Sujets émergents : synopsis des principaux articles de recherche sur la COVID-19

October 12, 2021

Lazarus R, Baos S, Cappel-Porter H, Carson-Stevens A, Clout M, Culliford L, et al. The safety and immunogenicity of concomitant administration of COVID-19 vaccines (ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2) with seasonal influenza vaccines in adults: a phase IV, multicentre randomised controlled trial with blinding (ComFluCOV). SSRN [Preprint]. 2021 Sept 30 [cited 2021 Oct 6]. Available from: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3931758

A multicentre randomised phase IV control trial with blinding to examine the safety and immunogenicity of concomitant administration of a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (BNT162b2 = Pfizer-BioNTech; ChAdOx1 = AstraZeneca) and an influenza vaccine (FluAd, inactivated adjuvanted trivalent; Flucelvax, inactivated quadrivalent; Flublok, recombinant quadrivalent) in 679 adults aged 18 years and older in the United Kingdom. The authors conclude that concomitant vaccination raises no safety concerns and preserved the immune response to COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines. The delivery of both vaccines at the same time will reduce the burden on the healthcare services.

Review of “The safety and immunogenicity of concomitant administration of COVID-19 vaccines (ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2) with seasonal influenza vaccines in adults: a phase IV, multicentre randomised controlled trial with blinding (ComFluCOV)”

Sept 24, 2021

Harmon A, Chang C, Salcedo N, Sena B, Herrera BB, Bosch I, Holberger LE. Validation of an at-home direct antigen rapid test for COVID-19. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(8):e2126931. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.26931

The authors describe implementation of twice-weekly testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among 257 participants in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (US), using inexpensive, at-home, semiquantitative, direct antigen rapid tests (DARTs). In addition, the authors compare the performance of DART and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR; assumed gold standard) on self-collected nasal specimens.

Review of “Validation of an At-Home Direct Antigen Rapid Test for COVID-19”

September 21, 2021

Jara A, Undurraga EA, González C, Paredes F, Fontecilla T, Jara G, et al. Effectiveness of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in Chile. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;385(10):875-84. Available at: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2107715

The authors report analyses of the effectiveness of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac/Sinovac) in preventing laboratory-confirmed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronovirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and related hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and death in the Chilean population.

Review of “Effectiveness of an Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine in Chile"

September 14, 2021

Abaluck J, Kwong LH, Styczynski A, Haque A, Kabir A, Bates-Jeffries E, et al. The impact of community masking on COVID-19: A cluster-randomized trial in Bangladesh. Innovations for Poverty Action. 2021 Aug 31 [Preprint; cited 2021 Sep 2]. Available from: https://www.poverty-action.org/publication/impact-community-masking-covid-19-cluster-randomized-trial-bangladesh

Authors of this preprint describe the impact on symptomatic seroprevalence of mask promotion strategies compared to no mask promotion in public areas of rural villages in Bangladesh. The promotion strategies included, for example, providing free cloth or medical masks, having mask promoters reinforce the importance of mask-wearing, and partnerships with local leaders to promote masking. Observations were made across 600 villages, which included a population of 342,126 adults.

Review of “The impact of community masking on COVID-19: A cluster-randomized trial in Bangladesh”

September 8, 2021

Twohig KA, Nyberg T, Zaidi A, Thelwall S, Sinnathamby MA, Aliabadi S, et al. Hospital admission and emergency care attendance risk for SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) compared with Alpha (B.1.1.7) variants of concern: a cohort study. Lancet. 2021 Aug 21 [ePub ahead of print; cited 2021 Aug 30]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00475-8

Rates of hospital admission and emergency care attendance of patients with Delta variant (B.1.617.2) and Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) infections confirmed by whole genome sequencing in England were compared. Subgroup analyses of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients were conducted and compared to determine if the risk differs between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

Review of “Hospital admission and emergency care attendance risk for SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) compared with Alpha (B.1.1.7) variants of concern: a cohort study"

September 3, 2021

Barda N, Dagan N, Ben-Shlomo Y, Kepten E, Waxman J, Ohana R, et al. Safety of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine in a nationwide setting. N Engl J Med. 2021 Aug 25 [ePub ahead of print; cited 2021 Aug 27]. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2110475

Based on data from the largest health care organization in Israel, authors evaluate the risk ratio and risk difference for twenty-five short- and medium-term adverse events following BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination without infection, and adverse events following infection without vaccination.

Review of “Safety of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in a Nationwide Setting”

September 1, 2021

Coleman KK, Wen Tay DJ, Tan KS, Xiang Ong SW, Son TT, Koh MH, et al. Viral load of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory aerosols emitted by COVID-19 patients while breathing, talking, and singing. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Aug 6 [cited 2021 Aug 31]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab691

In a study of 22 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in Singapore (February–April 2021), the authors measured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in coarse (>5 µm diameter) and fine (≤5 µm diameter) respiratory aerosols emitted by patients during 30 minutes of breathing, 15 minutes of talking, and 15 minutes of singing.

Review of “Viral Load of SARS-CoV-2 in Respiratory Aerosols Emitted by COVID-19 Patients while Breathing, Talking, and Singing”

August 16, 2021

Payne RP, Longet S, Austin JA, Skelly DT, Dejnirattisai W, Adele S, et al. Sustained T cell immunity, protection and boosting using extended dosing intervals of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Cell [Preprint]. 2021 July 23 [cited 2021 July 26]. Available from: https://www.pitch-study.org/PITCH_Dosing_Interval_23072021.pdf

The authors examined differences in immunogenicity for conventional (“short”, 2-5 weeks) and extended (“long”, 6-14 weeks) dosing interval regimens between the two doses for BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine).

Review of “Sustained T cell immunity, protection and boosting using extended dosing intervals of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine”.

August 16, 2021

Article citation: Brown CM, Vostok J, Johnson H, Burns M, Gharpure R, Sami S, et al. Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infections, including COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infections, associated with large public gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 July 30 [Epub ahead of print; cited 2021 August 3]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7017e2

The authors describe an outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, where a cluster of 469 cases in Massachusetts residents occurred after large public events (July 3–17, 2021). As of July 3, the estimated vaccination coverage (fully vaccinated) among the eligible population in Massachusetts was 69%.

Review of “Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021”

July 11, 2021

Heath PT, Galiza EP, Baxter DN, Boffito M, Browne D, Burns F, et al. Safety and Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 Covid-19 Vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2021. Available from: http://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2107659

Findings of a phase 3 international, randomized, observer-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax).

