This version of BIP! Finder aims to ease the exploration of COVID-19-related literature by enabling ranking articles based on various impact metrics.
Last Update: 18 - 01 - 2023 (628506 entries)
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*More details on these impact measures can be found here.
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| Title | Venue | Year | Impact | Source | |
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| 5351 | Infection control of COVID-19 in pediatric tertiary care hospitals: challenges and implications for future pandemics BACKGROUND: More than 2 years into the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 still impacts children’s health and the management of pediatric hospitals. However, it is unclear which hygiene and infection control measures are effective and useful for pediatric hospitals. Here, we report infection control measures implemented at a tertiary care children’s hospital. We evaluated frequency of SARS-CoV-2 detection in admitted patients, in-hospital transmission and infection related findings. Furthermore, we aimed to capture perspectives of health-care workers and caregivers on effectiveness and burden of infection control measures. Knowledge gained can inform management of the ongoing and future pandemics. METHODS: We designed a retrospective observational study and survey at a pediatric tertiary care referral center. Local infection control measures and respective guidelines regarding COVID-19 were reviewed. Three thousand seven hundred sixteen children under 18 years were tested for SARS-CoV-2 at the University Children’s Hospital Tuebingen and data on SARS-CoV-2 transmission were retrieved from internal records. Two surveys were conducted among 219 staff members and 229 caregivers. RESULTS: Local infection control measures comprised the formation of a task force, triage, protective hygiene measures and an adaptable SARS-CoV-2 test strategy. Between January 2020 and March 2021, SARS-CoV-2 infection was detected in 37 children presenting to our hospital, 21 of these were admitted. One hospital-acquired infection occurred. About 90% of health-care staff perceived the majority of measures as effective and appropriate. However, visitor restrictions and cancellation of scheduled treatments were perceived least effective by hospital staff and as a particular burden for patients and their caregivers. Visits at the pediatric emergency department significantly decreased during the pandemic. We drafted a pandemic action plan by ranking infection control measures according to local transmission stages. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infection control measures implemented in our tertiary care children’s hospital were evaluated by health-care workers as mostly effective and appropriate. In particular, good communication, transparency of decision-making as well as universal masking and infection screening were assessed as successful measures of infection control management. Visitor restrictions and cancellation of routine appointments, in contrast, were perceived as a particular burden on patient care and should be avoided. An established pandemic action plan may guide children’s hospitals in the future. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-022-03299-x. | BMC Pediatr | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5352 | COVID-19: A Multidisciplinary Review Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus that is responsible for the 2019–2020 pandemic. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the current published literature surrounding the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We examine the fundamental concepts including the origin, virology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, laboratory, radiology, and histopathologic findings, complications, and treatment. Given that much of the information has been extrapolated from what we know about other coronaviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), we identify and provide insight into controversies and research gaps for the current pandemic to assist with future research ideas. Finally, we discuss the global response to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and provide thoughts regarding lessons for future pandemics. | Front Public Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5353 | COVID-19 in cancer patients: clinical characteristics and outcome-an analysis of the LEOSS registry INTRODUCTION: Since the early SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, cancer patients have been assumed to be at higher risk for severe COVID-19. Here, we present an analysis of cancer patients from the LEOSS (Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2 Infected Patients) registry to determine whether cancer patients are at higher risk. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 435 cancer patients and 2636 non-cancer patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, enrolled between March 16 and August 31, 2020. Data on socio-demographics, comorbidities, cancer-related features and infection course were collected. Age-, sex- and comorbidity-adjusted analysis was performed. Primary endpoint was COVID-19-related mortality. RESULTS: In total, 435 cancer patients were included in our analysis. Commonest age category was 76–85 years (36.5%), and 40.5% were female. Solid tumors were seen in 59% and lymphoma and leukemia in 17.5% and 11% of patients. Of these, 54% had an active malignancy, and 22% had recently received anti-cancer treatments. At detection of SARS-CoV-2, the majority (62.5%) presented with mild symptoms. Progression to severe COVID-19 was seen in 55% and ICU admission in 27.5%. COVID-19-related mortality rate was 22.5%. Male sex, advanced age, and active malignancy were associated with higher death rates. Comparing cancer and non-cancer patients, age distribution and comorbidity differed significantly, as did mortality (14% vs 22.5%, p value < 0.001). After adjustments for other risk factors, mortality was comparable. CONCLUSION: Comparing cancer and non-cancer patients, outcome of COVID-19 was comparable after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidity. However, our results emphasize that cancer patients as a group are at higher risk due to advanced age and pre-existing conditions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00277-020-04328-4. | Ann Hematol | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5354 | A systematic review of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging virus that is highly pathogenic and has caused the recent worldwide pandemic officially named coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Currently, considerable efforts have been put into developing effective and safe drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines, such as inactivated vaccines, nucleic acid-based vaccines, and vector vaccines, have already entered clinical trials. In this review, we provide an overview of the experimental and clinical data obtained from recent SARS-CoV-2 vaccines trials, and highlight certain potential safety issues that require consideration when developing vaccines. Furthermore, we summarize several strategies utilized in the development of vaccines against other infectious viruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), with the aim of aiding in the design of effective therapeutic approaches against SARS-CoV-2. | Signal Transduct Target Ther | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5355 | SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in healthcare workers of a Swiss tertiary care center at the end of the first wave: a cross-sectional study OBJECTIVE: To assess the SARS-CoV-2 transmission in healthcare workers (HCWs) using seroprevalence as a surrogate marker of infection in our tertiary care centre according to exposure. DESIGN: Seroprevalence cross-sectional study. SETTING: Single centre at the end of the first COVID-19 wave in Lausanne, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: 1874 of 4074 responders randomly selected (46% response rate), stratified by work category among the 13 474 (13.9%) HCWs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 serostatus paired with a questionnaire of SARS-CoV-2 acquisition risk factors internal and external to the workplace. RESULTS: The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rate among HCWs was 10.0% (95% CI 8.7% to 11.5%). HCWs with daily patient contact did not experience increased rates of seropositivity relative to those without (10.3% vs 9.6%, respectively, p=0.64). HCWs with direct contact with patients with COVID-19 or working in COVID-19 units did not experience increased seropositivity rates relative to their counterparts (10.4% vs 9.8%, p=0.69 and 10.6% vs 9.9%, p=0.69, respectively). However, specific locations of contact with patients irrespective of COVID-19 status—in patient rooms or reception areas—did correlate with increased rates of seropositivity (11.9% vs 7.5%, p=0.019 and 14.3% vs 9.2%, p=0.025, respectively). In contrast, HCWs with a suspected or proven SARS-CoV-2-infected household contact had significantly higher seropositivity rates than those without such contacts (19.0% vs 8.7%, p<0.001 and 42.1% vs 9.4%, p<0.001, respectively). Finally, consistent use of a mask on public transportation correlated with decreased seroprevalence (5.3% for mask users vs 11.2% for intermittent or no mask use, p=0.030). CONCLUSIONS: The overall seroprevalence was 10% without significant differences in seroprevalence between HCWs exposed to patients with COVID-19 and HCWs not exposed. This suggests that, once fully in place, protective measures limited SARS-CoV-2 occupational acquisition within the hospital environment. SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion among HCWs was associated primarily with community risk factors, particularly household transmission. | BMJ Open | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5356 | Novel Monoclonal Antibodies and Recombined Antibodies Against Variant SARS-CoV-2 The mutants resulted from the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 epidemic have showed resistance to antibody neutralization and vaccine-induced immune response. The present study isolated and identified two novel SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) from convalescent COVID-19 patients. These two nAbs (XG81 and XG83) were then systemically compared with nine nAbs that were reconstructed by using