Background: COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease of 2019) is a global pandemic caused by the rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2). The novel coronavirus has stressed the limits of healthcare systems globally, making early identification of risk factors essential to the functioning of our healthcare systems during this ongoing pandemic. Many risk factors are already [...]

Background: There has been conflicting data regarding the effect of comorbid asthma on severity of illness with COVID-19 disease. The prevalence of asthma reported in hospitalized patients as compared to the local population has varied widely across studies and areas of the world. Furthermore, the risk for testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 as well as the [...]

Background: There is a significant gap in the knowledge of magnitude and durability of B cell response in the setting of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and continued vaccination schedules including booster vaccination. Our study explores the magnitude and change in B cell response measured as anti-spike AUC (Area under the curve) among healthcare workers (HCWs) over [...]

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak is rapidly spreading worldwide and as a result clinical predictors of disease severity are critical for appropriate management and disposition of patients. An early and accurate risk stratification of COVID-19 patients may have a great impact on their prognosis given rapid patient deterioration and continued need for rationing of treatments. [...]

Background: The COVID-19 RT-PCR test is a real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) test for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 virus (8). False negative RT-PCR tests pose a serious challenge as they can lead to diagnosis and treatment delays as well as increased risk of viral transmission in the community (1-10). [...]

Background: Elevated proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in COVID-19, and it is hypothesized that blocking the inflammatory pathway may prevent disease progression[1]. IL 6 inhibitors were proposed as a treatment option for hospitalized patients to improve patient-centered outcomes[1]. Few studies that investigated the safety of tocilizumab showed heterogeneous results[2,3]. [...]

Background: SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to remain a global crisis with the emergence of new virulent variants, including the recent spikes in the cases of delta variant. While RT-PCR is the diagnostic test of choice, High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) chest has been utilized to assess disease severity. We aim to study the association between bilateral [...]

Background: At the onset of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, asthma exacerbations reportedly decreased overall, raising the question if in contrast to other viruses, SARS-CoV-2 infection does not induce asthma exacerbations1,2. Like other viruses including endemic coronaviruses, there is theoretical risk of developing bronchospasm in response to viral infection with SARS-CoV-2 for patients with a [...]

Case Presentation: A 40-year-old healthy woman, presented with two weeks of cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, intermittent fevers, fatigue, and myalgia but no weakness. She tested positive for the SARS-Cov-2. Physical exam showed no neurologic deficit. Two weeks later, respiratory symptoms were improving but she developed sudden, leg pain, numbness, and weakness. She described it [...]

Case Presentation: A 40-year-old male with no personal or family psychiatric history; presented to the emergency department displaying flight of ideas, a tangential thought process, grandiose delusions, and insomnia for the 10 days prior to admission. His symptoms began 10 days following an uncomplicated SARS-CoV-2 infection that required no treatment. The patient was a highly [...]