Engaging Faith-Based Organizations for Promoting the Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccine in India: A Case Study of a Multi-Faith Society.

Mass vaccination, currently the most promising solution to contain communicable diseases, including COVID-19 requires collaboration between a variety of partners to improve the supply and demand and alleviate vaccine inequity. Vaccine hesitancy features in WHO's list of top 10 threats to global health, and there is plethora of disinformation instigating conflict between COVID-19 vaccination drive and religious sentiments. Negotiating public health partnerships with FBOs (Faith Based Organizations) has always been challenging. A handful of faith leaders have always shown resistance to ideas such as child immunization, and family planning. Many others have been supportive on other fronts like helping people with food, shelter, and medical aid in the times of public health crisis. Religion is an important part of life for the majority of the Indian population. People confide in faith-based leaders in the times of difficulty. This article presents experiences from the strategic engagement with FBOs (entities dedicated to specific religious identities, often including a social or moral component) to promote uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, especially among the vulnerable and marginalized communities. The project team collaborated with 18 FBOs and more than 400 religious institutions to promote COVID-19 vaccination and build confidence for the vaccination program. As a result, a sustainable network of sensitized FBOs from diverse faiths was created. The FBOs mobilized and facilitated vaccination of 0.41 million beneficiaries under the project.

Switching to peer-to-peer accommodation (P2PA): an extended push-pull-mooring model perspective from emerging economy

PurposeDrawing on the Push-Pull-Mooring model, this study sheds light on the factors that drive tourists to switch from traditional hotels to peer-to-peer accommodation (P2PA) in light of the global spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachData have been collected from 380 participants through an online pan India survey. The data were mainly analyzed by adopting structural equation modeling.FindingsAll the three categories of push, pull and mooring factors are crucial in explaining tourists' switching intentions from hotels to P2PA. Out of all the factors, subjective norm came out to be the most significant factor while satiation (push factor) and authentic experiences (pull factor) also came out to be important indicators.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study carry implications for hoteliers as well as P2PA platform hosts. Hotels need to re-conceptualize their standard services, décor and amenities while P2PA hosts need to continue providing authentic experiences and also comply with all the Covid-19 norms.Originality/valueThe study offers a comprehensive PPM model to determine tourists' intentions to switch from hotels to P2PA. Moreover, this paper is one of the early studies to provide insights into tourists' switching intentions amidst Covid-19.

Targeted protein S-nitrosylation of ACE2 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Prevention of infection and propagation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a high priority in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Here we describe S-nitrosylation of multiple proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor for viral entry. This reaction prevents binding of ACE2 to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, thereby inhibiting viral entry, infectivity and cytotoxicity. Aminoadamantane compounds also inhibit coronavirus ion channels formed by envelope (E) protein. Accordingly, we developed dual-mechanism aminoadamantane nitrate compounds that inhibit viral entry and, thus, the spread of infection by S-nitrosylating ACE2 via targeted delivery of the drug after E protein channel blockade. These non-toxic compounds are active in vitro and in vivo in the Syrian hamster COVID-19 model and, thus, provide a novel avenue to pursue therapy.

Antibody therapy reverses biological signatures of COVID-19 progression.

Understanding who is at risk of progression to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is key to clinical decision making and effective treatment. We study correlates of disease severity in the COMET-ICE clinical trial that randomized 1:1 to placebo or to sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (ClinicalTrials.gov04545060). Laboratory parameters identify study participants at greater risk of severe disease, including a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a negative SARS-CoV-2 serologic test, and whole-blood transcriptome profiles. Sotrovimab treatment is associated with normalization of NLR and the transcriptomic profile and with a decrease of viral RNA in nasopharyngeal samples. Transcriptomics provides the most sensitive detection of participants who would go on to be hospitalized or die. To facilitate timely measurement, we identify a 10-gene signature with similar predictive accuracy. We identify markers of risk for disease progression and demonstrate that normalization of these parameters occurs with antibody treatment of established infection.