published data, and revealed that, even though these two nAbs shared targeting epitopes on spike protein, they were different from any of the nine nAbs. Compared with XG81, XG83 exhibited a higher RBD binding affinity and neutralization potency against wild-typed pseudovirus, variant pseudoviruses with mutated spike proteins, such as D614G, E484Q, and A475V, as well as the authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus. To explore potential broadly neutralizing antibodies, heavy and light chains from all 18 nAbs (16 published nAbs, XG81 and XG83) were cross-recombined, and some of the functional antibodies were screened and studied for RBD binding affinity, and neutralizing activity against pseudovirus and the authentic SARS-CoV-2 virus. The results demonstrated that several recombined antibodies had a more potent neutralization activity against variant pseudoviruses compared with the originally paired Abs. Taken together, the novel neutralizing antibodies identified in this study are a likely valuable addition to candidate antibody drugs for the development of clinical therapeutic agents against SARS-CoV-2 to minimize mutational escape. | Front Immunol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5357 | Searching for Digital Technologies in Containment and Mitigation Strategies: Experience from South Korea COVID-19 BACKGROUND: Korea has achieved health policy objectives in pandemic management so far, namely minimizing mortality, flattening the epidemic curve, and limiting the socio-economic burden of its measures. The key to the Korean government’s success in combating COVID-19 lies with the latest digital technologies (DTs). The prompt and effective application of DTs facilitates both containment as well as mitigation strategies and their sub-policy measures. METHODS: This article uses an experiential analysis based on an exploratory case study – analysis on field applications of the government’s interventions. Information is collected by qualitative methods such as literature analysis, meeting materials, and a review of various government reports (including internal ones) along with academic and professional experiences of the authors. FINDINGS: The article presents the unique Korean health policy approaches in the COVID-19 crisis. First, DTs allow the Korean government to embrace various policy measures together listed in containment strategy, namely altering and warning, epidemiological investigation, quarantine of contacts, case-finding, social distancing, and mask-wearing. Second, DTs allow Korea to integrate containment and mitigation strategies simultaneously. Along with the above measures in containment, healthcare service, medical treatment, and prophylaxis (presymptomatic testing) within mitigation are utilized to prevent a COVID-19 spread. CONCLUSIONS: Korea develops DTs in an integrated manner in the early pandemic stage under strong and coordinated government leadership. Above all, the DTs’ functions in each pandemic developmental stage are continuously upgraded. Instead of prioritizing policy measures or strategies, therefore, Korea can implement diverse policies simultaneously by integrating DTs effectively. During the COVID-19 outbreak, DTs work as the enablers to connect these two strategies and their measures in Korea. RECOMMENDATIONS: DTs should be at the center of the disaster management paradigm, especially during a pandemic. DTs are facilitators and integrators of containing and mitigating strategies and their policy measures. | Ann Glob Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5358 | The evidence of indirect transmission of SARS-CoV-2 reported in Guangzhou, China BACKGROUND: More than 2 months have passed since the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in Wuhan, China. With the migration of people, the epidemic has rapidly spread within China and throughout the world. Due to the severity of the epidemic, undiscovered transmission of COVID-19 deserves further investigation. The aim of our study hypothesized possible modes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and how the virus may have spread between two family clusters within a residential building in Guangzhou, China. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we monitored and traced confirmed patients and their close contacts from January 11 to February 5, 2020 in Guangzhou, China, including 2 family cluster cases and 61 residents within one residential building. The environmental samples of the building and the throat swabs from the patients and from their related individuals were collected for SARS-CoV-2 and tested with real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The relevant information was collected and reported using big data tools. RESULTS: There were two notable family cluster cases in Guangzhou, which included 3 confirmed patients (family No.1: patient A, B, C) and 2 confirmed patients (family No.2: patient D, E), respectively. None of patients had contact with other confirmed patients before the onset of symptoms, and only patient A and patient B made a short stop in Wuhan by train. Home environment inspection results showed that the door handle of family No.1 was positive of SARS-CoV-2. The close contacts of the 5 patients all tested negative of SARS-CoV-2 and in good health, and therefore were released after the official medical observation period of 14-days. Finally, according to the traceability investigation through applying big data analysis, we found an epidemiological association between family No.1 and family No.2, in which patient D (family No.2) was infected through touching an elevator button contaminated by snot with virus from patient A (family No.1) on the same day. CONCLUSIONS: Contaminants with virus from confirmed patients can pollute the environment of public places, and the virus can survive on the surface of objects for a short period of time. Therefore, in addition to the conventional droplet transmission, there is also indirect contact transmission such as snot-oral transmission that plays a crucial role in community spread of the virus. | BMC Public Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5359 | Online Involvement for Georgia Student Teachers During Covid-19 As concerns about Covid-19 rapidly escalated in March 2020 in the United States, all levels of education were impacted. A unique population (student teachers) faced challenges from two perspectives: as students and as teachers forced to teach and learn from a distance. Student Teachers, or preservice teachers (PST), are university students finishing a degree and/or teacher certification program by serving as an intern in a school setting. As schools were closed, these PSTs may not have been given access to the online learning platforms of their cooperating teachers (CT) and were no longer included in classroom instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine how the sudden shift away from traditional face-to-face instruction, co-teaching, and mentorship affected the involvement of music PSTs and their CT mentors in one region of the United States. Specifically, the research questions were: (1) How and in what ways were PSTs involved in planning, instruction, and/or assessment synchronously and asynchronously after school closures? (2) In what subdomains (performance, music theory/ear-training, etc.) were PSTs engaged in instruction and learning activities? (3) What challenges and solutions did PSTs report related to Covid-19 closures? A survey was sent, via email, to PSTs attending teacher preparation programs at universities in the state of Georgia at the end of the spring semester. Thirty-seven participants responded to the survey questions representing about 32% of all PSTs in Georgia in Spring 2020. Twenty-one were not given access to the online teaching platform of their placement school. A thematic analysis of the open-ended questions identified common themes including whether experiences were perceived as negative or positive. Of the PSTs given access, the majority of their responsibilities and experiences were creating assignments, additional help videos, participating in Zoom meetings, and assessing student assignment submissions. Of these experiences, interestingly, most were classified as positive by the PSTs. However, the importance of face-to-face interactions for both PST and the P-12 students was mentioned throughout survey responses. Approximately 10 PSTs mentioned their CT relationship/interaction and four of the respondents noted that their CT never reached out for help; however, six noted collaborative meetings or teaching with their CT. Importantly, some PSTs reported a lack of knowledge related to the planning and implementation of music instruction in the online modality. Therefore, teacher preparation programs should consider incorporating technology including online solutions into the music curriculum so that future music educators may more flexibly incorporate both in-person and distance learning. | Front Psychol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5360 | Forecasting spatial, socioeconomic and demographic variation in COVID-19 Healthcare demand in England and Wales BACKGROUND: COVID-19 poses one of the most profound public health crises for a hundred years. As of mid-May 2020, across the world, almost 300,000 deaths and over 4 million confirmed cases were registered. Reaching over 30,000 deaths by early May, the UK had the highest number of recorded deaths in Europe, second in the world only to the USA. Hospitalization and death from COVID-19 have been linked to demographic and socioeconomic variation. Since this varies strongly by location, there is an urgent need to analyse the mismatch between health care demand and supply at the local level. As lockdown measures ease, reinfection may vary by area, necessitating a real-time tool for local and regional authorities to anticipate demand. METHODS: Combining census estimates and hospital capacity data from ONS and NHS at the Administrative Region, Ceremonial County (CC), Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) level from England and Wales, we calculate the number of individuals at risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. Combining multiple sources, we produce geospatial risk maps on an online dashboard that dynamically illustrate how the pre-crisis health system capacity matches local variations in hospitalization risk related to age, social deprivation, population density and ethnicity, also adjusting for the overall infection