Review of “Safety and Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19 Vaccine”

July 9, 2021

Thompson MG, Burgess JL, Naleway A, Tyner H, Yoon SK, Meece J, et al. Prevention and Attenuation of COVID-19 by BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 Vaccines. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2107058

A prospective cohort study evaluating the effectiveness of BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines in preventing and reducing the symptoms of COVID-19.

Review of “Prevention and Attenuation of COVID-19 with the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 Vaccines”

July 9, 2021

Lindsley WG, Derk RC, Coyle JP, Martin SB, Mead KR, Blachere FM, et al. Efficacy of portable air cleaners and masking for reducing indoor exposure to simulated exhaled SARS-CoV-2 aerosols – United States, 2021. MMWR. 2021 Jul 2 [cited 2021 Jul 2]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7027e1

The amount of aerosol that three respiratory simulators were exposed to with and without the use of two portable high-efficiency particulate air filter air cleaners in a small conference room was compared.

Review of “Efficacy of portable air cleaners and masking for reducing indoor exposure to simulated exhaled SARS-CoV-2 aerosols — United States, 2021”

July 8, 2021

Ferris M, Ferris R, Workman C, O’Connor E, Enoch DA, Goldesgeyme E, et al. FFP3 respirators protect healthcare workers against infection with SARS-CoV-2. Authorea. 30 Jun 2021 [Preprint; cited 2021 Jun 30]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.162454911.17263721/v2

The effect of implementing universal FFP3 (N99 equivalent) use on rates of SARS-CoV-2 among health care workers in wards containing COVID-19 patients was compared to non-COVID-19 wards at a tertiary hospital based in the United Kingdom.

Review of “FFP3 respirators protect healthcare workers against infection with SARS-CoV-2”

June 3, 2021

Shah VP, Breeher LE, Hainy CM, Swift MD. Evaluation of healthcare personnel exposures to patients with SARS-CoV-2 associated with personal protective equipment use. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2021 May 12 [ePub ahead of print; cited 2021 May 27]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2021.219

Authors conducted a retrospective cohort study that assessed the rates of SARS-CoV-2 in health care workers who experienced a lapse in appropriate eye protection or respirator use during care of a patient with confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2.

Review of “Evaluation of Healthcare Personnel Exposures to Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Associated with Personal Protective Equipment”

June 3, 2021

Gettings J, Czarnik M, Morris E, Haller E, Thompson-Paul AM, Rasberry C, et al. Mask use and ventilation improvements to reduce COVID-19 incidence in elementary schools — Georgia, November 16–December 11, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 May 21 [Epub ahead of print; cited 2021 May 26]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7021e1

Using a survey and epidemiological data, this study assessed the impact of school-level (kindergarten through grade 5) prevention strategies in Georgia, United States (US), on the incidence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) among students and staff prior to vaccine availability.

Review of “Mask Use and Ventilation Improvements to Reduce COVID-19 Incidence in Elementary Schools — Georgia, November 16–December 11, 2020”

May 27, 2021

Parry H, Bruton R, Stephens C, Brown K, Amirthalingam G, Hallis B, et al. Extended interval BNT 162b2 vaccination enhances peak antibody generation in older people. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2021. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.15.21257017

This is a population-based cohort study evaluating the relative immunogenicity of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccination when comparing a standard versus extended interval between vaccine doses in the two-dose regimen.

Review of “Extended interval BNT162b2 vaccination enhances peak antibody generation in older people”

May 25, 2021

Meethil AP, Saraswat S, Chaudhary PP, Dabdoub SM, Kumar PS. Sources of SARS-CoV-2 and other microorganisms in dental aerosols. J Dent Res. 2021 May 12 [OnlineFirst; cited 2021 May 18]:00220345211015948. Available from:
https://doi.org/10.1177/00220345211015948

The purpose of the study was to determine if microbial contamination in the dental operatory from aerosol-generating dental procedures (AGDPs) is of non-salivary or salivary origin. 

Review of “Sources of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Microorganisms in Dental Aerosols”

May 11, 2021

Sadoff J, Gray G, Vandebosch A, Cárdenas V, Shukarev G, Grinsztejn B, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Single-Dose Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine against Covid-19. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021 Apr 21. [Epub ahead of print] Available from: https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2101544

The authors report findings of ENSEMBLE, a phase 3 international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a single dose of the Janssen pharmaceutical (Johnson & Johnson) Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccine.

Review of “Safety and Efficacy of Single-Dose of Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine against COVID-19”

May 10, 2021

Laydon DJ, Mishra S, Hinsley WR, Samartsidis P, Flaxman S, Gandy A, et al. Modelling the impact of the tier system on SARS-CoV- 2 transmission in the UK between the first and second national lockdowns. BMJ Open. 202111:e050346. Available from:
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/11/4/e050346.full.pdf

In this study, the authors examined the effects of the three tier system on the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK between the first and second national lockdowns (before the emergence of the B.1.1.7 variant of concern).

Review of “Modelling the impact of the tier system on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the UK between the first and second national lockdowns”

May 4, 2021

Moghadas SM, Fitzpatrick MC, Shoukat A, Zhang K, Galvani AP. Simulated identification of silent COVID-19 infections among children and estimated future infection rates with vaccination. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(4):e217097. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.7097

This study used a disease transmission model with data from the United States (US) from December 12, 2020 to February 26, 2021 to estimate the benefits of identifying silent (i.e., presymptomatic or asymptomatic) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections among children.

Review of “Simulated Identification of Silent COVID-19 Infections among Children and Estimated Future Infection Rates with Vaccination”

April 30, 2021

Shimabukuro TT, Kim SY, Myers TR, Moro PL, Oduyebo T, Panagiotakopoulos L, et al. Preliminary findings of mRNA covid-19 vaccine safety in pregnant persons. N Engl J Med. 2021 Apr 21 [Epub ahead of print]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2104983

This study evaluated pregnancy registry data and vaccine adverse event reporting to describe the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) in pregnant persons in the United States (US).

Review of “Preliminary Findings of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons”

April 22, 2021

Bullard J, Funk D, Dust K, Garnett L, Tran K, Bello A, et al. Infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in children compared with adults. CMAJ. 2021 Apr 9 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.21026

In this study, the authors compared the infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children (<18 years) and adults (≥18 years) in Manitoba (March to December 2020).

Review of “Infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in children compared with adults”

April 9, 2021

Grint DJ, Wing K, Williamson E, McDonald HI, Bhaskaran K, Evans D, et al. Case fatality risk of the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 in England, 16 November to 5 February. Euro Surveill. 2021;26(11):2100256.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.11.2100256

In this cohort analysis of individuals with confirmed infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in England, the authors compared the risk of all-cause mortality between those infected with the B.1.1.7 variant of concern (VOC) and non-VOC.

