Article Summary
June 4, 2021
Interim Estimates of Increased Transmissibility Growth Rate and Reproduction Number of the Covid-19 B.1.617.2 Variant of Concern in the United Kingdom
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A modeling study found that the effective reproduction number of B.1.617.2 (WHO label Delta, first described in India) is almost certainly higher than that of B.1.1.7 (WHO label Alpha). The study used genomically sequenced cases from the UK diagnosed between March and May 2021 and excluded recent travelers in order to reflect…
COVID-19 Transmission in Group Living Environments and Households
A study of persons with recent contact with patients with SARS-CoV-2 (N=4,550) found that risk of transmission was highest among persons living in dormitories (28%) and was similar for persons with household contact (13%) and those with close contact outside of their residence (11%). The transmission rate in these three groups were significantly higher than…
June 3, 2021
Co-Infections, Secondary Infections, and Antimicrobial Use in Patients Hospitalised with COVID-19 during the First Pandemic Wave from the ISARIC WHO CCP-UK Study: A Multicentre, Prospective Cohort Study
Of 1,080 microbiologically confirmed infections in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between February and June 2020 in the UK, 762 (70.6%) were secondary, occurring >2 days after hospital admission. Among patients hospitalized for COVID-19 during this period and with available data, 37% (13,390 of 36,1456) had received antimicrobials in the community prior to hospital admission, and…
Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae Infections in ICU COVID-19 Patients—A Scoping Review
A literature review including 10 studies found evidence of hospital-based infection caused by the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae that was resistant to the carbapenem class of antibiotics among ICU patients with COVID-19 in 6 countries, ranging in prevalence from 0.35% to 53%. The majority of infected patients were male (85%), with a mean age of 61…
SARS-CoV-2 Infects Syncytiotrophoblast and Activates Inflammatory Responses in the Placenta
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 23 placentas (41%) from a cohort of 55 women who had SARS-CoV-2 infection during late pregnancy and had positive PCR results at delivery. Among infected placentas, three had high viral content and were obtained from mothers who presented with severe COVID-19 and had perinatal adverse outcomes. Examination…
Transient Cardiac Injury in Adolescents Receiving the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine
Mild perimyocariditis following vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was reported in 7 adolescent males aged 16-18 years across 3 pediatric medical centers in Israel. Patients presented with chest pain 1-3 days following vaccination, with symptoms beginning following the second dose in 6 of the 7 patients. All cases were mild, and none required cardiovascular or…
Efficacy and Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 25 randomized trials assessing safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA-based (e.g., Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) and adenovirus-vectored (e.g., Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V) vaccines had the highest efficacy in phase 2/3 trials (94.6% and 80.2%, respectively). The mRNA-based vaccines had the highest level of side effects reported,…
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Tolerance in Allergic versus Non-Allergic Individuals
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine elicited worse local and systemic reactions among individuals with a history of allergy in an online survey of vaccinated medical professionals in Poland (n=1,808). However, no severe allergic reactions were reported. Local redness (17% vs 11%), pain (86% vs 80%), and swelling (19% vs 13%) after the first dose and vomiting (3%…
Vaccine Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 MRNA COVID-19 Vaccine against RT-PCR Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infections Hospitalisations and Mortality in Prioritised Risk Groups
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine >7 days after the second dose ranged between 53-86% in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, ≥75% in preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations, and ≥89% in preventing COVID-19 deaths in a nationwide cohort study of high-risk groups in Denmark including long term care facility (LTCF) residents, individuals aged ≥65 years requiring personal…
COVID-19 Vaccination Advice via SMS-Based Video to Improve Vaccination Uncertainty in at-Risk Groups
An SMS/text messaging-based intervention to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy using a short web-based education video delivered to a cohort of immunosuppressed patients in the UK (n=8,886, 27% response rate) was associated with an increase in the proportion of patients who reported being aware that vaccines were safe and recommended from 36% to 88% among those…
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