Article Summary
October 30, 2020
Projected COVID-19 Epidemic in the United States in the Context of the Effectiveness of a Potential Vaccine and Implications for Social Distancing and Face Mask Use
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Findings from a study using a dynamic compartmental model of COVID-19 transmission for the four most severely affected states (New York, Texas, Florida, and California) indicated that in the absence of a vaccine, SARS-CoV-2 transmission could be slowed in these states by adherence to strict social distancing guidelines and widespread face mask…
Rehabilitation and COVID-19: A Rapid Living Systematic Review 2020 by Cochrane Rehabilitation Field
Updates to a living systematic review of the rehabilitation needs of patients with COVID-19 found that there was evidence to suggest that rehabilitation, including pulmonary rehabilitation, should be recommended to patients with COVID-19 during acute illness. In addition, while prone positioning was found to be associated with lower mortality than positioning patients in the semi-prone…
Case Fatality Rates for COVID-19 Patients Requiring Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: A Meta-Analysis
A meta-analysis of the case fatality ratio among adults with COVID-19 receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) indicated that the estimated case fatality ratio was 45% (95% CI 39-52%). Among studies where age-specific case fatality ratios were available, pooled estimates ranged from 48% in younger patients (age ≤40) to 84% in older patients (age >80). Case…
COVID-19 Test Result Turnaround Time for Residents and Staff in US Nursing Homes
A study of SARS-CoV-2 antigen test turnaround times among Medicare-certified skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) found that although testing delays improved over time in the study period, few SNF across the US received test results in less than 24 hours. In early September, test turnaround time was less than 1 day for 6% of SNFs testing…
Estimated Association of Construction Work With Risks of COVID-19 Infection and Hospitalization in Texas
A decision analytical model for COVID-19 found that resuming unrestricted construction work during shelter-in-place orders in Texas was associated with a higher risk of community hospitalizations due to SARS-CoV-2 (0.38 to 1.5 per 1000 residents) and increased risk of hospitalization of workers (0.22 to 9.3 per 1000 construction workers). Construction workers in central Texas had…
SARS-CoV-2 Exposure and Infection Among Health Care Personnel — Minnesota, March 6–July 11, 2020
Compared to healthcare personnel with higher-risk exposures working in acute care settings, those working in congregate living or long-term care settings were less likely to wear appropriate PPE, more often returned to work during 14-day post-exposure monitoring (57%), more often worked while symptomatic (5%), and were more likely to receive a positive test result during…
Novel SARS-CoV-2 Whole-Genome Sequencing Technique Using Reverse Complement PCR Enables Fast and Accurate Outbreak Analysis
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A novel reverse complement polymerase chain reaction (RC-PCR) technology for whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated as a means of supporting SARS-CoV-2 monitoring by potentially saving time and resources. RC-PCR whole genome sequencing showed a genome coverage of up to 98.2% for samples with a maximum Ct value of 32. Six…
Transmission of SARS-COV-2 Infections in Households — Tennessee and Wisconsin, April–September 2020
A study of household SARS-CoV-2 transmission conducted in Tennessee and Wisconsin indicated that the secondary infection rate among household contacts overall was 53%, and that 75% of secondary infections occurred within 5 days of the onset of the index patient’s illness. Fewer than half of household members with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections reported symptoms at the…
Unravelling the Modes of Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during a Nursing Home Outbreak: Looking beyond the Church Super-Spread Event
A March 2020 outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in a nursing home in the Netherlands following a church service in the nursing home chapel revealed a complex chain of transmission involving the church service, regional circulation of the virus before the outbreak, and several introductions of the virus into the nursing home by visitors. The investigation indicated…
Association of County-Wide Mask Ordinances with Reductions in Daily CoVID-19 Incident Case Growth in a Midwestern Region Over 12 Weeks
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Missouri counties with mask mandates had a daily percent COVID-19 growth rate that was 32% lower than the growth rate in counties without mask mandates, based on a population-based quasi-experimental longitudinal study conducted from June to September. In the 3 weeks before mandatory mask mandates were instated, the average daily percent increase…
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