COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges, Controversies and What we have Learned

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic put us in a very difficult situation and created a lot of challenges for both diagnostics and follow-up of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). We also had difficult problems understanding the virus-host interactions and the progression of the immune response. Objectives: We aimed to point out our experience in the diagnostics of SARS-CoV-2 in patients admitted to Fundeni Clinical Institute. We have also investigated the healthcare personnel in order to have some epidemiologic data about the transmission of the new coronavirus in our institute. Methods: Three different real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were used to screen for the new coronavirus infection. The immunization rate against SARS-CoV-2 was detected by assessing the IgG antibodies in both patients and clinical staff. We have used the chemiluminescence method to assess the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Results: Most of the diagnosed patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections were admitted to the surgery wards for hematology and gastroenterology. Our data showed that all the diagnosed patients developed IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, but we have noticed that the immunization against SARS-CoV-2 did not last. Conclusions: Our experience with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emphasized that molecular diagnostics by RT-PCR was essential, together with the study of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, thus enabling us to better interpret PCR test results.