethical problems faced by nurses caring for Covid-19 patients and how they overcame the outcomes of these problems. Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted with 20 nurses who caring Covid 19 patients in Turkey. Data were collected between January 24 and February 21, 2021. Purposive sampling was used in the study and a qualitative content analysis was performed. Results: The research findings were discussed under two main themes as ethical problems and outcomes of ethical problems faced by nurses working in Covid-19 units. Then, 4 sub-categories for the theme of ethical problems (institutional problems, lack of knowledge and experience in nurses' new place of duty, enforcing nurses to do doctors' duties, problems encountered while caring for patients) and 2 sub-categories (emotions felt by nurses, coping strategies) for the theme of outcomes of ethical problems faced by nurses were defined. Conclusion: The findings emphasize that nurses face ethical problems while giving care to Covid 19 problems. The nature of health services requires an ethical perspective to protect and improve human health, especially in uncertain, difficult and risky situations. Nurses should be supported to provide the ethical perspective in the best way.

Assessing Differences in Attitudes toward Occupational Safety and Health Measures for Infection Control between Office and Assembly Line Employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Baseline Data from a Repeated Employee Survey.

In our study, we investigated possible differences across occupational groups regarding employees' perceived work-related risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2, attitudes toward technical, organisational, and personal occupational safety and health (OSH) measures for infection control, and factors associated with this attitude. We analysed baseline data (10 August to 25 October 2020) from a repeated standardised online survey distributed at a worldwide leading global supplier of technology and services in Germany. 2144 employees (32.4% women; age (mean ± SD): 44 ± 11 years) who worked predominantly remotely (n = 358), at an on-site office (n = 1451), and assembly line/manufacturing (n = 335) were included. The work-related SARS-CoV-2 risk of infection differed between office employees working remotely and on-site (mean ± SD = 2.9 ± 1.5 vs. 3.2 ± 1.5; Mann-Whitney-U-Test: W = 283,346; p < 0.002; ε2 = 0.01) and between on-site office and assembly line/manufacturing employees (3.8 ± 1.7; W = 289,174; p < 0.001; ε2 = 0.02). Attitude scores toward technical OSH-measures differed between remote and on-site office (4.3 ± 0.5 vs. 4.1 ± 0.6; W = 216,787; p < 0.001; ε2 = 0.01), and between on-site office and assembly line/manufacturing employees (3.6 ± 0.9; W = 149,881; p < 0.001; ε2 = 0.07). Findings were similar for organisational and personal measures. Affective risk perception, COVID-19-specific resilience, and information about COVID-19-related risks were associated with the employees' attitudes. To promote positive attitudes, it seems to be important to consider occupational-group-specific context factors when implementing OSH-measures for infection control.

The Intention of Retail Stores in Taiwan to Cooperate with the Government in the Establishment of IT Measures for Pandemic Prevention.

This study focuses on the cooperative attitude and intention of retail stores in Taiwan to cooperate with the government's related pandemic prevention measures. The study is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The study includes factors such as perceived risk of infection, job stress, pandemic prevention IT (information technology) convenience, pandemic prevention attitude, and pandemic prevention intention. Pandemic prevention attitude is used as a mediating variable to establish the research framework. This study collected research data through a questionnaire survey. A total of 457 valid questionnaires were collected through an electronic questionnaire platform. The findings showed that perceived risk of infection and pandemic prevention IT convenience had a positive and significant effect on pandemic prevention attitude (ß = 0.567; ß = 0.422) and pandemic prevention intention (ß = 0.424; ß = 0.296). Job stress has a significant negative effect on attitude (ß = -0.173). In addition, job stress influenced intention through attitudes. Finally, perceived risk, job stress, and IT convenience had high explanatory power (R2 = 0.706) on attitudes. Perceived risk, IT convenience, and attitude also had moderate explanatory power (R2 = 0.588) on prevention intention. The study also suggests practical recommendations to improve and cooperate with pandemic prevention intention.

