Date: June 25, 2020
Title: Evidence used to update the list of underlying medical conditions that increase a person’s risk of severe illness from COVID-19
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Summary: Published reports, articles in the press, unreviewed pre-prints, and internal data between December 1, 2019 and May 29, 2020 were reviewed in order to determine the evidence of underlying conditions that put individuals at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Date: May 15, 2020
Title: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Routine Pediatric Vaccine Ordering and Administration — United States, 2020
Source: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6919e2.htm?s_cid=mm6919e2_w
Summary: Vaccine Tracking System data indicates a noticeable decrease in Vaccines for Children-funded vaccines. This includes noninfluenza childhood vaccines and measles-containing vaccines and the decrease has been seen since a week after the national emergency declaration. There has been success in strategies such as promoting childhood vaccinations in the context of the pandemic.
Date: April 24, 2020
Source: U.S National Library of Medicine
Summary: Study showed no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without
azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalized with Covid-19. An association of increased overall mortality was identified in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine alone.
Date: April 13, 2020
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Summary: Implementing community mitigation strategies, including personal protective measures persons should adopt in community settings, social distancing, and environmental cleaning in community settings, during a pandemic can slow the spread of infections. Policies related to specific locations plus the awareness and concern of public policies lead to further decreases in mobility in four major U.S. cities (New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Seattle).
Date: April 10, 2020
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Summary: COVID-19 modeling estimates suggest that mitigation could lead to substantial reductions in rates of infection, hospitalization, critical care, and death in the U.S.
Date: April 7, 2020
Source: JAMA
Summary: It is important to understand and address sources of anxiety for health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The five requests of the health care workers included, “hear me, protect me, prepare me, support me, and care for me.”
Date: April 1, 2020
Title: Presymptomatic Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 — Singapore, January 23–March 16, 2020
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Summary: Preliminary evidence indicates the occurrence of presymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2, based on reports of individual cases in China.
Date: March 31, 2020
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Summary: Based on preliminary U.S. data, persons with underlying health conditions such as diabetes mellitus, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease, appear to be at higher risk for severe COVID-19–associated disease than persons without these conditions.
Date: March 30, 2020
Title: A physicist view of the airborne infection
Source: The City University of New York
Summary: Researchers cannot find a good justification for a stationary 6-feet separation in a situation when people spend a long time together in a room. Droplets containing the virus move in the air via convection. The convection pattern in a room can be very complex.
Date: March 30, 2020
Title: Covid-19 in Critically Ill Patients in the Seattle Region — Case Series
Source: The New England Journal of Medicine
Summary: During the first 3 weeks of the Covid-19 outbreak in the Seattle area, the most common reasons for admission to the ICU were hypoxemic respiratory failure leading to mechanical ventilation, hypotension requiring vasopressor treatment, or both. Mortality among these critically ill patients was high.
Date: March 27th, 2020
Title: Epidemiology of Covid-19 in a Long-Term Care Facility in King County, Washington
Source: The New England Journal of Medicine
Summary: Residents and health care workers of long-term care personnel are at risk for developing COVID-19. Long term care facilities can lead to rapid spread of the disease. Recognizing cases early, preventing visitors of infected people, and infection prevention measures are key to reducing the spread.
Date: March 26, 2020
Title: Public Health Responses to COVID-19 Outbreaks on Cruise Ships — Worldwide, February–March 2020
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Summary: Cruise ships are not ideal in these types of situations and aggressive efforts are required to contain spread. All persons should defer all cruise travel worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Date: March 26th, 2020
Title: Possible Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 From an Infected Mother to Her Newborn
Source: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Summary: A mother in China suspected of being exposed to COVID-19 and showing symptoms during pregnancy gave birth to a child that presented antibodies for COVID-19 two hours after birth. It is believed that the infection transferred vertically in utero.
