[Quality of life at 3 months of COVID-19 patients discharged from the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guinea]. / Qualité de vie àtrois mois des patients sortis guéris du COVID-19 de l'unité de soins intensifs au cours de la pandémie de COVID-19 en Guinée.

Introduction: in sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization of COVID patients is not at all known in terms of quality of life because it is very poorly documented. The aim of this study was to describe the quality of life at three months of patients who had been in the ICU. Methods: we conducted a monocentric prospective cohort study over a 6-month period. Results: hundred and three (103) patients participated in the survey out of 123 patients discharged from the ICU during our study period, with a participation rate of 85%. The average length of stay in the ICU was 12 days with extremes of 2 and 36 days. The mean duration of oxygen therapy was 12±10 days. The assessment of quality of life with the SF-36 at 3 months after discharge from the intensive care unit showed impairment in eight domains, the most important of which were the emotional domain with a mean score of 57.6±44.6, the social functioning domain with a score of 60.77±24.07 and the vitality domain, which was 66.2±21.6. The global evaluation of the two main dimensions of the SF-36 showed a deficiency in the psychological dimension with a mean score of 64 with extremes of 12 and 90. This evaluation also showed an impairment of the physical dimension with a mean score of 70 with extremes of 20 and 97. Conclusion: our study showed a significant decrease in the quality of life of COVID-19 patients discharged from the intensive care unit.

Genomic and epidemiological analysis of SARS-CoV-2 variants isolated in Guinea: A routine sequencing implementation. (preprint)

Background Several variants of SARS-CoV-2 have a demonstrated impact on public health, including high and increased transmissibility, severity of infection and immune escape. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the genetic modifications and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 lineages and better characterize the dynamics of the pandemic during the different waves that occurred in Guinea. Methods Nasopharyngeal samples of 24638 and socio Demographic data were collected from consent patients in consultation at the health centers of Gbessia, Kenien and Matam, in the Republic of Guinea. Virus quantification of nasopharyngeal samples was performed by quantitative PCR. 363 samples with Ct values under 30 were sequenced on Illumina iSeq 100 platform. The sequences were then analyzed using GeVarli pipeline to generate consensus sequences, variants calling, and lineage classifications (using Nextclade and Pangolin). The phylogenetic tree was constructed using Nextstain tools. Statistical analysis was done using R programming. Results The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in Guinea can be distributed in three periods independent to waves. The first lasting from May to June 2020 was characterized by one lineage B1 (n=6). The second period from January 2021 to July 2021 was characterized by the lineages B.1.1.7 (Alpha, n=25), AY.122 (Delta; n=2), B.1.1.318 (n=8), R1 (n=7), B.1.525 (n=9) and B.1.629 (n=13). The third period, between December 2021 and March 2023, was characterized by the Omicron variant, with nine sub-variants in the majority. In addition, detection of variants in the period out of there circulation were documented. Conclusion In summary, SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance projects like AFROSCREEN help African scientists to contribute to describe the natural history of the COVID epidemic and to implement a routine sequencing capacity using next generation sequencing platforms. This successful implementation system for SARS-CoV-2 must be adapted for other diseases. However, the organization of sample collection and conservation is a big challenge in Africa.

Caractéristiques épidémiologiques et cliniques des patients COVID-19 admis en réanimation à l’hôpital Donka de Conakry, Guinée: étude descriptive des 140 premiers cas hospitalisés

Résumé Objectif Décrire les caractéristiques épidémiologiques et cliniques des patients COVID-19 admis au service de réanimation. Méthodes Il s’agissait d’une étude prospective observationnelle de 4 mois (12 mars au 12 juillet) réalisée au service de réanimation du Centre de Traitement COVID-19 de l’hôpital national Donka. Résultats Durant la période d’étude, 6044 malades ont été testés positifs au SARS-CoV-2,140 parmi eux ont été admis en réanimation soit une prévalence de 2,3 %. L’âge moyen des patients était de 59 ± 14ans. La majorité des patients (79 %) était de sexe masculin. Concernant les comorbidités, 77 % des patients avaient au moins une comorbidité médicale dont l’hypertension artérielle (55 %) et le diabète (38 %). Les signes cliniques les plus fréquents étaient la dyspnée, (81 %), l’asthénie physique (64 %) et la toux (60 %). La majorité de nos patients (91 %) a bénéficié d’une oxygénothérapie classique. Le Syndrome de Détresse Respiratoire Aiguë (SDRA) était la complication la plus représentée (38 %). Le taux de létalité était de 25 % sur l’ensemble des patients admis en réanimation. Conclusion Une faible proportion de patients COVID-19 ont été admis en réanimation. Ces patients étaient principalement des personnes âgées, de sexe masculin ayant au moins une comorbidité. La symptomatologie était dominée par la dyspnée et les complications par le SDRA. La létalité était comparable en Europe et aux États-Unis. Objective To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Methods This was a 4-month (from the 12th of March to the 12th of July) prospective and observational study carried out in the intensive care unit of the COVID-19 Treatment Centre at Donka National Hospital, Conakry, Guinea. Results During the duration of the study, 6044 patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, of whom 140 were admitted to intensive care, i.e. 2.31%. The average age of the patients was 59 ± 14 years. The majority of patients were male, 79% (n = 110). Concerning co-morbidities, 77% (n = 108) of the patients had at least 1 medical co-morbidity, mainly hypertension (55% of cases n = 77) and diabetes (38% of cases n = 53). Main clinical signs were dyspnea (81%), physical asthenia (64%) and cough (60%). The majority of our patients (91%) benefited from conventional oxygen therapy. Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) was the most represented complication (38%). The lethality rate in resuscitation was 25%. Conclusion The rate of admission of COVID-19 patients to intensive care was relatively low, and it concerned mainly elderly, male patients with at least one comorbidity. The symptomatology was dominated by dyspnea and complications by ARDS with significant mortality.