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Possible Transmission Flow Of Sars-Cov-2 Based On Ace2 Features, Sk Sarif Hassan, Shinjini Ghosh, Diksha Attrish, Pabitra Pal Choudhury, Alaa A A Aljabali, Bruce D Uhal, Kenneth Lundstrom, Nima Rezaei, Vladimir N Uversky, Murat Seyran, Damiano Pizzol, Parise Adadi, Antonio Soares, Tarek Mohamed Abd El-Aziz, Ramesh Kandimalla, Murtaza M Tambuwala, Gajendra Kumar Azad, Samendra P Sherchan, Wagner Baetas-Da-Cruz, Kazuo Takayama, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Gaurav Chauhan, Giorgio Palu, Adam M Brufsky

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Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the cellular receptor for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is engendering the severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The spike (S) protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 binds to the three sub-domains viz. amino acids (aa) 22-42, aa 79-84, and aa 330-393 of ACE2 on human cells to initiate entry. It was reported earlier that the receptor utilization capacity of ACE2 proteins from different species, such as cats, chimpanzees, dogs, and cattle, are different. A comprehensive analysis of ACE2 receptors of nineteen species was carried out in this study, and the …

Addressing Health Disparities In The Rural United States: Advocacy As Caregiving Among Community Health Workers And Promotores De Salud, Ryan I Logan, Heide Castañeda

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Rural populations in the United States are faced with a variety of health disparities that complicate access to care. Community health workers (CHWs) and their Spanish-speaking counterparts, promotores de salud, are well-equipped to address rural health access issues, provide education, and ultimately assuage these disparities. In this article, we compare community health workers in the states of Indiana and Texas, based on the results of two separate research studies, in order to (1) investigate the unique role of CHWs in rural communities and (2) understand how their advocacy efforts represent a central form of caregiving. Drawing on ethnographic, qualitative data—including …

Disproportionate Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Racial And Ethnic Minorities, Brad Boserup, Mark Mckenney, Adel Elkbuli

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Background: Health disparities are prevalent in many areas of medicine. We aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial/ethnic groups in the United States (US) and to assess the effects of social distancing, social vulnerability metrics, and medical disparities.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted utilizing data from the COVID-19 Tracking Project and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Demographic data were obtained from the US Census Bureau, social vulnerability data were obtained from the CDC, social distancing data were obtained from Unacast, and medical disparities data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. …

Comparison Of Virus Concentration Methods For The Rt-Qpcr-Based Recovery Of Murine Hepatitis Virus, A Surrogate For Sars-Cov-2 From Untreated Wastewater, Warish Ahmed, Paul M. Bertsch, Aaron Bivins, Kyle Bibby, Kata Farkas, Amy Gathercole, Eiji Haramoto, Pradip Gyawali, Asja Korajkic, Brian R. Mcminn, Jochen F. Mueller, Stuart L. Simpson, Wendy J M Smith, Erin M. Symonds, Kevin V. Thomas, Rory Verhagen, Masaaki Kitajima

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There is currently a clear benefit for many countries to utilize wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as part of ongoing measures to manage the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Since most wastewater virus concentration methods were developed and validated for nonenveloped viruses, it is imperative to determine the efficiency of the most commonly used methods for the enveloped severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Municipal wastewater seeded with a human coronavirus (CoV) surrogate, murine hepatitis virus (MHV), was used to test the efficiency of seven wastewater virus concentration methods: (A–C) adsorption-extraction with three different pre-treatment options, (D–E) centrifugal filter device …

Detection Of Sars-Cov-2 Rna In Commercial Passenger Aircraft And Cruise Ship Wastewater: A Surveillance Tool For Assessing The Presence Of Covid-19 Infected Travellers, Warish Ahmed, Paul M. Bertsch, Nicola Angel, Kyle Bibby, Aaron Bivins, Leanne Dierens, Janette Edson, John Ehret, Pradip Gyawali, Kerry A Hamilton, Ian Hosegood, Philip Hugenholtz, Guangming Jiang, Masaaki Kitajima, Homa T. Sichani, Jiahua Shi, Katja M. Shimko, Stuart L. Simpson, Wendy J M Smith, Erin M. Symonds, Kevin V. Thomas, Rory Verhagen, Julian Zaugg, Jochen Mueller

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Background: Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be an important source of information for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) management during and after the pandemic. Currently, governments and transportation industries around the world are developing strategies to minimize SARS-CoV-2 transmission associated with resuming activity. This study investigated the possible use of SARS-CoV-2 RNA wastewater surveillance from airline and cruise ship sanitation systems and its potential use as a COVID-19 public health management tool.

