Article Summary
February 13, 2020
Interventions targeting air travellers early in the pandemic may delay local outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2
Clifford et al. examine the effectiveness of air travel-related intervention at preventing 2019-nCoV outbreaks in previously unaffected regions. They examine screening for symptoms at departure or arrival, sensitization of arrivals to signs of illness, and a combination of both practices. This information is combined with R0 estimates and number of infected travelers arriving on a…
US Emergency Legal Responses to Novel Coronavirus Balancing Public Health and Civil Liberties
In this JAMA commentary, Gostin and Hodge discuss the balance of public health protections and civil liberties in the U.S. and the legitimacy of quarantine powers outlined in the Public Health Services Act. Gostin and Hodge (Feb 13, 2020). US Emergency Legal Responses to Novel Coronavirus Balancing Public Health and Civil Liberties. JAMA Viewpoint. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.2025…
Caution on Kidney Dysfunctions of 2019-nCoV Patients
Authors report on a case study of 59 COVID-19 patients tracking kidney function. A prior study of SARS-CoV patients found that acute renal impairment was uncommon but associated with high case fatality. Preliminary evidence indicates elevated risk of kidney impairment among COVID-19 patients. They recommend vigilant monitoring of kidney function among these patients to facilitate…
ACE2 Expression in Kidney and Testis May Cause Kidney and Testis Damage After 2019 2019-nCoV Infection
Clinical data from three previous studies on COVID-19 patients were reviewed for reports of abnormal renal function or kidney damage. Around 10% of patients had abnormal renal function. The 2019-nCoV virus is known to bind to ACE2 cell receptors, and researchers have determined previously that ACE2 cell receptor expression is relatively higher in kidney cells…
Clinical diagnosis of 8274 samples with 2019-novel coronavirus in Wuhan
Researchers evaluate 8,274 people with Wuhan close contacts who were tested for 2019-nCoV, of whom 33.2% had been infected. For 3% of cases (232) diagnosis was not definitive (only one target gene was positive out of two). The results of secondary testing are described along with recommendations for how to handle cases who test positive…
A Locally Transmitted Case of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Taiwan
The first known case of 2019-nCoV (labeled here as SARS-CoV-2) local transmission in Taiwan is reported along with CT chest imaging. The case occurred after close contact (spouse) with a known imported case. Liu et al. (Feb 12, 2020). A Locally Transmitted Case of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Taiwan. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2001573
Serial interval of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections
To better understand transmission dynamics, researchers attempted to quantify the serial interval for 2019-nCoV – the time from illness onset in a primary case to illness onset in the secondary case. They compiled a dataset of 30 known pairs of infector-infectee and estimated an average of 2.6 days which is substantially less than for SARS…
February 12, 2020
Other Resources
ClinicalTrials.gov has a list of 23 trials related to 2019-nCoV. Repository of disaster management recommendations and guidance from PH agencies. Red Book chapter on coronaviruses which covers SARS and MERS. Source is American Academy of Pediatrics Genome Typing Tool – Genome Detective
Healthcare-resource-adjusted vulnerabilities towards the 2019-nCoV epidemic across China
Given that limited healthcare resources have become a serious bottleneck to the Wuhan epidemic response, an SEIR modeling approach was combined with a healthcare-resource-adjusted vulnerability index to inform public health planning for constrained healthcare resources in this epidemic response. In addition to identifying vulnerabilities across 100 cities in China, the framework provided integrates human movements…
Early lessons from the frontline of the 2019-nCoV outbreak
Zhang describes the challenges early in the Wuhan 2019-nCoV outbreak. Areas mentioned with implications for policy include transparency of information, including timely public information; provider awareness of atypical presentations, potentially affecting spread across provider settings and insufficient use of respiratory precautions by providers; appreciation of alternate, non-respiratory routes of transmission; availability of personal protective equipment;…
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