Effect of Sotrovimab on Hospitalization or Death Among High-risk Patients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Older patients and those with comorbidities who are infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be at increased risk of hospitalization and death. Sotrovimab is a neutralizing antibody for the treatment of high-risk patients to prevent COVID-19 progression. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse events of sotrovimab in preventing progression of mild to moderate COVID-19 to severe disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: Randomized clinical trial including 1057 nonhospitalized patients with symptomatic, mild to moderate COVID-19 and at least 1 risk factor for progression conducted at 57 sites in Brazil, Canada, Peru, Spain, and the US from August 27, 2020, through March 11, 2021; follow-up data were collected through April 8, 2021. Interventions: Patients were randomized (1:1) to an intravenous infusion with 500 mg of sotrovimab (n = 528) or placebo (n = 529). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with COVID-19 progression through day 29 (all-cause hospitalization lasting >24 hours for acute illness management or death); 5 secondary outcomes were tested in hierarchal order, including a composite of all-cause emergency department (ED) visit, hospitalization of any duration for acute illness management, or death through day 29 and progression to severe or critical respiratory COVID-19 requiring supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. Results: Enrollment was stopped early for efficacy at the prespecified interim analysis. Among 1057 patients randomized (median age, 53 years [IQR, 42-62], 20% were ≥65 years of age, and 65% Latinx), the median duration of follow-up was 103 days for sotrovimab and 102 days for placebo. All-cause hospitalization lasting longer than 24 hours or death was significantly reduced with sotrovimab (6/528 [1%]) vs placebo (30/529 [6%]) (adjusted relative risk [RR], 0.21 [95% CI, 0.09 to 0.50]; absolute difference, -4.53% [95% CI, -6.70% to -2.37%]; P < .001). Four of the 5 secondary outcomes were statistically significant in favor of sotrovimab, including reduced ED visit, hospitalization, or death (13/528 [2%] for sotrovimab vs 39/529 [7%] for placebo; adjusted RR, 0.34 [95% CI, 0.19 to 0.63]; absolute difference, -4.91% [95% CI, -7.50% to -2.32%]; P < .001) and progression to severe or critical respiratory COVID-19 (7/528 [1%] for sotrovimab vs 28/529 [5%] for placebo; adjusted RR, 0.26 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.59]; absolute difference, -3.97% [95% CI, -6.11% to -1.82%]; P = .002). Adverse events were infrequent and similar between treatment groups (22% for sotrovimab vs 23% for placebo); the most common events were diarrhea with sotrovimab (n = 8; 2%) and COVID-19 pneumonia with placebo (n = 22; 4%). Conclusions and Relevance: Among nonhospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 and at risk of disease progression, a single intravenous dose of sotrovimab, compared with placebo, significantly reduced the risk of a composite end point of all-cause hospitalization or death through day 29. The findings support sotrovimab as a treatment option for nonhospitalized, high-risk patients with mild to moderate COVID-19, although efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants that have emerged since the study was completed is unknown. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04545060.

Musculoskeletal and Neurological Pain Symptoms Among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: As the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic continues to grow, its clinical manifestations are still emerging and are being widely investigated. However, the pain symptoms, including neurological and musculoskeletal pain symptoms, are still poorly understood. DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the prevalence of musculoskeletal and neurological pain symptoms among hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Furthermore, the association of clinical and demographic factors with the prevalence of pain symptoms was also investigated. RESULT: We included 182 hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients with a mean age of 48.86 ± 13.98 yrs. Pain symptoms were reported by 61.54% patients (n = 112). Most common symptoms reported were generalized myalgia (n = 60, 32.96%), headache (n = 50, 27.47%), and low back pain (n = 41, 22.53%). Interestingly, neuropathic pain was present in 14 participants (7.69%). Logistic regression analysis revealed an association of pain symptoms with coronavirus disease 2019 severity, male sex, higher body mass index, and a history of addiction. CONCLUSIONS: Pain symptoms are common manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019. Generalized myalgia, headache, and low back pain are the three most common new-onset pain symptoms in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Further investigation of pain symptoms and their predictive factors are recommended, which may guide healthcare workers and policymakers to plan in this direction. TO CLAIM CME CREDITS: Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME. CME OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) Understand common musculoskeletal and neurological pain symptoms among hospitalized COVID-19 patients; (2) Understand the basic etiopathogenesis of COVID-19 associated pain; and (3) Identify factors associated with presence of COVID-19 pain symptoms. LEVEL: Advanced. ACCREDITATION: The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this Journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Early COVID-19 Treatment with SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Sotrovimab

