Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness
February 8, 2021
COVID-19 Literature Situation Report Feb 8, 2021
Category: COVID-19 Literature Situation Report

The scientific literature on COVID-19 is rapidly evolving and these articles were selected for review based on their relevance to Washington State decision making around COVID-19 response efforts. Included in these Lit Reps are some manuscripts that have been made available online as pre-prints but have not yet undergone peer review. Please be aware of this when reviewing articles included in the Lit Reps.
Today’s summary is based on a review of 910 articles (828 published, 82 in preprint)
Key Takeaways
- Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected from testing facilities in the U.S. between December 2020 to January 2021 found multiple independent introductions of the B.1.1.7 variant into the U.S. by late November 2020, with community transmission leadings to its spread to 30 or more states as of January 2021. More
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 showed significant improvement in the 28-day recovery rate, need for low flow oxygen support through day 14, and mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation requirement through 14-28 days of follow-up among those receiving remdesivir. More
- A study using a live virus neutralization assay to compare potency of neutralization between people who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or had received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine against a panel of SARS-CoV-2 variants showed that antibodies in sera from both groups were effective at neutralizing the B.1.1.7 variant. More
- Among healthcare workers who received a single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, those who had SARS-CoV-2 infection 30-60 days prior to vaccination (n = 36) had significantly higher antibody levels at 3 weeks post-vaccination than individuals with no prior infection (n = 152). More
Article Summaries
Other Resources and Commentaries
- How to Vaccinate the World against Covid-19 – BMJ (Feb 5 2021)
- Cross-Reactivity of SARS-CoV Structural Protein Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 – Cell Reports (Jan 2021)
- Understanding Variants of SARS-CoV-2 – The Lancet (Feb 2021)
- A First Draft of the History of Treating Coronavirus Disease 2019: Use of Repurposed Medications in United States Hospitals – Open Forum Infectious Diseases (Feb 1 2021)
- Evaluation of Individual and Ensemble Probabilistic Forecasts of COVID-19 Mortality in the US – MedRxiv (Feb 5 2021)
- Summary of Adverse Drug Events for Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin, and Chloroquine during the COVID-19 Pandemic – Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA (Jan 2021)
- How Scientists Are Fighting the Novel Coronavirus: A Three Minute Guide – Nature (Feb 7 2021)
- Inclusion of Pregnant Individuals among Priority Populations for COVID-19 Vaccination for All 50 US States – American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Feb 2021)
- Could Mixing COVID Vaccines Boost Immune Response? – Nature (Feb 4 2021)
- COVID-19 Antibody Tests and Their Limitations – ACS Sensors (Feb 2021)
- Monoclonal Antibodies for COVID-19 – JAMA (Feb 5 2021)
- Avoiding a Legacy of Unequal Non-Communicable Disease Burden after the COVID-19 Pandemic – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology (Feb 2021)
- What’s the Risk of Dying from a Fast-Spreading COVID-19 Variant? – Nature (Feb 5 2021)
- Mental Health, COVID-19, and the Invisible Pandemic on the Horizon – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Feb 2021)
- Pandemic Precarity: COVID-19 Is Exposing and Exacerbating Inequalities in the American Heartland – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (Feb 2021)
- Coronapod: Variants – What You Need to Know – Nature (Feb 5 2021)
- Introduction of Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 484K.V2 Related Variants into the UK – Journal of Infection (Feb 2021)
- WHO Team Begins COVID-19 Origin Investigation – The Lancet (Feb 2021)