Article Summary
April 23, 2021
Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Insurance Coverage among Trauma Patients: A Study of Six Level I Trauma Centers
An analysis of hospitalized adult patients admitted at 6 US Level I trauma centers from 2018-2020 (N=31,225) found that the proportion of patients without health insurance increased from 15% to 21%. The authors hypothesized that the proportion of patients without insurance would increase due to higher rates of unemployment during the pandemic. However, the proportion…
Does Taking an Angiotensin Inhibitor Increase the Risk for COVID-19? – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A systematic review and meta-analysis found no association between angiotensin inhibitor (ACE) use and COVID-19 severity or mortality. The authors suggest that these data may indicate that the presence of hypertension, rather than the use of ACEs, is a greater risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes. The authors conclude that there is no evidence to…
Preexisting and New-Onset Diabetes in Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A single-center study of patients admitted for COVID-19 pneumonia with diabetes (N=176) found that having new-onset diabetes was associated with higher risk of ICU admission and death and a longer time to viral clearance compared to having a preexisting diagnosis of diabetes. Nearly 30% of patients with new-onset diabetes did not have…
The Global Case-Fatality Rate of COVID-19 Has Been Declining Since May 2020
A retrospective evaluation of WHO SARS-CoV-2 daily situation reports data found that the global cumulative reported case fatality rate (rCFR) reached a peak of 7.2% during the week of April 22-28, 2020 before declining to 2.2% in December 28-31, 2020. The decline in rCFR was not associated with an increase in tests performed. However, county-level…
Health Care Utilization and Clinical Characteristics of Nonhospitalized Adults in an Integrated Health Care System 28 – 180 Days After COVID-19 Diagnosis — Georgia, May 2020–March 2021
Among adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 who were not hospitalized and who were enrolled in an integrated health system in Georgia, approximately two thirds had at least 1 outpatient medical encounter 28–180 days after diagnosis, and approximately two thirds of these persons received a new primary diagnosis at one or more visits. New diagnoses included cough,…
Real World Effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines against Hospitalizations and Deaths in the United States
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A large, retrospective cohort analysis of patients enrolled in a Houston, TX healthcare network (N=91,134) found that vaccination with 2 doses of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine reduced the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization by 96% and COVID-19 associated deaths by 99%. Additionally, the study found that persons with partial immunization, (defined…
Addressing Racial/ethnic Disparities in the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] An analysis of state-level, race-stratified COVID-19 vaccination data found that Black and Hispanic adults have received proportionally lower levels of vaccinations compared to white adults. Across all states, adjusted for eligible population size, vaccine coverage among Black and Hispanic adults was 27% compared to 44% in white adults as of March 31,…
Previous COVID-19 Infection but Not Long-COVID Is Associated with Increased Adverse Events Following BNT162b2Pfizer Vaccination
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A study of UK healthcare workers (N=974) vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine found that prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not long-COVID, was associated with a higher incidence of self-reported adverse events following the first vaccine dose. Those with a self-reported prior SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to report ≥1 moderate-to-severe symptom with onset…
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy January-March 2021 among 18-64 Year Old US Adults by Employment and Occupation
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A large, nationally representative online survey of US adults ages 18-64 (N=732,308) found that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy decreased from 28% in January 2021 to 22% in March 2021, but remained higher in specific occupational groups. Persons employed in physical/life sciences and education had the lowest vaccine hesitancy (9%) while persons employed in…
Detection and Characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.526 in New York
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] By February 2021, the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.526 lineage accounted for approximately 32% of 3,288 sequenced genomes from specimens collected in New York City. The lineage was first sequenced in November, 2020, when it accounted for less than 1% of sequenced genomes in the city. Using the Variant Database software, the authors noted that…
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