Evaluation of the Two in-Patient Hospitals on Potential Environmental Hazard during the Period of New Coronavirus Infection in the Khabarovsk City (December 2020 - March 2021)

Microbiological monitoring after infectious diseases in the system of epidemiological surveillance implies simultaneous pathogen identification both among patients and in hospital environment. Our aim is to assess potential hospital environmental hazard for the two in-patient infectious disease hospitals of the Khabarovsk city by using bacteriological and epidemiological analysis during new coronavirus disease pandemic. Materials and methods. Bacteriological assessment of nasopharyngeal microflora in 241 patients suffering from community-acquired pneumonia that were hospitalized in the two prevention and treatment facilities of the Khabarovsk city was performed. Sanitary-bacteriological control of hospital environment (428 hospital environment samples and 91 air samples) was carried out in parallel. Bacteriological assessment was performed with classical methods. Identification of isolated bacteriological pathogens and evaluation of drug-resistant strains were carried out by utilizing bacteriological analyzer Vitek 2 Compact. Results. Nine different pathogens (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterobacter cloacae, Pantoea, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus haemolyticus) were isolated in 20 out of 428 samples - 4.7% [2.7-6.7]. Half of isolated agents - 2.3% [0.9-3.8] - were represented by drug-resistant isolates (10 out of 20 isolates) including 5 carbapenem-resistant isolates (Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae) and 5 isolates with multiple drug resistance (Enterobacter cloacae, Pantoea, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus haemolyticus). Air samples contained pathogenic biological agents found in 6 out of 91 samples - 6.6% [1.5-11.7], and half of them - 3.3% [0.6-7.9] - were identified as drug-resistant variants, including S. aureus. S. haemolyticus. One of the surveyed hospitals was recognized as more hazardous due to microflora isolated from intensive care unit (A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa were resistant to 3rd- 4th generation cephalosporins and carbapenems). Conclusion. Revealed circulation of wide range of microorganisms isolated from environment of two in-patient hospitals indicates high risk of healthcare-associated infections formation. Intensive care units can serve as a reservoir of healthcare-associated infections due to high percentage of patients with severe disease cases ("main reservoir" of drug-resistant strains).

Racial Health Disparities and Black Heterogeneity in COVID-19: A Case Study of Miami Gardens

The COVID-19 pandemic is a critical public health concern that has disproportionately affected the Black community in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the risk and protective factors faced by residents in the City of Miami Gardens during the COVID-19 pandemic, with emphases placed on racial health disparities and Black heterogeneity. Using convenience and snowball sampling, quantitative and qualitative data for this study were collected via an anonymous online questionnaire using QuestionPro. Survey links were distributed by e-mail invitations with assistance from city officials to the residents of this predominantly Black city in Florida (n = 83). Descriptive statistics and relevant qualitative responses are presented. Furthermore, a machine learning (ML) approach was used to select the most critical variables that characterized the two racial groups (Black versus non-Black participants) based on four ML feature selectors. Study findings offered important and interesting insights. Specifically, despite the greater prevalence of adopting measures to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, Black participants were more susceptible to activities that increased their COVID-19 risk levels. In addition, their rate of infection, particularly among the Afro-Caribbean ethnic group, was reported to be higher, indicating the need to further investigate the underlying conditions and root causes (including vaccine hesitancy and refusal) that contribute to their greater health disparities. © The Author(s) 2023.

Jobs, Housing, and Mask Wearing: Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors for COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have focused on the characteristics of symptomatic patients with COVID-19 and clinical risk factors. This study reports the prevalence of COVID-19 in an asymptomatic population of a hospital service area (HSA) and identifies factors that affect exposure to the virus. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to measure the prevalence of COVID-19 in an HSA, identify factors that may increase or decrease the risk of infection, and analyze factors that increase the number of daily contacts. METHODS: This study surveyed 1694 patients between April 30 and May 13, 2020, about their work and living situations, income, behavior, sociodemographic characteristics, and prepandemic health characteristics. This data was linked to testing data for 454 of these patients, including polymerase chain reaction test results and two different serologic assays. Positivity rate was used to calculate approximate prevalence, hospitalization rate, and infection fatality rate (IFR). Survey data was used to analyze risk factors, including the number of contacts reported by study participants. The data was also used to identify factors increasing the number of daily contacts, such as mask wearing and living environment. RESULTS: We found a positivity rate of 2.2%, a hospitalization rate of 1.2%, and an adjusted IFR of 0.55%. A higher number of daily contacts with adults and older adults increases the probability of becoming infected. Occupation, living in an apartment versus a house, and wearing a face mask outside work increased the number of daily contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Studying prevalence in an asymptomatic population revealed estimates of unreported COVID-19 cases. Occupational, living situation, and behavioral data about COVID-19-protective behaviors such as wearing a mask may aid in the identification of nonclinical factors affecting the number of daily contacts, which may increase SARS-CoV-2 exposure.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Cancellous Bone of Patients with COVID-19 Disease Undergoing Orthopedic Surgery: Laboratory Findings and Clinical Applications.

