Ali A. Almishaal

Bacterial coinfection among patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a critical medical concern that increases the disease severity and mortality rate. The current study is aimed at evaluating the effects of bacterial coinfections among COVID-19 patients, especially in relation to degree of severity and mortality. A retrospective study was conducted for patients with positive COVID-19 test, admitted to a regional COVID-19 hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between May and August 2020. A specimen (e.g., blood, urine, or sputum) was collected from patients with confirmed COVID-19, and was cultured to determine bacterial coinfection caused by multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria. COVID-19 patients were categorized into 2 groups based on the result of bacterial coinfection culture, as COVID-19 patients with coinfection and COVID-19 patients without coinfection. Independent sample t test or Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare age and hospitalization period between these groups. In addition, binominal logistic regression was applied to identify risk factors associated with mortality and bacterial coinfection. The study included 342 patients with laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Eighty (23.3%) patients were diagnosed with bacterial coinfection, while the remaining 262 (76.6%) patients did not test positive for bacterial coinfection. Length of hospital stay was prolonged among COVID-19 patients diagnosed with bacterial coinfection (16.01 ± 11.36 days) when compared with patients without bacterial coinfection (6.5 ± 6.12 days). Likewise, the mortality rate was significantly higher among COVID-19 patients with bacterial coinfection (90%) compared to those without bacterial coinfection (49.2%). Gram-negative bacteria were predominant compared to gram-positive, as Klebsiella pneumoniae (35 [43.8%]) and Acinetobacter baumanni (32 [40%]). On the other hand, Staphylococcus aureus (4 [5%]), Enterococcus faecalis (1 [1.3%]), and Enterococcus faecium (1 [1.3%]) were identified as gram-positive bacterial species from recruited patients. The findings of the current study showed that prolong hospitalization is the main risk factor associated with bacterial coinfection and death. Thus, health care providers should minimize hospitalization as well as following a continuous monitoring for bacterial coinfection among COVID-19 patients, to control the spread of infection and reducing the severity and mortality rate among COVID-19 patients.

University students with disabilities face an increased risk of experiencing negative implications in educational, psychological, and social spheres during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed at assessing various dimensions of social support and its sources during the COVID-19 pandemic that availed university students with disabilities. This cross-sectional descriptive study collected data from 53 university students with disabilities. We administered the Social Support Scale (SSC) to assess five dimensions: informational, emotional, esteem, social integration and tangible support, and access to social support from four sources: family, friends, teachers, and colleagues. Multiple regression analysis showed that university students with disabilities mainly relied upon their friends for informational support (β = 0.64; p < 0.001), emotional support (β = 0.52; p < 0.001), and social integration support (β = 0.57; p < 0.001). Family members (β = 0.406; p < 0.01) and colleagues (β = 0.36; p < 0.01) provided esteem support to students with disabilities. Support from teachers demonstrated an association with informational support (β = 0.24; p < 0.05). The findings from the current study suggest that students with disabilities primarily sought informational, emotional, and social integration support from their peers. Although teachers were the primary source of informational support, emotional and esteem support were not found to be significantly associated with them. These findings necessitate exploring the underlying factors and how to enhance them during unusual circumstances such as online distance education and social distancing.