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May 19, 2021
Evaluation of Six Different Rapid Methods for Nucleic Acid Detection of SARS-COV-2 Virus
In a comparison of 6 rapid antigen tests against RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection in 4,981 participants, AQ-TOP and Genechecker had the highest sensitivity (98% and 95%) and positive predictive value (96% and 95%), followed by the sensitivity of Abbott ID NOW (95%) and Cobas Liat (95%). The performance of the Atila iAMP COVID-19 test was…
Colchicine in Patients Admitted to Hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY) a Randomised Controlled Open-Label Platform Trial
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] The anti-inflammatory drug colchicine was not associated with reductions in 28-day mortality, duration of hospital stay, or risk of progression to invasive mechanical ventilation (IVM) or death among adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in an analysis of the RECOVERY trial (a randomized, placebo-controlled open-label trial). In both the treatment (n=5610) and control (n=5730)…
SARS-CoV-2 Superspread in Fitness Center, Hong Kong, China, March 2021
A SARS-CoV-2 superspreading event in a fitness center in Hong Kong that resulted in 102 cases likely occurred due to lack of mask wearing during exercise and poor ventilation. The outbreak was detected following investigation of a fitness trainer who worked at the facility who tested positive in a voluntary screening program. 45% of cases…
May 18, 2021
Controlling Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Essential Workers of Enclosed Food Manufacturing Facilities
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] In a quantitative risk assessment model simulating a susceptible worker exposed to a SARS-CoV-2-infected worker during an 8-hour shift at an enclosed food manufacturing facility, infection risk was highest (96%) via droplet and aerosol transmission within 1-3 meters in the absence of any mitigation measures. Droplet transmission contributed mostly at 1 meter…
Characteristics and Outcomes Among US Patients Hospitalized for Ischemic Stroke Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Stroke patients with comorbid COVID-19 (n=5,517) had a 5-fold higher risk of in-hospital death compared to stroke patients prior to the pandemic (n=165,912), according to an analysis of hospital records of patients admitted for ischemic stroke between January 2019 to December 2020. Compared to stroke patients prior to the pandemic and non-COVID-19 patients during the…
Extended Interval BNT162b2 Vaccination Enhances Peak Antibody Generation in Older People
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Adults aged >80 years with 11-12 week intervals between doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (n=79) had 3.5-fold higher peak titers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies compared to adults >80 given a standard three-week interval between doses (n=68) in a cohort study of in the UK. However, the magnitude of spike-specific T cell responses…
Individuals Who Were Mildly Symptomatic Following Infection with SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.28 Have Neutralizing Antibodies to the P.1 Variant
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] 84% of sera from to individuals (n=60) recovered from mild SARS-CoV-2 infection caused by the B.1.1.28 variant (the wild-type strain circulating in Brazil) had neutralizing antibodies against the P.1 variant of concern. Neutralization titers against the wild-type strain were consistently higher compared to the P.1 variant, but the differences were not more…
Decay of Fc-Dependent Antibody Functions after Mild to Moderate COVID-19
Antibody effector functions associated with opsonization and killing of infected cells declined over time in a cohort of 58 subjects recovering from mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) antibodies with Fcy receptors, S-specific antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and antibody dependent phagocytosis (ADP) declined from the initial peak in samples drawn ~30-60 days post-symptom onset…
Surveillance of COVID-19 Vaccination in US Nursing Homes December 2020-April 2021
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Data on vaccination coverage among nursing home residents and staff reported by pharmacies participating in the temporary federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program correlated well with data reported by nursing homes to the new COVID-19 vaccination modules of the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) throughout January 2021 (r=0.89-0.97 for residents…
The Effectiveness of the TWO-DOSE BNT162b2 Vaccine: Analysis of Real-World Data
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 90% effective in preventing any SARS-CoV-2 infection when comparing incidence of infection between 7-27 days after the second dose (protection period) vs 1-7 days after the first dose (reference period). The findings are based on a cohort belonging to a large health provider in Israel (n=1.2 million), of which 74% had…
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