Autocratic and democratic leaders have an incentive to misreport data that may reveal policy failure. However, it is easier for autocratic leaders to fabricate data because they are not subject to scrutiny from media, opposition parties, and civil society. This suggests that autocratic governments are more likely to manipulate policy-relevant statistics than democratic governments. It is inherently difficult to test that claim because researchers typically do not have access to data from sources other than the government. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a unique opportunity to examine the relationship between regime type and data manipulation because of its widespread impact, as well as the ability to compare reported with excess deaths and test for statistical anomalies in reported data. Based on regressions for undercounting and statistical irregularities that take into account unintentional mismeasurement, I find that autocratic governments are more likely to deliberately under-report the impact of COVID-19 than their democratic counterparts.
Objectives Post-acute sequalae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) is not well defined in pediatrics given its heterogeneity of presentation and severity in this population. The aim of this study is to use novel methods that rely on data mining approaches rather than clinical experience to detect signals associated with PASC. Materials and Methods We used a propensity-matched cohort design comparing children identified using the new PASC ICD10CM diagnosis code (U09.9) (N=1250) to children with (N=6250) and without (N=6250) SARS-CoV-2 infection. We used a tree-based scan statistic to identify potential condition clusters co-occurring more frequently in cases than controls. Results We found significant enrichment among children with PASC in cardiac, respiratory, neurologic, psychological, endocrine, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems, the most significant related to circulatory and respiratory such as dyspnea, difficulty breathing, and fatigue and malaise. Discussion Our study addresses methodological limitations of prior studies that rely on pre-specified clusters of potential PASC-associated diagnoses driven by clinician experience. Future studies are needed to identify patterns of diagnoses and their associations to derive clinical phenotypes. Conclusion We identified multiple conditions and body systems associated with pediatric PASC. Because we rely on a data-driven approach, several new or under-reported conditions and symptoms were detected that warrant further investigation.
Background. The annual reappearance of respiratory viruses has been recognized for decades. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic altered typical respiratory virus transmission patterns. COVID-19 mitigation measures taken during the pandemic were targeted at SARS-CoV-2 respiratory transmission and thus broadly impacted the burden of acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs), in general. Methods. We used the longitudinal Household Influenza Vaccine Evaluation (HIVE) cohort of households in southeast Michigan to characterize mitigation strategy adherence, respiratory illness burden, and the circulation of 15 respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic determined by RT-PCR of respiratory specimens collected at illness onset. Study participants were surveyed twice during the study period (March 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021), and serologic specimens were collected for antibody measurement by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Incidence rates of ARI reports and virus detections were calculated and compared using incidence rate ratios for the study period and a pre-pandemic period of similar length. Results. Overall, 437 participants reported a total of 772 ARIs and 329 specimens (42.6%) had respiratory viruses detected. Rhinoviruses were the most frequently detected organism, but seasonal coronaviruses, excluding SARS-CoV-2, were also common. Illness reports and percent positivity were lowest from May to August 2020, when mitigation measures were most stringent. Study participants were more adherent to mitigation measures in the first survey compared with the second survey. Supplemental serology surveillance identified 5.3% seropositivity for SARS-CoV-2 in summer 2020; 3.0% between fall 2020 and winter 2021; and 11.3% in spring 2021. Compared to a pre-pandemic period of similar length, the incidence rate of total reported ARIs for the study period was 50% lower (95% CI: 0.5, 0.6; p<0.001) than the incidence rate from March 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017. Conclusions. The burden of ARI in the HIVE cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic fluctuated, with declines occurring concurrently with the widespread use of public health measures. It is notable, however, that rhinovirus and seasonal coronaviruses continued to circulate even as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 circulation was low.
Background: The Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, spreads globally and was confirmed as the cause of the Omicron wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Shanghai, China. The viral shedding duration of Omicron variants needs to be determined. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 382 patients admitted to a shelter hospital for COVID-19. Of the patients, 8 patients were referred to a designated hospital, 100 were infected asymptomatic patients, and 274 patients had mild COVID-19. Results: The vaccination rates (including fully and boosted) in the asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients were 92.00% and 94.16%, respectively. Majority of the studied population showed a first reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction cycle threshold (Ct) value of 20. For 2565 nasopharyngeal swabs from close or sub-close contacts, the Ct value gradually increased to 35 for 8 days, and the median duration of viral shedding time was 10 days after the first positive detection of the SARS-CoV-2 nuclei acid. Conclusions: Quantitative viral RNA load assays in COVID-19 (BA.2.2.1) close or sub-closed contacts could be used to prevent transmissions and control precautions.
IMPORTANCE The rapid genetic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and in particular the highly contagious Omicron variant of concern (VoC) may pose problems for rapid and accurate diagnosis of infection especially in health care workers. OBJECTIVE Determine the diagnostic accuracy and robustness of two rapid antigen tests compared to the golden standard, PCR-based diagnostics, for detection of infection with different SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VoC sub lineages in health care workers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS The study included 428 health care workers from the University Hospital Munich Rechts der Isar who reported recent onset of COVID-19 associated symptoms or completed routine diagnostic testing from 24th of May to 22nd of September 2022. All participants gave written informed consent to participate in this study and completed a questionnaire on infection-associated symptoms, prior SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccination status. INTERVENTIONS During the first visit, two nasal swabs were taken to perform two rapid antigen tests and one oropharyngeal swab for PCR-based diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A second set of nasal swabs was taken by participants two days later for repeated performance of the two rapid antigen tests. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The accuracy for detection of infection with different SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VoCs with two rapid antigen tests (Test I and Test II) was determined and compared to quantitative SARS CoV-2 RNA levels detected by PCR. RESULTS In a side-by-side comparison, we found that Test I detected viral nucleocapsids from Omicron VoC (BA.5.2.3) at higher dilutions compared to Test II. In the study, that included a total of 428 health care workers, Test I and Test II detected PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with different Omicron VoCs (BA.2, BA.4, BA.5) with a sensitivity of 89.4% (95% CI 81.9% - 94.6%) and of 83.7% (95% CI 75.12% - 90.18%), respectively. Increased sensitivity by Test I was also reflected by earlier detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and lesser test sensitivity by Test II was compensated for by a repeated test performed two days later. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The results from the study demonstrate the usefulness of rapid antigen tests for detection of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VoC and reveal an advantage of a lower detection limit for earlier detection of infection in health care workers.
