Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a leading cause of infectious blindness worldwide. Most of the initial infection cases manifest as acute epithelial keratitis. Reactivation of herpesviruses is common in critically ill patients, including patients with severe Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, the data on COVID-19-related ocular infections is sparse, despite recent observations that more than 30% of COVID-19-infected patients had ocular manifestations. We report five cases of HSV-1 keratitis in COVID-19 patients. In total, five COVID-19 patients underwent ophthalmic examination, showing similar symptoms, including photophobia, tearing, decreased vision, eye redness, and pain. After initial assessment, tests of visual acuity and corneal sensitivity, a fluorescein staining test, and complete anterior and posterior segment examinations were performed. A diagnosis of HSV-1 keratitis was confirmed in all cases. Therapy was initiated using a local and systemic antiviral approach together with local antibiotic and mydriatic therapy. The complete reduction of keratitis symptoms and a clear cornea was achieved in all patients within 2 weeks. SARS-CoV-2 infection may be a risk factor for developing HSV-1 keratitis, or it may act as a potential activator of this ocular disease.

Chemical burns are sight-threatening injuries that require immediate management. The main goal of the initial treatment is prompt and copious irrigation to neutralize and eliminate the chemical, followed by various therapeutic options (conservative and surgical) according to the individual patient’s postinjury findings. Purpose: In this case report, we describe the course and treatment of a patient with chemical alkali burns of both eyes. This study reports the outcomes of an ocular alkali burn patient who became infected with COVID-19 and where severe keratouveitis with corneal graft melting and hypopyon occurred, ultimately resulting in evisceration of the eye. Observations: We report the case of a 35-year-old woman, after an alkali burn of both eyes. Complete re-epithelialization of both corneas occurred within three weeks. Due to this observation, we assumed a satisfactory healing prognosis. However, corneal lysis occurred in the left eye over time. The condition was managed, but subsequently severe keratouveitis with hypopyon and corneal lysis occurred in the left eye, apparently in connection with the COVID-19 infection, which ultimately led to the evisceration of the affected eye. Conclusions and Importance: In the case report, we describe the management of a mild chemical alkali burn of the right eye and a complicated moderate burn of the left eye with an alkaline chemical. Both eyes were completely healed within three weeks. However, the findings on the left eye became complicated, which ultimately led to the evisceration of the affected eye. The disease of COVID-19 could have contributed to the deterioration of the findings on the cornea, or it could have just been a coincidence of two diseases, with the keratouveitis having a serious course due to the previous difficult course of healing and many complications after the chemical burn.

The coronavirus pandemic confirmed that national systems of medical and social provision for the population of various countries could not quickly adapt and implement effective measures to prevent the negative consequences from achieving a state of resilience. The article empirically substantiates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on national social brand to form effective mechanisms for countering risks in public health and supporting the social brand of the country for its main internal stakeholders in a period of uncertainty. The article is devoted to analyzing the channels through which the COVID-19 pandemic affected various aspects of the national management systems of Austria, Slovenia, France, and Ukraine. The analysis used a combination of correlation analysis, causal modeling, and the construction of cognitive maps to visualize dependencies. It was revealed that the key indicators that verify the mentioned impact are the satisfaction of the needs for medical examination and care, the availability of hospital beds in the medical system, and the general costs of social protection of the population. The indicator of the social attractiveness of the country for its internal stakeholders is the indicator of net migration, and it is empirically determined that this indicator is significantly influenced by the security of the medical system and the efficiency of its functioning, especially during the period of data analysis, taking into account the existence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The dependence between the social and economic well-being of the population and its tendency to critically assess one's health, readiness for disease prevention, and the formation of higher requirements for medical care was revealed. The determined regularities are useful in developing a national strategy for building an effective medical and social security system for the population in conditions of uncertainty, which is a significant component of the overall attractiveness of the country and its brand management.