Tulane Outbreak Daily – August 28, 2020

Featured Articles

Fauci on ‘Highly Specific, Direct’ Therapy for COVID-19 – MedPageToday

Can monoclonal antibodies duplicate the success with Ebola in COVID-19? Monoclonal antibodies could hold promise in COVID-19 treatment and prevention if the results bear out in clinical trials for efficacy, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert told MedPage Today. “There’s a lot of activity and it’s a highly concentrated, highly specific, direct antiviral approach to a number of diseases. The success in Ebola was very encouraging,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci, MD.

Texas, Florida, California, New York will not follow new U.S. COVID-19 testing plan – Reuters

Several large U.S. states including Texas are not heeding new federal health officials’ calls to reduce COVID-19 testing of some exposed to the virus, joining a broad rebuke of the Trump administration by public health leaders.

After Man Contracts Coronavirus For The Second Time, Pitt Researcher Says No Immunity ‘Not Surprising’ – Pittsburgh News

The man recovered from that initial diagnosis but once he was back from Hong Kong, he once again tested positive for COVID-19 but was asymptomatic.

Coronavirus FAQ: Is It Safe To Get On The Bus (Or Subway)? – NPR

Is it safe to take public transit? It’s one of those tricky COVID-19 things to navigate … no pun intended.

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities disproportionately affected by COVID-19 – NIH

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), write the directors of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRC) Network, a nationwide group funded by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The article was written by John Constantino, M.D., director of the IDDRC at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, along with fellow IDDRC directors and leaders of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. It appears in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Preschoolers are mask-licking germ bombs — yet few catch the coronavirus, data show – LA Times

It’s hard to predict what may happen when California’s primary schools reopen. But when it comes to the state’s youngest students, data are more robust — and more reassuring. Scientists are reporting several cases of Covid-19 reinfection — but the implications are complicated

COVID-19 Complicates Response To Hurricane Laura, Spurs Fears Of New Outbreaks – NPR

Texas and Louisiana were already struggling to contain the spread of the coronavirus when Hurricane Laura hit early Thursday, and now some experts are warning mass evacuations could be responsible for a new wave of infections.

Clinical Considerations

Study explains multipronged SARS-CoV-2 attack and widepread COVID-19 infection – Science Daily

A study of a gateway receptor for SARS-CoV-2 led by Walter Lukiw, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology and Ophthalmology at LSU Health New Orleans’ Neuroscience Center of Excellence and School of Medicine, may help explain the wide variety of symptoms and organs involved with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. The results suggest that a multi-organ infection with SARS-CoV-2 may be via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, which is found almost everywhere throughout the body. [Related Study in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology]

Evidence for Functional, Persistent SARS-CoV-2-Specific Immune Memory – Infectious Disease Advisor

In a preprint article posted to Research Square, investigators reported evidence that mild coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) elicits a functional and persistent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific immune response.

Management of SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia – DocWire

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has rapidly spread throughout the world since December 2019 to become a global public health emergency for the elevated deaths and hospitalizations in Intensive Care Units. The severity spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia ranges from mild to severe clinical conditions. The clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 disease is correlated with multiple factors including host characteristics (genetics, immune status, age and general health), viral load and, above all, the host distribution of the airways and lungs of the viral receptor cells. In this review, we will briefly summarize the current knowledge on the characteristics and management of COVID-19-pneumonia. However, other studies are needed to better understand the pathogenetic mechanisms induced by SARS-Cov-2 infection, and to evaluate the long-term consequences of the virus on the lungs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Clinical characteristics of children and young people admitted to hospital with covid-19 in United Kingdom: prospective multicentre observational cohort study

To characterise the clinical features of children and young people admitted to hospital with laboratory confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the UK and explore factors associated with admission to critical care, mortality, and development of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children and adolescents temporarily related to coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) (MIS-C).

 

Official Reporting for August 28, 2020

World Health Organization

Weekly Epi Update 2

(last updated 8/24)

Cumulative Cases: 23,057,288

Cumulative Deaths: 800,906

ECDC

Confirmed Cases: 24,473,843

Deaths: 832,002

Johns Hopkins

Confirmed Cases: 24,637,544

Deaths: 835,045

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Total cases: 5,845,876
Total deaths: 180,165

Surveillance Headlines

USA

Arizona: University Of Arizona Prevented Coronavirus Outbreak On Campus By Testing Wastewater – Huff Post

California: With days to go, August is already California’s deadliest month from COVID-19 – Mercury News

ASIA

Hong Kong’s Free Virus Tests for All Is an Experiment in Trust – Bloomberg

Science and Tech

Vaccine

What A Nasal Spray Vaccine Against COVID-19 Might Do Even Better Than A Shot – NPR

The primary goal of a COVID-19 vaccine is to keep people from getting very sick and dying. But there’s another goal — to prevent the spread of the disease — and it’s not clear most vaccine candidates currently under development can do that.

Some Countries Don’t Want to Wait for Superpowers’ Vaccines – Bloomberg

After Covid-19’s emergence in Buenos Aires led to a strict lockdown in March, Juliana Cassataro and her fellow vaccine researchers grew concerned. The U.S., Europe and China had already revved up their quests to obtain shots; how far back in line would Argentina have to wait for supplies?

Published Research

SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity and Neurological Targets in the Brain – Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology

Sex-derived attributes contributing to SARS-CoV-2 mortality – Journal of Physiology

Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Viral Shedding in Pediatric Patients Infected With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Under the Surface – JAMA

Coping in Quarantine

Thanks to the Pandemic, Luxury Hotels Become Home – Bloomberg

After a very quiet spring, Julie Danziger, the managing partner of travel advisory Embark Beyond, spent the greater part of June and July booking compelling domestic alternatives for her clients, who normally favor Italian villas and Greek resorts at the end of summer. But something strange happened in August: No one was ready to go home.