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Topic: Testing and Treatment
July 15, 2020
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Commercial Passenger Aircraft and Cruise Ship Wastewater: A Surveillance Tool for Assessing the Presence of COVID-19 Infected Travelers
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA was reported in 21 samples from aircraft and cruise ship wastewater sanitation systems (adsorption-extraction by electronegative membrane [n=13] and ultrafiltration by Amicon [n=8]). Concentrations were near the limit of detection for the assay. Findings suggested the surveillance of wastewater from large transport vessels with their own sanitation systems could be a complementary data source to prioritize clinical testing and contact tracing…
July 14, 2020
Outcomes of Universal COVID-19 Testing Following Detection of Incident Cases in 11 Long-Term Care Facilities
Among 11 Maryland long-term care facilities, universal testing detected 354 additional cases (40% of those tested) in addition to 153 cases previously identified via targeted symptom-based testing. Fifty-five percent of persons who tested positive were asymptomatic. Follow-up screening after 2-weeks identified an additional 117 SARS-CoV-2 cases, 87% of whom were asymptomatic. Follow-up screening after 2 weeks identified an additional 117 SARS-CoV-2 cases, 87% of whom were asymptomatic. The authors conclude that these findings suggest a…
July 10, 2020
Pathophysiology, Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
A review article summarizes the current state of knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and highlights gaps in knowledge about transmission, infection, and treatment. Dexamethasone shows promise in reducing 28-day mortality, while convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to not shorten time to recovery. At least 120 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are under development. Until an effective vaccine is developed, face masks, physical distancing, and contact tracing…
Bacillus Calmette–Guérin Vaccination and Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 in Rhode Island, United States: A Cohort Study
Weng et al. reviewed 120 COVID-19 adult patients (88% Latino/Hispanic) at a federally qualified health center in Rhode Island and found that individuals with a history of BCG vaccination were less likely to require hospital admission during the disease course (3.7% vs 15.8%, p=0.017). Weng et al. (July 9, 2020). Bacillus Calmette–Guérin Vaccination and Clinical Characteristics and…
Repeat SARS-CoV-2 Testing Models for Residential College Populations
[Pre-print, not peer reviewed] To control COVID-19 outbreaks in residential colleges, Chang et al. developed models for repeat testing and found that testing frequently and minimizing the delay from testing until isolation for positive individuals could reduce spread. Chang et al. (July 10, 2020). Repeat SARS-CoV-2 Testing Models for Residential College Populations. Pre-print downloaded July 10 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.09.20149351
July 8, 2020
Potential Effective Treatment for COVID-19: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Severe Infectious Disease with Convalescent Plasma Therapy
Sun et al. conducted a meta-analysis of convalescent plasma treatment for non-SARS-CoV-2 viruses. Across 40 studies of patients infected with SARS-CoV, influenza, or Ebola virus, convalescent plasma was associated with a reduction in mortality, had a low incidence of adverse events, promoted the production of antibodies, reduced viral load, and shortened the disease course. Among…
Development and Evaluation of a Duo SARS-CoV-2 RT-QPCR Assay Combining Two Assays Approved by the World Health Organization Targeting the Envelope and the RNA-Dependant RNA Polymerase (RdRp) Coding Regions
Pezzi et al. evaluated a duo SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR assay. Compared to monoplex RT-qPCR assays, dual-target assays may be less likely to have false-negative results caused by polymorphisms or point mutations. Based on 69 nasopharyngeal samples, the dual assay performed equal to or better than mono-target assays in terms of sensitivity, specificity, linearity, and signal intensity. Pezzi et al. (June 25, 2020). Development and…
An Evaluation of COVID-19 Serological Assays Informs Future Diagnostics and Exposure Assessment
In a comparison of eight SARS-CoV-2 serological assays, GeurtsvanKessel et. al found that the Wantai ELISA for detecting total Ig and IgM antibodies (Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co., Ltd., China) had the best overall performance. The Wantai ELISA had a specificity of 99% and sensitivities of 99% for IgG and 90% IgM antibodies, and was able to detect functional antibodies in different stages and…
July 7, 2020
Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID‐19: A single‐center observational analysis
Knorr et al. find limited clinical improvement in 66 patients with severe COVID‐19 who received tocilizumab. Within 14 days of treatment, 29% of patients had clinical improvement, 20% had minimal or no improvement, 17% worsened, 27% died, and 7% were transferred to an outside hospital. Ultimately, 42% of all patients who received tocilizumab died and 49% were discharged. Knorr et al. (June 17,…
Clinical Validity of Serum Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2
Caturegli et al. evaluate test characteristics of a serum antibody test for SARS-COV-2 in a case-control study among hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 (n=60) and controls from healthy lab employees and patients hospitalized for reasons other than COVID-19 (n=513). Sensitivity for detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgG was 97.6% and specificity was 98.8% when performed at least 14 days after symptom onset. Caturegli et al. (July 6, 2020). Clinical Validity of Serum Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Annals of Internal Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32628534/
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