Category: Covid-19

Food (in)security in Brazil in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic [Originally published in Cad. Saúde Pública, vol.36 no.4]

Although Brazil is experiencing the pandemic’s initial effects, the discussion on the country’s food security situation and its interfaces is of the utmost urgency, based on what has already happened in Europe. The food industry is facing numerous uncertainties, with limited orientation on food production, distribution, marketing, or home preparation of meals. Read More →

Driving forces for COVID-19 clinical trials using chloroquine: the need to choose the right research questions and outcomes [Originally published in Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop. vol. 53]

Chloroquine was unequivocally demonstrated to have in vitro inhibiting effects on SARS-CoV-2 infection and was precociously publicized as having a beneficial effect in COVID-19 patients after a study conducted in Marseille, France showed a viral load reduction in COVID-19 patients. Since there is no specific antiviral therapy for coronavirus infections to date, the announcement of partial and fragile data led to precipitated political manifestations by major government leaders and contributed to uncoordinated recommendations of the drug to severe patients. Read More →

Mental health: why it still matters in the midst of a pandemic [Originally published in Braz. J. Psychiatry]

In times of fear and uncertainty, when threats to survival become one of the main issues of daily life, many believe that mental health care can wait and that efforts should focus on preserving life. However, mental health is precisely one of the keys to surviving this pandemic. This editorial lists some topics we believe are particularly worthy of attention and deserve full consideration both by health care workers and by the general population. Read More →

Coronavirus: anti-denial lessons and the future of the planet

Based on an interdisciplinary approach, the article makes a social historical reading of the epidemics in the world and their impacts on human life, punctuating the differences with the so-called Covid-19. The proliferation of the virus has forced a radical change in the daily lives of populations on a global level, suggesting that it is possible to act collectively to create future worlds. The radical action of isolation against the virus has demonstrated relevant impacts with respect to the climate emergency, at a time when it reveals the impacts of denialism, the interests and limits of capitalism and the financial market in the epidemic crisis. Read More →

“Pandemic fear” and COVID-19: mental health burden and strategies [Originally published in Braz. J. Psychiatry]

During pandemics it’s common for health professionals, scientists and managers to focus predominantly on the pathogen and the biological risk in an effort to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms involved and propose measures for preventing, containing and treating the disease. In such situations, the psychological and psychiatric implications secondary to the phenomenon tend to be neglected, generating gaps in coping strategies and increasing the burden of associated diseases. Read More →

Chest radiography and computed tomography findings from a Brazilian patient with COVID-19 pneumonia [Originally published in Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop. vol. 53]

A 73-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with a 4-day history of fever, chills, dry cough, and fatigue. He had arrived in São Paulo, Brazil, on the preceding day. His symptoms had begun when he was traveling in northern Italy with 12 friends, three of whom had been diagnosed with COVID-19. He reported having systemic arterial hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Read More →

RAP | Call for short papers I: Governmental responses to COVID-19 pandemic

December 12th 2019 marked the appearance of a new coronavirus (COVID-19). Declared a pandemic by the WHO, COVID-19 has been exposing the weaknesses of health systems and challenging governments globally. Revista de Administração Pública drew up a series of actions to join in on the efforts of public, private, and non-profit actors mobilized in facing the pandemic. Read More →

Why does reform of scientific communication seem so difficult and slow?

The world faces global problems for which science is needed as part of the solution. Yet the scientific communication system is not nearly as quick and open as necessary for efficient worldwide collaboration. The powers that are in a position to reform the system are too timid. Will crises like COVID-19 shake them awake? Read More →

COVID-19 and the Heart [Originally published in Arq. Bras. Cardiol.]

We have been living with the new coronavirus pandemic since March 11, 2020. Initially, on January 1, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus infection a global emergency and proceeded to name the disease COVID-19. […] Genomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis have indicated that it is a betacoronavirus from the same subgenus as SARS and MERS. […] The cardiac complications of this disease have drawn physicians’ attention. Read More →

Outbreak investigation in cargo ship in times of COVID-19 crisis, Port of Santos, Brazil [Originally published in Rev. Saúde Pública, vol. 54]

In February 2020, a Chinese cargo ship docked at the Port of Santos with reports of crew members with a feverish and respiratory condition. A team was gathered to verify the existence of suspected cases of COVID-19 inside the vessel and define its clearance. […] The investigation resulted from the implementation of the contingency plan to face a public health emergency of international importance and several surveillance entities cooperated. Read More →

Dentistry vs Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: How to face this enemy [Originally published in Rev. Gaúch. Odontol., vol. 68]

Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, numerous restrictive measures have been taken by the governments of different countries. Recently, due to the high possibility of transmission in dental offices, there was a recommendation by the American, European and Brazilian governments to request the closing of the offices. In this commentary, we will give an overview of the reasons and perspectives of this scenario. Read More →

The surgeons and the COVID-19 pandemic [Originally published in Rev. Col. Bras. Cir., vol. 47]

The current world Covid-19 pandemic has been the most discussed topic in the media and scientific journals. Fear, uncertainty, and lack of knowledge about the disease may be the significant factors that justify such reality. […] The Brazilian College of Surgeons suggests in this document various initiatives that may help surgeons, healthcare providers, and patients who will have to face a surgical event under the pandemic. Read More →

COVID-19 pneumonia: what is the role of imaging in diagnosis? [Originally published in J. bras. pneumol., vol. 46 no. 2]

The current global COVID-19 pandemic is related to an acute respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which is highly contagious and whose evolution is still little known. Considering the current case definition, based on the diagnosis of pneumonia, more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 infection have been confirmed worldwide, and the associated mortality rate has fluctuated around 2%1. However, recent changes in the diagnostic criteria of the disease have led to an increase in the rate of new cases and, on a daily basis, increasing numbers and challenges have been the subject of intense debate on the topic by the scientific community. Read More →

Coronavirus 2020 [Originally published as an editorial in Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem vol. 73 no. 2]

Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases are constant challenges for public health worldwide. Recent cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China, have led to the discovery of a new type of Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which are enveloped RNA viruses, commonly found in humans, other mammals and birds, capable of causing respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and neurological disease. Read More →

Immediate Health Surveillance Response to COVID-19 Epidemic [Originally published as an editorial in Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde vol. 29 no. 1]

On December 31st 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of the occurrence of a pneumonia outbreak in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China. The etiological agent was rapidly identified as a novel coronavirus: SARS-COV-2. The outbreak began in a seafood and live animals market and, as at the date of this publication, the animal reservoir is unknown. Read More →