Article Summary
July 20, 2020
Self-Collected Anterior Nasal and Saliva Specimens versus Healthcare Worker-Collected Nasopharyngeal Swabs for the Molecular Detection of SARS-CoV-2
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Hanson et al. compared healthcare worker-collected nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) to self-collected anterior nasal swabs (ANS) and saliva for diagnosis of SARS CoV-2 infection in adults accessing drive through testing (n=268). The positive percent agreement between NPS and ANS or saliva was 86.3% and 93.8%, respectively. Negative percent agreement was 99.6% for NPS vs. ANS and…
July 17, 2020
Contact Tracing during Coronavirus Disease Outbreak, South Korea, 2020
Among 59,073 contacts of 5,706 COVID-19 index cases in South Korea monitored for an average of 9.9 days after index case diagnosis, 12% of household contacts acquired COVID-19, versus 2% for non-household contacts. Probability of a contact being positive was highest for household contacts when the index case was 10-19 years old (19%); however, only 2% of index cases were in this age group. Among non-household contacts,…
Physical Activity Mental Health and Well-Being of Adults during Early COVID-19 Containment Strategies A Multi-Country Cross-Sectional Analysis
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] An online survey of adults in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia within the first 2-6 weeks of government mandated COVID-19 restrictions found that patients who reported a negative change in exercise behavior demonstrated poorer mental health and well-being than those with no or improved exercise behavior. Women reported more positive changes in exercise behavior,…
Do Pre-Existing Anxiety-Related and Mood Disorders Differentially Impact COVID-19 Stress Responses and Coping?
Compared to individuals reporting no current mental health diagnosis, those with self-reported current anxiety-related or mood disorders had higher COVID Stress Scale total scores, in particular higher scores on fears about danger and contamination, socioeconomic consequences, xenophobia, and traumatic stress symptoms. They were furthermore more likely to voluntarily self-isolate and report greater self-isolation stressors and distress. Asmundson et al….
Clinical Characteristics, Comorbidities and Outcomes among Persons with HIV Hospitalized with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Atlanta, GA
Collins et al. present a case series of people living with HIV (PLWH) admitted with COVID-19 at three hospitals in Atlanta, GA between March 8 and April 23. They found that 4% of hospitalized COVID-19 cases were PLWH. Of these patients, the median age was 57, 65% were men, and 85% were non-Hispanic Black. Cough, fever, malaise, and breathing difficulty were…
Variation in SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence in US Skilled Nursing Facilities
Among 3,357 skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) from at least 25 US states, including a subset of 64 SNFs that performed universal testing, 23% of SNFs had COVID-19 outbreaks. Larger facility size was associated with a significantly higher probability of an outbreak. There was no association between the likelihood of an outbreak and past infection control citations or a measure of SNF quality. White et…
Temperature in Nursing Home Residents Systematically Tested for SARS-CoV-2
Among 7,325 residents of Community Living Centers operated by the Veterans Administration, which perform daily symptoms screening for COVID-19 and conducted universal RT-PCR testing on April 14, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 6% of residents. Temperatures were elevated in positive participants relative to negatives from 7 days before testing and remained elevated during the 14 day follow-up, but only 27% of positives met the fever threshold…
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Induces Robust Neutralizing Antibody Responses That Are Stable for at Least Three Months
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Among over 50,000 individuals with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure to someone with COVID-19, nearly 20,000 individuals had detectable antibodies. Of those who were antibody positive, 22% had moderate and 71% had high titers for anti-spike antibodies. Approximately half of the samples with low titers were able to neutralize virus, versus 90% and 100% of the samples with moderate and high titers, respectively. Among 121 donors…
Vascular Risk Factors, Framingham Risk Score, and COVID-19: Community-Based Cohort Study
A community-based prospective cohort study using UK Biobank data found that current smoking, physical inactivity, obesity/overweight, and diabetes were all positively associated with SARS-CoV-2 risk (adjusted for age, sex, alcohol intake, education, and ethnicity, and other CVD risk factors). There was no evidence of association for systolic blood pressure. Total cholesterol and HDL were associated with lower risk. Framingham…
Risk Factors for Intensive Care Unit Admission and In-Hospital Mortality among Hospitalized Adults Identified through the U.S. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET)
Among adults (n=2,491) hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from March 1 to May 2 identified through COVID-NET (154 hospitals in 74 counties and 13 states), 92% had one or more underlying condition, 32% required ICU admission, 19% required invasive mechanical ventilation, and 17% died. Older age, male sex, obesity, immunosuppression, and diabetes were positively associated with ICU admission….
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