Article Summary
May 10, 2021
Travel-Driven Emergence and Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.620 with Multiple VOC-like Mutations and Deletions in Europe
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] There is evidence from sequencing data from GISAID that the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.620 variant, which shares mutations and deletions common to variants of concern (VOCs), including E484K, S477N, HV69Δ, Y144Δ, and LLA241/243Δ, is likely contributing to ongoing transmission locally in Lithuania, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and the Central African Republic. The authors found evidence…
Viable Virus Shedding during SARS-CoV-2 Reinfection
Additional follow-up data from a prior prospective cohort study of young adults (18-20 years) reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 after testing negative on three nasal swab PCR tests over a 2-week quarantine period found that viable virus was detected in 4 of 16 participants, and only once in each, with titers ranging from 1.7 to 5.5 log10 plaque-forming…
May 7, 2021
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Its Determinants Among Adults with a History of Tobacco or Marijuana Use
An internet survey of US adults with a history of tobacco and/or cannabis use (N=387) found that 26% were unwilling to receive a COVID-19 vaccine while another 25% were unsure about willingness to be vaccinated. Respondents who reported living with 5 or more other persons or by themselves, living in a suburban or rural area,…
Changes in Emergency Medical Services before and during COVID 19 in the United States, January 2018-December 2020
A retrospective study of emergency medical service activations between 2018 and 2020 found that while the number of activations decreased in 2020, increases in the proportion of activations for on scene death (1.3% to 2.4%), cardiac arrest (1.3% to 2.2%), and opioid use/overdose (0.6 to 1.6%) were observed compared to 2018-2019. These frequencies subsequently declined…
Emergency Department Visits for Emergent Conditions Among Older Adults During the COVID -19 Pandemic
A retrospective cohort study of non-COVID related emergency department visits among US adults found that visits for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, and sepsis declined precipitously during the early pandemic period and remained lower than pre-pandemic levels through the summer and fall, particularly among adults age ≥75. In contrast, visits for hip fractures and falls…
Lives and Costs Saved by Expanding and Expediting COVID-19 Vaccination
A modeling study of US population dynamics and COVID-19 vaccination scenarios demonstrated that every 1% increase in coverage could avert an average of 876,800 cases, depending on the number of people already vaccinated, with the greatest gains achieved when increasing vaccine coverage in the population from 0% to 50%. Additionally, the study demonstrated that increasing…
Prevalence and Outcomes of Co-Infection and Superinfection with SARS-CoV-2 and Other Pathogens: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A meta-analysis of 118 studies reporting the clinical features and outcomes of persons with SARS CoV-2 infection found that up to 19% had co-infections (pathogens detected at the time of SARS CoV-2 diagnosis) and 24% had superinfections (other pathogens detected during SARS-CoV-2 care). Persons with co- and super-infections had a higher risk of mortality (OR…
Risk Factors For Infection And Health Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In People With Autoimmune Diseases
A prospective cohort study of persons with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions (N=4,666) found that persons with diabetes (OR=1.7), cardiovascular disease (OR=1.7) and kidney disease (OR=1.8) and patients taking glucocorticoid drugs (OR=1.4) had higher risks of COVID-19. Interruptions to healthcare were common, and persons with changes in their ability to pay for healthcare costs and those…
Risk of COVID-19 in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A National Veterans Affairs Matched Cohort Study in At-Risk Individuals
A matched cohort study of US veterans (N=66,772) found that persons with rheumatoid arthritis had a higher risk of COVID-19 disease (HR=1.25) and COVID-19 associated hospitalization or death (HR=1.35) compared to age-, sex-, and Veterans Administration-site-matched persons without rheumatoid arthritis. Persons on immunosuppressant drugs (DMARDS and prednisone) had the highest risk of COVID-19 and severe…
Preliminary Analysis of Safety and Immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 Variant Vaccine Booster
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Preliminary results from a clinical trial (N=80) of a modified Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccine administered as a booster 6 months after the two-dose vaccine series induced increases in antibody neutralization titers to the wild type and variant strains B.1.351 and P.1. The authors note that these results demonstrate the ability of a…
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