An emerging issue for orthopedic surgeons is how to manage patients with active or previous COVID-19 disease, avoiding any major risks for the surgeons and the O.R. personnel. This monocentric prospective observational study aims to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RT-PCR RNA in cancellous bone samples in patients with active or previous COVID-19 disease. We collected data about 30 consecutive patients from our institution from January 2021 to March 2021 with active or previous COVID-19 disease. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the samples was determined using two different PCR-based assays. Eighteen of the thirty patients included in the study had a positive nasopharyngeal swab at the time of surgery. Twelve patients had a negative nasopharyngeal swab with a mean days since negativization of 138 ± 104 days, ranging from 23 to 331 days. Mean days of positivity to the nasal swab were 17 ± 17. Twenty-nine out of thirty (96.7%) samples were negative for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In one sample, low SARS-CoV-2 load (Cycle threshold (Ct) 36.6.) was detected but not confirmed using an additional confirmatory assay. The conducted study demonstrates the absence of the viral genome within the analyzed cancellous bone. We think that the use of personal protection equipment (PPE) to only protect from aerosol produced during surgery, both in active and recovered patients, is not strictly necessary. We think that the use of PPE should not be employed by surgeons and the O.R. personnel to protect themselves from aerosols produced from the respiratory tract. Moreover, we think that our results could represent a valid basis for further studies related to the possibility of bone donation in patients that suffered and recovered from COVID-19.

COVID-19 backlash: Psycho-social impacts of outbreak in Pakistan

Purpose: This paper aimed to examine the psycho-social aspects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Pakistan. The study was conducted in Pakistan by using an online survey technique. The rationale to opt for this method was mainly based on the country's lock-down situations, social distancing and for the care of respondents. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 1,536 individuals participated from different parts of the country. An attitudinal scale was administered consisting of statements to measure (dis)agreement of the individuals facing the current situations of COVID-19. The ethical considerations and confidentiality of the respondents were opted by describing the purpose of research on the first page of the questionnaire. Findings: The study findings showed that the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE), social isolation and loss of intimacy have favourable positive effects on the psychological problems of individuals through the mediation of fake news and misinformation during COVID-19. Furthermore, the study findings were interpreted as per the effects of current situations of epidemic, i.e. COVID-19 on the psycho-social life of individuals. Research limitations/implications: This paper is purely limited to the quantitative approach including variables, i.e. COVID-19, risk of infection, social distancing, cost of PPE, social isolation, fake news and psychological problems. Practical implications: The present research will enhance the awareness and knowledge regarding psychological problems faced by the individuals during COVID-19. It will be a significant addition to the existing body of knowledge in the field of health and well-being. It will also provide guidelines to students, research scholars, policymakers and academicians to develop policies in future to improve the health of people during epidemics such as COVID-19 and similar nature of outbreak in the future. Originality/value: This paper focused on an important gap in the research on COVID-19 in the country in the context of COVID-19, risk of infection, social distancing, cost of PPE, social isolation, fake news and psychological problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Risk factors for the development of the disease and predictors of the severity of the course of COVID-19 of the first and second waves in military sailors serving in the Arctic zone of Russia.

