Meteorological impact on the COVID-19 pandemic: A study across eight severely affected regions in South America
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
Authors: Zhu, Liting; Liu, Xiaobo; Huang, Haining; Avellan-Llaguno, Ricardo David; Lazo, Mauricio Manuel Llaguno; Gaggero, Aldo; Soto-Rifo, Ricardo; Patino, Leandro; Valencia-Avellan, Magaly; Diringer, Benoit; Huang, Qiansheng; Zhu, Yong-Guan
Abstract
The role of meteorological factors in the transmission of the COVID-19 still needs to be determined. In this study, the daily new cases of the eight severely affected regions in four countries of South America and their corresponding meteorological data (average temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average wind speed, visibility, absolute humidity) were collected. Daily number of confirmed and incubative cases, as well as time-dependent reproductive number (R-t) was calculated to indicate the transmission of the diseases in the population. Spearman's correlation coefficients were assessed to show the correlation between meteorological factors and daily confirmed cases, daily incubative cases, as well as Rt. In particular, the results showed that there was a highly significant correlation between daily incubative cases and absolute humidity throughout the selected regions. Multiple linear regression model further confirmed the negative correlation between absolute humidity and incubative cases. The absolute humidity is predicted to show a decreasing trend in the coming months from the meteorological data of recent three years. Our results suggest the necessity of continuous controlling policy in these areas and some other complementary strategies to mitigate the contagious rate of the COVID-19. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Comparison of Hospitalized Patients With ARDS Caused by COVID-19 and H1N1
CHEST
Authors: Tang, Xiao; Du, Rong-Hui; Wang, Rui; Cao, Tan-Ze; Guan, Lu-Lu; Yang, Cheng-Qing; Zhu, Qi; Hu, Ming; Li, Xu-Yan; Li, Ying; Liang, Li-Rong; Tong, Zhao-Hui; Sun, Bing; Peng, Peng; Shi, Huan-Zhong
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China in December 2019, considerable attention has been focused on its elucidation. However, it is also important for clinicians and epidemiologists to differentiate COVID-19 from other respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza viruses. RESEARCH QUESTION: The aim of this study was to explore the different clinical presentations between COVID-19 and influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia in patients with ARDS. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This analysis was a retrospective case-control study. Two independent cohorts of patients with ARDS infected with either COVID-19 (n = 73) or H1N1 (n = 75) were compared. Their clinical manifestations, imaging characteristics, treatments, and prognosis were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: The median age of patients with COVID-19 was higher than that of patients with H1N1, and there was a higher proportion of male subjects among the H1N1 cohort (P <.05). Patients with COVID-19 exhibited higher proportions of nonproductive coughs, fatigue, and GI symptoms than those of patients with H1N1 (P <.05). Patients with H1N1 had higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores than patients with COVID-19 (P <.05). The PaO2/FIO2 of 198.5 mm Hg in the COVID-19 cohort was significantly higher than the PaO2/FIO2 of 107.0 mm Hg in the H1N1 cohort (P <.001). Ground-glass opacities was more common in patients with COVID-19 than in patients with H1N1 (P <.001). There was a greater variety of antiviral therapies administered to COVID-19 patients than to H1N1 patients. The in-hospital mortality of patients with COVID-19 was 28.8%, whereas that of patients with H1N1 was 34.7% (P =.483). SOFA score-adjusted mortality of H1N1 patients was significantly higher than that of COVID-19 patients, with a rate ratio of 2.009 (95% CI, 1.563-2.583; P <.001). INTERPRETATION: There were many differences in clinical presentations between patients with ARDS infected with either COVID-19 or H1N1. Compared with H1N1 patients, patients with COVID-19-induced ARDS had lower severity of illness scores at presentation and lower SOFA score-adjusted mortality.