In 2019, in the city of Wuhan, China, patients were diagnosed with a novel coronavirus originally named 2019-nCoV, currently known as SARS-CoV-2. The alarming expansion of this pandemic makes it necessary to find out and implement reliable diagnostic methods in order to properly detect and treat patients, thus contributing to slowing down the spread of the disease. It is extremely important to have trained professionals in sample collection, good clinical laboratory practices, and molecular and hematological techniques to adequately detect any cases of infection with this virus. Moreover, standardized protocols are essential for obtaining, transferring and storing samples to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Humankind is currently facing a challenge that distinguishes no borders, ideologies, socioeconomic systems, ethnic groups, religions or cultures. It is a war that unites us as a biological species, in which the main weapons come from research aimed at improving health systems. In this war, governments and international health organizations define the strategy; and health systems and law enforcement agencies, together with citizens’ support, carry out actions and fight the battles. However, the most important battle is fought inside each of us. Just like Perseus fought against Hades in a battle of titans to prevent the Earth from turning into hell, the immune system activates a powerful machinery in which molecules and cells of the innate and acquired immune system jointly act to defeat SARS-Cov-2: a machinery that follows a script written by evolution, and that will leave in our immune...

The novel COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is currently challenging humankind. This virus originated in bats has probably been transmitted to humans through pangolins in the Wuhan marine market (China) by the end of 2019. It is spread by droplets of saliva or through contaminated materials, making it extremely important to isolate infected people who may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. The typical clinical features of this disease are fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and general malaise. This member of the coronavirus family shows higher infectivity but lower mortality rates (2–3 %) than its predecessors. Laboratory tests to detect the virus include reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests or immunoassays.

HIGH-FLOW NON-INVASIVE VENTILATION (NIV) DEVICES REDUCE THE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OF COVID-19. THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO EVALUATE THE USE OF THE NON-INVASIVE VENTILATION DEVICE WITH HIGH-FLOW HELMET CPAP DESIGNED IN PERU IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (COVID-19) HOSPITALIZED IN THE EMERGENCY SERVICES OF FIVE HOSPITALS. PROSPECTIVE MULTICENTER AND CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY FROM FIVE HOSPITALS FROM JULY TO AUGUST 2020. 19 PATIENTS WERE RECRUITED AND DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS (G-1 N = 10; G-2 N = 9) APPLYING CLINICAL AND GASOMETRIC PARAMETERS AS INDICATORS OF DISEASE EVOLUTION UPON HOSPITAL ADMISSION AND WITHIN 24 HOURS. A PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN THESE PARAMETERS WAS OBSERVED IN THOSE PATIENTS WHO USED THE NIV CPAP HELMET WITHIN THE FIRST 24 HOURS. IN G-01, IMPROVEMENT WAS EVIDENT IN 90% (N = 9/10): PAO2 (RANGE 48–137; AVERAGE: 82.49 ± 8.07; P-VALUE = 0.008), CO2...