The scientific literature still does not cover the specifics of the course of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in military personnel, the risk factors for the development and severe course of the disease are poorly studied. Purpose of the study. To determine the risk factors for the development of the disease and predictors of the severity of COVID-19 in military sailors serving in the Arctic zone of Russia. Material and methods. In June-July 2021, a retrospective cross-sectional medical and sociological study of a group of 265 military sailors serving in the Arctic zone of Russia was carried out. The results were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test, contingency tables for calculating odds ratios, and simple binary logistic regression analysis (SBLRA). Results. There were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of smoking among military personnel depending on the presence of COVID-19 in history (U=8162.5, p=0.363). The diagnosis of COVID-19 was laboratory verified in 47 (40.9%) of 115 respondents who reported having had COVID-19. The disease was asymptomatic or mild in 61.8% of the surveyed military sailors. The mean duration of treatment was statistically significantly (U=697.00, p<0.001) longer in respondents who had a positive laboratory test for COVID-19. A series of SBLRA procedures revealed a statistically significant relationship between influenza vaccination in the fall of 2019 and a history of first or second wave COVID-19 in respondents. Respondent age over 35 is associated with a higher chance;higher education - with a lower chance of moderate or severe COVID-19. Conclusion. The vast majority (88.7%) of those who recovered from COVID-19 by the summer of 2021 had signs of post-COVID syndrome, including asthenia (56.5%), shortness of breath (38.3%), dyssomnia (17.4%) and arthralgia (15.7%). As a risk factor for a more severe course of the disease, the respondent's age is over 35 years and the lack of higher education. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR] В научной литературе все еще недостаточно освещены вопросы особенностей протекания новой коронавирусной инфекции (COVID-19) у военнослужащих, мало изучены факторы риска развития и тяжелого течения заболевания. Цель исследования. Определить факторы риска развития заболевания и предикторы тяжести течения COVID-19 у военных моряков, проходящих службу в Арктической зоне России. Материал и методы. В июне-июле 2021 г. проведено ретроспективное поперечное медико-социологическое исследование группы из 265 военных моряков, проходящих службу в условиях Арктической зоны России. Результаты проанализированы с использованием критерия Манна-Уитни, построения таблиц сопряженности для расчета отношения шансов, простого бинарного логистического регрессионного анализа (ПБЛРА). Результаты. Статистически значимые различия распространенности курения среди военнослужащих в зависимости от наличия COVID-19 в анамнезе не выявлены (U=8162,5, p=0,363). Диагноз COVID-19 лабораторно верифицирован у 47 (40,9%) из 115 респондентов, сообщивших о перенесенном COVID-19. Перенесли заболевание бессимптомно или в легкой форме 61,8% опрошенных военных моряков. Средняя продолжительность лечения была статистически значимо (U=697,00, p<0,001) выше у респондентов, имевших положительный результат лабораторного теста на COVID-19. Серия процедур ПБЛРА выявила статистически значимую взаимосвязь между вакцинацией от гриппа осенью 2019 г. и наличием в анамнезе у респондентов COVID-19 первой или второй волны. Возраст респондента старше 35 лет связан с более высоким шансом;наличие высшего образования - с более низким шансом среднетяжелого или тяжелого течения COVID-19. Заключение. Подавляющее большинство (88,7%) переболевших COVID-19 к лету 2021 г. имели признаки постковидного синдрома, в том числе астении (56,5%), одышки (38,3%), диссомнии (17,4%) и артралгии (15,7%). В качестве фактора риска более тяжелого течения заболевания установлены возраст респондента старше 35 лет и отсутствие высшего образования. (Russian) [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Profilakticheskaya Meditsina is the property of Media Sphere Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Employment conditions as barriers to the adoption of COVID-19 mitigation measures: how the COVID-19 pandemic may be deepening health disparities among low-income earners and essential workers in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted economically-disadvantaged populations in the United States (US). Precarious employment conditions may contribute to these disparities by impeding workers in such conditions from adopting COVID-19 mitigation measures to reduce infection risk. This study investigated the relationship between employment and economic conditions and the adoption of COVID-19 protective behaviors among US workers during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Employing a social media advertisement campaign, an online, self-administered survey was used to collect data from 2,845 working adults in April 2020. Hierarchical generalized linear models were performed to assess the differences in engagement with recommended protective behaviors based on employment and economic conditions, while controlling for knowledge and perceived threat of COVID-19, as would be predicted by the Health Belief Model (HBM). RESULTS: Essential workers had more precarious employment and economic conditions than non-essential workers: 67% had variable income; 30% did not have paid sick leave; 42% had lost income due to COVID-19, and 15% were food insecure. The adoption of protective behaviors was high in the sample: 77% of participants avoided leaving home, and 93% increased hand hygiene. Consistent with the HBM, COVID-19 knowledge scores and perceived threat were positively associated with engaging in all protective behaviors. However, after controlling for these, essential workers were 60% and 70% less likely than non-essential workers, who by the nature of their jobs cannot stay at home, to stay at home and increase hand hygiene, respectively. Similarly, participants who could not afford to quarantine were 50% less likely to avoid leaving home (AOR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.4, 0.6) than those who could, whereas there were no significant differences concerning hand hygiene. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with the accumulating evidence that the employment conditions of essential workers and other low-income earners are precarious, that they have experienced disproportionately higher rates of income loss during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and face significant barriers to adopting protective measures. Our findings underscore the importance and need of policy responses focusing on expanding social protection and benefits to prevent the further deepening of existing health disparities in the US.

