Article Summary
May 7, 2020
Internet Search Patterns Reveal Clinical Course of Disease Progression for COVID-19 and Predict Pandemic Spread in 32 Countries
Analysis of global internet search patterns in 32 countries across six continents detected a robust temporal pattern of a progression of search terms related symptoms that matches the clinical course of COVID-19. Earliest-peaking search terms were combinations of “fever”, “cough”, “coronavirus symptoms”, and “coronavirus test.” There was an average lag of 5-days between increases in searches for “fever” and “cough” and the increase in searches…
Effect of Temperature on the Transmission of COVID-19 A Machine Learning Case Study in Spain
Using a machine learning approach, authors in three populous regions in Spain found a small inverse association between temperature and daily number of COVID-19 infections, and that this association persisted for lags of up to 6 days, corresponding to the mean incubation period for COVID-19. No evidence of association with humidity or wind speed was found. Abdollahi et al. (May…
Impact of Policy Interventions and Social Distancing on SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in the United States
Dreher et al. conducted a state-level analysis using regression models with primary outcomes defined as the average effective reproductive number (Rt) in the week after the state reached 500 cases and doubling time from 500 to 1000 cases. After controlling for population density, GDP, and health metrics, they found that having a stay-at-home order in place at the time of the 500th case was significantly associated…
The Use of Facemasks by the General Population to Prevent Transmission of Covid 19 Infection A Systematic Review
A systematic literature review on the role of surgical and cloth face masks in preventing the spread of respiratory viruses in community or experimental setting shows that early initiation of facemask use can prevent the spread of respiratory viruses. This is particularly true for viruses which can be transmitted by presymptomatic or asymptotic individuals, but utility is limited by inconsistent…
The COronovirus Pandemic Epidemiology (COPE) Consortium: A Call to Action
Collaborators from hospitals and research institutions across the country announce the COPE Consortium, a central component of which will be a COVID-19 Symptom Tracker mobile application, which will serve as a common data collection tool for epidemiological cohort studies gathering data on risk factors for COVID-19 susceptibility, clinical outcomes, and long-term physical, mental health, and financial sequelae. The COVID-19 Symptom Tracker app…
May 6, 2020
Knowledge and Behaviors toward COVID-19 among U.S. Residents during the Early Days of the Pandemic: Online Questionnaire
This online survey examined the association between knowledge of COVID-19 and participation in different behaviors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Those with higher knowledge of COVID-19 were less likely to purchasing more consumable goods, attending large gatherings, and using medical masks. Compared to Republicans, Democrats were less likely to attend large gatherings or use medical masks. A national, coordinated effort at pandemic response may produce better compliance…
Geospatial Correlation Between COVID-19 Health Misinformation and Poisoning with Household Cleaners
Chary et al. compared tweets from the Greater Boston Area discussing treating COVID-19 with house cleaners to calls to the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Poison Control Center (MARI PCC). Half of the spikes in calls to MARI PCC about cleaner ingestions were preceded 2-3 days earlier by tweets advocating ingesting or injecting bleach to cure COVID-19. These results implicate health…
Evidence from internet search data shows information-seeking responses to news of local COVID-19 cases
Bento et al. used internet search data from the US to examine information-seeking behaviors in responses to the public announcement of the first case of COVID-19 in a state. Across states, searches for information about COVID-19 increased immediately after the announcement, but the elevated level of attention was short-lived, even though it was followed by increasingly strong policy measures. Searches for information about community-level policies (e.g., quarantine, school closures,…
The impact of believing you have had COVID-19 on behaviour: Cross-sectional survey
An online survey in the UK investigated behavioral differences between people who do and do not believe that they have had COVID-19. The survey indicates that there may be a high number of people who self-misdiagnosis, believing incorrectly that they have had COVID-19. Because those who believe they have had COVID-19 are more likely to think they are immune to COVID-19, they may contribute to transmission through non-adherence to social distancing measures. Clear…
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of cancer patients with COVID‐19
This retrospective study summarized clinical characteristics and outcomes of 52 cancer patients with COVID-19. Results show that the infection rate of SARS-COV-2 in cancer patients was higher than the general population. Lymphocyte levels were lower among patients with mild COVID-19 disease compared to severe/critical patients. D-dimer, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase and interleukin-6 were significantly higher in severe/critical patients compared to mild patients. Cancer patients with COVID-19 showed…
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