Article Summary
April 20, 2021
Serological Investigation of Asymptomatic Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reveals Weak and Declining Antibody Responses
SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid IgM antibodies were detected in a small proportion (6%) of asymptomatic food workers (n=508) in Wuhan in April 2020. In a follow-up survey among 21 of seropositive participants, IgM levels had declined by up to 50% in 90% of individuals. In comparison to a cohort of symptomatic patients 2 months after infection, asymptomatic…
Safety and Immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Protein Vaccine Formulations in Healthy Adults: Interim Results of a Randomised, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 1–2, Dose-Ranging Study
The SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein vaccine candidate CoV2 preS dTM (Sanofi Pasteur) was safe and immunogenic in a randomized Phase I/II trial (n=439) but elicited lower immune responses than anticipated. Both a one and two dose regimen were tested but a single vaccine dose did not generate neutralizing antibody titers above placebo levels in any group….
Identification of Natural SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Seroprevalence Studies among Vaccinated Populations
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Anti-nucleocapsid protein (N) antibodies were found to be an accurate method for differentiating between antibodies produced by natural infection and antibodies produced in response to vaccination, according to a study of healthcare workers (n=82). Participants were tested for anti-spike (S) IgG antibodies and anti-N IgG at two time points. No participants were…
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Convalescent Plasma Versus Standard Plasma in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infected Hospitalized Patients in New York
No difference in ventilator-free days through 28 days (p=0.86) was observed between patients randomized to receive convalescent plasma (CP) vs standard plasma in a 4:1 randomized doubled-blind placebo-controlled trial (n=74). CP increased antibody levels by 14%, whereas standard plasma led to a 7% decrease. All-cause mortality through 90 days was non-significantly lower in the CP…
Attack Rates amongst Household Members of Outpatients with Confirmed COVID-19 in Bergen, Norway: A Case-Ascertained Study
The overall SARS-CoV-2 household attack rate was 45% among 112 index cases and 179 total household contacts in a study conducted in Norway from February to April 2020. Attack rates were equally high in children (48%) and young adults (42%). The attack rate was not associated with household size or with whether or not the…
April 19, 2021
Clinical Characteristics of False Negative SARS-CoV-2 Test Results Amongst Hospitalized Patients
False negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results, defined as an initial negative test followed by a positive test within seven days, were associated with loss of taste or smell (aOR = 8.4), having a SARS-CoV-2-positive contact (aOR = 10.5), and having an elevated lactate dehydrogenase level (aOR = 3.3) compared to true negative results. Among 1,009 SARS-CoV-2 test…
COVID-19 Vaccination Preparedness Policies in U.S. Hospitals
A survey of US infectious disease physicians conducted between December 10, 2020 and January 2, 2021 found that 571 respondents (95%) reported that their facilities had a plan for determining which healthcare personnel (HCP) would be vaccinated first, with most prioritizing by unit (n = 226, 40%), job title or type of work (n =…
Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses against SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Human Coronaviruses after Single BNT162b2 Vaccination
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] An assessment of humoral and T cell responses against a wild type SARS-CoV-2 strain, variants of concern (B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1), and endemic human coronaviruses (hCov) induced after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine found that IgG against the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein was readily detectable at day 14, but inhibition of…
Short‐term Impact of Nursing Home SARS‐CoV‐2 Vaccinations on New Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths
A study comparing SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations in nursing homes (n = 280) that had early vaccine clinics (between December 18, 2020, and January 2, 2021) and later vaccine clinics (between January 3 and January 18, 2021) found that one week following the clinics, nursing homes with earlier clinics had 2.5 fewer incident SARS‐CoV‐2 infections…
Efficacy of the BNT162b2 MRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL, n = 169) who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the antibody response rate was 39.5% as measured by the Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay at a median of 15 days after the second dose. Compared to age- and sex-matched controls, the response rate among patients with CLL was…
Previous page Next page