COVID-19 lockdown: Impact on college students' lives.

Objective: In light of COVID-19, leaders issued stay-at-home orders, including closure of higher-education schools. Most students left campus, likely impacting their employment and social network. Leaders are making decisions about opening universities and modality of instruction. Understanding students' psychological, physiological, academic, and financial responses to the shut-down and reopening of campuses can help leaders make informed decisions. Participants: 654 students from a large western university enrolled during the pandemic shutdown. Methods: Students were invited via email to complete an online survey. Results: Students reported stress, depression, loneliness, lack of motivation, difficulty focusing on schoolwork, restless sleep, appetite changes, job loss concerns, and difficulties coping. Most wanted to return to campus and felt social/physical distancing was effective but were mixed in terms of testing or masks. Conclusions: Moving to remote learning created physical and psychological stress. Students want to return to campus but do not want to take risk-reducing measures.

Telemedicine among Adults Living in America during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and Objectives Telemedicine can expand healthcare access to populations, but relying on technology risks a digital divide. Therefore, it is important to understand who utilizes telemedicine. This study explores telemedicine usage across socio-demographic groups in the United States during COVID-19. Methods Data came from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) between 14 April 2021, to 11 April 2022. HPS is a rapid online response survey that assesses household experiences during COVID-19. We calculated descriptive statistics and used cross-correlation to test each pair of the time series curves. Results High school graduates used the least telemedicine (20.58%), while those with some college (23.29%) or college graduates (22.61%) had similar levels, and those with less than a high school education fluctuated over time. Black people had higher levels of use (26.31%) than Asians (22.01%). Individuals with disabilities (35.40%) used telemedicine more than individuals without disabilities (20.21%). Individuals 80 years or over (27.63%) used telemedicine more than individuals 18 to 29 years old (18.44%). Cross-correlations for the time series pairs across demographics revealed significant differences in telemedicine use for all demographic groups over time. Conclusions Overall, elderly, Black people, individuals with some college, and persons with disabilities report higher levels of telemedicine use. Telemedicine may improve healthcare access post-pandemic, but more research is needed to understand factors that drive differences among groups.

Trends in COVID-19 Inpatient Cases and Hospital Capacities during the Emergence of the Omicron Variant in the United States

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to analyze hospital capacities in terms of hospital beds and staffing in the United States and explore the trends of hospital capacities during the Omicron variant emergence. Methods: Using data collected by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, this study examined hospitalization rates from 15 December 2021 to 13 February 2022. Graphical trends were plotted for visualization of hospital bed usage and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) inpatient cases. A Pearson correlation test was used to explore the relationship between critical staffing shortage and COVID-19 death cases. Descriptive statistics of all hospital data were calculated. Results: At the peak of the Omicron variant surge, approximately one-third of the adult intensive care unit beds were used for COVID-19 patients in the United States. The total number of COVID-19 death cases increased as the number of hospitals with critical staffing shortages increased (p < 0.05). Discussion: This study can inform hospital administrators and public health policymakers on how to modify the use of existing hospital and human resources as the continually evolving pandemic taxes hospital capacity. Future studies need to be conducted to determine the long-term trend and how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change rapidly.

Teledentistry Implementation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 spreads via aerosol droplets. The dental profession is at high risk of contracting the virus since their work includes treatment procedures that produce aerosols. Teledentistry offers an opportunity to mitigate the risk to dental personnel by allowing dentists to provide care without direct patient contact. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the implementation, challenges, strategies, and innovations related to teledentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. METHODS: This scoping review evaluated teledentistry use during the pandemic by searching for articles in PubMed and Google Scholar using the search terms teledentistry, tele-dentistry, covid-19, coronavirus, telehealth, telemedicine, and dentistry. Inclusion criteria consisted of articles published in English from March 1, 2020, to April 1, 2022, that were relevant to dentistry and its specialties, and that included some discussion of teledentistry and COVID-19. Specifically, the review sought to explore teledentistry implementation, challenges, strategies to overcome challenges, and innovative ideas that emerged during the pandemic. It followed the 2020 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). This approach is organized into 5 distinct steps: formulating a defined question, using the question to develop inclusion criteria to identify relevant studies, an approach to appraise the studies, summarizing the evidence using an explicit methodology, and interpreting the findings of the review. RESULTS: A total of 32 articles was included in this scoping review and summarized by article type, methodology and population, and key points about the aims; 9 articles were narrative review articles, 10 were opinion pieces, 4 were descriptive studies, 3 were surveys, 2 were integrative literature reviews, and there was 1 each of the following: observational study, systematic review, case report, and practice brief. Teledentistry was used both synchronously and asynchronously for virtual consultations, often employing commercial applications such as WhatsApp, Skype, and Zoom. Dental professionals most commonly used teledentistry for triage, to reduce in-person visits, and for scheduling and providing consultations remotely. Identified challenges included patient and clinician acceptance of teledentistry, having adequate infrastructure, reimbursement, and security concerns. Strategies to address these concerns included clinician and patient training and utilizing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant applications. Benefits from teledentistry included providing care for patients during the pandemic and extending care to areas lacking access to dental care. CONCLUSIONS: Pandemic lockdowns led to new teledentistry implementations, most commonly for triage but also for follow-up and nonprocedural care. Teledentistry reduced in-person visits and improved access to remote areas. Challenges such as technology infrastructure, provider skill level, billing issues, and privacy concerns remain.

Telepharmacy during COVID-19: A Scoping Review.

