Result for
Topic: Testing and Treatment
August 17, 2020
Tocilizumab among Patients with COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit: A Multicentre Observational Study
Based on 210 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 in ICUs in New Jersey, receiving the drug tocilizumab was associated with a 40% reduction in mortality (aHR=0.6, 95%CI 0.5-0.9) compared with 420 propensity score-matched patients who did not receive tocilizumab. Biran et al. (Aug 14, 2020). Tocilizumab among Patients with COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit: A Multicentre Observational Study. The Lancet Rheumatology. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913(20)30277-0
COVID-19 in Children: Analysis of the First Pandemic Peak in England
Ladhani et al. analyzed public health surveillance data including 540,305 people tested for SARS-CoV-2 in England through May 3, 2020 and found that 1408/35,200 (4%) tests were positive among children younger than 16, compared to 19%-35% positive among adult age groups. Children accounted for 1.1% of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases. These included 8 deaths among children, three of whom had multiple co-morbidities and an additional four in whom SARS-CoV-2 was determined to be an indirect contributor…
August 14, 2020
Usability and Acceptability of Home-Based Self-Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies for Population Surveillance
A nationally-representative survey of adults in England assessed acceptability of two SARS-CoV-2 antibody home self-tests (n=10,600 and n=3,800), including pilot testing in 315 volunteers to optimize usability. Pilot testing revealed high levels of acceptability but limitations to usability, particularly use of included materials, clarity of instructions, and guidance on result interpretation. In the main study, over 97% of participants completed their…
August 13, 2020
Comparison Analysis of Different Swabs and Transport Mediums Suitable for SARS-CoV-2 Testing Following Shortages
Garnett et al. compared the performance of 6 swabs and 4 transport mediums commonly used in primary and tertiary health care settings for their efficacy in molecular detection of SARS-CoV-2. They reported no clinically significant difference in viral yield from different swabs and most transport mediums for the collection and detection of SARS-CoV-2, indicating swab and medium alternatives could be used if supplies are unavailable. Garnett et…
August 11, 2020
Convalescent Plasma a Clutch at Straws in COVID-19 Management! A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A systematic review (7 studies, 5,444 patients) found that the use of convalescent plasma therapy in patients with COVID-19 reduces mortality (OR=0.44, 95% CI 0.25-0.77), increases viral clearance (OR=11.29, 95% CI 4.9–25.9), and improves clinical condition (OR=2.06, 95% CI 0.8–4.9). Sarkar et al. (Aug 10, 2020). Convalescent Plasma a Clutch at Straws in COVID-19 Management! A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Medical Virology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.26408
An Understanding of Discordant SARS-CoV-2 Test Results: An Examination of the Data from a Central Auckland Laboratory
Results from a retrospective observational study of patients with initial negative and subsequent positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results in New Zealand suggest repeat testing may be indicated for patients who have a significant risk factor for infection and an initial negative test result. A total of 20,089 samples were received for SARS-CoV-2 testing. Of 2,011 samples from patients with multiple tests, 25 samples were positive. Nine samples were from patients who…
Re-Testing for SARS-CoV-2: Patterns of Testing from a Large U.S. Healthcare System
Kennedy et al. performed a retrospective chart review of all in–patients and out–patients age ≥18 years old with at least 2 SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests and found that that re-testing for SARS-CoV-2 was uncommon and often resulted in multiple negative tests. The majority of individuals were re-tested due to pre-procedural asymptomatic screening or clinical suspicion for COVID-19 disease. Kennedy et al. (Aug 10,…
SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibody Responses in New York City
Reifer et al. describe positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody responses in 12,424 of 28,523 (44%) people tested who were participating in primary care and urgent care facilities in the New York City metropolitan area. For a subset of patients (n=240) who received a symptom severity score, patients who reported more severe clinical had higher serum levels of…
August 10, 2020
SARS-CoV-2 Clearance in COVID-19 Patients with Novaferon Treatment: A Randomized, Open-Label, Parallel Group Trial
Novaferon, a medication modeled after human interferons, effectively inhibited replication of cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting. Healthy cells that were incubated with the drug also resisted the entry of SARS-CoV-2. In a clinical trial, patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 (n=89) randomized to receive Novaferon or Novaferon plus Lopinavir/Ritonavir had significantly higher viral clearance rates on day 6 after treatment than patients…
CRISPR-Based and RT-QPCR Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Asymptomatic Individuals Uncovers a Shift in Viral Prevalence among a University Population
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Testing of oropharyngeal self-collected samples for SARS-CoV-2 among asymptomatic students and others associated with the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) found that none of 732 samples from the first round of testing (May 28 to June 11) were positive and that there were 9 positives out of 1,076 tests in the second round (June 23 to July 2). The authors report near-perfect concordance in results…
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