Pilot Clinical Trial to Explore Efficacy and Safety of Pyramax in Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: Pyramax
Sponsor: Shin Poong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Completed
Animation Supported COVID-19 Education - Condition: COVID-19 Pandemic
Intervention: Other: Animation-Supported Education
Sponsor: Siirt University
Completed
CareSuperb COVID-19 Antigen Test Usability - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Device: CareSuperb COVID-19 Antigen Home Test Kit
Sponsor: AccessBio, Inc.
Recruiting
COVID-19 Huashi Baidu Formula Clinical Study - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: Huashi Baidu Granule; Drug: Monapiravir
Sponsors: Xiyuan Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences; Beijing YouAn Hospital; Kossamak Hospital; Kamuzu University of Health Sciences
Not yet recruiting
Shaping Care Home COVID-19 Testing Policy - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: Lateral Flow Device
Sponsor: University College, London
Not yet recruiting
Asunercept for the Treatment of Patients With Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: Asunercept; Other: Placebo
Sponsor: Apogenix AG
Recruiting
Study in Adults to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Inhaled IBIO123, for Post-exposure Prophylaxis of COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: IBIO123; Other: Placebo
Sponsor: Immune Biosolutions Inc
Not yet recruiting
Feasibility and Usability of COVID-19 Antigen RDTs in Uganda - Condition: COVID-19 Pandemic
Interventions: Diagnostic Test: PMC Sure Status COVID-19 Antigen Test; Diagnostic Test: Acon Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
Sponsor: PATH
Not yet recruiting
The Roles of Vitamin D and Microbiome in Children With Post-acute COVID-19 Syndromes (PACS) and Long COVID - Condition: Post-acute COVID-19 Syndromes
Interventions: Other: Vitamin D; Other: Placebo
Sponsor: China Medical University Hospital
Recruiting
A Study to Learn About Bivalent COVID-19 RNA Vaccine Candidate(s) in Healthy Infants and Children - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 3 microgram dose; Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 6 microgram dose; Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 10 microgram dose; Biological: Bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5) 1 microgram dose
Sponsors: BioNTech SE; Pfizer
Not yet recruiting
SUNRISE-3: Efficacy and Safety of Bemnifosbuvir in High-Risk Outpatients With COVID-19 - Conditions: SARS CoV 2 Infection; COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: Bemnifosbuvir (BEM); Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Recruiting
Evaluation of an Integrative Medicine Outpatient Clinical Setting for Post-COVID-19 Patients - Conditions: COVID-19; Fatigue
Interventions: Behavioral: outpatient clinic with multimodal integrative medicine and naturopathy for post-COVID-19 patients; Other: waiting group
Sponsor: Universität Duisburg-Essen
Recruiting
A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Variant (BA.4 /5) mRNA Vaccine - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: ABO1020; Biological: Placebo
Sponsor: Suzhou Abogen Biosciences Co., Ltd.
Active, not recruiting
The Efficacy of Azvudine and Paxlovid in High-risk Patients With COVID-19: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial - Condition: SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Interventions: Drug: Azvudine; Drug: Paxlovid group
Sponsors: Southeast University, China; Hohhot First Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
Recruiting
Post-COVID-19 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Conditions: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome; Post-COVID Syndrome
Intervention: Drug: Synthetic Vitamin B1
Sponsors: ClinAmygate; As-Salam Center, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
Not yet recruiting
The Efficacious Benefit of 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D to Prevent COVID-19: An In-Silico Study Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein - No abstract
N-acetylcysteine Reduces Inflammasome Activation Induced by SARS-CoV-2 Proteins In Vitro - No abstract
Triacetyl Resveratrol Inhibits PEDV by Inducing the Early Apoptosis In Vitro - No abstract
Adaptor protein MyD88 confers the susceptibility to stress via amplifying immune danger signals - No abstract
Porcine deltacoronavirus uses heparan sulfate as an attachment receptor - No abstract
A potential host and virus targeting tool against COVID-19: Chemical characterization, antiviral, cytoprotective, antioxidant, respiratory smooth muscle relaxant effects of Paulownia tomentosa Steud - No abstract
Potential therapeutic value of necroptosis inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-19 - No abstract
Influence of online opinions and interactions on the Covid-19 vaccination in Chile - No abstract
Engineering antiviral immune-like systems for autonomous virus detection and inhibition in mice - No abstract
SARS-CoV-2 Spike triggers barrier dysfunction and vascular leak via integrins and TGF-β signaling - No abstract
Cross-reaction of current available SARS-CoV-2 MAbs against the pangolin-origin coronavirus GX/P2V/2017 - No abstract
Biochemical and structural insights into SARS-CoV-2 polyprotein processing by Mpro - No abstract
Small-molecule metabolites in SARS-CoV-2 treatment: a comprehensive review - No abstract
To prophylax or not, and how much and how long? Controversies in VTE prevention for medical inpatients, including COVID-19 inpatients - No abstract
A perspective study of the possible impact of obeticholic acid against SARS-CoV-2 infection - No abstract