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January 7, 2021
A Longitudinal Study of SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients Reveals a High Correlation between Neutralizing Antibodies and COVID-19 Severity
Serum samples from a cohort of 140 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients suggest that increasing symptom severity is correlated with higher neutralizing antibody (nAb) titers. Only 1 of 44 patients admitted to the ICU did not develop a nAb response by the time of sampling, while nAb response was more heterogenous and less frequently observed among hospitalized…
Immunological Memory to SARS-CoV-2 Assessed for up to 8 Months after Infection
IgG antibodies against the Spike protein and the receptor binding domain (RBD) were relatively stable over 6 months in a cohort study of individuals with confirmed COVID-19 (n=188). Among 40 individuals with blood samples 6-8 months post-symptom onset, 90%, 88%, and 90% remained seropositive for anti-spike IgG, anti-RBD IgG, and neutralizing antibodies, respectively. Paired timepoint…
Early High-Titer Plasma Therapy to Prevent Severe Covid-19 in Older Adults
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of non-hospitalized adults aged ≥75 years (n=160) with mild COVID-19, patients who received convalescent plasma within 72 hours after onset of symptoms were 48% less likely to develop severe respiratory disease than patients receiving placebo (RR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.29-0.94). Risk of severe disease was 60% lower (RR…
Open Schools, Covid-19, and Child and Teacher Morbidity in Sweden
Incidence of severe COVID-19 was low among school-aged children in Sweden from March to June 2020, despite keeping schools open and the absence of face mask policies. A total of 15 children (0.77 per 100,000) were admitted to the ICU, four of whom had an underlying condition. All children survived. Risk of severe COVID-19 among…
January 6, 2021
Estimation of US SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Symptomatic Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Using Seroprevalence Surveys
A cross-sectional study using data from both public health surveillance records of reported COVID-19 cases and seroprevalence surveys found that an estimated 46,910,006 SARS-CoV-2 infections, 28,122,752 symptomatic infections, 956,174 hospitalizations, and 304,915 deaths occurred in the US through November 15, 2020. The authors note that 14% of the US population was infected with SARS-CoV-2 by…
Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, December 14 – 23, 2020
Monitoring by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System detected 21 cases of anaphylaxis after administration of 1,893,360 first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (11.1 cases per million doses); 71% of these occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination. 17 of 21 anaphylaxis episodes were among persons with a documented history of allergies or allergic reactions,…
Exposure to Common Geographic COVID-19 Prevalence Maps and Public Knowledge, Risk Perceptions, and Behavioral Intentions
Providing maps with COVID-19 case information did not improve public knowledge, risk perception, or reported intent to adhere to health guidelines according to results from a survey study. Participants were randomized to receive 1 of 6 maps (or no map) containing information on COVID-19 cases and scored on scales on total/per capita cases (score range…
Risk Factors for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in Hospital Workers: Results From a Screening Study in New Jersey, United States in Spring 2020
A study of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in hospital workers in New Jersey found that healthcare workers at highest risk for infection included support staff and people from underrepresented minority populations, with and without patient care responsibilities. The proportion of participants testing positive was highest for phlebotomists (23.9%), maintenance/housekeeping (17.3%), dining/food services (16.9%), and interpersonal/support roles (13.7%)…
Saliva Viral Load Is a Dynamic Unifying Correlate of COVID-19 Severity and Mortality
[Pre-print, not-peer reviewed] In a cohort of 154 hospitalized patients, salivary viral load showed a superior ability over nasopharyngeal viral load to predict mortality over time (AUC=0.90). Salivary viral load was positively associated with COVID-19 inflammatory markers and type 1 immune response cytokines and higher viral loads strongly correlated with depletion of platelets, lymphocytes, and…
The Duration, Dynamics and Determinants of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses in Individual Healthcare Workers
A longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study of healthcare workers in the United Kingdom found peak IgG antibody levels to SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid was 24 days following the first positive PCR test with a mean antibody half-life of 85 days. Antibodies waned faster in younger adults and those without symptoms. Anti-spike IgG levels remained stably detected after a…
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