Review of “Case Fatality Risk of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern B.1.1.7 in England, 16 November to 5 February."

April 8, 2021

Katelaris AL, Wells J, Clark P, Norton S, Rockett R, Arnott A, et al. Epidemiologic evidence for airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during church singing, Australia, 2020. EID. 2021 Jun [cited 2021 Apr 6].
Available from: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/6/21-0465_article

Twelve secondary cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were linked to an index case, an 18 year old chorister with symptom-onset of July 16 and positive test July 17, who sang at four one-hour services, one each on July 15 and 16, and two on July 17.

Review of “Epidemiologic evidence for airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during church singing, Australia, 2020”

March 22, 2021

Hyams C, Marlow R, Maseko Z, King J, Ward L, Fox K, Heath R, Turner A, Friedrich Z, Morrison L, Ruffino G. Assessing the Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1nCoV-19 COVID-19 Vaccination in Prevention of Hospitalisations in Elderly and Frail Adults: A Single Centre Test Negative Case-Control Study.
Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3796835

Two studies examine vaccine effectiveness in the elderly population in the United Kingdom.

Review of articles on BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1nCoV-19 COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

March 19, 2021

Groves LM, Usagawa L, Elm J, Low E, Manuzak A, Quint J, et al. Community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at three fitness facilities – Hawaii, June–July 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70(9):316-20.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7009e1.

Lendacki FR, Teran RA, Gretsch S, Fricchione MJ, Kerin JL. COVID-19 outbreak among attendees of an exercise facility – Chicago, Illinois, August–September 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70(9):321-5.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7009e2.

Two outbreaks of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in fitness facilities (one in Hawaii, the other in Chicago) were reported in the March 5, 2021 issue of the Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report.

Review of “Community Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at Three Fitness Facilities – Hawaii, June–July 2020” and “COVID-19 Outbreak Among Attendees of an Exercise Facility – Chicago, Illinois, August–September 2020”

March 16, 2021

Li Y, Campbell H, Kulkarni D, Harpur A, Nundy M, Wang X, Nair H, for the Usher Network for COVID-19 Evidence Reviews (UNCOVER) group. The temporal association of introducing and lifting non-pharmaceutical interventions with the time-varying reproduction number (R) of SARS-CoV-2: a modelling study across 131 countries. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2021 Feb 1;21(2):193-202.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30785-4

This study modelled the association between introducing and relaxing eight different non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) with the level of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, based on the time-varying reproduction number (R).

Review of “The temporal association of introducing and lifting non-pharmaceutical interventions with the time-varying reproduction number (R) of SARS-CoV-2: a modelling study across 131 countries”

March 12, 2021

Kissler S, Fauver JR, Mack C, Tai CG, Breban MI, et al. Densely sampled viral trajectories suggest longer duration of acute infection with B.1.1.7 variant relative to non-B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Feb 19 [cited 2021 Mar 11].
Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.16.21251535v1

Using modelling and longitudinal sampling, the authors tested whether acute B.1.1.7 infection is associated with higher or more sustained nasopharyngeal (NP) viral concentrations.

Review of “Densely sampled viral trajectories suggest longer duration of acute infection with B.1.1.7 variant relative to non-B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2”

March 11, 2021

Guy GP, Lee FC, Sunshine G, McCord R, Howard-Williams M, Kompaniyets L, et al. Association of State-Issued Mask Mandates and Allowing On-Premises Restaurant Dining with County-Level COVID-19 Case and Death Growth Rates — United States, March 1–December 31, 2020. MMWR 2021 Mar 5. [Early release]
Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7010e3.htm?s_cid=mm7010e3_w

This study, by authors at the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, supports recommendations of universal masking and avoiding non-essential shared spaces to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, the non-essential indoor spaces considered were on-premises restaurant dining.

Review of “Association of State-Issued Mask Mandates and Allowing On-Premises Restaurant Dining with County-Level COVID-19 Case and Death Growth Rates — United States, March 1–December 31, 2020”

March 8, 2021

Stern RA, Koutrakis P, Martins MAG, Lemos B, Dowd SE, Sunderland EM, et al. Characterization of hospital airborne SARS-CoV-2. Respir Res. 2021;22(1):73. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-021-01637-8

The authors examined the size of particles and locations associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in an acute care hospital environment in locations outside of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient care areas. 

Review of “Characterization of Hospital Airborne SARS-CoV-2”

February 19, 2021

Verma AA, Hora T, Jung HY, Fralick M, Malecki SL, Lapointe-Shaw L, et al. Characteristics and outcomes of hospital admissions for COVID-19 and influenza in the Toronto area. CMAJ 2021 Feb 10. [Early release. Subject to revision]
Available from: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2021/02/10/cmaj.202795

This study compared patient characteristics, resource use, clinical care and outcomes for 1735 adult patients with COVID-19 and influenza. The study setting was in 7 hospitals in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario during the first wave of the pandemic.

Review of “Characteristics and outcomes of hospital admissions for COVID-19 and influenza in the Toronto area”

February 19, 2021

Brooks JT, Beezhold DH, Noti JD, Coyle JP, Derk RC, Blachere FM, et al. Maximizing fit for cloth and medical procedure masks to improve performance and reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission and exposure, 2021. MMWR. 2021 Feb 10 [ePub ahead of print].
Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7007e1

An experimental simulation study using masked dummy headforms was conducted using different configurations and modifications with three-ply medical masks and three-ply cotton masks to evaluate source control on a source model and protection afforded to a receiver under controlled conditions.

Review of “Maximizing fit for cloth and medical procedure masks to improve performance and reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission and exposure, 2021”

February 16, 2021

Voysey M, Costa Clemens SA, Madhi SA, Weckx LY, Folegatti PM, Aley PK, et al. Single dose administration, and the influence of the timing of the booster dose on immunogenicity and efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine. Lancet 2021 Feb 01. [Epub ahead of print]. Available from: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3777268

In this pre-print study, the authors’ conclude “ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination programmes aimed at vaccinating a large proportion of the population with a single dose, with a second dose given after a 3 month period is an effective strategy for reducing disease, and may be the optimal for rollout of a pandemic vaccine when supplies are limited in the short term.”

Review of "Single dose administration, and the influence of the timing of the booster dose on immunogenicity and efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine"

February 2, 2021

Rapid review on the characteristics of effective non-medical face masks in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission [Internet]. Ottawa, ON: Public Health Agency of Canada; 2021 Jan 5 [cited 2021 Jan 27]. Available from: https://www.nccmt.ca/covid-19/covid-19-evidence-reviews/261

This rapid review examined the evidence on the characteristics and efficacy of non-medical masks in reducing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission.

