Result for
Topic: Testing and Treatment
July 30, 2020
Back to School Use of Dried Blood Spot for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) among Schoolchildren in Milan Italy
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A comparison of serum and dried blood spot samples for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies by ELISA in healthcare workers (n=52) showed strong concordance between the two sample types (Pearson’s correlation coefficient=0.98; overall agreement=96.2%). Amendola et al. (July 30, 2020). Back to School Use of Dried Blood Spot for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) among Schoolchildren in…
Efficacy of Corticosteroids in Patients with SARS, MERS and COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
A systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies (8 studies with 4,051 patients) evaluated the benefits of steroids in patients with coronavirus infections. Among the studies, 3,416 patients were diagnosed with SARS, 360 patients with MERS, and 275 with COVID-19; 60% patients were administered steroids. The meta-analyses including all studies showed no differences overall in terms of mortality (OR=1.15; 95% CI 0.63-2.10). However, in some studies the…
July 29, 2020
Understanding the Patterns of Repeated Testing for COVID-19 Association with Patient Characteristics and Outcomes
[pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Among 15,920 individuals presenting to Michigan Medicine for COVID-19 testing between March 10 and June 4, 2020, most (85%) only tested once and never tested positive (93%). A subset of 15% underwent multiple tests (average 2.6 tests per person). Non-Hispanic Black people were more likely to have additional testing than non-Hispanic white people (OR=1.21). Women were less likely than men to have additional testing (OR=0.86). Among 1,167…
July 27, 2020
SARS-CoV-2-IgG Response Is Different in COVID-19 Outpatients and Asymptomatic Contact Persons
Wellinghausen et al. conducted a retrospective analysis of serum samples (n=158) from a German cohort of PCR confirmed COVID-19 outpatients and asymptomatic contact persons (n=158) and found that overall positivity rate for SARS-CoV-2-IgG was 81% among outpatients and 15% among asymptomatic contacts. Symptomatic outpatients had a higher viral load, based on PCR cycle counts, compared to asymptomatic contacts (5-7 threshold…
Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study Shows Early Interferon Therapy Is Associated with Favorable Clinical Responses in COVID-19 Patients
Based on a retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 patients in Hubei, China (n=446), early administration of interferon-a2b was associated with lower likelihood of in-hospital mortality versus no interferon (OR=0.05, 95% CI: 0.01-0.37), while late interferon therapy was associated with greater likelihood of mortality (OR=6.82, 95% CI: 1.14-40.8). This may indicate that the timing for interferon therapy may be important. Most of the patients in the study who received…
Point-of-Care Serological Assays for Delayed SARS-CoV-2 Case Identification among Health-Care Workers in the UK: A Prospective Multicentre Cohort Study
A multicenter cohort study based in the UK found that lateral flow point-of-care and ELISA tests for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies had good positive and negative predictive values when conducted among a carefully selected population with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors conclude that these test have potential for late case identification among healthcare workers with mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection, but also discuss important limitations, including late development of bands on lateral…
Comparison of Viral Levels in Individuals with or without Symptoms at Time of COVID-19 Testing among 32480 Residents and Staff of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities in Massachusetts
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] Based on PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 among nursing home residents (n=16,966) and staff (n=15,514) with or without symptoms in Massachusetts (April 9 to June 9), 13% of residents and 4% of staff tested positive. Of those without symptoms, 13% of residents and 4% of staff tested positive, compared to 53% of residents and 18% of staff with symptoms. There was a statistical, though not meaningful, difference in viral…
Hydroxychloroquine with or without Azithromycin in Mild-to-Moderate Covid-19
A randomized trial of hydroxychloroquine, alone or with azithromycin, for treatment of mild- to moderate COVID-19 found no effect on improving clinical status at 15 days after hospital admission. Cavalcanti et al. conducted a multicenter, randomized, open-label, three-arm controlled trial (n=504) in Brazil and found that the odds of having a higher score (worse clinical status) on a 7-point ordinal scale at 15 days was not affected by hydroxychloroquine alone…
Decreasing Median Age of COVID-19 Cases in the United States Changing Epidemiology or Changing Surveillance
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] Using PCR test results from a national reference laboratory (n=277,601), Greene et al. compared the age distribution of positive SARS-CoV-2 test results between March-April and June-July and found that the median age of people testing positive has declined over time from 41 years (IQR 29.0-54.1) to 36 years (IQR 24.0-50.2). A sub-analysis showed that this trend was only observed for outpatient populations, while…
Systematic SARS-CoV-2 Screening at Hospital Admission in Children: A French Prospective Multicenter Study
A prospective multicenter study of pediatric patients in France (n=438) showed that a symptom-based SARS-CoV-2 testing strategy failed to identify 45% (95% CI 24%-68%) of hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected children at the time of hospital admission. Poline et al. (July 25, 2020). Systematic SARS-CoV-2 Screening at Hospital Admission in Children: A French Prospective Multicenter Study. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1044
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