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September 1, 2020
COVID-19 Home Confinement Negatively Impacts Social Participation and Life Satisfaction: A Worldwide Multicenter Study
Enforced home confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to psychosocial strain on people worldwide, with participants of a 7-language online survey (n=1,047) reporting that home confinement has triggered large decreases in social activity through family (-58%), friend/neighbors (-44%), or entertainment (-47%), as well as a 31% decrease in life satisfaction. Conversely, participants…
SARS-CoV-2 Testing and Changes in Primary Care Services in a Multistate Network of Community Health Centers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Results from an analysis of electronic health record data from a multi-state network of community health centers found that 2% of patients underwent SARS-CoV-2 testing, of whom 28% were positive. There was a higher SARS-CoV-2 testing rate among new patients compared to established patients. Additionally, speaking Spanish, being Hispanic, being uninsured, and speaking a language…
A Simple Approach to Optimum Pool Size for Pooled SARS-CoV-2 Testing
In determining the optimal sample pooling size for large-scale SARS-CoV-2 testing, Regen et al. found that sample pooling only marginally improves testing capacities in high prevalence settings (>10%) while potentially substantially reducing costs and saving labor in low prevalence settings. The investigators derived a simple-to-use formula for calculating the optimal pool size given a target…
Frequency of Serological Non-Responders and False-Negative RT-PCR Results in SARS-CoV-2 Testing: A Population-Based Study
RT-PCR results at first clinical presentation and follow-up serology results were found to differ in about in 15% of patients suffering from nonsevere COVID-19 who had a positive test by RT-PCR and/or subsequent antibody testing. A study from Liechtenstein and Switzerland found that 12 (18%) out of 66 patients with an initial negative RT-PCR test…
Community Outbreak Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Bus Riders in Eastern China
In a community outbreak involving two buses with indoor air recirculation on a 100-minute roundtrip to attend a worship event in Zhejiang province, passengers in the bus that had the index case had a 34% higher risk of getting COVID-19 compared to the other bus. Dividing seats on the exposed bus into high- and low-risk…
Outbreak of COVID-19 in a Nursing Home Associated with Aerosol Transmission as a Result of Inadequate Ventilation. Clinical Infectious Diseases
Inadequate ventilation may promote aerosol transmission, as suggested by an outbreak in one of the wards of a Dutch nursing home that was recently renovated with a ventilation system that only circulates outside air when the indoor CO2 concentration is below a certain concentration. Over 6 days, this ward reported 17 (81%) residents and 17…
August 31, 2020
I Don’t Want to Go Back: Examining the Return to Physical Workspaces During COVID-19
A survey of people working in the energy sector in the US (n=333) suggested that women, people of color, people living in multi-generational households, and people with childcare concerns were less willing to return to work in person during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic than others. One-fifth of workers surveyed preferred unpaid time off over returning,…
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health in the General Chinese Population: Changes, Predictors and Psychosocial Correlates
Among 1,390 Chinese citizens who responded to two online surveys taken during two successive waves of COVID-19 infections, fear and stress related to the pandemic decreased significantly, while depression increased significantly. Younger people, people with lower incomes, and people with a recent experience of quarantine due to known or suspected infection all were more likely…
Among Frontline Health Care Personnel in a Multistate Hospital Network — 13 Academic Medical Centers
Among 3,248 healthcare workers who regularly had direct patient contact in hospital-based units caring for adults with COVID-19, 194 (6%) had antibody evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of these, 29% were asymptomatic in the preceding months, and 69% had not previously received a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was lower among personnel…
Low Risk of COVID-19 among Patients Exposed to Infected Healthcare Workers
Baker et al. found a low risk to patients of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection from an infected health care worker. They tested 226 of 238 patients exposed to SARS-CoV-2 by 60 infected health care workers at a large hospital in Boston between March 1 and June 10, 2020 and found that only 2 patients tested positive…
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