Review of “Rapid review on the characteristics of effective non-medical face masks in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission”

January 28, 2021

Zimmerman KO, Akinboyo IC, Brookhart MA, Boutzoukas AE, McGann K, Smith MJ, et al. Incidence and secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infections in schools. Pediatrics. 2021 Jan 8 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-048090

This study evaluated the hypothesis that in-person learning would not lead to substantial Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission among school students and staff in North Carolina, United States, if students and staff adhere to wearing of face masks, physical distancing and hand hygiene.

Review of “Incidence and secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infections in schools”

January 27, 2021

Horby P, Huntley C, Davies N, Edmunds J, Ferguson N, Medley G, et al. NERVTAG paper on COVID-19 variant of concern B.1.1.7 [Internet]. London: Crown copyright; 2021 [cited 2021 Jan 26].
Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nervtag-paper-on-covid-19-variant-of-concern-b117

The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) reported with 40% to 50% confidence that COVID-19 Variant of Concern (VOC) B.1.1.7 is associated with an increased risk of death compared to non-VOC, based on preliminary evidence from data of COVID-19 deaths linked to testing results in the community.

Review of “NERVTAG Paper on COVID-19 variant of concern B.1.1.7”

January 21, 2021

Rolfes MA, Grijalva CG, Zhu Y, McLean HQ, Hanson KE, Belongia EA, et al. Implications of shortened quarantine among household contacts of index patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection — Tennessee and Wisconsin, April–September 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;69(5152):1633-7.
Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm695152a1

This study used data from an ongoing study of household Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission in Nashville, Tennessee and Marshfield, Wisconsin to determine the proportion of household contacts with detectable virus after a shortened quarantine period.

Review of “Implications of shortened quarantine among household contacts of index patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection — Tennessee and Wisconsin, April–September 2020”

January 19, 2021

Brandal LT, Ofitserova TS, Meijerink H, Rykkvin R, Lund HM, Hungnes O, et al. Minimal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from paediatric COVID-19 cases in primary schools, Norway, August to November 2020. Euro Surveill. 2021;26(1):pii=2002011.
https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.26.1.2002011.

This study prospectively examined transmission of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from confirmed paediatric cases in Norwegian primary schools between August and November 2020. 

Review of “Minimal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from paediatric COVID-19 cases in primary schools, Norway, August to November 2020”

January 11, 2021

Baden LR, El Sahly HM, Essink B, Kotloff K, Frey S, Novak R, et al. Efficacy and safety of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020 Dec 30 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2035389

The authors report interim findings of a phase-3 randomized, stratified, observer-blinded placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Moderna mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine.

Review of “Efficacy and safety of mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine”

January 8, 2021

Volz E, Mishra S, Chand M, Barrett JC, Johnson R, Geidelberg L, et al. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 in England: insights from linking epidemiological and genetic data. medRxiv 20249034 [Preprint]. 2021 Jan 04 [cited 2021 Jan 04].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.30.20249034

The SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 is now designated Variant of Concern 202012/01 (VOC) by Public Health England and is a genetic variant that includes amino acid substitutions that have implications related to increased ACE2 binding, and deletions that has impact on diagnostic assays.

Review of “Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in England: Insights from Linking Epidemiological and Genetic Data”

December 24, 2020

Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, Absalon J, Gurtman A, Lockhart S, et al. Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020 Dec 10 [Epub ahead of print]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2034577

This is a report of the safety and efficacy findings from the phase 2/3 part of an ongoing multinational, randomized placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of the BNT162b2 vaccine in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in persons 16 years of age or older after two doses (30 μg each) at 21 days apart. 

Review of “Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine”

December 24, 2020

Voysey M, Clemens SAC, Madhi SA, Weckx LY, Folegatti PM, Aley PK, et al. Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK. Lancet. 2020 Dec 08 [Epub ahead of print]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32661-1 

The ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine was developed at Oxford University using a replication-deficient chimpanzee adenovirus vector containing the SARS-CoV-2 structural surface glycoprotein antigen (Spike protein) gene. 

Review of “Safety and Efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine (AZD1222) Against SARS-CoV2: An Interim Analysis of Four Randomised Controlled Trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK”

December 9, 2020

Article 1. Ioannidis JPA, Axfors C, Contopoulos-Ioannidis DG. Population-level COVID-19 mortality risk for non-elderly individuals overall and for non-elderly individuals without underlying diseases in pandemic epicenters. Environ Res. 2020 Jul 01 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2020.109890

Article 2. Ioannidis JPA. Infection fatality rate of COVID-19 inferred from seroprevalence data. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2020 Oct 14 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/BLT.20.265892.pdf

COVID-19 infection fatality rates reported in two studies by Ioannidis et al. One cross-sectional study reports COVID death data from European, Canadian and US locations; the second reviews seroprevalence and mortality data of COVID-19 from 51 locations. Both articles are in the context of wave one of the pandemic.

COVID-19 Infection Fatality Rates Reported in Two Studies by Ioannidis et al.

December 4, 2020

Aydillo T, Gonzalez-Reiche AS, Aslam F, van de Guchte A, Khan Z, Obla A, et al. Shedding of viable SARS-CoV-2 after immunosuppressive therapy for cancer. N Engl J Med. 2020 Dec 1 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2031670

This study investigated the shedding of live severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 20 patients with cancer and immune system compromise. Patients were from a single cancer centre in New York City and diagnosed with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) between March 10 and April 20, 2020.

Review of “Shedding of viable SARS-CoV-2 after immunosuppressive therapy for cancer”

December 1, 2020

Bundgaard H, Bundgaard JS, Raaschou-Pedersen DET, von Buchwald C, Todsen T, Norsk JB, et al. Effectiveness of adding a mask recommendation to other public health measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in Danish mask wearers. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Nov 18 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-6817

This is a community-based unblinded randomized controlled trial in five regions in Denmark between April 3 and June 2, 2020 to assess if recommendations for wearing surgical masks outside the home would protect wearers from acquiring coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Review of “Effectiveness of Adding a Mask Recommendation to Other Public Health Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Danish Mask Wearers”

December 30, 2020

Hobbs CV, Martin LM, Kim SS, Kirmse BM, Haynie L, McGraw S, et al. Factors associated with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results in outpatient health facilities and emergency departments among children and adolescents aged <18 years—Mississippi, September–November 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020;(69)50:1925-9. Available from: https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6950e3

This is a case-control study that compares school, community, and close contact exposures of persons aged <18 years who tested positive for COVID-19 by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) (case patients), with those who tested negative (control participants). 

