Introduction Peru is among the top ten countries with the highest number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases worldwide. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical features of hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 and to determine the prognostic factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study among adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to Hospital Cayetano Heredia; a tertiary care hospital in Lima, Peru. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify factors independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 369 patients (median age 59 years [IQR:49–68]; 241 (65.31%) male) were included. Most patients (68.56%) reported at least one comorbidity; more frequently: obesity (42.55%), diabetes mellitus (21.95%), and hypertension (21.68%). The median duration of symptoms prior to hospital admission was 7 days (IQR: 5–10). Reported in-hospital mortality was 49.59%. By multiple Cox regression, oxygen saturation (SaO2) values of less than 90% on admission correlated with mortality, presenting 1.86 (95%CI: 1.02–3.39), 4.44 (95%CI: 2.46–8.02) and 7.74 (95%CI: 4.54–13.19) times greater risk of death for SaO2 of 89–85%, 84–80% and <80%, respectively, when compared to patients with SaO2 >90%. Additionally, age >60 years was associated with 1.88 times greater mortality. Conclusions Oxygen saturation below 90% on admission is a strong predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19. In settings with limited resources, efforts to reduce mortality in COVID-19 should focus on early identification of hypoxemia and timely access to hospital care.

Summary Background Mortality within the first 6 months after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) is common in resource-limited settings and is often due to tuberculosis (TB) among patients with advanced HIV disease. Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) is recommended in HIV-infected adults, but sub-clinical TB can be difficult to diagnose. We hypothesized that empiric TB treatment would reduce early mortality compared to IPT in high-burden settings. Methods We conducted a multi-country randomized clinical trial comparing empiric TB therapy (Empiric) vs. isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in HIV-infected outpatients initiating ART with CD4 counts <50 cells/mm3. Individuals were screened for TB using a symptom screen, locally available diagnostics, and the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay when available. The primary endpoint was survival (death or unknown status) at 24 weeks post randomization. Kaplan Meier estimates of the endpoint rates across arms were compared by the z-test. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01380080). Findings From October 31, 2011 until June 9, 2014, we randomized 850 participants (424 in Empiric arm and 426 in IPT arm); the median CD4 count at baseline was 18 cells/mm3 (IQR: 9, 32). At week 24, each arm had 22 primary endpoints, for rates of 5.2% in each arm (95% CI: 3.5% to 7.8% for Empiric and 3.4% to 7.8% for IPT; absolute risk difference of -0.06% (95% CI: −3.05% to 2.94%). Grade 3 or 4 signs or symptoms occurred in 50 (12%) in the Empiric arm and 46 (11%) in the IPT arm. Grade 3 or 4 laboratory abnormalities occurred in 99 (23%) in the Empiric arm and 97 (23%) in the IPT arm. Incident TB was more common in the Empiric arm (31 vs. 18 events, p=0.01). Interpretation Empiric TB therapy did not reduce mortality at 24 weeks in outpatient adults initiating ART with advanced HIV disease. The low mortality rate of the trial supports implementation of systematic TB screening and IPT in outpatients with advanced HIV disease.

Vaccination against mpox can control the outbreak by targeting high-risk groups such as the LGBTIQ+ community. The aim of the study was to evaluate the perceptions and intentions to get vaccinated against mpox among the LGBTIQ+ community in Peru. We conducted a cross-sectional study from 1 November 2022 to 17 January 2023 in Peru. We included individuals over 18 years old, belonging to the LGBTIQ+ community, and residing in the departments of Lima and Callao. To evaluate the factors associated with the intention to be vaccinated, we used Poisson regression with robust variance to create a multivariate model. The study comprised 373 individuals who self-identified as members of the LGBTIQ+ community. The participants had a mean age of 31 years (SD ± 9), with 85.0% males and 75.3% reporting to be homosexual men. The majority (88.5%) expressed their intention to receive the vaccine against mpox. Believing that the vaccine is safe was associated with a higher intention to be vaccinated (aPR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.50; p = 0.028). Our study population showed a high level of mpox vaccination intent. Educational campaigns reinforcing the concept of vaccine safety should be conducted to increase the intention and possibly the vaccination rate in the LGBTIQ+ community.