Article Summary
April 21, 2020
Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong: an observational study
The authors analyzed data on influenza and coronavirus transmission in response to non-pharmaceutical interventions implemented in Hong Kong. COVID-19 transmission has slowed, with an R1 (transmission rate per case) of ~1 sustained for 8 weeks, and influenza community transmission has been reduced by 44%, with a 33% reduction in pediatric hospitalization rates. This study shows…
The effect of inter-city travel restrictions on geographical spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Wuhan, China
The authors assess the effectiveness of travel restrictions in Wuhan on delaying or reducing transmission of COVID-19 to other major cities in China. They conclude that restrictions alone did not have a substantial impact, as local transmission in other cities had already been occurring prior to implementation. Quilty et al. (April 21, 2020). The effect…
The estimated impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions on documented cases of COVID-19: A cross-country analysis
The authors provide estimates on the effectiveness of various non-pharmaceutical interventions based on early estimates from 20 countries, including the US. Closure of venues was associated with a 33% reduction in new cases (95% CI: 16-47%), bands on non-essential business with a 28% reduction (10-42%), border closures with a 26% reduction (13-37%), and school closures…
April 20, 2020
Impacts of healthcare worker shift scheduling on workforce preservation during the COVID-19 pandemic
Kluger et al modeled various inpatient rotation schedules of physicians and nurses to determine patterns associated with optimal workforce preservation and lower nosocomial infections in settings with inadequate PPE availability. Results from Monte-Carlo simulations showed that alternative staffing methods, in which groups of physicians and nurses share rotations that are at least 3 consecutive days…
Early prediction of mortality risk among severe COVID-19 patients using machine learning
Using available clinical data, Hu et al developed a machine learning model to predict the outcomes of COVID-19 patients early on, in which the individual risk score based on the four selected variables (age, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level, lymphocyte count and d-dimer level) and the corresponding probability of death can be used to assess the…
Clinical characteristics of secure acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 reactivation
Ye at al reviewed clinical and lab records, and chest CT scans for 55 patients with lab-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to a hospital in Wuhan, 5 of whom presented with SARS-CoV-2 reactivation after hospital discharge. The time from SARS-CoV-2 negative to positive ranged from 4 to 17 days, suggesting that recovered patients may still be…
The scRNA-seq expression profiling of the receptor ACE2 and the cellular protease TMPRSS2 reveals human organs susceptible to COVID19 infection
This study found evidence of COVID-19 infection in the nervous, digestive, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and urine systems using scRNA-Seq data collected from 31 organs from 9 major human systems. The lungs, large intestine, fallopian tube and nose were found to be the most susceptible organs, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 mainly attacks the respiratory, digestive and reproductive…
Diagnosis of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): rRT-PCR or CT?
Long et al compared the diagnosis value of CT vs real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) in 36 patients, reporting sensitivities of 97.2% and 83.3%, respectively, at the time of initial testing. Six patients were missed in the first round of rRT-PCR, indicating that this method may produce initial false negative results. The authors suggest that patients with…
Symptom Screening at Illness Onset of Health Care Personnel With SARS-CoV-2 Infection in King County, Washington
To assess the spectrum of symptoms at onset of illness among 48 healthcare personnel (HCP) in King County and to evaluate current screening criteria for early detection of COVID-19, the authors find that screening for only fever, cough, shortness of breath or sore throat may have missed 17% of symptomatic HCP, while expanding criteria to…
Evaluation of antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 using ELISA and lateral flow immunoassays
Recognizing the need for robust antibody detection testing, Crook tested plasma for SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies by ELISA and 9 different commercially available lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) devices. ELISA has a sensitivity of 85% (34/40) ≥10 after symptom onset and a specificity of 100% (142/142), whereas the performance of LFIA was much lower with…
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