Article Summary
November 12, 2020
ARS-CoV-2 Transmission among Marine Recruits during Quarantine
Among a cohort of US Marine Corps recruits who were tested on days 1-2, 7, and 14 after arrival to campus (n=1848), 16 (0.9%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by day 2, followed by 35 more (1.9%) by day 14. Genomic analysis from 32 positive recruits identified 6 clusters among 18 recruits, providing evidence for local…
An Outbreak of Covid-19 on an Aircraft Carrier
In an outbreak on an aircraft carrier in late March 2020, 1271 (26.6%) of 4779 crew members had SARS-CoV-2 positive PCR results, and an additional 60 crew members had suspected COVID-19. In this predominantly young (mean age 27 years) population, 23 were hospitalized, 4 received intensive care, and 1 died. Nearly 80% were asymptomatic at…
November 10, 2020
The Forgotten Numbers: A Closer Look at COVID-19 Non-Fatal Valuations
The financial burden of non-fatal COVID-19 cases as of July 27, 2020 was estimated to be $2.2 trillion (or about $46,000 per case), compared to the total valuation of $1.6 trillion for all 147,000 COVID-19 fatalities. Using CDC forecast data, the authors further estimate that this figure will rise to $5.7 trillion (roughly 30% of…
Increased Firearm Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Hidden Urban Burden
A retrospective study comparing Philadelphia County trauma patients before (n=357) and after (n=480) stay-at-home orders were implemented found that while there was a decrease in non-intentional trauma and daily emergency department visits, patients presenting with intentional injury increased. In particular, there was an increase in injuries likely caused by firearms. Abdallah et al. (Nov 6,…
Psychological Entitlement Predicts Noncompliance with the Health Guidelines of the COVID-19 Pandemic
In three studies, researchers found that people classified as “psychologically entitled” (defined as someone who feels more deserving of positive outcomes than other people) are less likely to comply with health guidelines to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and that they are more likely to say that they have already contracted it. They were also…
Bidirectional Associations between COVID-19 and Psychiatric Disorder: Retrospective Cohort Studies of 62 354 COVID-19 Cases in the USA
A retrospective review of a large US electronic health record system (n=62,354 COVID-19 patients) suggests the association between COVID-19 and psychiatric disorders may be bidirectional. In patients with no prior psychiatric history, diagnosis of COVID-19 was associated with increased incidence of a first psychiatric diagnosis in the following 14 to 90 days compared to other…
Association Between Nursing Home Crowding and COVID-19 Infection and Mortality in Ontario, Canada
Among 618 nursing homes in Canada, those that were crowded were more likely to experience COVID-19 outbreaks with worse outcomes. Nursing homes were classified according to a crowding index defined as themean number of residents per bedroom and bathroom. While the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 introduction did not differ between homes with a low or high…
Longitudinal Characterization of the IgM and IgG Humoral Response in Symptomatic COVID-19 Patients Using the Abbott Architect
A longitudinal analysis of 1,349 serum samples collected up to 168 days post symptom onset from 427 individuals with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 found that IgM seroconversion occurs earlier than IgG, but that IgM levels decline to a greater extent over time. The median duration of time for IgM seroconversion was 10 days, but seroprevalence declined steadily…
The Role of Children in the Transmission Chain of SARS-CoV-2 a Systematic Review and Update of Current Evidence
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] A systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 studies on the role of children in the SARS-CoV-2 transmission chain confirms that children are able to be infected and transmit SARS-CoV-2 in a variety of settings, with potentially different dynamics depending upon age. Transmission chains in which the index case was a child…
Modeling the Stability of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on Skin, Currency, and Clothing
Harbourt et al. exposed SARS-CoV-2 to human skin, paper currency, and clothing in a lab setting under various temperatures and found that the virus was more stable in colder conditions. At 22oC, the virus was stable on human skin, a $1 bill, and on clothing, for at least 96 hours, 8 hours, and 4 hours,…
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