Influenza-Associated Diseases and the Pandemic

COVID-19 was first reported in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since been actively spreading around the world. Some people with COVID-19 may have few or even no symptoms, while others become severely ill and even die. In addition to the most common comorbidities such as pneumonia, and various respiratory illnesses that can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome, other serious complications include the following:       Cardiac disease, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, and acute cardiac damage;       Coagulation disorders, including thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism, disseminated intravascular clotting, hemorrhage, and arterial clot formation;       Guillain-Barré syndrome (rare);       Sepsis, shock, and multiple organ failure. Diagnosis of COVID-19 is based on the presence of an influenza-like condition and molecular tests such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, these tests can be false-positive or false-negative (up to 30%) and are not available in urgent situations where a result is urgently needed. In such cases, it is appropriate to resort to the use of a rapid antigen test.… Read More