Article Summary
August 4, 2020
Evaluation of Serological SARS-CoV-2 Lateral Flow Assays for Rapid Point of Care Testing
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Conklin et al. evaluated 15 different rapid point-of-care tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from 40 SARS-CoV-2 infected, convalescent individuals (average 45 days post-symptom onset) and 60 pre-pandemic samples from negative control individuals (known to be infected with other respiratory viruses; rhinoviruses and coronaviruses). Overall, sensitivity ranged from 55-97%, and specificity ranged from 78-100%. Sensitivity and specificity values were higher for IgG alone than for IgM alone. Cross–reactivity was more pronounced…
Interim Results of a Phase II/III Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial of AVIFAVIR in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19
[pre–print, not peer-reviewed] Ivashchenko et al. report on a phase II/III randomized clinical trial of the antiviral agent favipiravir. Hospitalized patients with pneumonia and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (n=60) were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive low-dose favipiravir, high-dose favipiravir, or standard of care (SOC). Patients receiving favipiravir (both arms combined) were more likely than patients in SOC arm to have viral clearance by day 5 (63% vs 30%) and have lower median time to fever resolution (2 vs 4 days). Improvements in chest CT…
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Australian Educational Settings: A Prospective Cohort Study
Transmission between laboratory-confirmed pediatric (≤18) and adult COVID-19 cases from schools and early childhood education care (ECEC) setting and close contacts was examined in South Wales, Australia. Close contacts (n=1448) of infectious cases (n=27; n=12 children, n=15 adults) were followed to measure transmission. Close contacts were quarantined at home for 14 days, monitored, and offered testing if…
Was School Closure Effective in Mitigating Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)? Time Series Analysis Using Bayesian Inference
Iwata et al. fit a time series model to case data through March 31 to assess effectiveness of school closure in Japan. They assumed the effect of school closures on March 1st would become apparent 9 days following closure. They found the expected daily change in the number of cases pre- versus post-school closures was 0.08 (95% CI -0.36, 0.65). As this estimate was greater than zero, the authors concluded…
Social Distancing Laws Cause Only Small Losses of Economic Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Scandinavia
Sheridan et al. used real-time transaction data from a large Scandinavian bank to estimate reduction in aggregate spending due COVID-19, and found that most of the economic contraction was due to the pandemic in Scandinavian countries, rather than lockdown policies. In Sweden, there was a 25% reduction in aggregate spending as a result of the pandemic. In Denmark, where policies to control the pandemic where imposed,…
August 3, 2020
Characteristics and Outcomes of Contacts of COVID-19 Patients Monitored Using an Automated Symptom Monitoring Tool — Maine, May – June 2020
During May 14, 2020 – June 26, 2020, Maine CDC enrolled 1,622 contacts of 614 COVID-19 patients through an automated symptom monitoring as a part of the state’s contact tracing program. Resources constraints prompted Maine CDC to implement an automated system for monitoring contacts. Enrolled contacts automatically received daily symptom questionnaires via their choice of e-mailed weblink, text message, texted…
Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 Screening Strategies to Permit the Safe Reopening of College Campuses in the United States
Paltiel et al. conducted a modeling study with a hypothetical cohort of 5,000 residential college students including 10 (0.2%) with undetected, asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, and found that a symptom-based screening strategy was not sufficient to contain an outbreak in any model scenario. Screening every 1, 2, and 7 days resulted in a cumulative infection of 162, 243 or 1840, respectively, assuming an Rt of 2.5…
Strategies to Reduce the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Re-Introduction from International Travellers
[Preprint, not peer-reviewed] Clifford et al. estimated that a quarantine period of eight days for air travelers arriving to the UK with a PCR test on day-7 can reduce the number of infectious arrivals released into the community by a median 94% when compared with no quarantine. This reduction is similar to the 99% median reduction achieved by a 14–day quarantine…
Maternal Psychological Distress & Mental Health Service Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Among an online sample of 641 predominantly Canadian mothers of children age 0-8 years, clinically-significant depression was indicated by 33%, 43%, and 43% of mothers of children age 0-18 months, 18 months to 4 years, and 5 to 8 years, respectively. Anxiety was 36%, 33%, and 30% for mothers across age groups, respectively. These proportions appear elevated relative to population values from pre-pandemic periods. Cameron…
How Is COVID-19 Affecting the Mental Health of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Their Families?
Among 241 parents (92% mothers) of children with special educational needs and disabilities in the UK, many parents and children experienced loss, worry, and changes in mood and behavior as a result of the rapid social changes due to COVID-19. Suggestions from parents surveyed about the support that they would like in the COVID-19 pandemic included specialist professional advice for parents focused…
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