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February 4, 2021
Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CoronaVac) in Healthy Adults Aged 60 Years and Older: A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1/2 trial of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine CoronaVac conducted among healthy, seronegative adults aged ≥60 years (n=421), all adverse reactions were mild or moderate, with injection site pain as the most frequently reported reaction (9%). Seroconversion after two doses was reported in at least 90% of all dosage groups…
Epidemiological and Evolutionary Considerations of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Dosing Regimes
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] An immuno-epidemiological model suggests that a one-dose vaccination strategy would likely decrease SARS-CoV-2 infections, but only in the short term. Long-term outcomes, as well as likelihood of viral evolution driven by partial immunity, are mainly driven by relative immune robustness of one versus two doses. Saad-Roy et al. (Feb 3, 2021)….
Impact of the B.1.1.7 Variant on Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies Recognizing Diverse Epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 Spike
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant (first identified in the UK) was shown to reduce neutralizing activity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting subdominant epitopes in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. In particular, the B.1.1.7 (UK) variant reduced neutralizing activity of mAbs specific to the N-terminal domain (NTD) by up to 16-fold. NTD-specific mAbs consisted…
Vaccine Optimization for COVID-19: Who to Vaccinate First?
An age-stratified mathematical model parameterized with a population with an age distribution based on Washington State suggests that vaccines that are at least 50% effective in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection could be sufficient to substantially reduce infections and deaths and mitigate the pandemic, assuming roughly 70% vaccination coverage. For low vaccine effectiveness, vaccine allocation to high-risk…
Dynamics of Neutralizing Antibody Titers in the Months After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection
Neutralizing antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 declined by an average of 4-fold after 4 months post-symptom onset in a cohort of 32 individuals recovering from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors conclude that the dynamics of the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in the first several months after infection are consistent with what would be expected based on knowledge…
Rapid, Sensitive, and Specific Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Detection: A Multicenter Comparison Between Standard Quantitative Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction and CRISPR-Based DETECTR
The DETECTR assay (a combination of RT-LAMP and RT-Cas12-RNP) was found to have similar sensitivity but superior specificity to detect SARS-CoV-2 when compared to qRT-PCR on 378 patient samples derived from routine testing. Since the DETECTR assay is not as susceptible to false negatives from N-gene mutations and not as resource intensive to perform, the…
ARS-CoV-2 Transmission from the Healthcare Setting into the Home a Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] In cohort study in England (n=633), seroprevalence for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was higher among healthcare workers (HCWs) than the general population (18% vs 7%). Longitudinal analysis showed that seroprevalence for all immunoglobins declined over time, from overall positivity of 17% to 7% within 3 months. Seroprevalence was similar between household contacts…
Mechanistic Transmission Modeling of COVID-19 on the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship Demonstrates the Importance of Aerosol Transmission
An iterative modeling study simulating the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship suggests that airborne transmission via larger respiratory droplets and smaller aerosols likely accounted for over half of disease transmission. From 132 out of over 20,000 model iterations that fit the epidemiological progression of the outbreak within acceptability criteria, the mean estimates…
February 3, 2021
Age Groups That Sustain Resurging COVID-19 Epidemics in the United States
As of October 2020, SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the US was estimated to be largely driven by individuals between 20-49 years of age, with at least 65 of every 100 infections originating from this age group. Using cell phone mobility data to reconstruct contact patterns, a Bayesian contact-and-infection model was used to analyze age-specific mobility trends…
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Group Intervention via Zoom to Relieve Loneliness and Depressive Symptoms among Older Persons during the COVID-19 Outbreak
A pilot randomized trial of a group Zoom intervention for loneliness among community-dwelling older adults (aged 65-90) found significant improvements in loneliness and depressive symptoms. The intervention was comprised of online guided group sessions taught by clinical social workers in which participants learned and practiced behavioral and cognitive techniques for coping with isolation due to…
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