rate and hospital capacity. RESULTS: By providing fine-grained estimates of expected hospitalization, we identify areas that face higher disproportionate health care burdens due to COVID-19, with respect to pre-crisis levels of hospital bed capacity. Including additional risks beyond age-composition of the area such as social deprivation, race/ethnic composition and population density offers a further nuanced identification of areas with disproportionate health care demands. CONCLUSIONS: Areas face disproportionate risks for COVID-19 hospitalization pressures due to their socioeconomic differences and the demographic composition of their populations. Our flexible online dashboard allows policy-makers and health officials to monitor and evaluate potential health care demand at a granular level as the infection rate and hospital capacity changes throughout the course of this pandemic. This agile knowledge is invaluable to tackle the enormous logistical challenges to re-allocate resources and target susceptible areas for aggressive testing and tracing to mitigate transmission. | BMC Med | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5361 | Factors Associated With Racial Differences in Deaths Among Nursing Home Residents With COVID-19 Infection in the US IMPORTANCE: It is important to understand differences in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths by nursing home racial composition and the potential reasons for these differences so that limited resources can be distributed equitably. OBJECTIVE: To describe differences in the number of COVID-19 deaths by nursing home racial composition and examine the factors associated with these differences. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cross-sectional study of 13 312 nursing homes in the US used the Nursing Home COVID-19 Public File from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which contains COVID-19 cases and deaths among nursing home residents as self-reported by nursing homes beginning between January 1, 2020, and May 24, 2020, and ending on September 13, 2020. Data were analyzed from July 28 to December 18, 2020. EXPOSURES: Confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection. Confirmed cases were defined as COVID-19 infection confirmed by a diagnostic laboratory test. Suspected cases were defined as signs and/or symptoms of COVID-19 infection or patient-specific transmission-based precautions for COVID-19 infection. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Deaths associated with COVID-19 among nursing home residents. Death counts were compared by nursing home racial composition, which was measured as the proportion of White residents. RESULTS: Among 13 312 nursing homes included in the study, the overall mean (SD) age of residents was 79.5 (6.7) years. A total of 51 606 COVID-19–associated deaths among residents were reported, with a mean (SD) of 3.9 (8.0) deaths per facility. The mean (SD) number of deaths in nursing homes with the lowest proportion of White residents (quintile 1) vs nursing homes with the highest proportions of White residents (quintile 5) were 5.6 (9.2) and 1.7 (4.8), respectively. Facilities in quintile 1 experienced a mean (SE) of 3.9 (0.2) more deaths than those in quintile 5, representing a 3.3-fold higher number of deaths in quintile 1 compared with quintile 5. Adjustment for the number of certified beds reduced the mean (SE) difference between these 2 nursing home groups to 2.2 (0.2) deaths. Controlling for case mix measures and other nursing home characteristics did not modify this association. Adjustment for county-level COVID-19 prevalence further reduced the mean (SE) difference to 1.0 (0.2) death. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, nursing homes with the highest proportions of non-White residents experienced COVID-19 death counts that were 3.3-fold higher than those of facilities with the highest proportions of White residents. These differences were associated with factors such as larger nursing home size and higher infection burden in counties in which nursing homes with high proportions of non-White residents were located. Focusing limited available resources on facilities with high proportions of non-White residents is needed to support nursing homes during potential future outbreaks. | JAMA Netw Open | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5362 | Accuracy of 2 Rapid Antigen Tests During 3 Phases of SARS-CoV-2 Variants N/A | JAMA Netw Open | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 5363 | Safety and Immunogenicity of a Third Dose of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Case Series | Ann Intern Med | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5364 | COVID-19 Does Not Lead to a "Typical" Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome | Am J Respir Crit Care Med | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5365 | Evaluation of a novel antigen-based rapid detection test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples OBJECTIVES: In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the development and validation of rapid and easy-to-perform diagnostic methods are of high priority. We evaluated a novel rapid antigen detection test (RDT) for SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples. METHODS: The fluorescence immunochromatographic SARS-CoV-2 antigen test (Bioeasy Biotechnology Co., Shenzhen, China) was evaluated using universal transport medium with nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) swabs from suspected Covid-19 cases. Diagnostic accuracy was determined in comparison to SARS-CoV-2 real time (RT)-PCR. RESULTS: A total of 127 samples were included; 82 were RT-PCR positive. Median patients’ age was 38 years, 53.5% were male, and 93.7% were from the first week after symptom onset. Overall sensitivity and specificity were 93.9% (CI95% 86.5–97.4) and 100% (CI95% 92.1–100), respectively, with a diagnostic accuracy of 96.1% and Kappa coefficient of 0.9. Sensitivity was significantly higher in samples with high viral loads. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluated RDT showed a high sensitivity and specificity in samples mainly obtained during the first week of symptoms and with high viral loads, despite the use of a non-validated sample material. The assay has the potential to become an important tool for early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, particularly in situations with limited access to molecular methods. | Int J Infect Dis | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5366 | Preserved recognition of Omicron spike following COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccination in pregnancy Background SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with enhanced disease severity in pregnant women. Despite the potential of COVID-19 vaccines to reduce severe disease, vaccine uptake remained relatively low among pregnant women. Just as coordinated messaging from the CDC and leading obstetrics organizations began to increase vaccine confidence in this vulnerable group, the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns (VOC) including the Omicron VOC raised new concerns about vaccine efficacy, given their ability to escape vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies. Early data point to a milder disease course following omicron VOC infection in vaccinated individuals. Thus, these data suggest that alternate vaccine induced immunity, beyond neutralization, may continue to attenuate omicron disease, such as antibody-Fc-mediated activity. Objectives To test whether vaccine induced antibodies raised in pregnancy continue to bind and leverage Fc-receptors against VOCs including the Omicron variant. Study Design VOC including Omicron receptor binding domain (RBD) or full Spike specific antibody isotype binding titers and FcγR binding were analyzed in pregnant women after the full dose regimen of either Pfizer/BioNTech BNT62b2 (n=10) or Moderna mRNA-1273 (n=10) vaccination using a multiplexing Luminex assay. Results Reduced, isotype recognition was observed to the Omicron receptor binding domain (RBD) following both vaccines, with relatively preserved, albeit reduced, recognition of Omicron full Spike by IgM and IgG antibodies. Despite the near complete loss of Fc-receptor binding to the Omicron RBD, Fc-receptor binding was more variable but largely preserved to the Omicron Spike. Conclusion Reduced binding titers to the Omicron RBD aligns with observed loss of neutralizing activity. Despite the loss of neutralization, preserved, albeit reduced, Omicron Spike recognition and Fc-receptor binding potentially continues to attenuate disease severity in pregnant women. | Am J Obstet Gynecol | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5367 | Age and Social Disparities in the Use of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Cross-sectional Study BACKGROUND: The use of telemedicine outpatient visits has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries. Although disparities in access to telemedicine by age and socioeconomic status (SES) have been well-documented, evidence is limited as to how these disparities changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the equity of patient access to telemedicine has been scarcely reported in Japan, despite the huge potential for telemedicine expansion. