High Viral Load in Upper Respiratory Specimens of Persons With SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Northern Italian Area.

Background: An assessment of viral load in biologic specimens of subjects with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may have important implications for public health planning. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of high viral load in upper respiratory specimens of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection during the first Italian wave (spring) and at the beginning of the second wave (summer) of the COVID-19 epidemic, through the measurement of cycle threshold (Ct) values from real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests conducted at the University Hospital of Udine, Italy, serving 530,000 inhabitants.

Methods: We compared the prevalence of high viral load, defined as Ct ≤ 20 at the first positive test result, in 262 subjects from the spring and 453 from the summer period.

The Second Victim Experience and Support Tool: A Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation in Italy (IT-SVEST).

Objective: Second victims are defined as healthcare workers involved in an unanticipated adverse patient event, who experienced professional and psychological distress. The Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST) is a survey developed and validated in the United States, which describes the experience of second victims. This study aims to perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the SVEST and to evaluate its psychometric characteristics in the Italian context.

Frequency of nasopharyngeal swab collection and positivity for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the population of the Italian province of Udine with and without chronic conditions.

Severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with comorbidities. However, no information is available on the frequency of nasopharyngeal swab collection and positivity depending on comorbidities. Using a cross-sectional design, we assessed the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 tests and of positivity in the general population of the 530,000-inhabitant Italian province of Udine and in subgroups affected by chronic conditions in the first weeks of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.