Background COVID-19 disproportionately results in hospitalization and death in older patients and those with underlying comorbidities. Sotrovimab is a pan-sarbecovirus monoclonal antibody that binds a highly conserved epitope of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain and has an Fc modification that increases half-life. Sotrovimab retains activity against UK, S. Africa, Brazil, India, New York and California variants in vitro. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment with sotrovimab in high-risk, non-hospitalized patients with mild/moderate COVID-19, as part of the COMET-ICE clinical trial. Methods Multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 trial in non-hospitalized patients with symptomatic COVID-19 and ≥1 risk factor for disease progression were randomized 1:1 to an IV infusion of sotrovimab 500 mg or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients with COVID-19 progression, defined as hospitalization > 24 hours or death, due to any cause, ≤29 days of randomization. Results The study met the pre-defined primary efficacy endpoint in a preplanned interim analysis: the risk of COVID-19 progression was significantly reduced by 85% (97.24% CI, 44% to 96%;P = 0.002) in 583 patients. In the final intention-to-treat analysis (N = 1057), the adjusted relative risk reduction was 79% (95% CI, 50% to 91%;p< 0.001) through Day 29 in recipients of sotrovimab (n=528) vs. placebo (n=529). Treatment with sotrovimab (ITT) resulted in a numerical reduction in the need for ER visits for illness management, hospitalization for acute illness management (any duration) or death (any cause) compared to placebo. No participants on sotrovimab required ICU admission, compared to 9 participants on placebo, of whom 4 participants required mechanical ventilation. No participants who received sotrovimab died, compared to 4 participants on placebo. The incidence of adverse events was similar between treatment arms and SAEs were numerically more common in the placebo arm. Conclusion Treatment with sotrovimab 500 mg IV resulted in a clinically and statistically significant reduction in progression of COVID-19 to hospitalization or death in patients with mild/moderate disease and was well-tolerated. Study funding GSK & VIR;NCT04545060 Disclosures Jaynier Moya, MD, VIR Biotechnology (Other Financial or Material Support, Jaynier Moya received non-financial support for serving as a clinical trial investigator for Vir Biotechnology) Diego Rodrigues Falci, MD, MSc, PhD, Gilead Sciences (Grant/Research Support, Scientific Research Study Investigator, Speaker's Bureau)GSK (Grant/Research Support, Scientific Research Study Investigator, Advisor or Review Panel member)MSD (Speaker's Bureau)Pfizer (Speaker's Bureau)United Medical (Speaker's Bureau, Other Financial or Material Support) Joel Solis, MD, VIR Biotechnology (Other Financial or Material Support, Joel Solis received non-financial support for serving as a clinical trial investigator for Vir Biotechnology) Hanzhe Zheng, PhD, VIR Biotechnology (Employee) Nicola Scott, MSc, GlaxoSmithKline (Employee, Shareholder) Andrea L. Cathcart, PhD, Gilead (Shareholder)VIR (Employee, Shareholder) Christy Hebner, PhD, Vir Biotechnology (Employee, Shareholder) Jennifer Sager, PhD, GSK (Other Financial or Material Support)Vir Biotechnology (Employee, Shareholder) Erik Mogalian, PharmD, PhD, Vir Biotechnology (Employee, Shareholder) Daren Austin, PhD, GlaxoSmithKline (Employee, Shareholder) Amanda Peppercorn, MD, GlaxoSmithKline (Employee) Elizabeth L. Alexander, MD, MSc, GlaxoSmithKline (Grant/Research Support, Other Financial or Material Support)VIR Biotechnology (Employee, Shareholder, GSK pharmaceuticals) Wendy W. Yeh, MD, Vir Biotechnology (Employee) Almena Free, MD, Amgen (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Astra Zeneca (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Cardurian (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Coherus (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Freenome (Scientific Research Study Investiga or)GlaxoSmithKline/Vir (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Ionis (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Kowa (Scientific Research Study Investigator)New Amsterdam (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Regenacy (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Romark (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Scynexis (Scientific Research Study Investigator) Cynthia Brinson, MD, Abbvie (Scientific Research Study Investigator)BI (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Gilead Sciences Inc. (Scientific Research Study Investigator, Advisor or Review Panel member, Speaker's Bureau, Personal fees)GSK (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Novo Nordisk (Scientific Research Study Investigator)ViiV Healthcare (Scientific Research Study Investigator, Advisor or Review Panel member, Speaker's Bureau) Melissa Aldinger, PharmD, VIR Biotechnology (Employee) Adrienne Shapiro, MD, PhD, Vir Biotechnology (Scientific Research Study Investigator)

