Key points > COVID-19 is associated with a hypercoagulable state with increased VTE rate. > COVID-19 patients frequently have very high von Willebrand factor (vWF) and factor VIIIc levels that are comparable to those seen in ICU patients with severe sepsis. > Further studies are needed urgently to evaluate the use of vWF as a pragmatic measure to stratify thrombotic risk in COVID-19.

Most children had LP after antibiotics were administered, reducing yield from CSF culture, and PCRs were underused despite national recommendations. These deficiencies reduce the ability to exclude bacterial meningitis, increasing unnecessary hospital stay and antibiotic treatment.

In conclusion, the SARS-CoV-2 infection induced lymphopenia but increased HFLs. The HFLs level might be correlated with disease severity in patients with COVID-19. Given that HFLs can be conveniently counted by a haematology analyser, it might be a useful parameter for clinical monitoring and mechanism studies of COVID-19. Studies based on larger samples are warranted to confirm our present finding. Author contributionsZhao Wang and Zhaoming Tang conceived the study and wrote the paper. Yu He and Huaqing Shu analysed the data and wrote the paper. Ping Wang, Hui Xing and Xiaoqian Zeng collected the data.

In Togolese individuals, the concentration of serum IgG against XPS was higher among the two older age groups as compared to the youngest age group. Antibody concentrations against MenX PS correlated significantly with SBA titers. This supports further development of a MenX PS based conjugate vaccine. Further studies are needed to verify the ability of MenX PS to induce SBA in humans.