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March 17, 2021
Efficacy of the ChAdOx1 NCoV-19 Covid-19 Vaccine against the B.1.351 Variant
Two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine did not show protection against mild-to-moderate COVID-19 among people infected with the B.1.351 variant in a multicenter randomized trial in South Africa. Mild-to-moderate COVID-19 developed in 23 of 717 placebo recipients (3.2%) and in 19 of 750 vaccine recipients (2.5%), for an efficacy of 21.9%. Among the…
Real-World Experience of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Assays in UK Healthcare Workers
Among health care workers in the UK, Abbott and Roche antibody assays showed low sensitivity for detecting individuals with previous PCR-confirmed infection. In a cohort study conducted at 2 medical centers in the UK, the Abbott antibody assay had a sensitivity (proportion with a positive antibody test result in those with previous PCR-confirmed infection) of…
Nasopharyngeal Panbio COVID-19 Antigen Performed at Point-of-Care Has a High Sensitivity in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Patients With Higher Risk for Transmission and Older Age
Performance of the nasopharyngeal Panbio COVID-19 antigen (Ag) test was highly dependent on the cycle threshold (Ct) value. The Panbio test showed high sensitivity among older, symptomatic patients with a cycle threshold (Ct) value below 30 (indicating higher viral load). The positive percent agreement (PPA) relative to RT-PCR of 94% for Ct at ≤25 and…
Clinical Evaluation of Roche SD Biosensor Rapid Antigen Test for SARS-CoV-2 in Municipal Health Service Testing Site, the Netherlands
Evaluation of the Roche SD Biosensor rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic outpatients demonstrated that test sensitivity was 84.9% and specificity was 99.5%. Around 98% of samples with a cycle threshold (Ct) below 30 (indicating higher viral load) were detected. Test sensitivity was higher (95.8%) among people who sought care within 7 days of…
Spread of a Variant SARS-CoV-2 in Long-Term Care Facilities in England
The proportion of SARS-CoV-2-positive samples that had an S gene target failure (suggestive of the B.1.1.7 strain) rose dramatically in late 2020 in the UK. The number and proportion of samples with S gene target failure increased from 12% to 60% between November 16 and December 13. By December 7, in South East England 57%…
SARS-CoV-2 Epidemiology on a Public University Campus in Washington State
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A SARS-CoV-2 testing program at the University of Washington found that SARS-CoV-2 spread through school-based outbreaks without evidence of spread to the surrounding community. The testing program, which prioritized individuals with symptoms and high-risk exposure, identified 236 cases out of 16,476 tests conducted in the fall of 2020. Affiliation with a university…
SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Transmission in Primary Schools in England in June-December, 2020 (SKIDs): An Active, Prospective Surveillance Study
Results from the COVID-19 surveillance in School KIDSs (sKIDs) study of primary school children in England indicated that SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in primary schools were low following partial and full reopening. During the summer half-term (that began in June 2020), weekly infection rates were 4.1 per 100,000 students and 12.5 per 100,000 staff. Seropositivity for…
An Integrated Analysis of Contact Tracing and Genomics to Assess the Efficacy of Travel Restrictions on SARS-CoV-2 Introduction and Transmission in England from June to September 2020
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A study of the genomic epidemiology of travel-associated SARS-CoV-2 determined that 51% of imported cases in England were related to travel to one of three countries: Greece (21%), Croatia (16%), and Spain (14%). 4,207 cases were of travel-associated SARS-CoV-2 were identified by contact tracing and defined as those that had travelled within…
March 16, 2021
Which Beliefs Predict Intention to Get Vaccinated against COVID-19? A Mixed-Methods Reasoned Action Approach Applied to Health Communication
Key themes that drive COVID-19 vaccination intentions including protecting oneself from COVID-19 infection, protecting those who are at risk for severe illness, and having to travel to receive the vaccine, based on an open-ended belief elicitation survey (n=197) conducted in the US. In a quantitative survey informed by qualitative findings, intent to receive the vaccine…
Self-Reported Hearing Difficulties Are Associated with Loneliness, Depression and Cognitive Dysfunction during the COVID-19 Pandemic
In the context of increased social isolation during the COVID-19, hearing difficulties among older adults were associated with self-reported anxiety, depression, and cognitive function, according to an online survey. Participants (n=80) had a mean age of 76 years and had their hearing measured by the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ12) and were…
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