Air quality in an air ventilated fitness center reopening for pilot study during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

During COVID-19 lockdowns less people were able to fulfill the WHO recommendations on physical activity. Also, fitness centers were associated to SARS-CoV-2 superspreader events. However, the risk of infection can be strongly reduced by outdoor air ventilation. To investigate whether a reopening of fitness centers can be justified, CO 2 concentration was measured during four days in a fitness center. Except for one room, the observed CO 2 concentrations were mainly under 800 ppm, which stands for high air quality. The strong decrease of CO 2 concentration during the 15 min evacuations following each hour of workout, speaks for the functionality of the ventilation system. In particular, the number of people present in the studio has a strong impact on the estimated CO 2 value. In a linear mixed model, an additional CO 2 concentration of 2.24 ppm (95 % confidence interval [2.04, 2.43]) was estimated for this setting with a total volume of 4065 m 3 in the fitness center and a possible air change rate per hour up to 10. This means, that for 45 visitors, 100 ppm can be added to the predicted concentration. To summarize, a combination of ventilation, restriction of the number of visitors and surveying the CO 2 concentration allowing for further restrictions in case of need, seems to be an adequate means to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in fitness centers.

Psychological factors predicting social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic: an empirical investigation

Numerous nations around the world are facing exceptional challenges in employing measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. Following the recommendations of the World Health Organization, a series of preventive measure have been adopted. However, individuals must comply with these rules and recommendations in order to make such measures effective. While COVID-19 was climaxing, it seemed of crucial importance to analyze which psychosocial factors contribute to the acceptance of preventive behavior, thus favoring the management of COVID-19 worldwide health crisis. In particular, the identification of aspects related to obstacles and facilitations of adherence to social distancing has been considered as crucial in the containment of the virus spread. We hypothesized social distance could be influenced by individual psychological differences and target's characteristics. Specifically, since the virus was firstly detected in China, we assumed Asian people could be considered a relevant outgroup targeted for exclusion. 260 participants participated in this research on a voluntary basis. They filled a survey designed to explore a series of COVID-19 measures (such as exposure to virus and fear of infection). Participants' state and trait anxiety was also assessed. The dependent variable was social distance, based on a measure of seating distance, designed ad hoc for the present study. Our hypothesis that participants could reports greater distance in response to Asian people was not confirmed. On the other hand, significantly lower distance in response to smiling compared to coughing targets was displayed. Finally, adopting a regression analysis model, we found that participants' social distance, in response to both coughing and smiling targets was predicted by fear of infection and by the perception COVID-19 could become a pandemic. Social distance in response to coughing target was also significantly and positively predicted by age and state anxiety. In summary, the present work has sought to identify a set of psychological variables, which may still be relevant in predicting social distancing. © 2022 Sapienza Universita Editrice. All Rights Reserved.

Corrigendum: The Impact of Anti-rheumatic Drugs on the Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in a Cohort of Patients With Inflammatory Arthritis: The MAINSTREAM Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.850858.].