Early Treatment for Covid-19 with SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Sotrovimab.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) disproportionately results in hospitalization or death in older patients and those with underlying conditions. Sotrovimab is a pan-sarbecovirus monoclonal antibody that was designed to prevent progression of Covid-19 in high-risk patients early in the course of disease. METHODS: In this ongoing, multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, nonhospitalized patients with symptomatic Covid-19 (≤5 days after the onset of symptoms) and at least one risk factor for disease progression to receive a single infusion of sotrovimab at a dose of 500 mg or placebo. The primary efficacy outcome was hospitalization (for >24 hours) for any cause or death within 29 days after randomization. RESULTS: In this prespecified interim analysis, which included an intention-to-treat population of 583 patients (291 in the sotrovimab group and 292 in the placebo group), 3 patients (1%) in the sotrovimab group, as compared with 21 patients (7%) in the placebo group, had disease progression leading to hospitalization or death (relative risk reduction, 85%; 97.24% confidence interval, 44 to 96; P = 0.002). In the placebo group, 5 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, including 1 who died by day 29. Safety was assessed in 868 patients (430 in the sotrovimab group and 438 in the placebo group). Adverse events were reported by 17% of the patients in the sotrovimab group and 19% of those in the placebo group; serious adverse events were less common with sotrovimab than with placebo (in 2% and 6% of the patients, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Among high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19, sotrovimab reduced the risk of disease progression. No safety signals were identified. (Funded by Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline; COMET-ICE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04545060.).

Devastating impacts of COVID-19: An experience of abandoned child at a tertiary care hospital.

There were many challenges faced by both health-care workers and the common population during the COVID-19 pandemic. One such case was witnessed where a migrant worker abandoned his child in a tertiary care hospital, while he was undergoing treatment for acute liver disease and was reported COVID-19 positive. The child was treated for COVID-19 in the dedicated isolation facility of the hospital as per the guidelines. Later, when the child was declared COVID-19 negative and was ready to discharge, treating doctors found it difficult to hand over the child. The timely intervention and extraordinary efforts by the department of hospital administration and child welfare committee reunited the child with his family.

Social distancing as risk reduction strategy during COVID-19 pandemic: A study of Delhi-NCT, India.

COVID-19 pandemic impacted countries all over the world calling as urgent need to enhance the capacity of individuals and communities to respond in such disease outbreaks. Public health interventions, such as social distancing could help to protect many vulnerable people and reduce secondary transmissions within the community. This research was undertaken as a longitudinal study to identify and comprehend the preferences given to different preventive measures adopted by individuals to ensure protection against the spread of coronavirus. An online survey was conducted with a representative sample of 176 stakeholders to identify practices and behaviour adopted by the key stakeholders working in the domains of water, health and disaster risk reduction to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Delhi-National Capital Territory of India (Delhi-NCT). Findings of this study shown preferred willingness to adopt sanitisation measures, often by cleaning their hands with soap and water, and restricting any movement inside and outside of the house. Three-fourth of the respondents considered washing their hands after returning from outside an important measure to limit the spread of the disease. Moreover, two-third of the people stopped ordering food from outside as a prevention strategy. Furthermore, only about 36% of the respondents showed interest in stocking up on grocery items as their most preferred choice, reflecting that this was considered to be the least important of all choices. Research outcomes of this study will help policymakers to better understand mitigation options that are used in the early and later stages of the lockdown to improve resilience from such viruses. Further, it will assist decision-makers to understand the range of individual-level practices adopted by stakeholders to mitigate disease transmission at the community level and inform the government's planning efforts in the future.

Low-dose radiotherapy for COVID 19: A radioimmunological perspective.

