Article Summary
April 9, 2021
Notes from the Field : COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing Program — Spirit Lake Tribe, North Dakota, September–November 2020
In September 2020, a CDC-assisted, tribally managed COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing program for the Spirit Lake Tribe in North Dakota was implemented in response to increasing incidence of COVID-19. Between September 29 and November 20, 2020, 317 persons with confirmed COVID-19 and 667 close contacts were reported. 80% of patients with confirmed COVID-19…
The Lockdown Effect: A Counterfactual for Sweden
A modeling study simulated the potential effects of a stricter, government-imposed lockdown policy in Sweden, a country that did not impose such a lockdown in early 2020. The authors compared COVID-related deaths, SARS-CoV-2 infections, and change in national GDP in Sweden from March 15-May 17, 2020 to a weighted average of similar neighboring countries that…
Time-Dependent Heterogeneity Leads to Transient Suppression of the COVID-19 Epidemic, Not Herd Immunity
A theoretical modeling study demonstrates how population-level heterogeneity in susceptibility to an infectious disease produces a phenomenon called “transient collective immunity”, which may lead to a temporary and misleading decrease in cases before reaching a wider and lasting herd immunity threshold. In the COVID-19 pandemic, persons highly susceptible to infection due to biological or social…
Association of Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Posttraumatic Psychological Growth Among US Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic
A study of US veterans found that during that pandemic, some veterans experienced positive psychological changes, most notable related to increases in appreciation of life, relating to others, and personal strength. A longitudinal study of US Veterans (N=3,078) found that 43% of respondents reported increased levels of post-traumatic growth (PTG) in November/December 2020, 1-year after…
Neonatal Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City
A single-center study of singleton births to mothers without SARS-CoV-2 infection who were residents of New York City (N=43,963) found that changes in the rate of preterm births and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions in the 3 months before and after the stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were issued were not…
The Incubation Period during the Pandemic of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A systematic review (42 studies) and meta-analysis (11 studies) estimated a pooled mean incubation period for COVID-19 of 6.2 days. The authors note that many studies estimated a 95th percentile for incubation periods of up to 16 days, which they suggest may indicate that longer incubation periods should be considered when recommending quarantine and isolation…
Poor Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Humoral and T-Cell Responses After 2 Injections of mRNA Vaccine in Kidney Transplant Recipients Treated with Belatacept
A study of kidney transplant recipients receiving belatacept (N=101), a drug to prevent organ rejection, found that humoral and T-cell immune response to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was low. Only 2 patients developed spike antibodies 28 days after the first dose and 2 of 35 patients tested one month after the 2nd dose developed antibodies. A…
Single-Dose BNT162b2 Vaccine Protects against Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection
A study of health care workers (N=~9,000) employed at Cambridge University Hospitals in Great Britain found that 1 dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a 4-fold reduction in asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection ≥12 days post-vaccination, from 0.8% to 0.2% [EDITORIAL NOTE: This is equivalent to a 75% vaccine efficacy]. Additionally, the median cycle…
COVID-19 Stats: College and University COVID-19 Student Testing Protocols, by Mode of Instruction (N = 1,849) — United States, Spring 2021
As of March 17, 2021, a total of 899 (49%) of 1,849 public and private nonprofit 4-year U.S. colleges and universities provided some type of COVID-19 testing for asymptomatic students. A total of 548 (30%) institutions conducted classes in-person or in a hybrid format. At 389 (43%) institutions there were protocols that required periodic testing…
Ultra-Sensitive Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Antigen Detection for the Diagnosis of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Upper Respiratory Samples
A study of a newly developed ultra-sensitive assay for detection of SARS-CoV-2 (S-PLEX, MesoScale Diagnostics) in upper respiratory samples (N=450) with a cycle threshold <35 (higher concentration of virus) demonstrated 95-98% positive agreement and 93-96% negative agreement with RT-PCR. This study confirmed the findings of a previous study of the assay that was performed on…
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