Transmission

This retrospective study found inconsistent results of RT-PCR-testing using throat and anal swabs for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 infection. RT-PCR assay on throat and anal swabs were simultaneously tested in 212 of 2138 pediatric patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan Children’s Read More

This cross-sectional study  found an increase in estimated rates of COVID-19 cases in the border counties in Iowa (no stay-at-home order) compared with the border counties in Illinois (implemented a stay-at-home order). In short, the results suggest that issuing a Read More

SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in stool, gastrointestinal tract, saliva, and urine samples, but little is known about SARS-CoV-2 in semen. This cohort study found that SARS-CoV-2 can be present in the semen of patients with COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-2 may still Read More

Multiple reports have documented events involving superspreading of COVID-19; however, few have documented a community-based point-source exposure. This CDC report details a cluster of 52 secondary cases of COVID-19 following a 2.5 hour choir practice attended by 61 people, where Read More

Using an accelerated failure time-based modeling study, estimated median time virus RNA detection ranged from 15.6-24.5 days in mild COVID-19 cases to 30.9-33.9 days in severe cases.  This was a prospective analysis of 49 coronavirus disease cases in Guangdong, China Read More

This study examined the feasibility of screening all patients with respiratory symptoms for COVID-19. Between Feb 5-March 18, 2020, researchers from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) introduced a “respiratory surveillance ward” (RSW) to segregate all patients with respiratory symptoms in designated Read More

Asymptomatic cases may play a role in COVID-19 transmission, features of these patients have not been well described. This study describes the characteristics of asymptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Jinan, Shandong province, China. The authors examined the medical records Read More

This study used data from multiple sources to infer the proportion of early infections of COVID-19 that went undetected in China and estimate their contribution to virus spread. Their findings help to explain the lightning-fast spread of this virus around Read More

This CDC report discusses various factors that contributed to the accelerated spread of COVID-19 in the US during February–March 2020. These factors include continued travel-associated importations, large gatherings, introductions into high-risk workplaces and densely populated areas, and cryptic transmission resulting Read More

Public use of face masks for limiting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is controversial, though increasingly recommended. The impact of this intervention on morbidity and mortality is not well understood. This study developed a compartmental model for assessing the Read More