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate changes due to age and SES disparities in telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. METHODS: Using data from a large internet survey conducted between August 25 and September 30, 2020, in Japan, we examined the associations of participant age and SES (educational attainment, urbanicity of residence, and income level) with their telemedicine use in the following two time periods during the pandemic: April 2020 and August-September 2020. RESULTS: Of the 24,526 participants aged 18 to 79 years (50.8% [n=12,446] women), the proportion of individuals who reported using telemedicine increased from 2.0% (n=497) in April 2020 to 4.7% (n=1159) in August-September 2020. After adjusting for potential confounders, younger individuals were more likely to use telemedicine than older individuals in April 2020. Although this pattern persisted in August-September 2020, we also observed a substantial increase in telemedicine use among individuals aged 70 to 79 years (adjusted rates, 0.2% in April 2020 vs 3.8% in August-September 2020; P<.001 after multiple comparisons). We found disparities in telemedicine use by SES in August-September 2020 that did not exist in April 2020. In August-September 2020, individuals with a university degree were more likely to use telemedicine than those with a high school diploma or less (adjusted rates, 6.6% vs 3.5%; P<.001). Individuals living in urban areas exhibited higher rates of telemedicine use than those living in rural areas only in August-September 2020 (adjusted rates, 5.2% vs 3.8%; P<.001). Disparities in telemedicine use by income level were not observed in either time period. CONCLUSIONS: In general, younger individuals increased their use of telemedicine compared to older individuals during the pandemic, although individuals in their 70s also increased their use of telemedicine. Disparities in telemedicine use by educational attainment and urbanicity of residence widened during the COVID-19 pandemic. | J Med Internet Res | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5368 | Impact of vaccine prioritization strategies on mitigating COVID-19: an agent-based simulation study using an urban region in the United States BACKGROUND: Approval of novel vaccines for COVID-19 had brought hope and expectations, but not without additional challenges. One central challenge was understanding how to appropriately prioritize the use of limited supply of vaccines. This study examined the efficacy of the various vaccine prioritization strategies using the vaccination campaign underway in the U.S. METHODS: The study developed a granular agent-based simulation model for mimicking community spread of COVID-19 under various social interventions including full and partial closures, isolation and quarantine, use of face mask and contact tracing, and vaccination. The model was populated with parameters of disease natural history, as well as demographic and societal data for an urban community in the U.S. with 2.8 million residents. The model tracks daily numbers of infected, hospitalized, and deaths for all census age-groups. The model was calibrated using parameters for viral transmission and level of community circulation of individuals. Published data from the Florida COVID-19 dashboard was used to validate the model. Vaccination strategies were compared using a hypothesis test for pairwise comparisons. RESULTS: Three prioritization strategies were examined: a minor variant of CDC’s recommendation, an age-stratified strategy, and a random strategy. The impact of vaccination was also contrasted with a no vaccination scenario. The study showed that the campaign against COVID-19 in the U.S. using vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna 1) reduced the cumulative number of infections by 10% and 2) helped the pandemic to subside below a small threshold of 100 daily new reported cases sooner by approximately a month when compared to no vaccination. A comparison of the prioritization strategies showed no significant difference in their impacts on pandemic mitigation. CONCLUSIONS: The vaccines for COVID-19 were developed and approved much quicker than ever before. However, as per our model, the impact of vaccination on reducing cumulative infections was found to be limited (10%, as noted above). This limited impact is due to the explosive growth of infections that occurred prior to the start of vaccination, which significantly reduced the susceptible pool of the population for whom infection could be prevented. Hence, vaccination had a limited opportunity to reduce the cumulative number of infections. Another notable observation from our study is that instead of adhering strictly to a sequential prioritizing strategy, focus should perhaps be on distributing the vaccines among all eligible as quickly as possible, after providing for the most vulnerable. As much of the population worldwide is yet to be vaccinated, results from this study should aid public health decision makers in effectively allocating their limited vaccine supplies. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12874-021-01458-9. | BMC Med Res Methodol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5369 | Association Between Vaccination Coverage Disparity and the Dynamics of the COVID-19 Delta and Omicron Waves in the US N/A | Front Med (Lausanne) | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 5370 | Longitudinal evaluation of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Spain BACKGROUND: : Strict confinement and social distancing measures have been imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries. The aim was to assess the temporal evolution of the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown from two surveys, separated by one month, performed in Spain. METHODS: : Symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, and the psychological impact of the situation were longitudinally analyzed using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) respectively. RESULTS: : There was a total of 4,724 responses from both surveys. Symptomatic scores of anxiety, depression and stress were exhibited by 37.22%, 46.42% and 49.66% of the second survey respondents, showing a significant increase compared to the first survey (32.45%, 44.11% and 37.01%, respectively). There was no significant longitudinal change of the IES scores, with 48.30% of the second survey participants showing moderate to severe impact of the confinement. Constant news consumption about COVID-19 was found to be positively associated with symptomatic scores in the different scales, and daily physical activity to be negatively associated with DASS-21 scores. CONCLUSIONS: : Results indicated a temporal increase of anxiety, depression and stress scores during the COVID-19 lockdown. Factors such as age, consumption of information about COVID-19 and physical activity seem to have an important impact on the evolution of psychological symptoms. | J Affect Disord | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5371 | Risk of hospitalisation associated with infection with SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant vs delta variant in Denmark: an observational cohort study BACKGROUND: Estimates of the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant (B.1.1.529) are crucial to assess the public health impact associated with its rapid global dissemination. We estimated the risk of SARS-CoV-2-related hospitalisations after infection with omicron compared with the delta variant (B.1.617.2) in Denmark, a country with high mRNA vaccination coverage and extensive free-of-charge PCR testing capacity. METHODS: In this observational cohort study, we included all RT-PCR-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Denmark, with samples taken between Nov 21 (date of first omicron-positive sample) and Dec 19, 2021. Individuals were identified in the national COVID-19 surveillance system database, which included results of a variant-specific RT-PCR that detected omicron cases, and data on SARS-CoV-2-related hospitalisations (primary outcome of the study). We calculated the risk ratio (RR) of hospitalisation after infection with omicron compared with delta, overall and stratified by vaccination status, in a Poisson regression model with robust SEs, adjusted a priori for reinfection status, sex, age, region, comorbidities, and time period. FINDINGS: Between Nov 21 and Dec 19, 2021, among the 188 980 individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection, 38 669 (20·5%) had the omicron variant. SARS-CoV-2-related hospitalisations and omicron cases increased during the study period. Overall, 124 313 (65·8%) of 188 980 individuals were vaccinated, and vaccination was associated with a lower risk of hospitalisation (adjusted RR 0·24, 95% CI 0·22–0·26) compared with cases with no doses or only one dose of vaccine. Compared with delta infection, omicron infection was associated with an adjusted RR of hospitalisation of 0·64 (95% CI 0·56–0·75; 222 [0·6%] of 38 669 omicron cases admitted to hospital vs 2213 [1·5%] of 150 311 delta cases). For a similar comparison by vaccination status, the RR of hospitalisation was 0·57 (0·44–0·75) among cases with no or only one dose of vaccine, 0·71 (0·60–0·86) among those who received two doses, and 0·50 (0·32–0·76) among those who received three doses. INTERPRETATION: We found a significantly lower risk of hospitalisation with omicron infection compared with delta infection among both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, suggesting an inherent reduced severity of omicron. Our results could guide modelling of the effect of the ongoing global omicron wave and thus health-care system preparedness. FUNDING: None. | Lancet Infect Dis | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5372 | Effectiveness and Preparedness of Institutions' E-Learning Methods During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Residents' Medical Training in Saudi Arabia: A Pilot Study Background: Under the urgent circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions of an international scale have resorted to online education methods, exclusive or not. Among those, medical institutions are under double pressure, fighting the pandemic's effects and, at the same time providing efficient clinical training to their residents. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the preparedness of the educational institutions for the e-learning platform transition for the delivery of medical training and also to evaluate the overall satisfaction level of the participants with their e-learning experience. Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study design. The survey's sample included 300 medical students and residents of multiple training levels and specialties, coming from more than 15 different cities of Saudi Arabia. Filling the questionnaire required specific inclusion criteria and all obtained data were secured by the Saudi Commission of Health specialty. The main objective was to evaluate the quality of e-learning methods provided by medical universities. For the collection of the data, Survey Monkey software was used and the analysis was conducted with SPSS. Results: The study found that the frequency of digital education use increased by ~61% during the coronavirus crisis, while almost 9 out of 10 residents have used some e-learning platform. It was reported that before the pandemic, participants' online training was deemed to be rather ineffective, given the rate of 3.65 out of 10. However, despite the increase in e-learning use after COVID-19, many obstacles arose duringcthe adaptation process. According to our survey: lectures and training sessions were not conducted as per the curriculum (56.33%); both students and instructors' academic behavior and attitude changed (48.33%); engagement, satisfaction, and motivation in class were rated low (5.93, 6.33, and 6.54 out of 10 accordingly), compared to the desired ones. Still, participants accredited e-learning as a potential mandatory tool (77.67%) and pinpointed the qualifications that in their opinion will maximize educational impact. Conclusion: The study concluded that innovative restructuring of online education should be based on defined critical success factors (technical support, content enhancement, pedagogy etc.) and if possible, set priority levels, so that a more permanent e-learning practice is achievable. Also our study confirmed that students were overall satisfied with the e-learning support of the training method. | Front Public Health | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5373 | The type of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine influences serological response in kidney transplant recipients N/A | Clin Transplant | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5374 | Acute mental health service use following onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: a trend analysis BACKGROUND: The extent to which heightened distress during the COVID-19 pandemic translated to increases in severe mental health outcomes is unknown. We examined trends in psychiatric presentations to acute care settings in the first 12 months after onset of the pandemic. METHODS: This was a trends analysis of administrative population data in Ontario, Canada. We examined rates of hospitalizations and emergency department visits for mental health diagnoses overall and stratified by sex, age and diagnostic grouping (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders), as well as visits for intentional self-injury for people aged 10 to 105 years, from January 2019 to March 2021. We used Joinpoint regression to identify significant inflection points after the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. RESULTS: Among the 12 968 100 people included in our analysis, rates of mental health–related hospitalizations and emergency department visits declined immediately after the onset of the pandemic (peak overall decline of 30% [hospitalizations] and 37% [emergency department visits] compared to April 2019) and returned to near prepandemic levels by March 2021. Compared to April 2019, visits for intentional self-injury declined by 33% and remained below prepandemic levels until March 2021. We observed the largest declines in service use among adolescents aged 14 to 17 years (55% decline in hospitalizations, 58% decline in emergency department visits) and 10 to 13 years (56% decline in self-injury), and for those with substance-related disorders (33% decline in emergency department visits) and anxiety disorders (61% decline in hospitalizations). INTERPRETATION: Contrary to expectations, the abrupt decline in acute mental health service use immediately after the onset of the pandemic and the return to near prepandemic levels that we observed suggest that changes and stressors in the first 12 months of the pandemic did not translate to increased service use. Continued surveillance of acute mental health service use is warranted. | CMAJ Open | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5375 | Guillain-Barré Syndrome Associated with SARS-CoV-2 | N Engl J Med | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5376 | Mathematical Modeling Predicts That Strict Social Distancing Measures Would Be Needed to Shorten the Duration of Waves of COVID-19 Infections in Vietnam Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019, has spread throughout the world and has since then been declared a pandemic. As a result, COVID-19 has caused a major threat to global public health. In this paper, we use mathematical modeling to analyze the reported data of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam and study the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions. To achieve this, two models are used to describe the transmission dynamics of COVID-19. The first model belongs to the susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) type and is used to compute the basic reproduction number. The second model adopts a multi-scale approach which explicitly integrates the movement of each individual. Numerical simulations are conducted to quantify the effects of social distancing measures on the spread of COVID-19 in urban areas of Vietnam. Both models show that the adoption of relaxed social distancing measures reduces the number of infected cases but does not shorten the duration of the epidemic waves. Whereas, more strict measures would lead to the containment of each epidemic wave in one and a half months. | Front Public Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5377 | Mucormycosis, The Deadly New Worry to COVID-19 Pandemic N/A | Mymensingh Med J | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5378 | Reverse Transcription Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Coupled with CRISPR-Cas12a for Facile and Highly Sensitive Colorimetric SARS-CoV-2 Detection [Image: see text] The outbreak of the pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) calls for an urgent unmet need for developing a facial and cost-effective detection method. The requirement of well-trained personnel and sophisticated instrument of current primary mean (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR) may hinder the practical application worldwide. In this regard, a reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) coupled with CRISPR-Cas12a colorimetric assay is proposed for the SARS-CoV-2 detection. The methodology we have described herein utilizes DNA-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a universal colorimetric readout and can specifically target ORF1ab and N regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. After the virus genome is amplified through RT-RPA, the resulting abundant dsDNA will bind and activate Cas12a. Under trans-cleavage degradation, the capped DNA substrate will be hydrolyzed gradually from AuNPs, demonstrating a change in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), which can be facially monitored by UV–vis absorbance spectroscopy and naked eye observation. The high amplification efficiency from RT-RPA and Cas12a trans-cleavage process bring the sensitivity of our method to 1 copy of viral genome sequence per test. Notably, under the dual variations inspecting from the isothermal amplification and Cas12a activation process, the false positive events from other beta coronavirus members can be effectively avoided and thus significantly improve the specificity. Furthermore, the reliability of this colorimetric assay is validated by standard clinical samples from the hospital laboratory department. Through integration of the inherently high sensitivity and specificity from an RPA-coupled Cas12a system with the intrinsic simplicity of AuNP-based colorimetric assay, our method increases the practical testing availability of SARS-CoV-2. | Anal Chem | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5379 | SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral load are associated with the upper respiratory tract microbiome Background Little is known about the relationships between SARS-CoV-2, the respiratory virus responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiome. Objective Our objectives were 1) to compare the URT microbiome between SARS-CoV-2-infected and -uninfected adults, and 2) to examine the association of SARS-CoV-2 viral load with the URT microbiome during COVID-19. Methods We characterized the URT microbiome using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing in 59 adults (38 with confirmed, symptomatic, mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and 21 asymptomatic, uninfected controls). In those with COVID-19, we measured SARS-CoV-2 viral load using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. We then examined the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection status and its viral load with the ⍺-diversity, β-diversity, and abundance of bacterial taxa of the URT microbiome. Our main models were all adjusted for age and sex. Results The observed species index was significantly higher in SARS-CoV-2-infected than in -uninfected adults (β linear regression coefficient=7.53, 95%CI=0.17-14.89, p=0.045). In differential abundance testing, 9 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were significantly different in both of our comparisons, with Peptoniphilus lacrimalis, Campylobacter hominis, Prevotella 9 copri, and an Anaerococcus unclassified ASV being more abundant in those with SARS-CoV-2 infection and in those with high viral load during COVID-19, whereas Corynebacterium unclassified, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Prevotella disiens, and 2 Corynebacterium_1 unclassified ASVs were more abundant in those without SARS-CoV-2 infection and in those with low viral load during COVID-19. Conclusion Our findings suggest complex associations between SARS-CoV-2 and the URT microbiome in adults. Future studies are needed to examine how these viral-bacterial interactions can impact the clinical progression, severity, and recovery of COVID-19. | J Allergy Clin Immunol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5380 | Hospitalizations Associated with COVID-19 Among Children and Adolescents-COVID-NET, 14 States, March 1, 2020-August 14, 2021 Although COVID-19-associated hospitalizations and deaths have occurred more frequently in adults, COVID-19 can also lead to severe outcomes in children and adolescents (1,2). Schools are opening for in-person learning, and many prekindergarten children are returning to early care and education programs during a time when the number of COVID-19 cases caused by the highly transmissible B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is increasing.§ Therefore, it is important to monitor indicators of severe COVID-19 among children and adolescents. This analysis uses Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET)¶ data to describe COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among U.S. children and adolescents aged 0-17 years. During March 1, 2020-August 14, 2021, the cumulative incidence of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations was 49.7 per 100,000 children and adolescents. The weekly COVID-19-associated hospitalization rate per 100,000 children and adolescents during the week ending August 14, 2021 (1.4) was nearly five times the rate during the week ending June 26, 2021 (0.3); among children aged 0-4 years, the weekly hospitalization rate during the week ending August 14, 2021, was nearly 10 times that during the week ending June 26, 2021.