The objective of this scoping review is to summarize the implementation of telepharmacy during the surge of COVID-19. This review will focus on answering four questions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, (1) what were the various telepharmacy initiatives implemented? (2) what were the challenges faced when implementing telehealth initiatives? (3) what were the strategies used by pharmacies to overcome the challenges, and (4) what were some of the innovative methods used by pharmacies to implement telepharmacy? A literature search was conducted to include publications post-March 2020 about telepharmacy implementation via PubMed Central database and Google searches. All articles were examined for inclusion or exclusion based on pre-determined criteria. A total of 33 articles were reviewed. The most commonly observed telepharmacy initiatives were virtual consultations, home delivery of medicines and patient education. Limited access to technology and lack of digital access and literacy were major barriers in the implementation of telepharmacy. New protocols were developed by healthcare systems and regulations were relaxed by countries to accommodate telepharmacy. Pharmacies that successfully implemented telepharmacy overcame these challenges through patient and pharmacist education. The review also revealed the steps that can be taken by pharmacy organizations, payers and entrepreneurs in leveraging the convenience of telepharmacy.

Corrigendum: Protecting Healthcare Workers Amid the COVID-19 Crisis: A Safety Protocol in Wuhan.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.577499.].

Protecting Healthcare Workers Amid the COVID-19 Crisis: A Safety Protocol in Wuhan.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by a distinct coronavirus, is an acute infectious disease that spreads mainly via the respiratory route. During the COVID-19 outbreak, many healthcare systems faced a severe burden when a large number of healthcare workers (HCWs) became infected due to the lack of adequate protection. Consequently, it was apparent that it is important to ensure the health and safety of HCWs in order to control the outbreak throughout society. In this article, we share our successful protocol for protecting the safety of HCWs in the course of their daily work in an orthopedics department with the aim of eventually reducing the risk of nosocomial infection. None of our HCWs or their families contracted the infection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Men and COVID-19: A Pathophysiologic Review.

Coronaviruses are single-stranded ribonucleic acid viruses that can cause illnesses in humans ranging from the common cold to severe respiratory disease and even death.In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as the first pandemic. Compared to women, most countries with available data report that men with COVID-19 have greater disease severity and higher mortality. Lab and animal data indicate that men respond differently to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, offering possible explanations for the epidemiologic observations. The plausible theories underlying these observations include sex-related differences in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors, immune function, hormones, habits, and coinfection rates.In this review we examine these factors and explore the rationale as to how each may impact COVID-19. Understanding why men are more likely to experience severe disease can help in developing effective treatments, public health policies, and targeted strategies such as early recognition and aggressive testing in subgroups.

In an era of uncertainty: Impact of COVID-19 on dental education.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic arguably represents the worst public health crisis of the 21st century. However, no empirical study currently exists in the literature that examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on dental education. This study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on dental education and dental students' experience. METHODS: An anonymous online survey was administrated to professional dental students that focused on their experiences related to COVID-19. The survey included questions about student demographics, protocols for school reopening and student perceptions of institutional responses, student concerns, and psychological impacts. RESULTS: Among the 145 respondents, 92.4% were pre-doctoral dental students and 7.6% were orthodontic residents; 48.2% were female and 12.6% students lived alone during the school closure due to the pandemic. Students' age ranged from 23 to 39 years. Younger students expressed more concerns about their emotional health (P = 0.01). In terms of the school's overall response to COVID-19, 73.1% students thought it was effective. The majority (83%) of students believed that social distancing in school can minimize the development of COVID-19. In general, students felt that clinical education suffered after transitioning to online but responded more positively about adjustments to other online curricular components. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted dental education. Our findings indicate that students are experiencing increased levels of stress and feel their clinical education has suffered. Most students appear comfortable with technology adaptations for didactic curriculum and favor masks, social distancing, and liberal use of sanitizers.

Ischemic Necrosis of Lower Extremity in COVID-19: A Case Report.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is an acute infectious disease that spreads mainly via the respiratory route. Elderly patients or those with underlying diseases are more seriously affected. We report a case of COVID-19 infection in a geriatric patient with arteriovenous thrombosis of the right lower limb. Despite persistent anticoagulant therapy, the patient's arterial thrombosis continued to progress and presented with ischemic necrosis of the lower extremity. After amputation in this case, the levels of D-dimer and inflammatory cytokine increased progressively, and he presented with acute myocardial infarction, which progressed rapidly to multisystem organ failure. However, whether coronavirus can directly cause the damage of the cardiovascular system and thrombosis needs further investigation.

Social Network Analysis of COVID-19 Sentiments: Application of Artificial Intelligence.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic led to substantial public discussion. Understanding these discussions can help institutions, governments, and individuals navigate the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to analyze discussions on Twitter related to COVID-19 and to investigate the sentiments toward COVID-19. METHODS: This study applied machine learning methods in the field of artificial intelligence to analyze data collected from Twitter. Using tweets originating exclusively in the United States and written in English during the 1-month period from March 20 to April 19, 2020, the study examined COVID-19-related discussions. Social network and sentiment analyses were also conducted to determine the social network of dominant topics and whether the tweets expressed positive, neutral, or negative sentiments. Geographic analysis of the tweets was also conducted. RESULTS: There were a total of 14,180,603 likes, 863,411 replies, 3,087,812 retweets, and 641,381 mentions in tweets during the study timeframe. Out of 902,138 tweets analyzed, sentiment analysis classified 434,254 (48.2%) tweets as having a positive sentiment, 187,042 (20.7%) as neutral, and 280,842 (31.1%) as negative. The study identified 5 dominant themes among COVID-19-related tweets: health care environment, emotional support, business economy, social change, and psychological stress. Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Florida were the states expressing the most negative sentiment while Vermont, North Dakota, Utah, Colorado, Tennessee, and North Carolina conveyed the most positive sentiment. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified 5 prevalent themes of COVID-19 discussion with sentiments ranging from positive to negative. These themes and sentiments can clarify the public's response to COVID-19 and help officials navigate the pandemic.