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June 22, 2020
Lay Perspectives on Social Distancing and Other Official Recommendations and Regulations in the Time of COVID-19: A Qualitative Study of Social Media Posts
A qualitative study using data from Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube comments revealed that people ignore COVID-19-related orders and recommendations of authorities due to many reasons, including information pollution on social media, the persistence of uncertainty about the rapidly spreading virus, the impact of the social environment, and fear of unemployment associated with inequality in the distribution of income. …
June 19, 2020
SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Rate for Latinos in the Baltimore-Washington, DC Region
Out of 37,727 patients from 5 hospitals who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. region, 16.3% (95% CI 16.0-16.7%) tested positive. Prevalence was significantly higher for Latino patients (42.6%, 95% CI 41.1-44.1%), black patients (17.6%, 95% CI 16.6-18.3%) and patients of other non-white race/ethnicity (17.2%, 95% CI 16.2-18.3%) compared to white patients (8.8%,…
Disparities in Coronavirus 2019 Reported Incidence, Knowledge, and Behavior Among US Adults
A national survey conducted in March and April among US adults (n=5,198) found that African American respondents, men, and younger people had less accurate knowledge about COVID-19 symptoms and preventive behaviors than white respondents, women, and older individuals. Additionally, African American respondents were 3.5 percentage points more likely than white respondents to report having been infected with COVID-19, and…
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 among Asymptomatic Workers Screened for Work Resumption, China
Among 29,299 workers in Wuhan, China who were screened for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR prior to returning to work, 18 (0.061%) were positive, all of whom were asymptomatic. Of the 18 positives, 13 became negative within 8 days, and 41 of their close contacts tested negative. Among 22,633 workers tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, 617 (3%) had…
Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Two Longitudinal UK Population Cohorts
[pre-print, not peer reviewed] Two longitudinal cohorts in the UK collected validated mental health measures before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety and lower wellbeing, but not depression, increased since the start of the pandemic. The percentage of individuals with probable anxiety disorder nearly doubled from 13% to 24%. Younger people, women, those with pre-existing mental or physical health…
Prevalence of Taste and Smell Dysfunction in Coronavirus Disease 2019
A retrospective telephone survey of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 during March 5-23, 2020 (n=204) found that 57% reported reduction of taste and/or smell prior to diagnosis and that 40% reported reduction of both taste and smell prior to diagnosis. 55% reported taste reduction and 41% reported smell reduction. Nasal obstruction was rare among patients with…
The Cardiac Toxicity of Chloroquine or Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis
[pre-print, not peer reviewed] A systematic review and meta-analysis (n=19 studies; 5,652 patients) studied the incidence of cardiac endpoints among COVID-19 patients treated with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, including QT prolongation—a potential precursor to the arrhythmias torsades de pointes (TdP) or ventricular tachycardia (VT) or cardiac arrest—as well as TdP/VT or cardiac arrest. The pooled incidence was 90 per 1,000…
Potent Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies Directed to Multiple Epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike
[pre-print, not peer reviewed] Among 16 SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibodies from 5 patients with severe disease, 19 potently neutralized the virus in vitro, 9 with exquisite potency. Several are promising candidates for treatment or prevention of COVID-19. These 19 antibodies were nearly equally divided between two regions at the top of the viral spike — the receptor binding domain…
Combined Point of Care Nucleic Acid and Antibody Testing for SARS-CoV-2 a Prospective Cohort Study in Suspected Moderate to Severe COVID-19 Disease
[pre-print, not peer reviewed] Micochova et al. compared a combined rapid test (nucleic acid amplification on nose/throat swab and lateral flow assay antibody test on serum) suitable for point-of-care use with a composite gold standard on 45 patients with suspected moderate to severe COVID-19 disease. In days 1-7 of illness, sensitivity of the nucleic acid test alone…
Association of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor or Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Use With COVID-19 Diagnosis and Mortality
A retrospective cohort study of 4,480 patients with COVID-19 using data from the Danish national administrative registries found that prior use of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARBs) was not associated with higher mortality from COVID-19. [EDITORIAL NOTE: The article was accompanied by a JAMA editorial that concluded that when there is a clinical indication for their use, ACEI/ARBs should not be discontinued…
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