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Khamis F, Al Awaidy S, Ba’Omar M, Osman W, Chhetri S, Ambusaid Z, Al Fahdi Z, Al Lawati J, Al Sulaimi K, Al Bulushi SA, Al Bahrani M, Al-Zakwani I. The Impact of Demographic, Clinical Characteristics and the Various COVID-19 Variant Types on All-Cause Mortality: A Case-Series Retrospective Study. Diseases 2022; 10:100. [PMID: 36412594 PMCID: PMC9680441 DOI: 10.3390/diseases10040100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly evolved into a pandemic affecting virtually every country in the world. We evaluated the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and all-cause mortality of moderate and severe COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Oman during the different COVID-19 waves and variant types. (2) Methods: A case-series retrospective study was carried out between 12 March 2020 and 30 June 2022. All adults over the age of 18 with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled. Analyses were performed using univariate and multivariate statistics. (3) Results: A total of 1462 confirmed cases enrolled with the mean age of the cohort was 55 ± 17 years with significant differences among the groups (p = 0.006). A total of 63% and 80% of the patients were males and citizens of Oman, respectively. Patients infected with the Alpha COVID-19 variant type were more likely to have acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (p < 0.001), stay longer in the hospital (p < 0.001), and get admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (p < 0.001). At the same time, those who had the Omicron COVID-19 type were more likely to have renal impairment (p < 0.001) and less likely to be associated with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) (p = 0.001) compared with other COVID-19 variant types. The Delta (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.8; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22−2.66; p = 0.003) and Omicron (aOR, 1.88; 95% CI: 1.09−3.22; p = 0.022) COVID-19 variant types were associated with higher all-cause mortality when compared to the initial COVID-19 variant. Old age (aOR, 1.05; 95% CI: 1.04−1.06; p < 0.001), the presence of respiratory disease (aOR, 1.58; 95% CI: 1.02−2.44; p = 0.04), ICU admission (aOR, 3.41; 95% CI: 2.16−5.39; p < 0.001), lower eGFR (aOR, 1.61; 95% CI: 1.17−2.23; p = 0.004), and ARDS (aOR, 5.75; 95% CI: 3.69−8.98; p < 0.001) were also associated with higher mortality while NIV requirements were associated with lower odds of dying (aOR, 0.65; 95% CI: 0.46−0.91; p = 0.012). (4) Conclusions: Alpha and Delta variants were associated with a longer hospital stay, need for intensive care, mechanical ventilation, and increased mortality. Old age, cardiac renal dysfunction were commonly associated with Omicron variants. Large-scale national studies to further assess the risk factors for mortality related to COVID-19 waves are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faryal Khamis
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Royal Hospital, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | | | - Muna Ba’Omar
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Royal Hospital, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | - Wessam Osman
- Department of Medicine, Royal Hospital, Ministry of Health, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | - Shabnam Chhetri
- Department of Infectious Disease, The Royal Hospital, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | - Zaiyana Ambusaid
- Department of Medicine, Royal Hospital, Ministry of Health, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | - Zakariya Al Fahdi
- Department of Medicine, Nizwa Hospital, Ministry of Health, Nizwa, PC 611, Oman
| | - Jaber Al Lawati
- Department of Medicine, Royal Hospital, Ministry of Health, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | - Khalsa Al Sulaimi
- Department of Medicine, Royal Hospital, Ministry of Health, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | | | - Maher Al Bahrani
- Department of Anaesthesia, Royal Hospital, Ministry of Health, Muscat, PC 111, Oman
| | - Ibrahim Al-Zakwani
- Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacy, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khoudh, PC 123, Oman
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Li J, Zhao N, Zhang H, Yang H, Yang J. Roles and Challenges for Village Doctors in COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control in Rural Beijing, China: A Qualitative Study. Front Public Health 2022; 10:888374. [PMID: 35844871 PMCID: PMC9277090 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.888374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Rural areas in China are more vulnerable to COVID-19 pandemic than urban areas, due to their far fewer health care resources. Village doctors, as rural grassroots health workers in China, have been actively engaged in the pandemic prevention and control. This study aims to describe the roles of village doctors in rural China, and the challenges they have faced during the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Setting This study was conducted in three towns in Huairou District, Beijing, China. Design We carried out semi-structured interviews with 75 key informants. All the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. We employed thematic analysis to define themes and sub-themes from the qualitative data. Results We reported four themes. First, the village doctor guided the village committee to carry out decontamination, monitored home-isolated residents, and disseminated knowledge on prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic during the rural pandemic prevention and control. Second, they took pandemic prevention measures in village clinics, distributed pandemic prevention materials, and undertook pre-screening triage. Third, village doctors provided basic medical care, including treatment of common diseases as well as the purchase and delivery of medicines to villagers. Fourth, village doctors faced difficulties and challenges, such as inadequate medical skills, aging staff structure, and lack of pandemic prevention materials. Conclusions Despite many difficulties and challenges, village doctors have actively participated in rural pandemic prevention and control, and made outstanding contributions to curbing spread of COVID-19 pandemic in rural areas. Village doctors provide basic health care while participating in various non-medical tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Li
- School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Zhao
- School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- Department of Health Education, Beijing Huairou Hospital of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Pediatric Diseases of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, National Center for Children's Health, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Yang
- School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Jia Yang
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Exploiting an Ontological Model to Study COVID-19 Contagion Chains in Sustainable Smart Cities. INFORMATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/info13010040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the deaths of millions of people around the world. The scientific community faces a tough struggle to reduce the effects of this pandemic. Several investigations dealing with different perspectives have been carried out. However, it is not easy to find studies focused on COVID-19 contagion chains. A deep analysis of contagion chains may contribute new findings that can be used to reduce the effects of COVID-19. For example, some interesting chains with specific behaviors could be identified and more in-depth analyses could be performed to investigate the reasons for such behaviors. To represent, validate and analyze the information of contagion chains, we adopted an ontological approach. Ontologies are artificial intelligence techniques that have become widely accepted solutions for the representation of knowledge and corresponding analyses. The semantic representation of information by means of ontologies enables the consistency of the information to be checked, as well as automatic reasoning to infer new knowledge. The ontology was implemented in Ontology Web Language (OWL), which is a formal language based on description logics. This approach could have a special impact on smart cities, which are characterized as using information to enhance the quality of basic services for citizens. In particular, health services could take advantage of this approach to reduce the effects of COVID-19.
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