Review of “Factors associated with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results in outpatient health facilities and emergency departments among children and adolescents aged <18 years—Mississippi, September–November 2020”

November 19, 2020

Chang S, Pierson E, Koh PW, Gerardin J, Redbird B, Grusky D, et al. Mobility network models of COVID-19 explain inequities and inform reopening. Nature. 2020 Nov 10 [Epub ahead of print] Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2923-3

Integrating mobility networks data into the SEIR epidemiological model, the authors compared the estimated risks of infection with full reopening of non-residential points of interest (POIs) frequented by people, with stringent reopening by restricting peak occupancy at certain POIs, and identified populations at risk of COVID-19 infection.

Review of “Mobility network models of COVID-19 explain inequities and inform reopening”

November 3, 2020

Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization. Interim guidelines for detecting cases of reinfection by SARS-CoV-2. 27 October 2020. Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization; 2020.
Available from: https://www.paho.org/en/documents/interim-guidelines-detecting-cases-reinfection-sars-cov-2 

Review of “Interim Guidelines for Detecting Cases of Reinfection by SARS-CoV-2”

October 28, 2020

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2020. Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2: proceedings of a workshop in brief. Washington, DC: The Academies Press. 2020.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.17226/25958

The report is a high-level summary of the presentations and discussions at a workshop on airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) held in August, 2020. This report summarizes views of individual experts and is not meant to represent consensus conclusions or recommendations.

Review of “Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2: Proceedings of a Workshop in Brief”

October 28, 2020

Hale T, Phillips T, Petherick A, Kira B, Angrist N, Aymar K, et al. Risk of openness index: when do government responses need to be increased or maintained? Oxford, United Kingdom: Blavatnik School of Government Research Note. 2020 Sept 3 [cited 2020 Oct 20].
Available from: https://www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/research/publications/risk-openness-index-when-do-government-responses-need-be-increased-or

The Risk of Openness Index (RoOI), previously Lockdown Rollback Checklist, is a dataset of risk ratings (risk of openness) that relates to a country’s readiness for adopting an ‘open’ policy (removal/reduction public health measures).

Review of “Risk of Openness Index: When do government responses need to be increased or maintained”

October 27, 2020

Pringle JC, Leikauskas J, Ransom-Kelley S, Webster B, Santos S, Fox H, et al. COVID-19 in a correctional facility employee following multiple brief exposures to person with COVID-19 – Vermont, July-August 2020. MMWR. 2020;69. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6943e1-H.pdf

A correctional officer assigned to an 8-hour shift in a correctional facility quarantine unit on July 28, 2020 containing six SARS-CoV-2 positive, asymptomatic detained persons became symptomatic one week later with a subsequent positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result. 

Review of “COVID-19 in a correctional facility employee following multiple brief exposures to person with COVID-19 – Vermont, July-August 2020”

October 21, 2020

Riddell S, Goldie S, Hill A, Eagles D, Drew TW. The effect of temperature on persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on common surfaces. Virol J. 2020 Oct 7 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-020-01418-7

The authors tested the stability of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) under controlled conditions on six surface types.

Review of “The effect of temperature on persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on common surfaces”

September 18, 2020

Doung-ngern P, Suphanchaimat R, Panjangampatthana A, Janekrongtham C, Ruampoom D, Daochaeng N, et al. Case-control study of use of personal protective measures and risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection, Thailand. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Sep 14 [Epud ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2611.203003

This is a retrospective case-control study to evaluate the effectiveness of mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing and other personal protective measures in preventing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in public venues in Thailand.

Review of “Case-control study of use of personal protective measures and risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, Thailand”

Leclerc QJ, Fuller NM, Knight LE, Funk S, Knight GM, CMMID COVID-19 Working Group. What settings have been linked to SARS-CoV-2 transmission clusters?. Wellcome Open Res. 2020; 5(83):83. [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15889.2

This paper is a systematic review to determine the types of indoor and outdoor settings where transmission and clusters of COVID-19 have been reported.

Review of “What settings have been linked to SARS-CoV-2 transmission clusters?”

September 8, 2020

Kang M, Wei J, Yuan J, Guo J, Zhang Y, Hang J, et al. Probable evidence of fecal aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a high-rise building. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Sep 01 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.7326/m20-0928

This study investigated an outbreak of nine COVID-19 cases in a high-rise apartment building in Guangzhou, China (January 26 to February 13, 2020), where the potential mode of transmission was through fecal aerosols.

Review of “Probable evidence of fecal aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a high-rise building”

September 8, 2020

Gudbjartsson DF, Norddahl GL, Melsted P, Gunnarsdottir K, Holm H, Eythorsson E, et al. Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in Iceland. New Engl J Med. 2020 Sep 1 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2026116

The authors assessed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) seroprevalence among 30,576 Iceland residents.

Review of “Humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in Iceland”

August 31, 2020

To KK-W, Hung IF-N, Ip JP, Chu AW-H, Chan W-M, Tam AR, et al. COVID-19 re-infection by a phylogenetically distinct SARS-coronavirus-2 strain confirmed by whole genome sequencing. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Aug 25 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1275

This study documents Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) reinfection in a 33-year-old male resident of Hong Kong 142 days after the first episode.

Review of “COVID-19 re-infection by a phylogenetically distinct SARS-coronavirus-2 strain confirmed by whole genome sequencing”

June 29, 2020

Mitze T, Kosfeld R, Rode J, Wälde K. Face masks considerably reduce COVID-19 cases in Germany: a synthetic control method approach. IZA Discussion Paper Series No. 13319. Bonn, Germany: IZA Institute of Labour Econoimics; 2020. Available from: https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/13319/face-masks-considerably-reduce-covid-19-cases-in-germany-a-synthetic-control-method-approach

This study used a synthetic control method (SCM) to assess the effect of face mask use on the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Germany.

Review of “Face masks considerably reduce COVID-19 cases in Germany: a synthetic control method approach”

June 20, 2020

Kucharski AJ, Klepac P, Conlan AJK, Kissler SM, Tang ML, Fry H, et al. Effectiveness of isolation, testing, contact tracing, and physical distancing on reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in different settings: a mathematical modelling study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Jun 16 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30457-6

This modelling study estimated the reduction of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission under different public health strategies and settings, and estimated the number of contacts that would need to be quarantined under different strategies.

Review of “Effectiveness of isolation, testing, contact tracing, and physical distancing on reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in different settings: a mathematical modelling study”

June 10, 2020

Flaxman S, Mishra S, Gandy A, Unwin HJT, Mellan TA, Coupland H, et al. Estimating the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19 in Europe.  Nature. 2020 Jun 8 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2405-7

The authors modelled and assessed the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission in 11 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom).

