Article Summary
May 8, 2020
Social Determinants of COVID-19 Mortality at the County Level
This study used spatial autoregressive models to identify county-level factors associated with COVID-19 mortality in the US. In all counties, population density was significantly associated with higher risk of COVID-19 mortality. In non-urban counties, the proportion of the population who did not speak English, proportion engaged in farm work, and proportion living in poverty was positively associated with COVID-19 mortality. The proportion of uninsured individuals was negatively associated with COVID-19 mortality….
Clinical Characteristics and Results of Semen Tests Among Men With Coronavirus Disease 2019
Li et al. tested semen samples from 38 patients with COVID-19 and detected SARS-CoV-2 from 6 patients (15.8%), including 4 of 15 patients (26.7%) who were at the acute stage of infection and 2 of 23 patients (8.7%) who were recovering. Future studies are needed to determine if SARS-CoV-2 can be sexually transmitted and whether abstinence or condom use should be considered as…
Viral Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 in Asymptomatic Carriers and Presymptomatic Patients
Kim et al. included 71 participants with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were hospitalized for treatment or isolation and found that 3 were pre-symptomatic and 10 were entirely asymptomatic. Two of the three pre-symptomatic patients had very high levels of virus present during the incubation period (Ct value <20). The median time until the first negative RT-PCR (Ct >35) in the entirely asymptomatic carriers was 4.5 (range 2.5-9) days, and all asymptomatic…
Quantifying the Social Distancing Privilege Gap: a Longitudinal Study of Smartphone Movement
Using location data from more than 65 million mobile device traces, researchers explored associations between declines in mobility and various healthcare and economic indicators. They observed strong linear gradients in privilege, such that counties in the highest quintile of social distancing mobility restriction had 52% fewer uninsured, 47% more primary care providers, 29% more exercise space, 27% lower food insecurity, 26% less child…
May 7, 2020
Repeated Seroprevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies in a Population-Based Sample from Geneva Switzerland
Researchers in Switzerland used a pre-existing representative survey of the population of Geneva to estimate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence. Each week, 1,300 participants not in quarantine or isolation were invited to participate, along with all members of the household 5 years or older. Over the first 3 weeks of the 12 week study, 1,335 participants were recruited (31% of those invited). Seroprevalence was estimated to be 3.1% (95% CI 0.2, 5.99) in…
Geospatially Referenced Demographic Agent-Based Modeling of SARS-CoV-2-Infection (COVID-19) Dynamics and Mitigation Effects in a Real-World Community
Adler et al. address limitations of compartmental deterministic models, including their limited ability make predictions for specific locations, points in time, or demographic groups, and to capture chance (“stochastic”) events, which is needed to estimate the probability of a second wave of transmission. The GERDA-1 model is a stochastic, geospatially-referenced and demography-specific agent-based model that can predict infection dynamics for specific subpopulations under a variety of scenarios (e.g.,…
Identification of IgG Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Its Receptor Binding Domain Does Not Predict Rapid Recovery from COVID-19
Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses from 20 hospitalized patient with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection found that the IgG titers against SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and its receptor binding domain (RBD) were not associated with their speed of recovery. One patient who recovered completely did not develop RBD antibodies. The authors note that COVID-19 immunity may involve cell-mediated (adaptive T-cell) as well as humoral (antibody) immunity. McAndrews et al….
The War on COVID-19 Pandemic
COVID-19 results in debility and neurological, pulmonary, neuromuscular, and cognitive complications that make rehabilitation an important component of recovery. These authors describe anticipated demands and strategies to meet the needs of this population, including early initiation of rehabilitation during hospitalization, provision of education on self-care after discharge, and models for outpatient rehabilitation. Lew et al. (May 4, 2020). The War on COVID-19 Pandemic….
Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Maternal Perinatal and Neonatal Outcomes a Systematic Review of 266 Pregnancies
A systematic review that included 19 case series and case reports, corresponding to 266 women, found that the clinical characteristics of pregnant women with COVID-19 are similar to nonpregnant adults. Among mothers with nucleic acid testing in vaginal mucus and breast milk samples (n=28), all samples were negative, as were neonates who received testing via throat swab (n=113). Juan et al….
Efficient Prevalence Estimation and Infected Sample Identification with Group Testing for SARS-CoV-2
Group testing of samples for the presence of SARS-CoV2 involves pooling samples from multiple individuals and testing individual samples only if the pool is positive. This strategy can greatly increase testing efficiency. This is especially critical during the use widespread screening and isolation as a part of primary control measures (i.e., absence of an effective therapeutic or vaccine). Using a mathematical model to…
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