Article Summary
February 9, 2021
A SARS-CoV-2 Cluster in an Acute Care Hospital
Despite mature infection control policies, a cluster of SARS-CoV-2 infections among 14 patients and 38 staff members at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston was confirmed using whole-genome sequencing. The index patient was admitted for an elective procedure and tested PCR-negative twice, then was removed from isolation and subsequently infected roommates and staff in the…
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Pregnancy Outcomes: A Population-Based Study
The overall rate of pregnancy complications was similar between SARS-CoV-2 infected and non-infected women in a population-based study in Spain (n=2,225). Pregnancy complications (miscarriage, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, perinatal death, small-for-gestational age, or neonatal admission) occurred in 43 (14%) of 317 SARS-CoV-2-infected women compared to 268 (14%) of 1,908 non-infected women. However, higher rates of preterm…
COVID-19 Vaccination Intent, Perceptions, and Reasons for Not Vaccinating Among Groups Prioritized for Early Vaccination — United States, September and December 2020
Among US adults in priority groups, intent to receive COVID-19 vaccination increased from 39% in September 2020 to 49% in December 2020, according to two separate nationally representative cross-sectional surveys conducted by the CDC (n=3,541 in September and n=2,033 in December). While vaccination non-intent also decreased from 38% to 32%, younger adults, women, non-Hispanic Black…
Decreased SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load Following Vaccination
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive samples collected from persons 12-28 days after receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine had lower viral load concentrations compared to positive samples from non-vaccinated demographically matched persons (based on cycle threshold (Ct) counts to detect genes associated with SARS-CoV-2). The increase in Ct count corresponded to a…
Emergence of an Early SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic in the United States
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Genome sequencing combined with epidemiological and mobility data suggest show that SARS-COV-2 was likely introduced in Louisiana from a single source via domestic travel and was being locally spread prior to the Mardi Gras celebrations in February 2020. However, further evidence suggests that Mardi Gras was likely a superspreading event, based on…
UK coronavirus variant detected at the UW (Message to Seattle students and employees)
[Press release, not peer-reviewed] The B.1.1.7 variant (first described in the UK) was identified in a sample obtained from a University of Washington student in late January 2021. Genetic sequencing occurred as part of the Husky Coronavirus Testing program and was performed on February 8, 2021. The student is doing well and out of their…
SARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Children and Staff in Daycare Centres during a Nationwide Lockdown in France: A Cross-Sectional, Multicentre, Seroprevalence Study
Children (n=327) and staff (n=197) attending daycare centers in France during the lockdown from March to May 2020 had similar seroprevalence (4% and 7%, respectively) to a comparator group consisting of laboratory or administrative personnel not occupationally exposed to COVID-19 patients or children (5%). In addition, seropositive children were 7-times as likely to have been…
Risk of Hospitalisation with COVID-19 among Teachers Compared to Healthcare Workers and Other Working-Age Adults
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Teachers were at 1.4-times the risk for developing SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the general population of working-age adults, according to a population-based case-control study including all cases of adult COVID-19 in Scotland (n=83,817) during March 2020 to January 2021 and a random sample of matched controls (n=841,708). However, teachers and their household…
February 8, 2021
Prioritizing Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines Based on Social Contacts Increases Vaccination Effectiveness
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Using an agent-based modeling approach integrating social contact networks in Virginia, spatiotemporal surveillance data on COVID-19 cases, and models of within- and between-host disease dynamics, Chen et al. showed that vaccine allocation based on the number of an individuals’ social contacts and total social proximity time was significantly more effective at reducing the number…
Infection and MRNA-1273 Vaccine Antibodies Neutralize SARS-CoV-2 UK Variant
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] 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. Serum neutralization titers…
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