Article Summary
December 21, 2020
No Evidence of Association between Schools and SARS-CoV-2 Second Wave in Italy
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] There was no evidence from a prospective study that school reopenings across Italy drove the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Analysis of data from 20 regions indicated that from September 12 to November 7, new SARS-CoV-2 cases among elementary and middle school students was an average of 39% lower than in the…
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 before and after Symptom Onset Impact of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions in China
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Using serial interval data from infector-infectee pairs before and after the rollout of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in China (January and February 2020), the relative frequency of pre-symptomatic transmission increased from 34% pre-rollout to 71% post-rollout. After the rollout of NPIs, transmission post-symptom onset was reduced by 82% whereas pre-symptomatic transmission decreased by…
Face Covering Adherence Is Positively Associated with Better Mental Health and Wellbeing a Longitudinal Analysis of the CovidLife Surveys
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A longitudinal UK-wide survey found that individuals who wore face coverings “most of the time” or “always” had better mental health and wellbeing than those who did not, even after controlling for behavioral, social, and psychological factors. The odds of feeling anxious were 58% lower among individuals who “always” adhered to guidance…
December 18, 2020
Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural America
A study of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living in rural communities in the western US found significant negative impacts on self-reported overall life satisfaction, mental health, and economic outlook. These impacts were generally consistent across age, ethnicity, education, and sex. More than half of all respondents reported some level of negative impact…
COVID-19 as the Leading Cause of Death in the United States
By October 2020, COVID-19 had become the leading cause of death in the United States for people over age 35. In October 2020, COVID-19 had become the third leading cause of death for persons aged 45 through 84 years and the second leading cause of death for those aged 85 years or older. COVID-19 mortality…
Suicide Ideation and Attempts in a Pediatric Emergency Department Before and During COVID-19
Among youth ages 11-21 years, the rates of suicidal ideation and attempts were higher during some months of 2020 compared to 2019, according to analyses of positive suicide risk screens from a Texas pediatric emergency department. There was a significantly higher rate of suicidal ideation in March and July, and the odds of a suicide…
Parents Are Stressed! Patterns of Parent Stress across COVID-19
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A study examining parental stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated an initial spike in stress in May followed by a decrease in September to levels still elevated when compared to pre-pandemic responses. The parental stress score (PSS) pre-COVID-19 was 16.3±5.7 and increased to 22.0±6.4 by May of 2020. By September…
Cyberchondria in the Age of COVID-19
A study examining the relationship between cyberchondria (excessively searching the web for health-related information) and COVID-19 concern and safety behaviors in Croatia found that high cyberchondria and high levels of concern were associated with intense avoidance behaviors. There was a pronounced increase in concerns regarding COVID-19 as well as significant behavioral changes between the day…
Analyses of Abdominal Adiposity and Metabolic Syndrome as Risk Factors for Respiratory Distress in COVID-19
A prospective observational cohort study in the Netherlands indicated that abdominal adiposity was an independent risk factor for respiratory distress in patients with COVID-19 when adjusted for metabolic syndrome, age, gender and BMI (aOR=1.11). Among 86 patients with COVID-19, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome did not differ between patients with or without the need for…
The S1 Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Crosses the Blood–Brain Barrier in Mice
Using a mouse experimental model, intravenously injected SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit S1 was found to readily cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and enter the parenchymal brain space, and was also taken up by the lungs, spleen, kidney, and liver. Intranasally administered S1 also entered the brain, although at levels roughly ten times lower than after…
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