Methods: Aircraft and cruise ship wastewater samples (n = 21) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using two virus concentration methods, adsorption-extraction by electronegative …

Creating Covid-19 Stigma By Referencing The Novel Coronavirus As The "Chinese Virus" On Twitter: Quantitative Analysis Of Social Media Data, Henna Budhwani, Ruoyan Sun

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Background: Stigma is the deleterious, structural force that devalues members of groups that hold undesirable characteristics. Since stigma is created and reinforced by society-through in-person and online social interactions-referencing the novel coronavirus as the "Chinese virus" or "China virus" has the potential to create and perpetuate stigma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess if there was an increase in the prevalence and frequency of the phrases "Chinese virus" and "China virus" on Twitter after the March 16, 2020, US presidential reference of this term.

Methods: Using the Sysomos software (Sysomos, Inc), we extracted tweets from the United …

Using A Rapid Assessment Methodology To Identify And Address Immediate Needs Among Low-Income Households With Children During Covid-19, Shreela V. Sharma, Amier Haidar, Jacqueline Noyola, Jacqueline Tien, Melinda Rushing, Brittni M. Naylor, Ru-Jye Chuang, Christine Markham

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Objective: Brighter Bites is a school-based health promotion program that delivers fresh produce and nutrition education to low-income children and families. Due to COVID-19-related school closures, states were under "shelter in place" orders, and Brighter Bites administered a rapid assessment survey to identify social needs among their families. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the methodology used to identify those with greatest social needs during this time ("high risk"), and to describe the response of Brighter Bites to these "high risk" families.

Methods: The rapid assessment survey was collected in April 2020 across Houston, Dallas, Washington DC, and …

Safety And Efficacy Of Tocilizumab In The Treatment Of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 Pneumonia: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Atul Patel, Kinjal Shah, Mitkumar Dharsandiya, Ketan Patel, Tushar Patel, Mukesh Patel, Tea Reljic, Ambuj Kumar

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Background: Cytokine release storm (CRS) in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) is thought to be the cause for organ damage and death which is independent of the actual viral burden. Tocilizumab (TCZ), an interleukin-6 receptor antagonist, is approved for the treatment of CRS. We describe the efficacy and safety of TCZ in SARS CoV-2 pneumonia. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital from April 20 2020 to May 21 2020. The primary endpoint was the cumulative incidence of a composite of either need for admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) with invasive mechanical …

Quantifying The Impact Of Covid-19 Control Measures Using A Bayesian Model Of Physical Distancing, Sean C. Anderson, Andrew M. Edwards, Madi Yerlanov, Nicola Mulberry, Jessica E. Stockdale, Sarafa A. Iyaniwura, Rebeca C. Falcao, Michael C. Otterstatter, Michael A. Irvine, Naveed Z. Janjua, Daniel Coombs, Caroline Colijn

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Extensive non-pharmaceutical and physical distancing measures are currently the primary interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. It is therefore urgent to estimate the impact such measures are having. We introduce a Bayesian epidemiological model in which a proportion of individuals are willing and able to participate in distancing, with the timing of distancing measures informed by survey data on attitudes to distancing and COVID-19. We fit our model to reported COVID-19 cases in British Columbia (BC), Canada, and five other jurisdictions, using an observation model that accounts for both underestimation and the delay between symptom onset and reporting. We …

Us-County Level Variation In Intersecting Individual, Household And Community Characteristics Relevant To Covid-19 And Planning An Equitable Response: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Taylor Chin, Rebecca Kahn, Ruoran Li, Jarvis T. Chen, Nancy Krieger, Caroline O. Buckee, Satchit Balsari, Mathew V. Kiang

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Objectives: To illustrate the intersections of, and intercounty variation in, individual, household and community factors that influence the impact of COVID-19 on US counties and their ability to respond.

