Summary

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and the disease now affects nearly every country and region. Caused by SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 continues nearly 18 months later to present significant challenges to health systems and public health in both hemispheres, as well as the economies of every country. The morbidity and mortality of the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been significant, and various waves of disease outbreaks initially overwhelmed many hospitals and clinics and continue to do so in many countries. This influences everyone, and public health countermeasures have been dramatic in terms of their impact on employment, social systems, and mental health. This entry collection aims to gather diverse fields about COVID-19, including in epidemiology, public health, medicine, genetics, systems biology, informatics, data science, engineering, sociology, anthropology, nursing, environmental studies, statistics, and psychology.

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Entries
Topic Review
Strategies Adopted during the Coronavirus Pandemic
The COVID-19 generate several psychological repercussions, such as: depression, anxiety, suicide, self-mutilation and increased consumption of alcohol and other drugs,as well as in socioeconomic and political aspects that were aggravated by structural inequalities and inequities in the countries, increasing poverty, misery, unemployment and hunger. These factors become more serious and complex for people who struggle with substance use disorders (SUD) not only because they increase the risk of COVID-19, but also because of the accentuation of the condition of vulnerability. Although actions as social distancing was the only way to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, these strategies limited access and continuity of monitoring in the intra- and inter-sectoral network. Because of that during the pandemic period, several services reduced or stopped functioning, varying according to the program areas. As stated by PAHO (2021) Mental health services in the Americas had a 77% reduction of health care compared to other services and programs. Due this context, the present study developed a scoping review to map strategies and actions adopted in SUD treatment facilities. The strategies were: 1) Telehealth/telemedicine support (64%); 2) Adequacy of prescription and distribution of medications (46%); 3) Reorganization of face-to-face healthcare services (39%); 4) Approaches related to the prevention of COVID-19 among patients (29%) and 5) Other strategies in the routine of health care (21%). 
  • 354
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Sleep Dysfunction in COVID-19 Patients
Sleep is an important factor for human well being in order to maintain daily functions, while lack of sleep may lead to an increase in accidents, mood changes, impaired psychological functioning and concentration, and decreased immune response.Sleep problems appear to be rather common in COVID-19 patients and are related to higher levels of psychological distress such as traumatic stress, depression and anxiety and worse coronavirus related outcomes including severity and mortality.Effective programs for the treatment of sleep problems, may lead to the reduction of psychological distress and vice versa and improving the sleep quality of infected patients may improve their outcomes. There is a need for appropriate and tailored management strategies and interventions across different populations including the general public and high risk groups such as Healthcare providers and COVID-19 patients including improved sleep hygiene, identification of various risk factors at individual, interpersonal, institutional and community levels and early and accurate recognition of sleep dysfunction and psychological distress.
  • 446
  • 15 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Modified Pectin Binding Galectin-3 in SARS-CoV-2
Modified pectin (MP) is a bioactive complex polysaccharide that is broken down into smaller fragments of units and used as an oral dietary supplement for cell proliferation. MP is safe and non-toxic with promising therapeutic properties with regard to targeting galectin-3 (GAL-3) toward the prevention and inhibition of viral infections through the modulation of the immune response and anti-inflammatory cytokine effects. This effect of MP as a GAL-3 antagonism, which has shown benefits in preclinical and clinical models, may be of relevance to the progression of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in coronavirus disease 2019 patients. The outbreak of emerging infectious diseases continues to pose a threat to human health. Further to the circulation of multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, an effective and alternative therapeutic approach to combat it has become pertinent. The use of MP as a GAL-3 inhibitor could serve as an antiviral agent blocking against the SARS-CoV-2-binding spike protein. 
  • 1.3K
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
COVID-19 and Migrant/Refugee Health
Against a background where the world has witnessed the largest numbers of migrants in history, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has stretched the capacities of countries and of aid, health and relief organizations, from global to local levels, to meet the human rights and pressing needs of migrants and refugees for access to health care and to public health measures needed to protect them from the pandemic. 
  • 375
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Neck Circumference Predicts Mortality in COVID-19 patients
A large neck is associated with a premorbid increased proinflammatory and prothrombotic status, which makes the patient more prone to progress toward an unfavorable outcome. Neck circumference is an independent predictor for mortality in our hospitalized COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure and should complement the baseline evaluation of such patients.
  • 355
  • 11 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Colorectal Cancer Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Colonoscopy procedure has been the key screening method to detect colorectal cancer (CRC). As a fatal disease, CRC needs early detection. The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic caused screening tests (mainly colonoscopy) to be halted and delayed. At the same time, the use of other screening tests like fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) increased.  
  • 571
  • 15 Dec 2021
Topic Review
MALDI MS-Based Investigations Targeting SARS-CoV-2
The urgent need to fight the COVID-19 pandemic has impressively stimulated the efforts of the international scientific community, providing an extraordinary wealth of studies. Improving the current laboratory testing methods and developing new rapid and reliable diagnostic approaches might be useful in managing contact tracing in the fight against both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the new, potentially fast-spreading CoV-2 variants. Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based testing methods and more specifically MALDI-MS have demonstrated without any doubt the great potential to overcome many unresolved analytical challenges arising from currently used laboratory testing assays, becoming an effective proteomic tool in several applications, including pathogen identification. With the aim of highlighting the challenges and opportunities that derive from MALDI-based approaches for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, we extensively examined the most promising proofs of concept for MALDI studies related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • 581
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
COVID-19 Advanced Therapies
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, related to the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a worldwide sudden and substantial burden in public health due to an enormous increase in hospitalizations for pneumonia with the multiorgan disease. Treatment for individuals with COVID-19 includes best practices for supportive management of acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Emerging data indicate that dexamethasone therapy reduces 28-day mortality in patients requiring supplemental oxygen compared with usual care, and ongoing trials are testing the efficacy of antiviral therapies, immune modulators and anticoagulants in the prevention of disease progression and complications, while monoclonal antibodies and hyperimmune globulin may provide additional preventive strategies. Consensus suggestions can standardize care, thereby improving outcomes and facilitating future research.
  • 632
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Hesitancy
The underlying factors of vaccine hesitancy are complex and context-specific, varying across time and socio-demographic variables. Vaccine hesitancy can also be influenced by other factors such as health inequalities, socioeconomic disadvantages, systemic racism, and level of exposure to misinformation online, with some factors being more dominant in certain countries than others. Therefore, strategies tailored to cultures and socio-psychological factors need to be developed to reduce vaccine hesitancy and aid informed decision-making. 
  • 511
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Views on Vaccination against COVID-19 Virus
Mass immunization of the citizens of the Republic of Serbia began in January 2021. Information on the significance, manner, advantages and consequences of this process was intensively distributed through all communication channels, with the media playing a key role. According to the data of the official institutions for the public health of Serbia, by July 2021 the lowest percentage of vaccinated population was among those between the ages of 18 and 24—only 15% of this demographic had received the vaccine by this point.
  • 540
  • 08 Dec 2021
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