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August 14, 2020
Usability and Acceptability of Home-Based Self-Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies for Population Surveillance
A nationally-representative survey of adults in England assessed acceptability of two SARS-CoV-2 antibody home self-tests (n=10,600 and n=3,800), including pilot testing in 315 volunteers to optimize usability. Pilot testing revealed high levels of acceptability but limitations to usability, particularly use of included materials, clarity of instructions, and guidance on result interpretation. In the main study, over 97% of participants completed their…
Trends in Number and Distribution of COVID-19 Hotspot Counties — United States, March 8–July 15, 2020
US data from January 22-July 15 were analyzed to detect “hotspot” counties. No hotspots were identified prior to March 7, but 818 counties (corresponding to 80% of the US population) met hotspot criteria for one or more days between from March 8 to July 15. The number of hotspot counties peaked in early April, decreased, and then increased again in late June. Oster et al. (Aug 14, 2020)….
Contact Settings and Risk for Transmission in 3410 Close Contacts of Patients With COVID-19 in Guangzhou, China: A Prospective Cohort Study
A study of SARS-CoV-2 infection among 3,410 close contacts of 391 confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases in Guangzhou, China found a secondary attack rate of 4%. Close contact was defined as contact without effective protection starting 2 days before symptom onset or 2 days before testing for asymptomatic cases. Eight percent of index cases were asymptomatic, 16% had mild symptoms, 69% had moderate symptoms, and 9% had severe/critical illness. Secondary…
Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outcomes in French Nursing Homes That Implemented Staff Confinement With Residents
French nursing homes in which staff voluntarily confined themselves to the facility (n=17 facilities corresponding to 794 staff and 1,250 residents) experienced COVID-19 cases in only 6% of facilities compared to 48% of facilities in which staff did not self-confine (n=9,513 facilities corresponding to 385,290 staff and 695,060 residents). Among residents in facilities with self-confinement only 0.4% had confirmed COVID-19 and none had possible COVID-19, compared with 4% and 5% among facilities without. Self-confinement of staff…
Plans of US Parents Regarding School Attendance for Their Children in the Fall of 2020 A National Survey Editorial Supplemental Content
A national survey in the US in early June (n=730 parents) found 31% of participants indicated they would probably or definitely keep their child home this fall if their school opened for in-person instruction, while 49% reported they would probably or definitely send their child to school. Lower income, being unemployed, and having a flexible job were associated…
App-Based Tracking of Self-Reported COVID-19 Symptoms
Zens et al. report findings from the COVID-19 Symptom Tracker study, an app-based daily self-reporting study. Between April 8 and May 15, 22,327 individuals living in Germany installed the app, of which 11,829 (59%) completed the symptom questionnaire at least once. Of the 291 participants who received a SARS-CoV-2 PCR test, 22% were positive. Untested participants reported a mean of…
August 13, 2020
Knowledge and Behaviors of Adults with Underlying Health Conditions During the Onset of the COVID-19 U.S. Outbreak: The Chicago COVID-19 Comorbidities Survey
O’Conor et al. conducted a survey among older adults who had at least one chronic condition (n=673, average age 63 years) to characterize their knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms, prevention strategies, and prevention behaviors. Although 70% of participants were aware of symptoms and preventive actions, only 38% reported social distancing themselves, and only 29% reported obtaining prescription medication to prepare for the outbreak. The authors concluded that consistent messaging and the…
An Examination on the Transmission of COVID-19 and the Effect of Response Strategies: A Comparative Analysis
Using data from WHO reports over 133 days, Chen et al. categorized 6 countries (China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, US, and Brazil) by their COVID-19 mitigation effectiveness (estimated from time to reach the peak of daily new confirmed cases and the maximum drop rate), and pandemic severity (estimated from prevalence and mortality). They report that South Korea and China had relatively higher mitigation effectiveness and lower pandemic severity, while the USA and Brazil had the…
The Impact of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on SARS-CoV-2 Transmission across 130 Countries and Territories
[Preprint, not peer-reviewed] Liu et al. modeled the effectiveness of several non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission using publicly available data from 178 countries during January 1 – June 22, 2020. They reported 2 NPIs (school closure and internal movement restrictions) were significantly effective and that their effectiveness increased with greater intensity of the intervention. Three NPIs (workplace closure,…
Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24–30, 2020
During June 24–30, 2020, 41% of a cohort of 5,470 US adults reported an adverse mental or behavioral health condition related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including anxiety or depression (31%), trauma-and stressor-related disorder symptoms (26%), started or increased substance use to cope with stress or emotions (13%), and seriously considered suicide in the preceding 30 days (11%). Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having…
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