** During June 20-July 31, 2021, the hospitalization rate among unvaccinated adolescents (aged 12-17 years) was 10.1 times higher than that among fully vaccinated adolescents. Among all hospitalized children and adolescents with COVID-19, the proportions with indicators of severe disease (such as intensive care unit [ICU] admission) after the Delta variant became predominant (June 20-July 31, 2021) were similar to those earlier in the pandemic (March 1, 2020-June 19, 2021). Implementation of preventive measures to reduce transmission and severe outcomes in children is critical, including vaccination of eligible persons, universal mask wearing in schools, recommended mask wearing by persons aged ≥2 years in other indoor public spaces and child care centers, and quarantining as recommended after exposure to persons with COVID-19.§§. | MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5381 | Impacts of COVID-19 on essential health services in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: A pre-post study BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has proved to have an indirect impact on essential health services in several parts of the world which could lead to increased morbidity and mortality and loss of the gains made in the past decades. There were no synthesized scientific evidences which could show the impact of COVID-19 epidemics/pandemic on essential health services in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impacts of COVID-19 epidemics/pandemic on essential health services provision in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A pre-post study design was used to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on essential health services delivery in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia in the second quarter of 2020 (Post COVID-19) compared to similar quarter in 2019 (Pre COVID-19). The study focuses on five categories; namely; maternal, neonatal and child health care; communicable diseases with a focus on HIV and TB-HIV co-infection; prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV; basic emergency, outpatient, inpatient and blood bank services, non-communicable diseases and road traffic accidents (RTAs). Analysis was done using Stata version 14.0 software package. The effects of COVID-19 epidemics/pandemic were calculated taking the differences between post COVID -19 and pre COVID-19 periods and the levels of service disruptions presented using proportions. Wilcoxon sign rank test was done and a significance level of ≤0.05 was considered as having significant difference among the two quarters. RESULTS: There were significant increase in institutional delivery, delivery by Caesarian Section (CS), still birth, postnatal care within 7 days of delivery, the number of children who received all vaccine doses before 1(st) birthday, the number of under 5 children screened and had moderate acute malnutrition, the number of under 5 children screened and had severe acute malnutrition and children with SAM admitted for management. However, there were significant decrease in HIV testing and detection along with enrolment to antiretroviral therapy (ART) care, number of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk ≥ 30% received treatment, RTAs, total units of blood received from national blood transfusion service (NBTS) and regional blood banks, total number of units of blood transfused and emergency referral. There were no significant changes in outpatient visits and admissions. CONCLUSION: Despite commendable achievements in maintaining several of the essential health services, COVID-19 has led to an increase in under nutrition in under five children, decline in HIV detection and care, CVD, cervical cancer screening and blood bank services. Therefore, governments, local and international agencies need to introduce innovative ways to rapidly expand and deliver services in the context of COVID-19. Moreover, lower income countries have to customize comprehensive and coordinated community-based health care approaches, including outreach and campaigns. In addition, countries should ensure that NCDs are incorporated in their national COVID-19 response plans to provide essential health care services to people living with NCDs and HIV or HIV-TB co-infection during the COVID-19 pandemic period. | PLoS One | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5382 | Longitudinal Follow Up of Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2 in Healthcare Workers in Sweden With Several Different Commercial IgG-Assays, Measurement of Neutralizing Antibodies and CD4+ T-Cell Responses BACKGROUND: The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among health care workers (HCWs) is a concern, but studies that conclusively determine whether HCWs are over-represented remain limited. Furthermore, methods used to confirm past infection vary and the immunological response after mild COVID-19 is still not well defined. METHOD: 314 HCWs were recruited from a Swedish Infectious Diseases clinic caring for COVID-19 patients. IgG antibodies were measured using two commercial assays (Abbot Architect nucleocapsid (N)-assay and YHLO iFlash-1800 N and spike (S)-assays) at five time-points, from March 2020 to January 2021, covering two pandemic waves. Seroprevalence was assessed in matched blood donors at three time-points. More extensive analyses were performed in 190 HCWs in September/October 2020, including two additional IgG-assays (DiaSorin LiaisonXL S1/S2 and Abbot Architect receptor-binding domain (RBD)-assays), neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), and CD4(+) T-cell reactivity using an in-house developed in vitro whole-blood assay based on flow cytometric detection of activated cells after stimulation with Spike S1-subunit or Spike, Membrane and Nucleocapsid (SMN) overlapping peptide pools. FINDINGS: Seroprevalence was higher among HCWs compared to sex and age-matched blood donors at all time-points. Seropositivity increased from 6.4% to 16.3% among HCWs between May 2020 and January 2021, compared to 3.6% to 11.9% among blood donors. We found significant correlations and high levels of agreement between NAbs and all four commercial IgG-assays. At 200-300 days post PCR-verified infection, there was a wide variation in sensitivity between the commercial IgG-assays, ranging from <30% in the N-assay to >90% in the RBD-assay. There was only moderate agreement between NAbs and CD4(+) T-cell reactivity to S1 or SMN. Pre-existing CD4(+) T-cell reactivity was present in similar proportions among HCW who subsequently became infected and those that did not. CONCLUSIONS: HCWs in COVID-19 patient care in Sweden have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 at a higher rate compared to blood donors. We demonstrate substantial variation between different IgG-assays and propose that multiple serological targets should be used to verify past infection. Our data suggest that CD4(+) T-cell reactivity is not a suitable measure of past infection and does not reliably indicate protection from infection in naive individuals. | Front Immunol | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5383 | A Rapid, Simple, Inexpensive and Mobile Colorimetric Assay COVID-19-LAMP for Mass On-Site Screening of COVID-19 To control the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent its resurgence in areas preparing for a return of economic activities, a method for a rapid, simple, and inexpensive point-of-care diagnosis and mass screening is urgently needed. We developed and evaluated a one-step colorimetric reverse-transcriptional loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay (COVID-19-LAMP) for detection of SARS-CoV-2, using SARS-CoV-2 isolate and respiratory samples from patients with COVID-19 (n = 223) and other respiratory virus infections (n = 143). The assay involves simple equipment and techniques and low cost, without the need for expensive qPCR machines, and the result, indicated by color change, is easily interpreted by naked eyes. COVID-19-LAMP can detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA with detection limit of 42 copies/reaction. Of 223 respiratory samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 by qRT-PCR, 212 and 219 were positive by COVID-19-LAMP at 60 and 90 min (sensitivities of 95.07% and 98.21%) respectively, with the highest sensitivities among nasopharyngeal swabs (96.88% and 98.96%), compared to sputum/deep throat saliva samples (94.03% and 97.02%), and throat swab samples (93.33% and 98.33%). None of the 143 samples with other respiratory viruses were positive by COVID-19-LAMP, showing 100% specificity. Samples with higher viral load showed shorter detection time, some as early as 30 min. This inexpensive, highly sensitive and specific COVID-19-LAMP assay can be useful for rapid deployment as mobile diagnostic units to resource-limiting areas for point-of-care diagnosis, and for unlimited high-throughput mass screening at borders to reduce cross-regional transmission. | Int J Mol Sci | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5384 | Disaster Management and School Nutrition: A Qualitative Study of Emergency Feeding During the COVID-19 Pandemic N/A | J Acad Nutr Diet | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5385 | Effect of internationally imported cases on internal spread of COVID-19: a mathematical modelling study BACKGROUND: Countries have restricted international arrivals to delay the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). These measures carry a high economic and social cost, and might have little effect on COVID-19 epidemics if there are many more cases resulting from local transmission compared with imported cases. Our study aims to investigate the extent to which imported cases contribute to local transmission under different epidemic conditions. METHODS: To inform decisions about international travel restrictions, we calculated the ratio of expected COVID-19 cases from international travel (assuming no travel restrictions) to expected cases arising from internal spread, expressed as a proportion, on an average day in May and September, 