Article Summary
December 3, 2020
Disproportionate Incidence of COVID-19 Infection, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Among Persons Identifying as Hispanic or Latino — Denver, Colorado March–October 2020
During the first 7 months (March-October) of the COVID-19 epidemic in Denver, Colorado, a majority of adult COVID-19 cases (55%), hospitalizations (62%), and deaths (51%) were among Hispanic adults, despite Hispanic individuals representing only 25% of the population. Compared to symptomatic non-Hispanic adults, a higher proportion of symptomatic Hispanic adults reported working while ill, working…
Risk Factors for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in Homeless Shelters in Chicago, Illinois—March–May, 2020
Widespread SARS-CoV-2 testing in homeless shelters in Chicago during March to May 2020 showed higher prevalence among residents (30%; 431 of 1435) than among staff (15%; 41 of 282). Among residents, prevalence was higher among those sharing a room with more people, while current smoking was associated with lower prevalence. At the facility level, higher…
Multidisciplinary Community-Based Investigation of a COVID-19 Outbreak Among Marshallese and Hispanic/Latino Communities — Benton and Washington Counties, Arkansas, March–June 2020
An Arkansas Department of Health report from June 2020 reported that Marshallese and Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) persons in Benton and Washington counties accounted for 64% of COVID-19 cases and 57% of associated deaths despite representing approximately 19% of the population. Focus group discussions and key-informant interviews revealed lack of relevant health communications, limited coordination…
Awareness-Driven Behavior Changes Can Shift the Shape of Epidemics Away from Peaks and toward Plateaus, Shoulders, and Oscillations
Weitz et al. show that compared to more established models that predict a symmetric peak in COVID-19 cases and deaths, accounting for awareness-driven behavior in models better fit with the asymmetrical peaks observed in actual COVID-19 fatality data, which typically show a plateau after a peak. The authors suggest that their model highlights the potential…
Social Network-Based Strategies for Classroom Size Reduction Can Help Limit Outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in High Schools. A Simulation Study in Classrooms of Four European Countries
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] A simulation study of classroom based on longitudinal survey data collected from four European countries (n=507 classrooms, 12,291 students) found that while establishing student cohorts that minimize out-of-school contact between different cohorts would be most effective in preventing spread of SARS-CoV-2, cohorting by approximation of social networks also performed well. Network-based…
International Estimates of Intended Uptake and Refusal of COVID-19 Vaccines A Rapid Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Large Nationally Representative Samples
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] A systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 nationally representative samples from 13 countries (n=58,656) found that although a majority of people intend to be vaccinated for COVID-19, an increasing percentage of people are intending to refuse vaccination. Estimates of people intending to refuse vaccination rose from 12% in March-May to 20%…
Predicted Cellular Immunity Population Coverage Gaps for SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Vaccines and Their Augmentation by Compact Peptide Sets
Using machine learning predictions and clinical data from convalescent COVID-19 patients, Liu et al. developed a vaccine design that would incorporate enough pathogen components to elicit an immune response across a diverse population of people. The study also indicates that current vaccine candidates, which are largely based only on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and receptor…
Intrafamilial Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Associated with Cellular Immune Response without Seroconversion, France
Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 could induce virus-specific T-cell responses without inducing virus-specific antibody responses. In a study including 11 SARS-CoV-2 serodiscordant couples staying in the same household in which 1 of the 2 partners had lab-confirmed and mild symptomatic COVID-19, the index partners who were initially infected displayed SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody and T-cell responses up to 102…
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ Interim Recommendation for Allocating Initial Supplies of COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, 2020
Interim guidance from The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that both 1) health care personnel and 2) residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) be offered a COVID-19 vaccine in the initial phase of the vaccination program. As of December 1, approximately 245,000 COVID-19 cases and 858 COVID-19-associated deaths had been reported among U.S….
Increased Intensity Of PCR Testing Reduced COVID-19 Transmission Within Countries During The First Pandemic Wave
A study across 173 countries and territories representing 99% of global COVID-19 cases concluded that among COVID-19 interventions, PCR testing had the greatest association with reducing the average reproduction number (R0). Though testing intensity showed the largest variation among all interventions, a ten-fold increase in the ratio of tests to new cases reduced the R0…
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