Article Summary
September 18, 2020
Evaluation of Performance of Two SARS-CoV-2 Rapid IgM-IgG Combined Antibody Tests on Capillary Whole Blood Samples from the Fingertip
Two point-of-care serology tests utilizing capillary whole blood samples from a finger prick (COVID-PRESTO and COVID-DUO) had 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies when administered at least 15 days after symptom onset. Sensitivity was calculated among patients who tested positive by PCR (n=238) and specificity was calculated among patients negative by PCR (n=143)….
Corticosteroid Therapy Is Associated with the Delay of SARS-CoV-2 Clearance in COVID-19 Patients
Patients with COVID-19 who received corticosteroids experienced longer time to viral clearance (median 18 days vs 16 days, p<0.001) and hospitalization (median 17 days vs 15 days, p=0.023), in a retrospective multi-center study in China (n=309). Huang et al. (Sept 15, 2020). Corticosteroid Therapy Is Associated with the Delay of SARS-CoV-2 Clearance in COVID-19 Patients….
Activate: Randomized Clinical Trial of BCG Vaccination against Infection in the Elderly
A double-blind randomized trial (n=198) of BCG vaccination of elderly patients to protect against subsequent infections (September 2017 through August 2019) found that BCG vaccination increased the time to first infection (median 16 weeks vs 11 weeks) and reduced the incidence of new infections (25% vs 42%). Most of the protection was against respiratory tract…
Colchicine to Weather the Cytokine Storm in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19
A propensity score matched cohort study (n=303) found that, compared to patients receiving standard of care, patients receiving colchicine, an anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to prevent or treat gout, had a higher odds of being discharged at 28 days (OR=5.0, 95%CI: 1.25-20.1) and had lower odds of dying at 28 days (OR=0.2, 95% CI: 0.05-0.80)….
Assessing a Novel, Lab-Free, Point-of-Care Test for SARS-CoV-2 (CovidNudge): A Diagnostic Accuracy Study
The CovidNudge test, a rapid point-of-care real-time PCR test requiring no laboratory handling or sample pre-processing, had an overall sensitivity and specificity of 94% (95% CI: 86-98%) and 100% (95% CI: 99-100%), respectively, when compared against standard laboratory PCR in paired samples (n=386) from health workers and hospitalized patients. Gibani et al. (Sept 17, 2020)….
SARS-CoV-2 in Quarantined Domestic Cats from COVID-19 Households or Close Contacts, Hong Kong, China
Six (12%) out of 50 healthy cats from COVID-19 households or close contacts in Hong Kong tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 using respiratory and fecal samples, suggesting human-to-feline transmission. Virus genomes sequenced from 1 cat and its owner were identical. Barrs et al. (Sept 18, 2020). SARS-CoV-2 in Quarantined Domestic Cats from COVID-19 Households or Close…
Clustering and Superspreading Potential of SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Hong Kong
Contact tracing data (n=1,038) was used to identify 4 to 7 superspreading events across 51 SARS-CoV-2 clusters in Hong Kong between January and April 2020. An estimated 19% of cases seeded 80% of all local transmission. While transmissions between household contacts were observed most frequently, transmissions that occurred in social settings were associated with more…
September 17, 2020
Association of Daily Wear of Eyeglasses With Susceptibility to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection
Eyeglass wearers were underrepresented among COVID-19 patients, providing some evidence that eyeglasses could provide some protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. A cohort study of COVID-19 patients conducted in Suizhou, China found that 6% of patients wore eyeglasses for extended periods. In comparison, a previous study estimated that 32% of the general population wore glasses. Zeng et…
Case-Control Study of Use of Personal Protective Measures and Risk for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection, Thailand. Emerging Infectious Diseases
Wearing a facemask at all times when in contact with someone with COVID-19 was associated with a significantly lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (aOR=0.23) among close contacts of people with COVID-19 in Thailand. The case-control study (211 cases and 839 controls) also found that maintaining physical distance (aOR=0.15), shorter duration of contact (aOR=0.24), and handwashing…
Trends and Predictors of COVID-19 Information Sources and Their Relationship with Knowledge and Beliefs Related to the Pandemic: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)
An online survey (n=11,242) found that US adults used an average of 6.1 sources for COVID-19 information, with 91% using traditional media and 70% using mainstream media during March-April 2020. A larger number of sources used was reported by men (vs women), those aged 40-59 or ≥60 (vs 18-38 years), those not working (vs working),…
Previous page Next page