No abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused countries to develop novel methods to detect and trace active cases. These methods aim to limit its spread; however, they can also be used to detect other endemic infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB). The current methods used to detect COVID-19 cases, such as temperature-checking and tracing applications, led to the detection of these specific TB cases and their referral to the hospital. In this study, we present four cases of TB in which the patients come from different working backgrounds. We conclude that the current measures used for COVID-19 could also prove to be beneficial in the context of other infectious diseases, mainly TB.

A 47-year-old non-smoker male who has received the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia. At day 3 post-vaccination, he tested negative for Covid-19 and travelled to Egypt. On day 12 he developed runny nose, body ache and fever, and he reportedly tested (PCR) negative for Covid-19 Upon his return to Saudi on day 15, his symptoms have worsened and he presented to the Emergency Department, at which he tested positive for Covid-19. The patient was overweight (BMI = 29), was not suffering from any comorbidities and was not taking any medication. Upon examination, he was vitally stable and his laboratory investigation only revealed a slightly increased Creatinine. His chest x-ray was unremarkable. His condition did not require hospital admission, so he was discharged and advised to home-isolate himself. Four days after his discharge, his entire household came to the hospital and tested positive for Covid-19. This is the first case report, in Saudi Arabia, of a person receiving the first dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine and got infected with Covid-19 afterwards. The report highlights the significance of receiving the second dose of the vaccine to be effective. It also demonstrates that those with a single dose mRNA vaccine, could get infected and transmit the infection.