Review of “Estimating the effects of non-pharmaceuticalinterventions on COVID-19 in Europe”

June 8, 2020

Block P, Hoffman M, Raabe IJ, Dowd JB, Rahal C, Kashyap R, et al. Social network-based distancing strategies to flatten the COVID-19 curve in a post-lockdown world. Nature Hum Behav. 2020 Jun 4 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0898-6

This study adopts a social network approach to evaluate the effectiveness of three distancing strategies designed to keep the curve flat and aid compliance in a post-lockdown world: limiting interaction to a few repeated contacts, seeking similarity across contacts and strengthening communities via triadic strategies.

Review of “Social network-based distancing strategies to flatten the COVID-19 curve in a post-lockdown world”

June, 4, 2020

Chu DK, Akl EA, Duda S, Solo K, Yaacoub S, Schünemann HJ, et al. Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2020 Jun 1 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31142-9

This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies on the protective effectiveness of physical distancing, face masks and eye protection from infection from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) or Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Review of “Physical distancing, face masks, and eye protection to prevent person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis”

May 28, 2020

Skowronski DM, Zou M, Clarke Q, Chambers C, Dickinson JA, Sabaiduc S, et al. Influenza vaccine does not increase the risk of coronavirus or other non-influenza respiratory viruses: retrospective analysis from Canada, 2010-11 to 2016-17. Clin Infect Dis. 2020
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa626

This study addresses the hypothesis that influenza vaccination may increase the risk of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by examining the relationship between influenza vaccination and the risk of non-influenza respiratory viruses (NIRV), including seasonal coronaviruses, in Canada from the 2010-11 season through the 2016-17 season.

Review of “Influenza vaccine does not increase the risk of coronavirus or other non-influenza respiratory viruses: retrospective analysis from Canada, 2010-11 to 2016-17”

May 24, 2020

Chandrashekar A, Liu J, Martinot AJ, McMahan K, Mercado ND, Peter L, et al. SARS-CoV-2 infection protects against rechallenge in rhesus macaques. Science. 2020 May 20 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc4776

Using a rhesus macaque model of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the authors explored whether primary infection induces a humoral and cellular immune response protective against reinfection.

Review of “SARS-CoV-2 infection protects against rechallenge in rhesus macaques”

Sood N, Simon P, Ebner P, Eichner D, Reynolds J, Bendavid E, et al. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies among adults in Los Angeles County, California, on April 10-11, 2020. JAMA. 2020 May 18 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.8279

This study uses antibody (Ab) testing to determine the point seroprevalence of COVID-19-specific Ab in Los Angeles County, California from April 10-14, 2020.

Review of “Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies among adults in Los Angeles County, California, on April 10- 11, 2020”

May 17, 2020

DeBiasi RL, Song X, Delaney M, Bell M, Smith K, Pershad J, et al. Severe COVID-19 in children and young adults in the Washington, DC metropolitan region. J Pediatr. 2020 May 13 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.05.007

Medical records of 177 children and young adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treated between Mar 15–Apr 30, 2020 at a medical centre in Washington, DC were retrospectively reviewed to determine any association between specific epidemiologic and clinical features with hospitalization and/or critical care.

Review of “Severe COVID-19 in children and young adults in the Washington, DC metropolitan region”

Verdoni L, Mazza A, Gervasoni A, Martelli L, Ruggeri M, Ciuffreda M, et al. An outbreak of severe Kawasaki-like disease at the Italian epicentre of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic: an observational cohort study. Lancet. 2020 May 13 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31103-X

This study describes the clinical characteristics of Kawasaki-like disease in patients before (Group 1: January 1, 2015 to February 17, 2020) and during (Group 2: February 18, 2020 to April 20, 2020) the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Bergamo, Italy.

Review of “An outbreak of severe Kawasaki-like disease at the Italian epicentre of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic: an observational cohort study”

May 13, 2020

Shekerdemian LS, Mahmood NR, Wolfe KK, Riggs BJ, Ross CE, McKiernan CA, et al. Characteristics and outcomes of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection admitted to US and Canadian pediatric intensive care units. JAMA Pediatr. 2020 May 11 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.1948

This study characterizes the demographic characteristics and clinical course of patients (N=48) with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in North America from March 14 to April 3, 2020.

Review of "Characteristics and outcomes of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection admitted to US and Canadian pediatric intensive care units"

Li D, Jin M, Bao P, Zhao W, Zhang S. Clinical characteristics and results of semen tests among men with coronavirus disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3:e208292.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.8292

The authors describe the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in semen specimens from a cohort of patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a hospital in Shangqiu, China.

Review of “Clinical characteristics and results of semen tests among men with coronavirus disease 2019”

May 6, 2020

Cheng HY, Jian SW, Liu DP, Ng TC, Huang WT, Lin HH. Contact tracing assessment of COVID-19 transmission dynamics in Taiwan and risk at different exposure periods before and after symptom onset. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 May 1 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2020

This study examined the transmission dynamics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among confirmed cases (n=100) and contacts (n=2,761) in Taiwan from January 15 to March 18, 2020.

Review of “Contact tracing assessment of COVID-19 transmission dynamics in Taiwan and risk at different exposure periods before and after symptom onset”

May 1, 2020

Wadhera RK, Wadhera P, Gaba P, Figueroa JF, Joynt Maddox KE, Yeh RW, et al. Variation in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths across New York City boroughs. JAMA. 2020 Apr 29 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.7197

This study examined differences in rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing, hospitalizations and deaths among the 5 boroughs of New York City, NY, USA (i.e., Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island).

Review of "Variation in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths across New York City boroughs"

April 30, 2020

Liu Y, Ning Z, Chen Y, Guo M, Liu Y, Gali NK, et al. Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals. Nature. 2020 Apr 27 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2271-3

The authors sampled total and size fractionated aerosols and aerosol deposition filters for genetic material of SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of COVID-19.

Review of “Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals”

April 28, 2020

Tostmann A, Bradley J, Bousema T, Yiek W, Holwerda M, Bleeker-Rovers C, et al. Strong associations and moderate predictive value of early symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020. Euro Surveill. 25(16):2000508.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.16.2000508

This study describes symptoms associated with a positive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test among a cohort of symptomatic healthcare workers in the Netherlands (March 10-29, 2020) and development of a diagnostic model to predict SARS-CoV-2 infection based on early symptoms.

