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June 3, 2021
Performance of Self-Collected Saliva Testing Compared with Nasopharyngeal Swab Testing for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2
There was high correlation in the SARS-CoV-2 viral load measurements from paired self-collected pure saliva (SCPS) and nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) from asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients with confirmed COVID-19 (r=0.72; n=31). SCPS performance was more similar to NPS among samples obtained from symptomatic adults, with 74% of samples in agreement. Carrouel et al. (May 12, 2021)….
Effect of Bamlanivimab vs Placebo on Incidence of COVID-19 Among Residents and Staff of Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities
Preventive treatment with the monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab reduced the risk of COVID-19 among residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities (n=966) who were negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection and seronegative at baseline in a randomized trial (8.5% vs 15.2%, OR=0.43 95% CI 0.28-0.68). All 5 deaths occurred in residents randomized to receive placebo. Participants were enrolled…
Structural Analysis of the Novel Variants of SARS-CoV-2 and Forecasting in North America
A forecasting model incorporating North American prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern from the genome database GISAID suggests that the B.1.1.7 variant could become dominant (>60% of sequenced strains) by summer 2021 but would sharply decrease in frequency when 75% of the population is immune through vaccination or natural infection due to its high binding…
SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Viral Isolations among Serially Tested Cats and Dogs in Households with Infected Owners in Texas, USA
In a longitudinal study of 76 dogs and cats living with at least one SARS-CoV-2 infected human in Texas, 4 pets were PCR-positive for SARS-CoV-2, while 14 pets had detectable anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (including 2 of the 4 PCR-positive pets). Re-sampling showed persistent PCR positivity up to 25 days and sequencing of PCR samples showed…
June 2, 2021
Changes in Patterns of Hospital Visits for Acute Myocardial Infarction or Ischemic Stroke During COVID-19 Surges
Hospitalization rates for heart attack declined up to 41% during the COVID-19 surge in Spring 2020 (2.82 to 1.66 cases per 100,000 person-weeks) but subsequently returned to 2019 rates, according to an analysis of weekly hospitalization rates of persons presenting to Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) between January 2020 to January 2021. Heart attack was…
The COVID-19 Pandemic Shifted the Veterans Affairs System toward Being a Payer and Virtual Care Provider Is It Sustainable
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] In-person care at facilities managed by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) declined from 63% of all visits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to just 33% during the pandemic, according to an analysis of all encounters paid for or provided by the VA between January 2019 and February 2021. However, total visits of…
Economic Burden of Lives Lost Due to COVID-19 in New York State
The average years of potential life lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic was 12.72 and 15.13 years in New York State and New York City, respectively, according to an analysis of state and local health department data from February 2020 to March 2021 and Social Security administrative data on life expectancies. Corresponding economic burden due…
The Potential Impact of Vaccine Passports on Inclination to Accept COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United Kingdom Evidence from a Large Cross-Sectional Survey and Modelling Study
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Introduction of vaccine passports could increase vaccination hesitancy among those who have not yet had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a large-scale national survey in the United Kingdom conducted in April 2021 (n=17,611). After adjusting for baseline vaccination intent, negative impacts of vaccine passports were reported to be more…
Mechanistic Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Immune Memory Variants and Vaccines
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] The COVID-19 transmission model Covasim, with updated methods accounting for trajectories in immune response, SARS-CoV-2 variants, and vaccine roll-out, found that neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) correlated strongly with infection blocking. The model suggests Nabs elicited by natural infection may provide more protection than the same level of Nabs elicited by vaccines; however, vaccines…
Differential Effects of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Well-Being: Interaction between Age, Gender and Chronotype
A study using smartwatch data and self-reported questionnaires before and during the second COVID-19 lockdown in Israel found that participant mood, sport duration, social encounters, resting heart rate and number of steps all decreased prior to lockdown, whereas sleep duration increased (n=169). Greater declines in mood and number of steps were observed in younger participants…
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