Article Summary
February 12, 2020
Primary Care Practitioners’ Response to 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak in China
A national survey of primary care providers in China to assess 2019-nCoV prevention practices had a 62% response rate. Most respondents were proactively studying 2019-nCoV (99%); and guiding patients on preventive measures (94%). While only 48% were referring patients meeting a suspect case definition [undefined here] to hospitals for further diagnosis and treatment, this response…
Laboratory diagnosis and monitoring the viral shedding of 2019-nCoV infections
The diagnostic accuracy of different respiratory specimens for 2019-nCoV detection is assessed by Yang, et al. Specimens were collected from confirmed novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP; severe or mild) patients in a Guangdong, China hospital; and tested using the Qiagen QIAamp RNA Viral Kit and a Chinese Food & Drug Administration-approved, quantitative RT-PCR 2019-nCoV detection kit. …
Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 17 Hospitalized Patients with 2019 Novel Coronavirus Infections Outside Wuhan, China
A case series of 17 COVID-2019 cases from Dazhou, China is described. In comparing discharged and non-discharged patients, the authors find that younger age and higher lymphocytes and monocyte levels may be factors in faster recover. Li J, et al (Feb 12, 2020) Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of 17 Hospitalized Patients with 2019 Novel Coronavirus…
On the use of corticosteroids for 2019-nCoV pneumonia
Shang, et al. respond to an earlier article by Russell, et al. on clinical evidence of corticosteroid therapy in severe coronavirus infections. Shang, et al. describe the potential for selection bias and confounding in observational studies, given that usually only critically ill patients are treated with corticosteroid therapy. They further note that four references in…
Clinical characteristics and intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in nine pregnant women: a retrospective review of medical records
A case series of nine pregnant women with COVID-2019 provides a description of clinical characteristics and initial information on risk of vertical transmission. None of the patients developed severe COVID-19 pneumonia or died, as of Feb 4, 2020. Seven patients presented with a fever; four, with cough; three, myalgia; and two, sore throat or malaise….
Assessing the plausibility of subcritical transmission of 2019-nCoV in the United States
The upper bound for basic reproduction number, R, in the current US context is estimated based on the number of imported primary cases and secondary cases, and using a maximum likelihood technique. R is found to be less than 1 (subcritical) at this time. Depending on the value of a dispersion parameter reflecting heterogeneity of…
Beyond R0: the importance of contact tracing when predicting epidemics
Hebert-Dufrense, et al. apply network theory to improve basic estimates of R0, using added information from the numeric heterogeneity of secondary infections – that is, the fact that some individuals create more secondary infections then others. A range of predictions for the final size of the Wuhan 2019-nCoV epidemic is provided, using R0 estimates from…
Ophthalmologic evidence against the interpersonal transmission of 2019 novel coronavirus through conjunctiva
A case series of 67 2019-nCoV pneumonia patients (NCP) was evaluated to assess possible 2019-nCoV transmission from aerosol contact with the conjunctiva. A conjunctival swab sample from one patient with no ocular symptoms was RT-PCR positive; one patient with conjunctivitis was RT-PCR negative. [Note: The weak study design did not address their hypothesis, but the…
Diarrhea may be underestimated: a missing link in 2019 novel coronavirus
A gastrointestinal route of infection is proposed by Liang, et al., based on ACE2 [host cell receptor] mRNA expression in healthy human small intestines and other molecular evidence for biologic plausibility. It is hypothesized that eating 2019-nCoV-infected wild animals could result in human infection; and diarrhea as a 2019-nCoV symptom could both indicate a GI…
Epidemiological and clinical features of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in China
A review of all 2019-nCoV patients reported to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese CDC) up to 26 January, 2020 was undertaken to describe the affected populations and to estimate severity and transmissibility. Of 8866 patients, 4021 (45%) were laboratory confirmed. Ages were similar between confirmed and suspect cases (49 years; SD,…
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