7 / 64
CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 31, No 3, May/June 2020
AFRICA
115
therapy and there are no COVID-19 vaccines. However, if all
of us receive and recommend the ’flu vaccine to all, the reduced
additional burden of respiratory illness on the healthcare system
will make a significant difference on our capacity to treat those
with non-COVID-19-related emergencies.
22
Conclusion
COVID-19 is here to stay. The WHO released a statement
predicting approximately 200 000 deaths from COVID-19 in
Africa, describing a unique disease profile with slower rates of
transmission in lower age groups with severe disease.
23
South
Africa is facing community spread of COVID-19. Only time
will tell whether the health experts’ grim predictions about what
is to come can be disproved, but the exponentially growing
numbers are not promising. As we acclimatise ourselves to this
new normal and learn to live with COVID-19, it will be crucial
to heed the lessons of those who have fought the good fight
before us.
References
1.
WHO. Timeline – COVID-19. Available online at:
https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/08-04-2020-who-timeline---covid-19 [Accessed on: 12
April 2020].
2.
WHO. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) SituationReport - 117. Available
online at:
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situ-ation-reports/20200516-covid-19-sitrep-117.pdf ?sfvrsn=8f562cc_2.
[Accessed on: 16 May 2020].
3.
Guan WJ, Ni ZY, Hu Y, Liang WH, Ou CQ, He JX,
et al.
Clinical
characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 in China.
N Engl J Med
2020;
382
(18): 1708–1720.
4.
Vaduganathan M, Vardeny O, Michel T, McMurray JJV, Pfeffer MA,
Solomon SD. Renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors in
patients with Covid-19.
N Engl J Med
2020;
382
(17): 1653–1659.
5.
ESC guidance for the diagnosis and management of CV disease during
the COVID-19 pandemic. European Society of Cardiology 2020.
6.
Chen N, Zhou M, Dong X, Qu J, Gong e, Han Y,
et al.
Epidemiological
and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneu-
monia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study.
Lancet
2020;
395
(10223):
507–513.
7.
Zhou e, Yu T, Du R, ean G, Liu Y, Liu Z,
et al.
Clinical course and
risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in
Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study.
Lancet
2020;
395
(10229):
1054–1062.
8.
Wang D, Hu g, Hu C, Zhu e, Liu X, Zhang J,
et al.
Clinical char-
acteristics of 138 hospitalised patients with 2019 novel coronavirus-
infected pneumonia in Wuhan, China.
J Am Med Assoc
2020;
323
(11):
1601–1609.
9.
Richardson S, Hirsch JS, Narasimhan M, Crawford JM, McGinn
T, Davidson IW,
et al.
Presenting characteristics, comorbidities, and
outcomes among 5700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the New
York city area.
J Am Med Assoc
2020 Apr 11. [Epub ahead of print].
10. Inciardi RM, Lupi L, Zaccone G, Italia L, Raffo M, Tomasoni D,
et al.
Cardiac involvement in a patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-
19).
J Am Med Assoc Cardiol
2020 Mar 27. [Epub ahead of print].
11. Fried JA, Ramasubbu K, Bhatt R, Topfara VK, Clerkin KJ, Horn
E,
et al.
The variety of cardiovascular presentations of COVID-19.
Circulation
2020 Apr 3. [Epub ahead of print].
12. American College of Cardiology. Troponin and BNP use in COVID.
Available online at:
https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/arti-cles/2020/03/18/15/25/troponin-and-bnp-use-in-covid19. [Accessed on:
01 May 2020].
13. Tam CF, Cheung KS, Lam S, Wong A, Yung A, She M,
et al.
Impact
of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak on ST-segment-
elevation myocardial Infarction care in Hong Iong, China.
Circ
Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes
2020;
13
(4): e006631.
14. Han Y. A treatment strategy for acute myocardial infarction and
personal protection for medical staff during the COVID-19 epidemic:
the Chinese experience.
Eur Heart J
2020 Apr 27. [Epub ahead of print].
15. Stefanini GG, Montorfano M, Trabattoni D, Andreini D, Ferrante G,
Ancona M,
et al.
ST-elevation myocardial infarction in patients with
COVID-19: clinical and angiographic outcomes.
Circulation
2020 Apr
30. [Epub ahead of print].
16. Welt FGP, Shah PB, Aronow HD, Bortnick AE, Henry TD, Sherwood
MW,
et al.
Catheterization laboratory considerations during the corona-
virus (COVID-19) pandemic: From the ACC’s Interventional Council
and SCAI.
J Am Coll Cardiol
2020;
75
(18): 2372–2375.
17. Clerkin KJ, Fried JA, Raifhelfar J, Sayer G, Griffin JM, Masoumi A,
et
al.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and cardiovascular disease.
Circulation
2020 Mar 21. [Epub ahead of print].
18. Guo T, Fan Y, Chen M, Wu X, Zhang L, He T,
et al.
Cardiovascular
implications of fatal outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19).
J Am Med Assoc Cardiol
2020 Mar 27. [Epub ahead
of print].
19. Ojji DB, Mayosi B, Francis V, Badri M, Cornelius V, Smythe W,
et al.
Comparison of dual therapies for lowering glood pressure in black
Africans.
N Engl J Med
2019;
380
(25): 2429–2439.
20. Giudicessi JR, Noseworthy PA, Friedman PA, Ackerman MJ. Urgent
guidance for navigating and circumventing the QTc-prolonging and
Torsadogenic potential of possible pharmacotherapies for coronavirus
disease 19 (COVID-19).
Mayo Clin Proc
2020 Apr 7. [Epub ahead of
print].
21. Chorin E, Wadhwani L, Magnani S, Dai M, Shulman E, Nadeau-
Routhier C,
et al.
QT interval prolongation and torsade de pointes in
patients with COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin.
Heart Rhythm
2020 (in press).
22. Mendelson M, Madhi S. South Africaos coronavirus testing strategy
is broken and not fit for purpose: It’s time for a change.
S Afr Med J
2020;
110
(6).
23. World Health Organisation. New WHO estimates: up to 190 000 people
could die of COVID-19 in Africa if not controlled. Available online
at:
https://www.afro.who.int/news/new-who-estimates-190-000-people-could-die-covid-19-africa-if-not-controlled. [Accessed on: 9 May 2020].