Review of “Strong associations and moderate predictive value of early symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020”

April 28, 2020

Hunter E, Price DA, Murphy E, van der Loeff, I. S., Baker KF, Lendrem D, et al. First experience of COVID-19 screening of health-care workers in England. Lancet. 2020 Apr 22 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(20)30970-3

This study examines a screening program of symptomatic health care workers for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Newcastle, United Kingdom (March 10-31, 2020).

Review of “First experience of COVID-19 screening of health-care workers in England”

April 28, 2020

Arons MM, Hatfield KM, Reddy SC, Kimball A, James A, Jacobs JR, et al. Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and transmission in a skilled nursing facility. N Eng J Med. 2020 Apr 24 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2008457?query=C19

This study describes presymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections and transmission in a skilled nursing facility in King County, Washington.

Review of “Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections and transmission in a skilled nursing facility”

Tobolowsky FA, Gonzales E, Self JL, Rao CY, Keating R, Marx GE, et al. COVID-19 outbreak among three affiliated homeless service sites — King County, Washington, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Apr 22 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6917e2

After a case of COVID-19 was confirmed in a resident at a homeless shelter in King County, Washington on March 30, 2020, active case finding activities were conducted at that shelter and two shelters that used that shelter’s day centre service.

Review of “COVID-19 outbreak among three affiliated homeless service sites — King County, Washington, 2020”

April 23, 2020

Spinato G, Fabbris C, Polesel J, Cazzador D, Borsetto D, Hopkins C, et al. Alterations in smell or taste in mildly symptomatic outpatients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. JAMA. 2020 Apr 22 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.6771

This study examined the prevalence, onset and intensity of altered sense of smell or taste in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) seen at a single hospital in Treviso, Italy.

Review of “Alterations in smell or taste in mildly symptomatic outpatients with SARS-CoV-2 infection”

April 22, 2020

Lu J, Gu J, Li K, Xu C, Su W, Lai Z, et al. COVID-19 outbreak associated with air conditioning in restaurant, Guangzhou, China, 2020. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Apr 2 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/7/20-0764_article

The study reports on 3 COVID-19 family clusters that were linked back to a restaurant exposure on January 24th, 2020 in Guangzhou, China.

Review of “COVID-19 outbreak associated with air conditioning in restaurant, Guangzhou, China, 2020”

April 22, 2020

Li W, Zhang B, Lu J, Liu S, Chang Z, Cao P, et al. The characteristics of household transmission of COVID-19. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Apr 17 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa450

This study examined household transmission dynamics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in index patients (n=105) and household contacts (n=392) in Hubei province, China. The index patients (mean age 47 years) had a likely source of exposure outside of the home. When the index case was diagnosed and hospitalized, the close contacts were quarantined for 14 days in “special places” by the government. They were monitored daily for symptoms and swabbed at the beginning and half way through the quarantine period.

Review of “The characteristics of household transmission of COVID-19”

April 18, 2020

Kissler SM, Tedijanto C, Goldstein E, Grad YH, Lipsitch M. Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period. Science. 2020 Apr 14 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/early/2020/04/14/science.abb5793.full.pdf

The authors created a model to assess the impact of non-pharmaceutical intervention scenarios, such as social distancing, through the pandemic and post-pandemic periods.

Review of “Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period”

April 16, 2020

He X, Lau EHY, Wu P, Deng X, Wang J, Hao X, et al. Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19. Nat Med. 2020 Apr 15 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0869-5

This study investigated the timing of viral shedding in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients (n=94) and modeled infectiousness patterns using infector-infectee transmission pairs (n=77) inside and outside China.

Review of “Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19”

April 15, 2020

Tuite AR, Fisman DN, Greer AL. Mathematical modelling of COVID-19 transmission and mitigation strategies in the population of Ontario, Canada. CMAJ. 2020 Apr 8 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.200476

The authors developed a mathematical model of COVID-19 infection, and compared the potential effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions applied for fixed periods compared to the same interventions applied dynamically based on intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy levels.

Review of “Mathematical modelling of COVID-19 transmission and mitigation strategies in the population of Ontario, Canada”

April 15, 2020

Pan A, Liu L, Wang C, Guo H, Hao X, Wang Q, et al. Association of public health interventions with the epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. JAMA. 2020 Apr 10 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.6130

This cohort study examined the association of public health interventions on the epidemiology of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases (n=32,583) reported in Wuhan, China from December 8, 2019 to March 8, 2020.

Review of “Association of public health interventions with the epidemiology of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China”

April 12, 2020

April 12, 2020

Shi J, Wen Z, Zhong G, Yang H, Wang C, Huang B, et al. Susceptibility of ferrets, cats, dogs, and other domesticated animals to SARS-coronavirus 2. Science. 2020 Apr 8 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/early/2020/04/07/science.abb7015.full.pdf

This study investigated the susceptibility of laboratory (ferrets), companion (cats, dogs) and domestic animals (chickens, ducks, pigs) to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus.

April 12, 2020

April 8, 2020

This report presents preliminary estimates of the prevalence of underlying health conditions among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States, February 12 – March 28, 2020.

Review of “Preliminary estimates of the prevalence of selected underlying health conditions among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 — United States, February 12–March 28, 2020”

April 8, 2020

CDC COVID-19 Response Team. Coronavirus disease 2019 in children — United States, February 12–April 2, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Apr 6 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6914e4.htm?s_cid=mm6914e4_w

The report describes the characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among children aged <18 years between February 12 and April 2, 2020 in the United States.

Review of “Coronavirus disease 2019 in children — United States, February 12–April 2, 2020”

April 8, 2020

Review of “Covid-19 in critically ill patients in the Seattle region — case series”

April 7, 2020

April 7, 2020

Zhao J, Yuan Q, Wang H, Liu W, Liao X, Su Y, et al. Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients of novel coronavirus disease 2019. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Mar 28 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa344

A study investigating antibody responses in 173 COVID-19 patients.

Review of “Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients of novel coronavirus disease 2019”

Kimball A, Hatfield KM, Arons M, James A, Taylor J, Spicer K, et al. Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Residents of a Long-Term Care Skilled Nursing Facility — King County, Washington, March 2020. MMWR - Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. 2020 Mar 27 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6913e1.htm?s_cid=mm6913e1_&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM24113

A study reporting the prevalence of asymptomatic and presymptomatic infection in a long term care home in Washington State, USA.

Review of “Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Residents of a Long-Term Care Skilled Nursing Facility — King County, Washington, March 2020”

Lam TT, Shum MH, Zhu H, Tong Y, Ni X, Liao Y, et al. Identifying SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses in Malayan pangolins. Nature. 2020 Mar 26 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2169-0

A study describing a genomic and phylogenetic analysis to investigate pangolins as possible hosts for COVID-19 virus.