The world is fighting the onslaught of COVID 19 for the last 10 months, ever since the first case was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Now, it has spread to over 200 countries. COVID 19-associated respiratory syndrome is causing a lot of mortality and morbidity. There are reports suggesting that the complications and ARDS associated with COVID 19 is an immune response reaction. The cytokine storm associated with severe cases of COVID 19 acts as a cause of death in many sick patients. It has been shown that COVID 19 is associated with a peculiar immune profile: Decrease in CD3, CD4, CD8, natural killer cell and B-cells; Rise in interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha; Decrease in IL-10; Decrease in interferon-gamma. Low-dose radiotherapy (LDRT) immunosuppressive features resulting from M2 macrophage phenotype activation, increase in IL-10, transforming growth factor beta, a decrease in IL-6, TNF alpha and an increase in CD3, CD4, and CD8 T cell counts may negate the harmful effects of cytokine release syndrome. Literature review shows that radiation was previously used to treat viral pneumonia with a good success rate. This practice was discontinued in view of the availability of effective antibiotics and antivirals. As there are no scientifically proven treatment for severe COVID 19-associated respiratory distress today, it is prudent that we understand the benefits of LDRT at this critical juncture and take rational decisions to treat the same. This article provides an radioimmunological rationale for the treatment of immune crisis mediated complications in severe cases of COVID 19.

Drug repurposing screens identify chemical entities for the development of COVID-19 interventions.

The ongoing pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), necessitates strategies to identify prophylactic and therapeutic drug candidates for rapid clinical deployment. Here, we describe a screening pipeline for the discovery of efficacious SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. We screen a best-in-class drug repurposing library, ReFRAME, against two high-throughput, high-content imaging infection assays: one using HeLa cells expressing SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and the other using lung epithelial Calu-3 cells. From nearly 12,000 compounds, we identify 49 (in HeLa-ACE2) and 41 (in Calu-3) compounds capable of selectively inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 replication. Notably, most screen hits are cell-line specific, likely due to different virus entry mechanisms or host cell-specific sensitivities to modulators. Among these promising hits, the antivirals nelfinavir and the parent of prodrug MK-4482 possess desirable in vitro activity, pharmacokinetic and human safety profiles, and both reduce SARS-CoV-2 replication in an orthogonal human differentiated primary cell model. Furthermore, MK-4482 effectively blocks SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hamster model. Overall, we identify direct-acting antivirals as the most promising compounds for drug repurposing, additional compounds that may have value in combination therapies, and tool compounds for identification of viral host cell targets.

Long COVID-19: A Primer for Cardiovascular Health Professionals, on Behalf of the CCS Rapid Response Team.

It is now widely recognized that COVID-19 illness can be associated with significant intermediate and potentially longer-term physical limitations. The term, "long COVID-19" is used to define any patient with persistent symptoms after acute COVID-19 infection (ie, after 4 weeks). It is postulated that cardiac injury might be linked to symptoms that persist after resolution of acute infection, as part of this syndrome. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society Rapid Response Team has generated this document to provide guidance to health care providers on the optimal management of patients with suspected cardiac complications of long COVID-19.

A novel analysis of COVID 19 risk in India incorporating climatic and socioeconomic Factors.

This study investigates the influence of climate variables (pressure, relative humidity, temperature and wind speed) in inducing risk due to COVID 19 at rural, urban and total (rural and urban) population scale in 623 pandemic affected districts of India incorporating the socioeconomic vulnerability factors. We employed nonstationary extreme value analysis to model the different quantiles of cumulative COVID 19 cases in the districts by using climatic factors as covariates. Wind speed was the most dominating climatic factor followed by relative humidity, pressure, and temperature in the evolution of the cases. The results reveal that stationarity, i.e., the COVID 19 cases which are independent of pressure, relative humidity, temperature and wind speed, existed only in 148 (23.7%) out of 623 districts. Whereas, strong nonstationarity, i.e., climate dependence, was detected in the cases of 474 (76.08%) districts. 334 (53.6%), 200 (32.1%) and 336 (53.9%) districts out of 623 districts were at high risk (or above) at rural, urban and total population scales respectively. 19 out of 35 states were observed to be under high (or above) Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa and Delhi being the most risked ones. The study provides high-risk maps of COVID 19 pandemic at the district level and is aimed at supporting the decision-makers to identify climatic and socioeconomic factors in augmenting the risks.

