Article Summary
March 3, 2021
Early Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccination with BNT162b2 MRNA Vaccine and ChAdOx1 Adenovirus Vector Vaccine on Symptomatic Disease Hospitalisations and Mortality in Older Adults in England
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A study of the real-world effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in the UK indicated that vaccination with a single dose of either vaccine was associated with a significant reduction in symptomatic COVID-19 cases in older adults, with strong protection against severe disease. Effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine among adults 80…
SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Detected in Human Breast Milk Post-Vaccination
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Significantly elevated levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgA antibodies were observed in breast milk starting 7 days after the initial vaccine dose in a cohort study of six lactating women who had received both doses of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. The authors note that the response following vaccination was…
Increased Resistance of SARS-CoV-2 Variant P.1 to Antibody Neutralization
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Reduced neutralization titers against the P.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant were found in both convalescent plasma (6.5-fold) and plasma from individuals who received an mRNA vaccine (2.2-2.8-fold). The P.1 variant completely resisted neutralization by multiple neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. Using a VSV-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus with all 10 mutations of the P.1 variant, the authors note…
Comparative Performance of SARS-CoV-2 Lateral Flow Antigen Tests Demonstrates Their Utility for High Sensitivity Detection of Infectious Virus in Clinical Specimens
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A comparison of six commercial rapid antigen lateral flow devices (LFDs) using combined nasal/oropharyngeal swabs obtained from clinical specimens demonstrated sensitivities ranging from 65% to 89%. Sensitivity increased in most tests to over 90% for samples with cycle threshold (Cts) lower than 25 (higher viral concentrations) and most had a high specificity…
Sequence Analysis of 20453 SARS-CoV-2 Genomes from the Houston Metropolitan Area Identifies the Emergence and Widespread Distribution of Multiple Isolates of All Major Variants of Concern
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Genomic sequencing of 20,453 virus specimens in Houston, Texas identified the presence of all variants of interest or concern (n=23 of B.1.1.7, n=2 of B.1.351, n=4 of P.1, and n=143 of B.1.429 and n=19 of B.1.427). None of the affected patients were from a common household or reported recent international travel, suggesting…
Travel from the United Kingdom to the United States by a Symptomatic Patient Infected with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant — Texas, January 2021
On January 10, 2021, an individual infected with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant was identified in Texas. No secondary cases with epidemiologic links to the patient have been identified to date. A case investigation revealed that the individual had traveled to the United Kingdom during November 13–December 30, 2020, and reported having been exposed to a…
First Identified Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Variant P.1 in the United States — Minnesota, January 2021
On January 25, 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health identified the first US cases of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern P.1 (first identified in persons from Brazil) in two individuals, one of whom had a recent travel history to Brazil. Whole genome sequencing revealed identical sequences from both individuals, who lived in the…
Persistent SARS-CoV-2 RNA Shedding without Evidence of Infectiousness: A Cohort Study of Individuals with COVID-19
A study of SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding showed that while most (97%) of people with mild to moderate COVID-19 continue to shed viral RNA for more than 10 days after symptom onset, virus could not be recovered by cell culture in any of the 35 individuals sampled more than 10 days after symptom onset. The authors…
Estimation of Secondary Household Attack Rates for Emergent SARS-CoV-2 Variants Detected by Genomic Surveillance at a Community-Based Testing Site in San Francisco
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Some SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in San Francisco with increasing prevalence may spread more efficiently to household contacts when compared to prior variants. Using SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing and epidemiological data collected from a walk-up rapid testing site in San Francisco, household contacts exposed to individuals infected with certain variants (including those with mutations…
Assessment of a Hotel-Based COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Strategy for Persons Experiencing Homelessness
Among people who were referred to isolation and quarantine (I/Q) hotels in San Francisco from hospitals, outpatient settings, and public health surveillance, 81% completed their recommended I/Q course. The retrospective cohort study found that of the 1,009 I/Q hotel guests, 501 (50%) were persons experiencing sheltered (n=295) or unsheltered (n=206) homelessness, 33% had other medical…
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