Article Summary
March 25, 2021
Risk for Fomite-Mediated Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Child Daycares, Schools, Nursing Homes, and Offices
A transmission model suggests that hourly cleaning and disinfection alone could interrupt fomite transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in some office settings, but would not be sufficient for child daycares and schools and should be combined with measures to reduce viral shedding such as mask wearing. Model estimates show that sustained transmission may be possible based on…
In-Person Schooling and COVID-19 Transmission in Canada’s Three Largest Cities
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Mandatory in-person instruction without universal mask mandates may contribute to increased community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, according to a comparative case study that examined weekly incidence among children ages 0-19 years in Canada’s three largest cities from August 2020 to January 2021. The highest incidence among children ages 0-19 years by the end…
March 23, 2021
Association between Living with Children and Outcomes from Covid-19: OpenSAFELY Cohort Study of 12 Million Adults in England
For adults aged ≤65 years, living with children under the age of 18 was associated with a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and having a COVID-19 related hospital admission during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in England. These associations were not present during the first wave. Risk of infection was 6% and 22%…
Radiological and Functional Lung Sequelae of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A systematic review of PubMed and Embase to investigate characteristics of lung sequelae in COVID-19 patients found that about half of COVID-19 patients still had residual abnormalities on chest computerized tomography (CT) and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) at about 3 months after hospital discharge. Residual CT abnormalities were present in 55.7% (95% CI 41.2-70.1) of…
Association of Age With SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response
SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses are distinct in different age groups, according to a cross-sectional study of a New York City hospital using 31,426 SARS-CoV-2 antibody test results from pediatric and adult patients. IgG levels were negatively correlated with age in the pediatric population (r = -0.45, P < .001), but moderately positively correlated with age in…
Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Generates T-Cell Memory in the Absence of a Detectable Viral Infection
Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 may still lead to the development of SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells in the absence of detectable SARS-CoV-2 virus or antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 antigens (spike and nucleocapsid). In blood samples collected from 69 individuals between 48 and 86 days after close contact with an individual with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, 58% and 14%…
Reduced Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant by Convalescent and Vaccine Sera
The B.1.1.7 variant has a 7-fold higher binding affinity to the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor in human cells than a parent SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated from Wuhan, suggesting a mechanism for the rapid emergence of this variant. Serum from individuals vaccinated with either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Oxford-AstraZeneca and serum recovered from infection with the…
Risk of Reinfection after Seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 A Population-Based Propensity-Score Matched Cohort Study
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Swiss adults who were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies were less likely to have a SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive test than propensity-score-matched seronegative adults in the 8 months following antibody measurements. Of the 498 seropositive individuals, only 5 (1%) retested positive (likely indicative of reinfection) after a mean follow-up of 36 weeks. In…
Reduced BNT162b2 MRNA Vaccine Response in SARS-CoV-2-Naive Nursing Home Residents
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Nursing home (NH) residents had blunted antibody responses following vaccination with BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Moderna) when compared to healthcare workers. SARS-CoV-2-naive NH residents mounted antibody responses with nearly 4-fold lower median neutralization titers and half the anti-spike level compared to SARS-CoV-2-naive healthcare workers. In contrast, NH residents who had recovered from infection…
The Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Presymptomatic COVID-19 Patients: How We Can Be One Step Ahead in Mitigating a Deadly Pandemic
Presymptomatic patients were more likely to have atypical symptoms of COVID-19 when compared to symptomatic patients, according to a retrospective study (n=199) of patients identified via contact tracing in Malaysia. In the cohort, 21% of patients were presymptomatic, 27% were mildly symptomatic, and 52% were asymptomatic. Females were more likely to present as presymptomatic than…
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