Date: March 26, 2020
Title: Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus–Infected Pneumonia
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
Summary: Human-to-human transmission of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)–infected pneumonia (NCIP) have occurred at least since mid-December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Measures to protect at-risk populations should be put into place anywhere an outbreak has occurred.
Date: March 19, 2020
Title: SARS-CoV-2 Viral Load in Upper Respiratory Specimens of Infected Patients
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
Summary: Patients with SARS-CoV-2 have higher viral loads detected soon after symptom onset, but the viral load is similar to that of asymptomatic patients. Shedding of the virus is similar to that of Influenza. This suggests that the virus is highly contagious and that those infected but without symptoms still transmit the virus.
Date: March 18, 2020
Title: A Trial of Lopinavir–Ritonavir in Adults Hospitalized with Severe Covid-19
Source: New England Journal of Medicine
Summary: Hospitalized adult patients with severe Covid-19 saw no benefit with lopinavir–ritonavir treatment beyond standard care. More studies need to be conducted.
Date: March 17, 2020
Title: Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1
Source: New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
Summary: Virus can last 2-3 days o plastic and steel, 24 hours on cardboard, and 4 hours on copper
Date: March 16, 2020
Title: Epidemiological Characteristics of 2143 Pediatric Patients With 2019 Coronavirus Disease in China
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
Summary: Children at all ages appeared susceptible to COVID-19, and there was no
significant gender difference. Although clinical manifestations of children’s COVID-19 cases were generally less severe than those of adults’ patients, young children, particularly infants, were vulnerable to infection.
Date: March 12, 2020
Title: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Emerging and Future Challenges for Dental and Oral Medicine
Source: Journal of Dental Research
Summary: PPE (masks, gloves, gowns, goggles or face shields) is recommended, but as respiratory droplets are the main route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, particulate respirators (N95s) are recommended for routine dental practice.The 4-handed technique is beneficial for controlling infection and the use of saliva ejectors with low or high volume can reduce the production of droplets and aerosols.
Date: March 10, 2020
Source:
Summary: This work provides additional evidence for a median incubation period for COVID-19 of approximately 5 days, similar to SARS. Results support current proposals for the length of quarantine or active monitoring of persons potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2, although longer monitoring periods might be justified in extreme cases.
Date March 9, 2020
Title: Johns Hopkins News Release: New Study on COVID-19 Estimates 5.1 Days for Incubation Period
Source: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Summary: An analysis of publicly available data on infections from the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that causes the respiratory illness COVID-19 yielded an estimate of 5.1 days for the median disease incubation period.
Date: March 6, 2020
Title: The effect of travel restrictions on the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
Source: Science
Summary: The modeling study shows that additional travel limitations up to 90% of the traffic have a modest effect unless paired with public health interventions and behavioral changes that achieve a considerable reduction in the disease transmissibility.
Date: March 3, 2020 (Early Release) June 2020
Title: Community Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, Shenzhen, China, 2020
Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Summary: Early screening, diagnosis, isolation, and treatment are necessary to prevent further spread, management of persons in close contact with persons with diagnosed and suspected cases, restriction of public activity, and use of personal protection measures should be continued.
Date: February 28, 2020
Source: Chinese Medical Journal
Summary: The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse stated that because COVID-19 attacks the lungs, those who smoke tobacco or marijuana or who vape may be especially threatened. With social distancing in place it will cause a struggle for people who rely on treatment that traditionally involves human interaction, such as therapy sessions or methadone clinics.
Date: February 27, 2020
Title: Evidence for gastrointestinal infection of SARS-CoV-2
Source: Gastroenterology
Summary: A significant portion of coronavirus patients experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal discomfort before the onset of respiratory symptoms.
Date: February 26, 2020
Title: COVID-19: Gastrointestinal manifestations and potential fecal-oral transmission
Source: Gastroenterology
Summary: Initial digestive symptoms need to be included for early detection, early diagnosis, early isolation, and early intervention.
