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July 8, 2020
Development and Evaluation of a Duo SARS-CoV-2 RT-QPCR Assay Combining Two Assays Approved by the World Health Organization Targeting the Envelope and the RNA-Dependant RNA Polymerase (RdRp) Coding Regions
Pezzi et al. evaluated a duo SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR assay. Compared to monoplex RT-qPCR assays, dual-target assays may be less likely to have false-negative results caused by polymorphisms or point mutations. Based on 69 nasopharyngeal samples, the dual assay performed equal to or better than mono-target assays in terms of sensitivity, specificity, linearity, and signal intensity. Pezzi et al. (June 25, 2020). Development and…
An Evaluation of COVID-19 Serological Assays Informs Future Diagnostics and Exposure Assessment
In a comparison of eight SARS-CoV-2 serological assays, GeurtsvanKessel et. al found that the Wantai ELISA for detecting total Ig and IgM antibodies (Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co., Ltd., China) had the best overall performance. The Wantai ELISA had a specificity of 99% and sensitivities of 99% for IgG and 90% IgM antibodies, and was able to detect functional antibodies in different stages and…
Covid-19 Exposure Risk for Family Members of Healthcare Workers: An Observational Study
In a study of health care workers and their family members in Italy, 5% (2/38) of health care workers and 32% (26/81) of their family members tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In two families, healthcare workers were the people who tested negative. The authors suggest that family members had a higher exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection via the…
Coronavirus Disease Exposure and Spread from Nightclubs, South Korea
As of May 25, 246 COVID-19 cases have been linked to an outbreak at a nightclub in Seoul, South Korea. Nightclubs in South Korea that had been closed previously as part of the social distancing policy re–opened on April 30, ahead of the April 30–May 5 Golden Week holiday. Through large scale contact tracing, Kang et al….
July 7, 2020
Update: COVID-19 Among Workers in Meat and Poultry Processing Facilities ― United States, April–May 2020
According to a CDC update, during April and May of 2020, 16,233 workers in 239 meat and poultry processing facilities developed confirmed COVID-19, with a case fatality of 0.5% (86 deaths). Among cases whose race or ethnicity were reported, 87% are racial or ethnic minorities. The authors recommend continued attention to workplace interventions and prevention efforts that are appropriately…
Modeling the role of respiratory droplets in Covid-19 type pandemics.
Chaudhuri at al. construct a macro-level model of the growth rate of the infected population and a micro-level model of the physics of respiratory droplets, combining the two with theoretical knowledge to create a tool that clarifies the role of environmental factors in COVID-19 spread. They write that, with extreme caution, the combined models could be used to estimate…
Mobility restrictions for the control of epidemics: When do they work?
To determine when mobility restrictions reduce the size of an epidemic, Espinoza et al. use a model of disease transmission within and between economically heterogeneous locally connected communities, one with a low-risk, low-density population and the other with a high-risk, high-density population. Unrestricted mobility between the two communities increases the number of secondary cases in the…
COVID stress syndrome: Concept, structure, and correlates
Taylor et al. describe a COVID-19 stress syndrome using a population-representative sample of 6,854 American and Canadian adults who completed a survey with questions about current mental health and COVID‐19‐related experiences, distress, and coping. They found that 16% of participants were highly distressed and likely in need of mental health services in a sample population where 2% reported being diagnosed with COVID-19 and 6% were personally acquainted with someone who had COVID-19. Syndrome severity was…
Self-reported alteration of sense of smell or taste in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis on 3563 patients
Borsetto et al. conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (18 studies with 3,563 patients) that assessed the prevalence of self-reported altered sense of smell or taste in patients with confirmed COVID-19. They found alterations in smell or taste among 31% of participants with severe COVID-19 and 67% of participants with mild-to-moderate COVID-19, with an overall prevalence of 47%. In 20% of participants, the alteration preceded other symptoms, suggesting…
Association of initial viral load in SARS-COV-2 patients with outcome and symptoms
Argyropoulos et al. found that higher SARS-CoV-2 viral load was associated with shorter duration of symptoms prior to testing among patients seen in emergency departments in New York City (n=205) and was associated with shorter duration of stay for hospitalized patients (n=40).Viral load was not associated with admission to ICU, length of oxygen support, or overall survival. The authors suggest that higher viral loads are seen in mild rather…
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