Article Summary
February 24, 2021
Community Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at Three Fitness Facilities — Hawaii, June–July 2020
An outbreak of COVID-19 cases occurred that was linked to a fitness instructor resulting in cases at 3 fitness facilities, with the highest attack rate (95%) occurring in classes that were taught <1 day before the onset of symptoms in the instructor. Twenty-one cases of COVID-19 were linked to an index case fitness instructor in…
COVID-19 Outbreak Among Attendees of an Exercise Facility — Chicago, Illinois, August–September 2020
A large outbreak of COVID-19 occurred among attendees of indoor high-intensity classes at a Chicago exercise facility in August, 2020, with 55 cases identified among 81 attendees (68% attack rate). All classes were held at reduced capacity (<25%), temperature checks were required upon entry, and participants were required to space mats at least 6 feet…
February 23, 2021
What Is Driving the Decreased Incidence of Preterm Birth during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
A retrospective cohort study of over 17,687 singleton deliveries prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2018 to January 2020) and over 5,396 singleton deliveries during the pandemic (April 2020 to October 2020) at a single tertiary center in Pennsylvania found a small but statistically significant decrease in overall preterm birth (11% vs 10%). Both spontaneous…
Association of the Timing of School Closings and Behavioral Changes With the Evolution of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic in the US
A model using population-based data from US states suggests that voluntary behavioral changes, such as reducing time at work, could have up to a 3-fold higher impact on reducing COVID-19 incidence compared to school closures. Each day earlier that school closures were implemented was associated with a 3.5% reduction in incidence, whereas each day earlier…
Diabetes Is Most Important Cause for Mortality in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 87 articles including over 35,000 patients and almost 6,000 deaths, diabetes mellitus was the best predictor of COVID-19-associated mortality rate after adjusting for confounders including age and gender, followed by chronic pulmonary obstructive disease and malignancies. Corona et al. (Feb 22, 2021). Diabetes Is Most Important Cause for Mortality…
Single-Dose Administration and the Influence of the Timing of the Booster Dose on Immunogenicity and Efficacy of ChAdOx1 NCoV-19 (AZD1222) Vaccine: A Pooled Analysis of Four Randomised Trials
Pooled analysis of four randomized placebo-controlled trials (total n=24,422) of the Oxford-AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCov-19 (AZD1222) vaccine show that overall efficacy against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection >14 days after the second dose was 66.7% (95%CI: 57.4-74.0%), with 84 cases (1% cumulative incidence) in the 8,597 participants in the vaccine group and 248 cases (2.9% cumulative incidence) in…
Effectiveness of First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccines against Hospital Admissions in Scotland: National Prospective Cohort Study of 5.4 Million People
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A national prospective cohort study including approximately 99% of residents in Scotland (n=5.4 million) found a peak vaccine efficacy to prevent COVID-19-related hospitalization following a first dose of 85% (95% CI: 76-91%) for the Pfizer vaccine and 94% (95%CI: 73-99%) for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, with the peak occurring at 28-34 days post-vaccination….
Demographic Benchmarks for Equitable Coverage of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program among Priority Populations
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Essential healthcare workers included in the Phase 1a population defined by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prioritized for vaccination were estimated to have a larger share of women (74%), non-Hispanic Black individuals (18%), and adults aged 25-44 years (41%) compared to the general US population. Phase 1b has a more…
Reduced Binding and Neutralization of Infection- and Vaccine-Induced Antibodies to the B.1.351 (South African) SARS-CoV-2 Variant
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Antibodies collected from people who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who had received the Moderna vaccine showed lower levels of binding to the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.351 variant (first described in South Africa) compared to the D614G variant that has been dominant globally. This effect was observed for antibodies from individuals with acute…
Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Wastewater with COVID-19 Disease Burden in Sewersheds
COVID-19 outbreaks across two Utah communities positively correlated with an increase in wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Wastewater surveillance only cost $0.005-$0.10 per capita, according to a wastewater epidemiology study conducted in 10 wastewater facilities covering approximately 1.26 million Utah residents. Overall, RNA was detected in 61% of 126 wastewater samples. Weidhaas et al. (Feb 12, 2021). Correlation…
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