Design: We identified key individual, household and community characteristics influencing COVID-19 risks of infection and survival, guided by international experiences and consideration of epidemiological parameters of importance. Using publicly available data, we developed an open-access online tool that allows county-specific querying and mapping of risk factors. As an illustrative example, we assess the pairwise intersections of age (individual level), poverty (household level) and prevalence of group homes (community-level) in US counties. …

Modeling The Role Of Asymptomatics In Infection Spread With Application To Sars-Cov-2, Hana M. Dobrovolny

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SARS-CoV-2 started causing infections in humans in late 2019 and has spread rapidly around the world. While the number of symptomatically infected and severely ill people is high and has overwhelmed the medical systems of many countries, there is mounting evidence that some of the rapid spread of this virus has been driven by asymptomatic infections. In this study, we use a compartmental mathematical model of a viral epidemic that includes asymptomatic infection to examine the role of asymptomatic individuals in the spread of the infection. We apply the model to epidemics in California, Florida, New York, and Texas, finding …

An Evaluation Of Florida’S Zika Response Using The Who Health Systems Framework: Can We Apply These Lessons To Covid-19?, Jennifer Marshall, Blake Scott, Jennifer Delva, Cedrick Ade, Santiago Hernandez, Jaladhikumar Patel, Mantero Moreno-Cheek, Dogeli Rojas, Jean-Paul Tanner, Russell S. Kirby

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Objectives: From 2016 to 2018 Florida documented 1471 cases of Zika virus, 299 of which were pregnant women (Florida Department of Health, https://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/mosquito-bornediseases/surveillance.html , 2019a). Florida's response required unprecedented rapid and continuous cross-sector communication, adaptation, and coordination. Zika tested public health systems in new ways, particularly for maternal child health populations. The systems are now being challenged again, as the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic spreads throughout Florida. This qualitative journey mapping evaluation of Florida's response focused on care for pregnant women and families with infants exposed to Zika virus.

Methods: Fifteen focus groups and interviews were conducted with 33 public health …

Comparative Analysis Of Covid-19 Guidelines From Six Countries: A Qualitative Study On The Us, China, South Korea, The Uk, Brazil, And Haiti, Ji Youn Yoo, Samia Valeria Ozorio Dutra, Dany Fanfan, Sarah Sniffen, Hao Wang, Jamile Siddiqui, Hyo-Suk Song, Sung Hwan Bang, Dong Eun Kim, Shihoon Kim, Maureen Groer

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Background: In late January, a worldwide crisis known as COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO. Within only a few weeks, the outbreak took on pandemic proportions, affecting over 100 countries. It was a significant issue to prevent and control COVID-19 on both national and global scales due to the dramatic increase in confirmed cases worldwide. Government guidelines provide a fundamental resource for communities, as they guide citizens on how to protect themselves against COVID-19, however, they also provide critical guidance for policy makers and healthcare professionals on how to take action to decrease …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Hiv Treatment And Research: A Call To Action., Tiffany Chenneville, Kemesha Gabbidon, Patricia Hanson, Cashea Holyfield

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is far reaching, with devastating effects on individuals, communities, and societies across the world. People with chronic health conditions may be at greater risk of contracting or experiencing complications from COVID-19. In addition to illness or death for those who contract the virus, the physical distancing required to flatten the curve of new cases is having a negative impact on the economy, the effects of which intersect with mental health and other existing health concerns, thus affecting marginalized communities. Given that HIV also has a disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, COVID-19 is affecting people …

Development And Validation Of A Model For Individualized Prediction Of Hospitalization Risk In 4,536 Patients With Covid-19, Lara Jehi, Xinge Ji, Alex Milinovich, Serpil Erzurum, Amy Merlino, Steve Gordon, James B. Young, Michael W. Kattan

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Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 is a pandemic that is straining healthcare resources, mainly hospital beds. Multiple risk factors of disease progression requiring hospitalization have been identified, but medical decision-making remains complex.

Objective: To characterize a large cohort of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, their outcomes, develop and validate a statistical model that allows individualized prediction of future hospitalization risk for a patient newly diagnosed with COVID-19.

Design: Retrospective cohort study of patients with COVID-19 applying a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression algorithm to retain the most predictive features for hospitalization risk, followed by validation in a temporally …

Pharmacist-Led Chronic Care Management For Medically Underserved Rural Populations In Florida During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Madison Como, Chenita White Carter, Margareth Larose-Pierre, Kellie O'Dare, Cynthia R Hall, Jason Mobley, Gervin Robertson, Jason Leonard, Lindsey Tew

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Medically underserved patients in rural areas are more vulnerable to poor health outcomes, including the risks associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Pharmacists, student pharmacists, and other health care professionals are working together to implement new, innovative ways to deliver the same standard of care during the COVID-19 pandemic to these vulnerable patients. These services include telehealth with virtual and telephone medication therapy management sessions led by ambulatory care pharmacists and student pharmacists. Pharmacists, student pharmacists, and other health care professionals should continue to adapt to these new technologies to improve health outcomes for their patients during the pandemic.