2020, in each country. COVID-19 prevalence and incidence were estimated using a modelling framework that adjusts reported cases for under-ascertainment and asymptomatic infections. We considered different travel scenarios for May and September, 2020: an upper bound with estimated travel volumes at the same levels as May and September, 2019, and a lower bound with estimated travel volumes adjusted downwards according to expected reductions in May and September, 2020. Results were interpreted in the context of local epidemic growth rates. FINDINGS: In May, 2020, imported cases are likely to have accounted for a high proportion of total incidence in many countries, contributing more than 10% of total incidence in 102 (95% credible interval 63–129) of 136 countries when assuming no reduction in travel volumes (ie, with 2019 travel volumes) and in 74 countries (33–114) when assuming estimated 2020 travel volumes. Imported cases in September, 2020, would have accounted for no more than 10% of total incidence in 106 (50–140) of 162 countries and less than 1% in 21 countries (4–71) when assuming no reductions in travel volumes. With estimated 2020 travel volumes, imported cases in September, 2020, accounted for no more than 10% of total incidence in 125 countries (65–162) and less than 1% in 44 countries (8–97). Of these 44 countries, 22 (2–61) had epidemic growth rates far from the tipping point of exponential growth, making them the least likely to benefit from travel restrictions. INTERPRETATION: Countries can expect travellers infected with SARS-CoV-2 to arrive in the absence of travel restrictions. Although such restrictions probably contribute to epidemic control in many countries, in others, imported cases are likely to contribute little to local COVID-19 epidemics. Stringent travel restrictions might have little impact on epidemic dynamics except in countries with low COVID-19 incidence and large numbers of arrivals from other countries, or where epidemics are close to tipping points for exponential growth. Countries should consider local COVID-19 incidence, local epidemic growth, and travel volumes before implementing such restrictions. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, European Commission, National Institute for Health Research, Medical Research Council, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. | Lancet Public Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5386 | Long COVID and chronic COVID syndromes We thank Dr Garg and colleagues for their interest in our work and their useful comments.1 We agree that our cohort of hospitalised patients is correspondingly older, more likely to have had severe disease and have more comorbidities than groups whose primary COVID-19 infection was mild and managed in the community. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. | J Med Virol | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5387 | Better Understanding Adult COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy and Refusal: The Influence of Broader Beliefs about Vaccines N/A | Int J Environ Res Public Healt | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 5388 | COVID-19 Vaccination Intent, Perceptions and Reasons for Not Vaccinating Among Groups Prioritized for Early Vaccination-United States, September and December 2020 As of February 8, 2021, 59.3 million doses of vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had been distributed in the United States, and 31.6 million persons had received at least 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (1). However, national polls conducted before vaccine distribution began suggested that many persons were hesitant to receive COVID-19 vaccination (2). To examine perceptions toward COVID-19 vaccine and intentions to be vaccinated, in September and December 2020, CDC conducted household panel surveys among a representative sample of U.S. adults. From September to December, vaccination intent (defined as being absolutely certain or very likely to be vaccinated) increased overall (from 39.4% to 49.1%); the largest increase occurred among adults aged ≥65 years. If defined as being absolutely certain, very likely, or somewhat likely to be vaccinated, vaccination intent increased overall from September (61.9%) to December (68.0%). Vaccination nonintent (defined as not intending to receive a COVID-19 vaccination) decreased among all adults (from 38.1% to 32.1%) and among most sociodemographic groups. Younger adults, women, non-Hispanic Black (Black) persons, adults living in nonmetropolitan areas, and adults with lower educational attainment, with lower income, and without health insurance were most likely to report lack of intent to receive COVID-19 vaccine. Intent to receive COVID-19 vaccine increased among adults aged ≥65 years by 17.1 percentage points (from 49.1% to 66.2%), among essential workers by 8.8 points (from 37.1% to 45.9%), and among adults aged 18-64 years with underlying medical conditions by 5.3 points (from 36.5% to 41.8%). Although confidence in COVID-19 vaccines increased during September-December 2020 in the United States, additional efforts to tailor messages and implement strategies to further increase the public's confidence, overall and within specific subpopulations, are needed. Ensuring high and equitable vaccination coverage across all populations is important to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate the impact of the pandemic. | MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5389 | New SARS-CoV-2 Variants-Clinical, Public Health and Vaccine Implications | N Engl J Med | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5390 | Immunogenicity of BNT162b2 vaccine booster against SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants in nursing home residents: A prospective observational study in older adults aged from 68 to 98 years BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to evaluate the persistent immunogenicity offered by a third dose of BNT162b2 against Delta and Omicron variants, in nursing home (NH) residents. METHODS: In this monocenter prospective observational study, anti-spike IgG levels, S1 domain reactive T cell counts, serum neutralizing antibody titers against Delta and Omicron variants were compared before and up to three months after the BNT162b2 booster dose, in NH residents without COVID-19 (COVID-19 naive) or with COVID-19 prior to initial vaccination (COVID-19 recovered). FINDINGS: 106 NH residents (median [interquartile range] age: 86·5 [81;91] years) were included. The booster dose induced a high increase of anti-spike antibody levels in all subjects (p < 0.0001) and a mild transient increase of specific T cells. Before the booster dose, Delta neutralization was detected in 19% (n = 8/43) and 88% (n = 37/42) of COVID-19 naive and COVID-19 recovered subjects, respectively. Three months after the booster dose, all NH residents developed and maintained a higher Delta neutralization (p < 0·0001). Before the booster dose, Omicron neutralization was detected in 5% (n = 2/43) and 55% (n = 23/42) of COVID-19 naive and COVID-19 recovered subjects, respectively, and three months after, in 84% and 95%, respectively. Neutralizing titers to Omicron were lower than to Delta in both groups with a 35-fold reduction compared to Delta. INTERPRETATION: The booster dose restores high neutralization titers against Delta in all NH residents, and at a lower level against Omicron in a large majority of participants. Future studies are warranted to assess if repeated BNT162b2 booster doses or new specific vaccines might be considered for protecting such fragile patients against Omicron and/or future SARS-CoV-2 variants. FUNDING: French government through the Programme Investissement d'Avenir (I-SITE ULNE/ANR-16-IDEX-0004 ULNE) and the Label of COVID-19 National Research Priority (National Steering Committee on Therapeutic Trials and Other COVID-19 Research, CAPNET). | Lancet Reg Health Eur | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5391 | Differential effects of the second SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine dose on T-cell immunity in naive and COVID-19 recovered individuals The rapid development of mRNA-based vaccines against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to the design of accelerated vaccination schedules that have been extremely effective in naïve individuals. While a two-dose immunization regimen with the BNT162b2 vaccine has been demonstrated to provide a 95% efficacy in naïve individuals, the effects of the second vaccine dose in individuals who have previously recovered from natural SARS-CoV-2 infection has not been investigated in detail. Here we characterize, SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific humoral and cellular immunity in naïve and previously infected individuals during and after two-doses of BNT162b2 vaccination. Our results demonstrate that, while the second dose increases both the humoral and cellular immunity in naïve individuals, COVID-19 recovered individuals reach their peak of immunity after the first dose. These results suggests that a second dose, according to the current standard regimen of vaccination, may be not necessary in individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. | Cell Rep | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5392 | Myocarditis Following a COVID-19 Messenger RNA Vaccination: A Japanese Case Series COVID-19 vaccine-related myocarditis has been reported worldwide. We herein report two Japanese cases with suspected vaccine-related myocarditis. A 27-year-old man was admitted with chest pain 4 days after the second vaccination. An electrocardiogram (ECG) did not reveal any significant abnormalities. The second patient, a 37-year-old man, was admitted with chest pain 9 days after the first vaccination. His ECG exhibited ST-elevation in multiple leads. In both cases, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings were consistent with myocarditis. They recovered with symptomatic relief within a few days. These cases suggest that the benefit of COVID-19 vaccination exceeds the risk of vaccine-related myocarditis. | Intern Med | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5393 | Mutations derived from horseshoe bat ACE2 orthologs enhance ACE2-Fc neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) protein mediates infection of cells expressing angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 is also the viral receptor of SARS-CoV (SARS-CoV-1), a related coronavirus