Here is what the editors at Physician’s Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of Oct. 12 to 16, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
Reinfection With SARS-CoV-2 Described in 25-Year-Old
FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A case of reinfection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is described in a study published online Oct. 12 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Time to Results Faster With Point-of-Care COVID-19 Testing
THURSDAY, Oct. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Point-of-care testing is associated with large reductions in the time to results for patients presenting with suspected COVID-19, according to a study published online Oct. 8 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
No Evidence Found of Vertical Transmission of SARS-CoV-2
THURSDAY, Oct. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In a series of 101 newborns of mothers with perinatal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, there was no clinical evidence of vertical transmission, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in JAMA Pediatrics.
COVID-19 Antibody Treatment Study Paused
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Enrollment in a study testing an experimental antibody therapy against COVID-19 has been paused by independent monitors.
Individuals With Blood Group O Have Lower Risk for COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Individuals with blood group O may have a reduced risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, and COVID-19 patients with blood group A or AB are at increased risk for requiring mechanical ventilation, according to two studies published online Oct. 14 in Blood Advances.
Immune Responses Long-Lasting After Serious COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Protective antibodies persist for months in patients who survive serious COVID-19 infections, according to a study published Oct. 8 in Science Immunology.
NIH Launches Trial of Antibody Drugs Against COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A study to assess whether certain approved or experimental drugs are effective against COVID-19 and warrant testing in large clinical trials has been launched by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Black Race Tied to COVID-19 Admissions, but Not Deaths
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Black and Mixed/Other ethnicity are independently associated with greater hospital admission risk due to COVID-19 but are not associated with in-hospital mortality risk, according to a U.K. study published online Oct. 9 in EClinicalMedicine.
Lack of Knowledge Barrier to Prone Positioning Use in ARDS
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Lack of knowledge is one of the barriers to use of prone positioning for acute respiratory distress syndrome, a feature of severe COVID-19, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Sitagliptin May Cut Mortality in T2DM Patients With COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Sitagliptin treatment added to standard care is associated with reduced mortality and improved clinical outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a study published online Sept. 29 in Diabetes Care.
Second COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Paused for Unexplained Illness
TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A second COVID-19 vaccine trial was paused on Monday after an unexplained illness surfaced in one of the trial’s volunteers.
U.S. Deaths Up 20 Percent From March Through July 2020
TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The number of expected U.S. deaths increased considerably from March through July 2020, with 67 percent of these excess deaths attributed to COVID-19; and the United States has experienced high COVID-19-associated mortality compared with other countries, according to two studies published online Oct. 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways May Aid Cancer Surgery Outcomes
TUESDAY, Oct. 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing elective cancer surgery, use of dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways is associated with lower rates of pulmonary complications, according to a study published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
