Article Summary
November 19, 2020
SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load on Admission Is Associated with 30-Day Mortality.
In a retrospective study of 181 patients admitted to UW Medicine hospitals, patients with a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load (Cycle threshold < 22) upon hospital admission had a 4.2-fold increase in odds of 30-day mortality. Meanwhile, those who were IgG seropositive had non-significantly lower odds of mortality (OR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.15-1.26). The authors suggest…
SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses Are Correlated to Disease Severity in COVID-19 Convalescent Individuals
A study evaluating novel ELISA-based assays to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies (including antibody sandwich ELISA and three isotype-specific assays) found that among convalescent patients (n=350), IgM, IgA, and IgG antibody responses against the receptor-binding domain significantly correlated with disease severity. Hansen et al. (Nov 18, 2020). SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses Are Correlated to Disease Severity in COVID-19…
Global Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 338 seroprevalence studies representing 50 countries and 2.3 million participants, global SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the general population was low (median 3.2%, IQR 1.0-6.4%) through August 2020, suggesting that most of the population still remains susceptible to infection. Seroprevalence was higher among Black and Asian…
Predicting Spatial and Temporal Responses to Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on COVID-19 Growth Rates across 58 Counties in New York State: A Prospective Event-Based Modeling Study on County-Level Sociological Predictors
Analysis of county-level predictors over 16 time points in New York State showed that as COVID-19 incidence peaked in March and declined through June 2020, areas with the highest infection growth rates shifted from the New York metropolitan areas toward the western and northern areas. Counties with higher proportions of people age 45+ years, people…
Secondary Attack Rate of COVID-19 in Household Contacts in the Winnipeg Health Region, Canada
Analysis using data from a public health surveillance database including residents of the Winnipeg Health Region of Canada estimated a household secondary attack rate of 14.7%. Out of 279 contacts from 102 primary cases in unique households, 41 contacts from 25 households became secondary cases within 14 days of exposure to the primary case. Wilkinson…
SARS-CoV-2 Epidemic after Social and Economic Reopening in Three US States Reveals Shifts in Age Structure and Clinical Characteristics
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] Analysis of epidemic characteristics during and after lockdowns from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania – states that successfully reopened in May 2020 without subsequent summer waves – showed changes in age-dependent mixing patterns. Using several daily data streams and mobility data, population-average mixing rates dropped by >50% during lockdown. However, elderly…
Secondary Transmission of COVID-19 in Preschool and School Settings after Their Reopening in Northern Italy a Population-Based Study
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] An outbreak investigation in a group of schools in Italy from September to October 2020 detected an overall attack rate of 3.9%; 10 student and 2 teacher primary cases infected 39 secondary cases among 994 students included in the investigation. The attack rate in secondary schools was 6.6%, with the largest…
SARS-CoV-2 Transmission between Mink (Neovison vison) and Humans, Denmark
Serologic and phylogenetic investigation of three mink farms in Denmark indicate rapid SARS-CoV-2 transmission among mink, as well as human-to-mink and mink-to-human transmission. Samples from 30 mink on 3 farms indicate that seroprevalence ranged from 66% to >95%, with one mink farm jumping from 3% to >95% within 8 days. Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 samples from…
Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers
An individually randomized controlled trial in Denmark from April to May 2020 (n=4,862) found that among participants spending at least 3 hours outside of home per day without occupational mask use and already practicing physical distancing, the intervention to recommend wearing a surgical mask when outside of home did not significantly reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection among…
November 18, 2020
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Presentation and Outcomes for Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: Findings from the American Heart Association’s COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry
In a large cohort of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in the US (n=7,868) during January-July 2020, the overall mortality was 18%, with 53% of all deaths occurring in Black and Hispanic patients. Black patients also had the highest rates of mechanical ventilation (23%) and renal replacement therapy (7%). In-hospital mortality and major cardiovascular or cerebrovascular…
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