Shi S, Qin M, Shen B, Cai Y, Liu T, Yang F, et al. Association of cardiac injury with mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Cardiol. 2020 Mar 25 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2020.0950

A study estimating the association between cardiac injury and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China.

A study estimating the case fatality rate among confirmed COVID-19 cases in Italy.

Review of “Case-fatality rate and characteristics of patients dying in relation to COVID-19 in Italy”

Guo L, Ren L, Yang S, Xiao M, Chang, Yang F, et al. Profiling early humoral response to diagnose novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Mar 21 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa310

A study examining antibody production in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and the potential role of serology in diagnosis.

Review of “Profiling early humoral response to diagnose novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19)”

A report describing a COVID-19 outbreak in two long-term care facilities in Washington state.

Review of “COVID-19 in a long-term care facility — King County, Washington, February 27–March 9, 2020”

Li R, Pei S, Chen B, Song Y, Zhang T, Yang W, et al. Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2). Science. 2020 Mar 16 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abb3221

A study estimating the proportion of undocumented COVID-19 infection in China before and after the implementation of control measures.

Review of “Substantial undocumented infection facilitates the rapid dissemination of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2)”

Liu Y, Yan L, Wan L, Xiang T, Le A, Liu J, et al. Viral dynamics in mild and severe cases of COVID-19. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Mar 19 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30232-2

An article describing the viral dynamics in mild and severe cases of COVID-19.

Review of “Viral dynamics in mild and severe cases of COVID-19”

An article describing the characteristics of 2,143 children infected with COVID-19.

Review of “Epidemiological characteristics of 2143 pediatric patients with 2019 coronavirus disease in China”

CDC COVID-19 Response Team. Severe outcomes among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — United States, February 12–March 16, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Mar 18 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912e2.htm

A report on the severity of COVID-19 in the United States by age group.

Review of “Severe outcomes among patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) — United States, February 12–March 16, 2020”

An article describing an analysis of the stability of COVID-19 virus in various surfaces and in aerosols.

Review of “Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1”

March 19, 2020

A report describing the exposure of 41 health care workers to an undiagnosed COVID-19 patient.

March 17, 2020

March 17, 2020

March 17, 2020

March 16, 2020

March 16, 2020

March 13, 2002

March 13, 2020

March 12, 2020

March 12, 2020

March 11, 2020

March 11, 2020

March 11, 2020

March 9, 2020

March 9, 2020

March 6, 2020

March 6, 2020

March 6, 2020

March 5, 2020

March 4, 2020

March 3, 2020

March 3, 2020

March 3, 2020

March 2, 2020

March 2, 2020

February 28, 2020

February 27, 2020

Review of “De-isolating COVID-19 suspect cases: a continuing challenge”

February 27, 2020

Ji Y, Ma Z, Peppelenbosch MP, Pan Q. Potential association between COVID-19 mortality and health-care resource availability. Lancet Global Health. 2020 Feb 25 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30068-1/fulltext

A study describing a potential association between COVID-19 mortality and health care resource availability demonstrating a correlation between COVID-19 cases and mortality in provinces in China.

February 26, 2020

February 24, 2020

February 24, 2020

February 20, 2020

February 19, 2020

Report on hospitalized infants diagnosed with COVID-19.

February 19, 2020

February 18, 2020

February 18, 2020

Du Z, Wang L, Chauchemez S, Xu X, Wang X, Cowling BJ, et al. Risk for transportation of 2019 novel coronavirus disease from Wuhan to other cities in China. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020 Feb 13 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/5/20-0146_article

Estimation of the probability of COVID-19 exportation from Wuhan prior to quarantine.

Review of “Risk for transportation of 2019 novel coronavirus disease from Wuhan to other cities in China”

February 11, 2020

February 11, 2020

Ceraolo C, Giorgi FM. Genomic variance of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus. J Med Virol. 2020 Feb 6 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jmv.25700

Genomic and proteomic comparison of 56 2019-nCoV genomes to other coronaviruses.

Review of “Genomic variance of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus”

February 10, 2020

February 10, 2020

February 10, 2020

De Salazar PM, Niehus R, Taylor A, Buckee CO, Lipsitch M. Using predicted imports of 2019-nCoV cases to determine locations that may not be identifying all imported cases. medRxiv. 2020 Feb 05 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.04.20020495v1

February 7, 2020

February 7, 2020

February 4, 2020

Review of “First case of 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States”

February 3, 2020

Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, et al. A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020 Jan 24 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2001017

Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of samples from three patients identified with 2019-nCoV. The virus was distinct from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, but similar to a bat SARS-like CoV.

February 3, 2020

February 3, 2020

Evaluation of a RT-PCR assay for the detection of 2019-nCoV.

Review of "Detection of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by real-time RT-PCR."

February 3, 2020

January 31, 2020

Read JM, Bridgen JRE, Cummings DAT, Ho A, Jewell CP. Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV: early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic predictions. medRxiv. 2020 Jan 28 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.01.23.20018549v2

Model to estimate epidemiologic parameters including the basic reproductive number (estimated at 3.1).

Review of "Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV: early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic predictions"

Genomic analysis of ten 2019-nCoV sequences from nine patient (eight with Huanan Seafood market exposure), and comparison to SARS-CoV, bat SARS-like CoVs and MERS-CoV. Genome sequencing suggest a common source for the cases. The virus was most closely related to a bat SARS-like CoV.

Review of "Genomic characterisation and epidemiology of 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for virus origins and receptor binding"

Backer JA, Klinkenberg D, Wallinga J. Incubation period of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infections among travellers from Wuhan, China, 20–28 January 2020. Eurosurveillance. 2020;25(5):2000062.
Available from: https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.5.2000062

Study to determine the incubation period based on 88 cases who had been in Wuhan during the outbreak but were diagnosed in other parts of China. Best fit mean incubation period estimated at 6.4 days and range 2.1-11.1 days (2.5th-97.5th percentile).

Review of "Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV: early estimation of epidemiological parameters and epidemic predictions"

January 28, 2020

Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, et al. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020 Jan 24 [Epub ahead of print].
Available from: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30183-5/fulltext

Case series of 41 patients hospitalized with laboratory confirmed illness in Wuhan.

Review of "Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China"

December 8, 2020

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Options to reduce quarantine for contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection using symptom monitoring and diagnostic testing [Internet]. Atlanta, GA: CDC; 2020 [last updated 2020 Dec 2; cited 2020 Dec 7].
Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), using modelling and existing data, investigated options for reducing the quarantine period for close contacts exposed to patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States (US).

Review of “Options to reduce quarantine for contacts of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection using symptom monitoring and diagnostic testing”