Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Real-Time Public Health Communication Of Local Sars-Cov-2 Genomic Epidemiology, Chaney C. Kalinich, Cole G. Jensen, Peter Neugebauer, Mary E. Petrone, Mario Peña-Hernández, Isabel M. Ott, Anne L. Wyllie, Tara Alpert, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Joseph R. Fauver, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Anderson F. Brito

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Genomic epidemiology can provide a unique, real-time understanding of SARS-CoV-2 transmission patterns. Yet the potential for genomic analyses to guide local policy and community-based behavioral decisions is limited because they are often oriented towards specially trained scientists and conducted on a national or global scale. Here, we propose a new paradigm: Phylogenetic analyses performed on a local level (municipal, county, or state), with results communicated in a clear, timely, and actionable manner to strengthen public health responses. We believe that presenting results rapidly, and tailored to a non-expert audience, can serve as a template for effective public health response to …

Acute Encephalopathy With Elevated Csf Inflammatory Markers As The Initial Presentation Of Covid-19, Shelli Farhadian, Laura R. Glick, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Jared Thomas, Jennifer Chiarella, Arnau Casanovas-Massana, Jing Zhou, Camila Odio, Pavithra Vijayakumar, Bertie Geng, John Fournier, Santos Bermejo, Joseph R. Fauver, Tara Alpert, Anne L. Wyllie, Cynthia Turcotte, Matthew Steinle, Patrick Paczkowski, Charles Dela Cruz, Craig Wilen, Albert I. Ko, Sean Mackay, Nathan D. Grubaugh, Serena Spudich, Lydia Aoun Barakat

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus SARS-CoV-2. It is widely recognized as a respiratory pathogen, but neurologic complications can be the presenting manifestation in a subset of infected patients.

CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 78-year old immunocompromised woman who presented with altered mental status after witnessed seizure-like activity at home. She was found to have SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated neuroinflammation. In this case, we undertake the first detailed analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokines during COVID-19 infection and find a unique pattern of inflammation in CSF, but no evidence of viral neuroinvasion.

CONCLUSION: Our findings …

The Covid-19 Response In Nebraska: How Students Answered The Call, Sabrine Chengane, Anlan Cheney, Sierra Garth, Sharon J. Medcalf

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The Student Response Team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center answered the statewide call to assist local health departments during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As a voluntary student-led effort, the SRT assisted health departments to conduct contact tracing, monitor social media, and educate the public. Their experience demonstrates how students can increase the public health surge capacity of local health departments while gaining applied experience during public health emergencies. This call-to-action commentary proposes that SRTs should be formed, trained, and deployed through academic institutions across the nation and the globe, during and beyond the current pandemic.

Advanced Preparation Makes Research In Emergencies And Isolation Care Possible: The Case Of Novel Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19), David Brett-Major, Elizabeth R. Schnaubelt, Hannah M. Creager, Abigail Lowe, Theodore J. Cieslak, Jacob M. Dahlke, Daniel W. Johnson, Paul D. Fey, Keith F. Hansen, Angela L. Hewlett, Bruce G. Gordon, Andre C. Kalil, Ali S. Khan, Mark G. Kortepeter, Christopher J. Kratochvil, Luann Larson, Deborah A. Levy, James Linder, Sharon J. Medcalf, Mark E. Rupp, Michelle M. Schwedhelm, James N. Sullivan Md, Angela M. Vasa, Michael C. Wadman, Rachel E. Lookadoo, John-Martin J. Lowe, James V. Lawler, M. Jana Broadhurst

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The optimal time to initiate research on emergencies is before they occur. However, timely initiation of high-quality research may launch during an emergency under the right conditions. These include an appropriate context, clarity in scientific aims, preexisting resources, strong operational and research structures that are facile, and good governance. Here, Nebraskan rapid research efforts early during the 2020 coronavirus disease pandemic, while participating in the first use of U.S. federal quarantine in 50 years, are described from these aspects, as the global experience with this severe emerging infection grew apace. The experience has lessons in purpose, structure, function, and performance …

Aerosol And Surface Contamination Of Sars-Cov-2 Observed In Quarantine And Isolation Care, Joshua L. Santarpia, Danielle N. Rivera, Vicki L. Herrera, M. Jane Morwitzer, Hannah M. Creager, George W. Santarpia, Kevin K. Crown, David Brett-Major, Elizabeth R. Schnaubelt, M. Jana Broadhurst, James V. Lawler, St. Patrick Reid, John Lowe

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019, and its resulting coronavirus disease, COVID-19, was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The rapid global spread of COVID-19 represents perhaps the most significant public health emergency in a century. As the pandemic progressed, a continued paucity of evidence on routes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission has resulted in shifting infection prevention and control guidelines between classically-defined airborne and droplet precautions. During the initial isolation of 13 individuals with COVID-19 at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, we collected air …