Purpose
To investigate the prevalence and epidemiological risk factors of olfactory and/or taste disorder (OTD), in particular isolated OTD, in patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective and cross-sectional study. Patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection were recruited from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) Singapore between 24 March 2020 and 16 April 2020. The electronic health records of these patients were accessed, and demographic data and symptoms reported (respiratory, self-reported OTD and other symptoms such as headache, myalgia and lethargy) were collected.
Results
A total of 1065 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were recruited. Overall, the prevalence of OTD was 12.6%. Twelve patients (1.1%) had isolated OTD. The top three symptoms associated with OTD were cough, fever and sore throat. The symptoms of runny nose and blocked nose were experienced by only 29.8 and 19.3% of patients, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the female gender, presence of blocked nose and absence of fever were significantly associated with OTD (adjusted relative risks 1.77, 3.31, 0.42, respectively). All these factors were statistically significant.
Conclusion
Patients with COVID-19 infection can present with OTD, either in isolation or in combination with other general symptoms. Certain demographic profile, such as being female, and symptomatology such as the presence of blocked nose and absence of fever, were more likely to have OTD when infected by COVID-19. Further studies to elucidate the pathophysiology of OTD in these patients will be beneficial.
resolution that banned over-the-counter sales of antimicrobials in drugstores. That measure, focusing on outpatients, was not likely to succeed in controlling CRE spread in hospitals. Nevertheless, there was a substantial decrease in antimicrobial sales in private drugstores in response to public opinion. 10 The extent to which this decrease has influenced or will influence antimicrobial resistance is a matter for further research. We did not perform quantitative or qualitative analysis of press articles content. Those approaches were beyond our scope, but they open interesting venues for investigation. The Brazilian case shed lights on the press media and public response to epidemiologically complex issues, such as HAIs and AMR. It also reinforces the importance of public communication for the practice of healthcare epidemiology. Messages to the general public must be delivered in clear, objective language and with evidence-grounded information. If we avoid negligence and panic, public awareness can support effective interventions for infection prevention and control. Acknowledgments. Partial results of this study were presented (among other studies) in P.Z.A.C. doctoral thesis in the Postgraduate Program in Tropical Infections,
To combat the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic, Singapore has adopted a rigorous screening approach that involves aggressive contact tracing, rapid isolation of confirmed or suspect cases, and immediate ring‐fencing of emerging local clusters and hotspots. Our screening centre team has been involved in running Singapore's designated screening centre since the end of January this year. With a well‐defined blueprint and substantial pre‐outbreak preparatory work, initial operations at our screening centre commenced within a day on activation and full operational status was attained in 3 days. As of 8 April 2020, the screening centre had screened more than 14,000 patients. We have adopted a “whole‐of‐hospital” approach, enlisting the help from other departments and subspecialties to augment manpower. Meticulous infrastructure planning to facilitate patient flow and strict measures to prevent nosocomial transmission and occupational exposure were instituted to safeguard both the staff and patients. This paper aims to describe our key takeaways in the course of operations and discuss the challenges encountered.
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