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January 20, 2021
Association of Intensive Care Unit Patient Load and Demand With Mortality Rates in US Department of Veterans Affairs Hospitals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Periods of increased ICU demand were associated with increased COVID-19 mortality in a cohort of 8,516 patients admitted to Veteran’s hospitals. Compared to periods of low ICU demand (<25%), the adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.99 for patients treated when COVID-19 ICU demand was 25%-50%, 1.19 when demand was 50%-75%, and 1.94 when…
Follow‐up of SARS‐CoV‐2 Positive Subgroup from the Asymptomatic Novel CORonavirus INfection (ACORN) Study
22% of asymptomatic participants with positive SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swabs developed symptoms within 14 days, according to results from the Asymptomatic novel CORonavirus iNfection (ACORN). Symptoms developed in 19 out of 86 participants a median of 6 days after the initial positive test result, the most frequently reported of which were fatigue or muscle aches (11%),…
Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 Pseudovirus by BNT162b2 Vaccine-Elicited Human Sera
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A study comparing two SARS-CoV-2 non-replicating laboratory-produced pseudoviruses bearing either the spike proteins of the Wuhan reference strain or the B.1.1.7 variant strain concluded that it was unlikely that the new variant would escape immune effectors induced by the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (BNT162b2). No biologically significant difference in neutralization activity against the two…
Do Antibody Positive Healthcare Workers Have Lower SARS-CoV-2 Infection Rates than Antibody Negative Healthcare Workers Large Multi-Centre Prospective Cohort Study (the SIREN Study) England June to November 2020
Prior history of SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with an 83% lower risk of infection in a large, multicenter, prospective cohort study (SIREN) of healthcare workers in England, with median protective effect observed five months following primary infection. The incidence between June 18-November 9, 2020 was 3.3 reinfections per 100,000 person days in the previously-infected cohort,…
SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2 Escapes Neutralization by South African COVID-19 Donor Plasma
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] The spike protein mutations in the 501Y.V2 lineage first identified in South Africa conferred neutralization escape from multiple classes of SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies, including two major classes targeting an immunodominant, highly antigenic site in the receptor binding domain of the spike protein. This lineage also showed substantial or complete escape from neutralizing…
MRNA Vaccine-Elicited Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and Circulating Variants
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Among 20 volunteers who received either the Moderna (mRNA-1273) or Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccines, high levels of antibody titers were observed 8 weeks after the second vaccine injection, with neutralizing activity and relative numbers of receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific memory B cells equivalent to those of individuals who recovered from natural infection. Activity…
Effect of Discontinuing vs Continuing Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers on Days Alive and Out of the Hospital in Patients Admitted With COVID-19
A randomized trial (n=659) of patients hospitalized with mild to moderate COVID-19 who were taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) before hospital admission found no significant difference between the mean number of days alive and out of the hospital for those assigned to discontinue vs. continue these medications (21.9 vs. 22.9…
Mask-Wearing and Control of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the USA: A Cross-Sectional Study
A cross-sectional survey study (n =378,207 participants) of mask-wearing and physical distancing in the US found that a 10% increase in self-reported mask-wearing was associated with an increased odds of transmission control at the community level (OR=3.53). Communities with high reported mask-wearing and physical distancing had the highest predicted probability of transmission control. Segmented regression…
January 19, 2021
Examine the Associations between Perceived Neighborhood Conditions, Physical Activity, and Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic
An online survey using the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform (n=2,667) shows that compared to higher-poverty neighborhoods, low-poverty neighborhoods had more health-promoting neighborhood conditions before the COVID-19 pandemic and had more positive changes, such as higher physical activity through increased walking, during the outbreak. A separate analysis shows that mental health problems were linked to the…
SARS-Cov-2 Prevalence Transmission Health-Related Outcomes and Control Strategies in Homeless Shelters Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A systematic review and meta-analysis including 13 studies (8 of which are US-based) found that the pooled baseline SARS-CoV-2 prevalence among homeless shelter is 2.1% among residents and 1.7% among staff. However, in outbreaks, the prevalence increases to 30% among residents and 15% among staff. The main infection prevention and control measures cited included universal…
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