that emerged in 2002–2003. Horseshoe bats (genus Rhinolophus) are presumed to be the original reservoir of both viruses, and a SARS-like coronavirus, RaTG13, closely related to SARS-CoV-2, has been identified in one horseshoe-bat species. Here we characterize the ability of the S-protein receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, pangolin coronavirus (PgCoV), RaTG13, and LyRa11, a bat virus similar to SARS-CoV-1, to bind a range of ACE2 orthologs. We observed that the PgCoV RBD bound human ACE2 at least as efficiently as the SARS-CoV-2 RBD, and that both RBDs bound pangolin ACE2 efficiently. We also observed a high level of variability in binding to closely related horseshoe-bat ACE2 orthologs consistent with the heterogeneity of their RBD-binding regions. However five consensus horseshoe-bat ACE2 residues enhanced ACE2 binding to the SARS-CoV-2 RBD and neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses by an enzymatically inactive immunoadhesin form of human ACE2 (hACE2-NN-Fc). Two of these mutations impaired neutralization of SARS-CoV-1 pseudoviruses. An hACE2-NN-Fc variant bearing all five mutations neutralized both SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus and infectious virus more efficiently than wild-type hACE2-NN-Fc. These data suggest that SARS-CoV-1 and -2 originate from distinct bat species, and identify a more potently neutralizing form of soluble ACE2. | PLoS Pathog | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5394 | Computational decomposition reveals reshaping of the SARS-CoV-2-ACE2 interface among viral variants expressing the N501Y mutation N/A | J Cell Biochem | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5395 | Influence of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of imported COVID-19 cases in Chengdu N/A | Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5396 | Wastewater-Based SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance in Northern New England SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA is shed in the stool of 55–70% of infected individuals and can be detected in community wastewater up to 7 days before people present with COVID-19 symptoms. The detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater may serve as a lead indicator of increased community transmission. Here, we monitored viral concentrations in samples collected from nine municipal wastewater facilities in New Hampshire (NH) and Vermont (VT).Twenty-four-h composite primary influent wastewater samples were collected from nine municipal wastewater treatment facilities twice per week for 5 months (late September 2020 to early February 2021). Wastewater was centrifuged for 30 min at 4600 × g, then the supernatant was frozen until further analysis. Once thawed, samples were concentrated, extracted, and tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA using reverse transcriptase-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and reverse transcriptase-droplet digital PCR (RT-ddPCR) detection methods. Active case counts for each municipality were tracked from the NH and VT state COVID-19 dashboards. We received a total of 283 wastewater samples from all sites during the study period. Viral RNA was detected in 175/283 (61.8%) samples using RT-qPCR and in 195/283 (68.9%) samples using RT-ddPCR. All nine sites showed positivity in the wastewater, with 8/9 (88.8%) sites having over 50% of their samples test positive over the course of the study. Larger municipalities, such as Nashua, Concord, and Lebanon, NH, showed that SARS-CoV-2 positivity in the wastewater can precede spikes in active COVID-19 case counts by as much as 7 days. Smaller municipalities, such as Woodsville, NH and Hartford, VT, showed sporadic SARS-COV-2 detection and did not always precede a rise in active case counts. We detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in samples from all 9 municipalities tested, including cities and small towns within this region, and showed wastewater positivity as an early indicator of active case count increases in some regions. Some of the smaller rural municipalities with low case counts may require more frequent sampling to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater before a case surge. With timely collection and analysis of wastewater samples, a community could potentially respond to results by increasing public health initiatives, such as tightening mask mandates and banning large indoor gatherings, to mitigate community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. IMPORTANCE Despite vaccination efforts, the delta and omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 have caused global surges of COVID-19. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it is important to find new ways of tracking early signs of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. The manuscript outlines how to collect wastewater from treatment facilities, concentrate the virus in a dilute wastewater sample, and detect it using two sensitive PCR-based methods. It also describes important trends in SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater of a rural region of the United States from Fall 2020 – Winter 2021 and demonstrates the utility of wastewater monitoring as a leading indicator of active SARS-CoV-2 cases. Monitoring changes in concentration of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater may offer an early indicator of increased case counts and enable appropriate public health actions to be taken. | Microbiol Spectr | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5397 | Coronavirus envelope protein: current knowledge BACKGROUND: Coronaviruses (CoVs) primarily cause enzootic infections in birds and mammals but, in the last few decades, have shown to be capable of infecting humans as well. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and, more recently, Middle-East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has demonstrated the lethality of CoVs when they cross the species barrier and infect humans. A renewed interest in coronaviral research has led to the discovery of several novel human CoVs and since then much progress has been made in understanding the CoV life cycle. The CoV envelope (E) protein is a small, integral membrane protein involved in several aspects of the virus’ life cycle, such as assembly, budding, envelope formation, and pathogenesis. Recent studies have expanded on its structural motifs and topology, its functions as an ion-channelling viroporin, and its interactions with both other CoV proteins and host cell proteins. MAIN BODY: This review aims to establish the current knowledge on CoV E by highlighting the recent progress that has been made and comparing it to previous knowledge. It also compares E to other viral proteins of a similar nature to speculate the relevance of these new findings. Good progress has been made but much still remains unknown and this review has identified some gaps in the current knowledge and made suggestions for consideration in future research. CONCLUSIONS: The most progress has been made on SARS-CoV E, highlighting specific structural requirements for its functions in the CoV life cycle as well as mechanisms behind its pathogenesis. Data shows that E is involved in critical aspects of the viral life cycle and that CoVs lacking E make promising vaccine candidates. The high mortality rate of certain CoVs, along with their ease of transmission, underpins the need for more research into CoV molecular biology which can aid in the production of effective anti-coronaviral agents for both human CoVs and enzootic CoVs. | Virol J | 2019 | CORD-19 | |
| 5398 | SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Neutralization after mRNA-1273 Booster Vaccination | N Engl J Med | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5399 | Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination among adults with chronic diseases in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia N/A | J Infect Public Health | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 5400 | Characteristics associated with changes in food security status among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic The prevalence of food insecurity in the USA has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, past studies have not examined how the food security status of college students has been impacted. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the prevalence of food insecurity; determine the proportion of students experiencing a change in food security status; and identify characteristics associated with changes in food security status from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic among a sample of college students. We administered a cross-sectional online survey to students from a large public university in the Southeastern USA. The 10-item U.S. Adult Food Security Module was used to assess food security status during the spring 2020 semester both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and students self-reported a variety of individual characteristics. The overall prevalence of food insecurity increased by approximately one-third during the spring 2020 semester from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. When examining the types of changes in food security status experienced by students, 12% improved, 68% stayed the same, and 20% worsened. A variety of characteristics were associated with an improvement or worsening of food security status category from before to during the pandemic. Similar to what is seen in other reports, we found that the overall proportion of college students in our sample experiencing food insecurity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, some students showed improvements in food security status. Approaches for addressing food insecurity during and beyond the pandemic are needed. | Transl Behav Med | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 |
(1) COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19). 2020. Version 2022-06-02. Retrieved from https://ai2-semanticscholar-cord-19.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/historical_releases.html. Accessed 2022-06-05. doi:10.5281/zenodo.3715506
(2) Chen Q, Allot A, & Lu Z. (2020) Keep up with the latest coronavirus research, Nature 579:193 and Chen Q, Allot A, Lu Z. LitCovid: an open database of COVID-19 literature. Nucleic Acids Research. 2020. (version 2023-01-10)
(3) Currently tweets of June 23rd to June 29th 2022 have been considered.