Cardiovascular Care Delivery During the Second Wave of COVID-19 in Canada.

Hospitals and ambulatory facilities significantly reduced cardiac care delivery in response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The deferral of elective cardiovascular procedures led to a marked reduction in health care delivery with a significant impact on optimal cardiovascular care. International and Canadian data have reported dramatically increased wait times for diagnostic tests and cardiovascular procedures, as well as associated increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In the wake of the demonstrated ability to rapidly create critical care and hospital ward capacity, we advocate a different approach during the second and possible subsequent COVID-19 pandemic waves. We suggest an approach, informed by local data and experience, that balances the need for an expected rise in demand for health care resources to ensure appropriate COVID-19 surge capacity with continued delivery of essential cardiovascular care. Incorporating cardiovascular care leaders into pandemic planning and operations will help health care systems minimise cardiac care delivery disruptions while maintaining critical care and hospital ward surge capacity and continuing measures to reduce transmission risk in health care settings. Specific recommendations targeting the main pillars of cardiovascular care are presented: ambulatory, inpatient, procedural, diagnostic, surgical, and rehabilitation.

Cross-sectional study on the role of public awareness in preventing the spread of COVID-19 outbreak in India.

BACKGROUND: WHO has recommended personal hygiene (respiratory hygiene, using face masks, washing hands with warm water and soap, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, avoid touching mouth, eyes & nose, cleanliness), social distancing and careful handling of purchased products as an effective preventive measure for COVID-19 disease. The growing pandemic of COVID-19 disease requires social distancing and personal hygiene measures to protect public health. But this message is not clear and well understood among people. The aim of this study is to determine the awareness, knowledge and attitude about COVID-19 and relate the behaviour of Indian society, especially when the country is restarting all its economic activities, after the complete lockdown. METHOD: The present paper is based on an extensive survey among 21 406 adult participants of various sections of Indian society with different age groups between 18 and 80 years to introspect the level of public awareness with respect to cause, spread, prevention and treatment of disease caused by spread of COVID-19 viral outbreak, which will be automatically reflected in the societal behavioural response of rigorous precautionary measures. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to extend the knowledge base among individuals to enhance their active participation in the prevention mechanisms with respect to the spread of the pandemic. There is a need to elaborate the Indian socio-cultural aspects, so that society starts appreciating and voluntarily following social distancing. This should improve the adaptability of people with livelihood resilience to let them protect themselves not only from the present pandemic but also from all other unforeseen infections, and to provide care to patients.

Guiding Cardiac Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: How Ethics Shapes Our Health System Response.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised ethical questions for the cardiovascular leader and practitioner. Attention has been redirected from a system that focuses on individual patient benefit toward one that focuses on protecting society as a whole. Challenging resource allocation questions highlight the need for a clearly articulated ethics framework that integrates principled decision making into how different cardiovascular care services are prioritized. A practical application of the principles of harm minimisation, fairness, proportionality, respect, reciprocity, flexibility, and procedural justice is provided, and a model for prioritisation of the restoration of cardiovascular services is outlined. The prioritisation model may be used to determine how and when cardiovascular services should be continued or restored. There should be a focus on an iterative and responsive approach to broader health care system needs, such as other disease groups and local outbreaks.

Cardiac Rehabilitation During the COVID-19 Era: Guidance on Implementing Virtual Care.

Cardiac rehabilitation programs across Canada have suspended in-person services as a result of large-scale physical distancing recommendations designed to flatten the COVID-19 pandemic curve. Virtual cardiac rehabilitation (VCR) offers an alternate mechanism of care delivery, capable of providing similar patient outcomes and safety profiles compared with centre-based programs. To minimize care gaps, all centres should consider developing and implementing a VCR program. The process of this rapid implementation, however, can be daunting. Centres should initially focus on the collation, utilization, and repurposing of existing resources, equipment, and technology. Once established, programs should then focus on ensuring that quality indicators are met and care processes are protocolized. This should be followed by the development of sustainable VCR solutions to account for care gaps that existed before COVID-19, and to improve cardiac rehabilitation delivery, moving forward. This article reviews the potential challenges and obstacles of this process and aims to provide pragmatic guidance to aid clinicians and administrators during this challenging time.