Article Summary
September 22, 2020
SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Healthcare, First Response, and Public Safety Personnel, Detroit Metropolitan Area, Michigan, USA, May–June 2020
SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing of healthcare workers, first responders, and public safety personnel in EMS agencies and hospitals in Detroit (May-June 2020) indicated that 7% of participants had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Seropositivity was associated with exposure to SARS-CoV-2–positive household members (aOR=6.18) and working within 15 km of Detroit (aOR=5.60). Nurse assistants (aOR=1.88) and nurses (aOR=1.52) had higher…
Glucocorticoid Therapy Does Not Delay Viral Clearance in COVID-19 Patients
Glucocorticoid therapy did not change viral clearance or peripheral lymphocyte counts in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a cohort study from two hospitals in China. Time to viral clearance among participants with severe or critical COVID-19 was 26 days in participants who received glucocorticoids (n=72) versus 25.5 days in participants who did not (n=108). In…
Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Specific Antibodies (IgM, IgA, IgG) in Non-Hospitalized Patients Four Months Following Infection
Levels of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were found to decline over an 18-week period following symptom onset, although antibodies remained detectable. Data from longitudinal profiles of different antibody immunoglobulin classes using tests with different antigens and neutralizing titers showed that receptor-binding-domain-specific (RBD) and nucleocapsid protein-specific (NCP) IgM as well as S1-specific IgA levels significantly decreased within…
A Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label Trial of Early versus Late Favipiravir in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19
There was no significant difference in the rate of SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance between patients receiving early treatment with the anti-viral agent favipiravir and those receiving late treatment in a prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial at 25 hospitals across Japan (aHR=1.42; 95%CI 0.76–2.62). Favipiravir did not significantly improve viral clearance as measured by RT-PCR by day…
Hydroxychloroquine as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers a Randomized Trial
Pre-exposure prophylaxis with hydroxychloroquine once or twice weekly did not significantly reduce laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 or COVID-19-compatible illness among healthcare workers in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. For once weekly hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis, the hazard ratio was 0.72 (95%CI 0.44 to 1.16) and for twice weekly it was 0.74 (95%CI 0.46 to 1.19), as compared with…
COVID-19 Herd Immunity in the Brazilian Amazon
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Between 44% and 66% of the population of Manaus, Brazil was infected with SARS-CoV-2 through the course of the epidemic, as estimated by a study of cross-sectional monthly seroprevalence estimates in blood donors. According to Buss et al., although nonpharmaceutical interventions and other changes in population behavior may have helped to limit…
Whole-Genome Sequencing to Track SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Nosocomial Outbreaks
Whole virus genome viral sequencing of hospital-acquired cases of COVID-19 (March to April) in a tertiary referral center in Ireland indicated that the majority of the hospital-acquired cases occurred in patients highly dependent on nursing care. The authors conclude that this suggests that the likely route of transmission was by close contact or droplet, rather…
Comparison of COVID-19 Outcomes among Shielded and Non-Shielded Populations A General Population Cohort Study of 1.3 Million
• [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Despite recommendations for people in the UK who were at high-risk of severe COVID-19 to shield themselves (extended self-isolation) this group experiences considerably higher COVID-19 mortality than lower risk individuals. 2.5% of the 1.3 million people included in the population study had been advised to shield, but were found to be…
September 21, 2020
Disparities in COVID-19 Related Mortality in U.S. Prisons and the General Population
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] The increase in COVID-19 mortality among people in prison has outpaced the rates for the general population. Using data from the COVID Prison Project from 53 prison systems in the US, Nowotny et al. reported that from April 22 to July 15, 2020, people in prison experienced a standardized mortality rate…
Clinical Impact, Costs, and Cost-Effectiveness of Expanded SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Massachusetts
Neilan et al. conducted a modeling study to examine testing strategies for SARS-CoV-2 under scenarios of different transmission intensity. In a scenario where transmission is slowing (Re=0.9), testing the entire population monthly and testing people with COVID-19 symptoms as needed would reduce infections by 63% and mortality by 44% compared to testing only patients with…
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