Article Summary
August 13, 2020
Novel Use of Home Pulse Oximetry Monitoring in COVID‐19 Patients Discharged From the Emergency Department Identifies Need for Hospitalization
Shah et al. assessed the use of home pulse oximetry as a monitoring tool to identify the need for hospitalization among 77 patients with initially non-severe COVID-19 in Chicago, including 22 (29%) who subsequently required hospitalization. They found that low resting oxygen saturation (SpO2 <92%) was associated with an increased likelihood of hospitalization (RR=7.0, 95%CI 3.4-14.5). Half of patients who required hospitalization had SpO2 < 92% without worsening symptoms. Shah et al….
Comparison of Estimated Excess Deaths in New York City During the COVID-19 and 1918 Influenza Pandemics
During the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in New York City (61 days, March 11-May 11, 2020) the all-cause mortality rate (202 per 100 000 person-months) was 4.2-fold higher than corresponding periods in 2017-2019. In comparison, during the peak of the 1918 H1N1 influenza outbreak (61 days in October-November 1918), the all-cause mortality (287 per 100 000 person-months) was 2.8 times higher than corresponding periods in 1914-1917. Faust et al. (Aug…
Comparison Analysis of Different Swabs and Transport Mediums Suitable for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Following Shortages
Garnett et al. compared the performance of 6 swabs and 4 transport mediums commonly used in primary and tertiary health care settings for their efficacy in molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2. They reported no clinically significant difference in viral yield from different swabs and most transport mediums for the collection and detection of SARS-CoV-2, indicating swab and medium alternatives could be used if supplies are unavailable. Garnett et…
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in Semen of Patients in the Acute Stage of COVID-19 Infection
Among 16 adult male patients who were hospitalized with confirmed SARS-COV-2 infection in Turkey, no semen samples collected during the acute phase of infection tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR, providing a data point for exploring the risk of sexual transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Kayaaslan et al. (Aug 11, 2020). Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in Semen of Patients in the Acute Stage of COVID-19 Infection. Urologia Internationalis. https://doi.org/10.1159/000510531
Associations Between Chronic Health Conditions and COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Adults: An Analysis of the COVID Impact Survey
Camacho-Rivera et al. examined the associations between COVID-19 related preventive behaviors and chronic conditions using data from 2,190 US adult participants in the COVID-19 Household Impact Survey. They found that the prevalence of key COVID-19-related preventive measures was high in general (washing or sanitizing hands: 92%; maintaining 6-ft social distancing in public: 85%; avoiding public or crowded places: 80%;…
Effects of Universal Masking on Massachusetts Healthcare Workers’ COVID-19 Incidence
[Preprint, not peer-reviewed] A time series analysis showed a temporal relationship between the implementation of universal masking in healthcare facilities in Massachusetts and flatting of the incidence in healthcare settings, while incidence continued to increase in the general population. The first case of COVID-19 in the Massachusetts healthcare system was reported on March 17 and universal masking in the healthcare system was implemented on March 26. The peak COVID-19 incidence in the state was on April 20,…
Social Distancing to Slow the US COVID-19 Epidemic: Longitudinal Pretest-Posttest Comparison Group Study
Siedner et al. reported the mean daily COVID-19 incidence rate decreased beginning 4 days after implementation of statewide social distancing measures in the US by 1% per day. The COVID-19-attributed mortality rate decreased beginning 7 days after implementation by 2% per day. The authors emphasize caution in interpreting these results due to potential bias resulting from the aggregate…
August 12, 2020
Model-Based Projections for COVID-19 Outbreak Size and Student-Days Lost to Closure in Ontario Childcare Centres and Primary Schools
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Phillips et al. used an agent-based model to generate predictions of SARS-CoV-2 infection and student-days lost within a hypothetical childcare center with 50 children and educators under existing proposals for childcare and school re-opening in Ontario, Canada. Scenarios with student to teacher ratios of 7:3 with co-habiting students (e.g., siblings) grouped together had the lowest risk (lowest effective reproductive…
Association of Mental Disorders with SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Severe Health Outcomes a Nationwide Cohort Study
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A matched (age, sex, Charlson comorbidity index) cohort study of individuals tested for COVID-19 in Korea (n=122,722) found no evidence of association between a diagnosis of mental illness in the preceding 6 months and COVID-19 test positivity. A subgroup analyses found those with schizophrenia-related disorders had a higher likelihood of test positivity (OR=1.36, 95%CI 1.02-1.81). Restricted…
Strategic Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Serology Testing in a Low Prevalence Pandemic The COVID-19 Contact (CoCo) Study in Health Care Professionals
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A longitudinal cohort study of frontline healthcare professionals in a large German university hospital (n=217 participants, corresponding to 1,080 weekly measurements over 6 weeks) found a cumulative incidence of 1.8% for seroconversion to anti-SARS CoV-2 seropositivity by ELISA. Confirmatory testing indicated that only 1 of the 8 initial positive results were true positives, resulting in a true cumulative incidence…
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