Article Summary
April 14, 2021
SARS-CoV-2 Spike E484K Mutation Reduces Antibody Neutralisation
An in-vitro study of serum from persons with either prior SARS-CoV-2 infection or two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (N=34) found that antibody neutralization in all samples was reduced against SARS-CoV-2 virus with a single spike E484K mutation compared to the USA-WA1/2020 strain (the strain first detected in the US). The largest reductions in antibody…
High Coverage COVID-19 MRNA Vaccination Rapidly Controls SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Long-Term Care Facilities
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A study comparing documented SARS-CoV-2 infections and deaths in Spain to counterfactual model predictions from February 6 to March 28, 2021 estimated that after 70% of long-term care facility residents had been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, 74% of COVID-19 deaths and 75% of all documented infections were prevented, and transmission…
Real-World Experience of Bamlanivimab for COVID-19: A Case-Control Study
Adults with COVID-19 who were not hospitalized and received the monoclonal antibody therapy bamlanivimab (n = 218) had a 63% lower 30-day hospitalization rate than those who did not receive the treatment (n = 185) in a case-control study conducted between November 20, 2020 and January 19, 2021. Odds of hospitalization was 4.2 times higher…
Neonatal SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Breastfeeding Mothers
No evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was found among newborns born to mothers positive for SARS-CoV-2 (n = 55) who were separated from mothers post-delivery. All newborns tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 post-delivery, and 75% were fed unpasteurized, expressed breast milk during the separation until discharge. 89% of neonates were discharged after mothers were instructed in anti-infection…
Laboratory Modeling of SARS-CoV-2 Exposure Reduction Through Physically Distanced Seating in Aircraft Cabins Using Bacteriophage Aerosol — November 2020
A laboratory model of airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission on single- and twin-aisle aircraft found that exposures were reduced by 23-57% in seating scenarios when the middle seat was left vacant compared to when every seat was filled. Data from a study which examined aerosolized dispersion of a non-pathogenic respiratory virus in various airline cabin mock-ups from…
The Effect of In-Person Primary and Secondary School Instruction on County-Level SARS-CoV-2 Spread in Indiana
A county-level population-based study in Indiana found that for every 10% increase in the proportion of students attending in-person instruction, daily risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection increased by 0.336 per 100,000 population. This corresponds to an overall 0.8% increase over the expected number of cases 28 days later. The authors note that this increase is very…
April 13, 2021
Hospital-Acquired Infections among Adult Patients Admitted for COVID-19
26% of patients admitted for COVID-19 (n=963) to the Johns Hopkins Health System between March and May of 2020 had either a possible, probable, or confirmed hospital acquired infection (HAI). Independent risk factors for development of probable/confirmed HAI included history of congestive heart failure, dexamethasone during hospitalization, ICU admission prior to HAI, and receipt of…
Factors Affecting Nurses’ Intention to Accept the COVID-9 Vaccine: A Cross-sectional Study
40% of nurses in Palestine reported planning to get a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a cross-sectional survey (n=639) conducted in January 2021. 41% would take it later when further protection and safety data were presented, and 18% would never take it. Preference for “natural immunity” and lack of vaccine knowledge were most strongly associated with…
SARS-CoV-2–Specific Antibodies in Breast Milk After COVID-19 Vaccination of Breastfeeding Women
Vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies were found in a high proportion of breastmilk samples obtained up to 6 weeks post-vaccination from breastfeeding women in a cohort study in Israel (n=84,504 total samples). IgA antibody positivity peaked at 86% of samples at week 4 (1 week after second dose) and remained at 66% by week 6. IgG antibody…
Age-Dependence of Healthcare Interventions for COVID-19 in Ontario, Canada
More than half of people who died of COVID-19 in Ontario, Canada (3,475 of 6,728) had no record of hospitalization for treatment related to COVID-19 (up to February 2021). Hospitalizations were relatively uniform between ages 60-90 years, while deaths were more concentrated in ages 80 and above. Using a generalized linear model, the estimated probability…
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