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Rate and SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Health Care Workers in Aerosol-Generating Medical Disciplines.

Healthcare workers (HCW) who perform aerosol-generating procedures (AGP) are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data on infection rates and vaccination are limited. A nationwide, cross-sectional study focusing on AGP-related specialties was conducted between 3 May 2021 and 14 June 2021. Vaccination rates among HCW, perception of infection risk, and infection rates were analyzed, focusing on the comparison of gastrointestinal endoscopy (GIE) and other AGP-related specialties (NON-GIE), from the beginning of the pandemic until the time point of the study. Infections rates among HCW developed similarly to the general population during the course of the pandemic, however, with significantly higher infections rates among the GIE specialty. The perceived risk of infection was distributed similarly among HCW in GIE and NON-GIE (91.7%, CI: 88.6-94.4 vs. 85.8%, CI: 82.4-89.0; p < 0.01) with strongest perceived threats posed by AGPs (90.8%) and close patient contact (70.1%). The very high vaccination rate (100-80%) among physicians was reported at 83.5%, being significantly more frequently reported than among nurses (56.4%, p < 0.01). GIE had more often stated very high vaccination rate compared with NON-GIE (76.1% vs. 65.3%, p < 0.01). A significantly higher rate of GIE was reported to have fewer concerns regarding infection risk after vaccination than NON-GIE (92.0% vs. 80.3%, p < 0.01).

The assessment of the risk of COVID-19 infection and its course in the medical staff of a COVID-only and a non-COVID hospital.

BACKGROUND: Medical workers are a group that is particularly vulnerable to infection during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to assess the risk of COVID-19 infection and its course in the medical staff of a COVID-only and a non-COVID hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The observational study included 732 participants who were medical workers. The study was conducted between June 2020 and December 2020, before widespread COVID-19 immunization was introduced. RESULTS: Of the 732 employees of the hospitals, 377 had a history of COVID-19. The risk of disease was twice as high in the medical staff of the COVID-only hospital compared to the medical staff of the non-COVID hospital (odds ratio (OR) = 2.0; p < 0.001). Among medical personnel, 20.6% of the participants were asymptomatic and 6.4% required hospitalization. For the non-COVID hospital, the employees who were most frequently infected with COVID-19 were nurses/paramedics/medical caretakers. The factor influencing the risk of infection was body mass index (BMI; OR = 1.05; p = 0.004). The risk of COVID-19 infection was lower in the influenza vaccine group (OR = 2.23, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicate that employees of the hospital treating only COVID patients have a higher risk of infection. Previous observations on factors predisposing to COVID-19 infection like gender and BMI were confirmed. However, the observations carried out on the studied population did not confirm the influence of other factors, such as the coexistence of chronic diseases (apart from diabetes) on the risk of developing COVID-19. In addition, we noticed that seasonal influenza vaccination has a beneficial effect in patients with COVID-19 infection.

The Impact of Anti-rheumatic Drugs on the Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in a Cohort of Patients With Inflammatory Arthritis: The MAINSTREAM Study.

Objectives: Given the high occurrence of asymptomatic subsets, the true prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in rheumatic patients is still underestimated. This study aims to evaluate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) patients receiving immunomodulatory drugs. Methods: All consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis receiving disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) evaluated between 4th May and 16th June 2020 were included. All participants were tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (IgG, IgM, IgA) by ELISA and were questioned about previous COVID-19 symptoms and clinical course. Results were compared with healthy population from the same region and with a control group of healthy subjects diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19. Results: The study population includes 358 patients. The overall prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (18.4%) was higher than prevalence rate based on swab-positivity (1.12%) or clinically suspected cases (10.6%), but consistent with seroprevalence observed in the healthy population. Among seropositive patients 58% were asymptomatic. Mean anti-SARS-CoV-2 titer was comparable with the control group. No differences in seroprevalence were observed according to age, sex, rheumatic disease and treatment with conventional, biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs, whereas glucocorticoids and comorbidities resulted in higher seroprevalence rate. Conclusions: The results of this study are reassuring about the low impact of RMDs and immunomodulatory therapies on the risk and clinical course of COVID-19 and on humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection.