Epidemiology Commons^™

Assessment Of A Program For Sars-Cov-2 Screening And Environmental Monitoring In An Urban Public School District, John Crowe, Andy T. Schnaubelt, Scott Schmidtbonne, Kathleen Angell, Julia Bai, Teresa Eske, Molly Nicklin, Catherine Pratt, Bailey White, Brodie Crotts-Hannibal, Nicholas Staffend, Vicki L. Herrera, Jeramie Cobb, Jennifer Conner, Julie Carstens, Jonell Tempero, Lori Bouda, Matthew Ray, James V. Lawler, Walter S. Campbell, John-Martin Lowe, Joshua L. Santarpia, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Michael R. Wiley, David Brett-Major, Cheryl Logan, M. Jana Broadhurst

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

Importance: Scalable programs for school-based SARS-CoV-2 testing and surveillance are needed to guide in-person learning practices and inform risk assessments in kindergarten through 12th grade settings.

Objectives: To characterize SARS-CoV-2 infections in staff and students in an urban public school setting and evaluate test-based strategies to support ongoing risk assessment and mitigation for kindergarten through 12th grade in-person learning.

Design, Setting, and Participants: This pilot quality improvement program engaged 3 schools in Omaha, Nebraska, for weekly saliva polymerase chain reaction testing of staff and students participating in in-person learning over a 5-week period from November 9 to December 11, 2020. …

Multiplex Qpcr Discriminates Variants Of Concern To Enhance Global Surveillance Of Sars-Cov-2, Chantal B. F. Vogels, Mallery I. Breban, Isabel M. Ott, Tara Alpert, Mary E. Petrone, Anne E. Watkins, Chaney C. Kalinich, Rebecca Earnest, Jessica E. Rothman, Jaqueline Goes De Jesus, Ingra Morales Claro, Giulia Magalhães Ferreira, Myuki A. E. Crispim, Brazil-Uk Cadde Genomic Network, Lavanya Singh, Houriiyah Tegally, Ugochukwu J. Anyaneji, Network For Genomic Surveillance In South Africa, Emma B. Hodcroft, Christopher E. Mason, Gaurav Khullar, Jessica Metti, Joel T. Dudley, Matthew J. Mackay, Megan Nash, Jianhui Wang, Chen Liu, Pei Hui, Steven Murphy, Caleb Neal, Eva Laszlo, Marie L. Landry, Anthony Muyombwe, Randy Downing, Jafar Razeq, Tulio De Oliveira, Nuno R. Faria, Ester C. Sabino, Richard A. Neher, Joseph R. Fauver, Nathan D. Grubaugh

Journal Articles: Epidemiology

With the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants that may increase transmissibility and/or cause escape from immune responses, there is an urgent need for the targeted surveillance of circulating lineages. It was found that the B.1.1.7 (also 501Y.V1) variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, could be serendipitously detected by the Thermo Fisher TaqPath COVID-19 PCR assay because a key deletion in these viruses, spike Δ69-70, would cause a "spike gene target failure" (SGTF) result. However, a SGTF result is not definitive for B.1.1.7, and this assay cannot detect other variants of concern (VOC) that lack …

Characteristics And Outcomes Of In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest In Covid-19 A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Lukasz Szarpak, Magdalena Borkowska, Frank W Peacock, Zubaid Rafique, Aleksandra Gasecka, Jacek Smereka, Katarzyna Pytkowska, Marta Jachowicz, Lukasz Iskrzycki, Natasza Gilis-Malinowska, Milosz J Jaguszewski

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: The purpose herein, was to perform a systematic review of interventional outcome studies in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period.

METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed of publications meeting the following PICOS criteria: (1) participants, patients > 18 years of age with cardiac arrest due to any causes; (2) intervention, cardiac arrest in COVID-19 period; (3) comparison, cardiac arrest in pre-COVID-19 period; (4) outcomes, detailed information for survival; (5) study design, randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized or observational studies comparing cardiac arrest in COVID-19 and pre-COVID-19 period for their effects in patients with …

Thyroid Storm In A Patient With Covid-19, Angela N Rao, Ruaa Y Al-Ward, Ruchi Gaba

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

OBJECTIVE: A thyroid storm is a severe exacerbation of thyrotoxicosis that can cause significant morbidity and mortality. The emergence of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that originated in Wuhan, China, has become a worldwide pandemic. We present the first documented case of thyroid storm (as defined by the Burch-Wartofsky criteria) in a patient with COVID-19.

METHODS: Laboratory and diagnostic studies, including thyroid function tests, thyroid antibody testing, SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction testing, and thyroid ultrasound were performed.

RESULTS: A 25-year-old woman presented to the hospital with dry cough, dyspnea, palpitations, weight loss, diarrhea, and anxiety. Physical examination revealed exophthalmos with …

Covid-19 & Pregnancy Complication During Early Pandemic: A Narrative Review, Ahmed A. Eladely, Maria Hill, Ahmed Abdelhaleem, Zahid Imran, Ahsan M. Khan, Daisy Sangroula

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: Coronaviruses have caused three outbreaks in the past two decades. The novel one is SARS-COV-2, which causes COVID-19. Pregnant women have a somewhat altered immune state, which may make them more vulnerable to COVID-19 and its complications. Extensive research is needed to better understand the clinical course of COVID-19 in this population. This review article discusses the comparison of SARS-CoV-2 with previous coronavirus outbreaks, clinical presentations, and complications in pregnant women and newborns.

Methods: We conducted a literature search for case series and case reports about pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19 during the early phase of pandemic. …

The Case Of A Pregnant Woman With Ards Due To Covid-19 Treated With Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin, And Remdesivir And Delivery Of A Healthy Baby During Mechanical Ventilation Through Cesarean Section, Adria Madera-Acosta, Martin Gnoni, Bassman Tappuni, Monika Sadlak, Ravleen Grewal, Angel Mena, Yousef Ali-Ahwel

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

We are in the midst of a pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2. Pregnancy was identified among the risk factors for worse clinical outcomes in multiple studies. The optimal therapy in this group of patients remains to be defined. Here, we present the case of a 39-year-old Caucasian pregnant female at 31 weeks of gestation, who was treated successfully with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, remdesivir, prone therapy, and cesarean delivery of a healthy baby while on mechanical ventilation. She remained SARS-CoV-2-positive until the 39th day of hospitalization. We discuss the pathophysiology of the increased risk of infections during pregnancy and particularly the high risk …

Implementation Of The University Of Louisville Covid-19 Biorepository: Experiences From The Center Of Excellence In Infectious Diseases (Cerid), Dawn Balcom, Leslie A Wolf, Subathra Marimuthu, William Johnson, Danial Malik, Chet Dhakal, Pavani Nathala, Mohammed Abbas, Sahaj Hardeep Singh, Basel Haddad, Rafik Elbeblawy, Fnu Deepti, Ahmed Ali, Evelyn Exposito Gonzalez, Ruth Carrico

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

The limited availability of biological samples from patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 for future research was quickly identified at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this need, a COVID-19 biobank was initiated by the University of Louisville Division of Infectious Diseases, Center of Excellence for Research in Infectious Diseases (CERID). The COVID-19 biobank contains waste samples obtained from patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in any of the nine Louisville, Kentucky, area hospitals during the timeframe of April 13 to September 20, 2020. The COVID-19 biobank stores approximately 1,623 waste samples with 2,127 aliquots for distribution. All samples are …

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Daniel Myers

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Daniel Myers for fall semester 2020.

Ua94/6/1 Covid-19 Diary, Michaela Snyder

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 diary submitted to WKU Archives by student Michaela Snyder for fall 2020 semester.

Covid-19 Viral Testing Disparities In Los Angeles City, Laura Cyphers

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Hispanic and Black communities have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality (California Department of Public Health, 2020). Inequitable access to viral testing resources may have exacerbated these COVID-19-related racial and ethnic health disparities. For example, reports from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health revealed glaring viral testing disparities in April 2020 (early pandemic), with predominantly White communities in Los Angeles County receiving 65% more tests than Hispanic and Black communities. In response, California statewide testing was expanded for communities of color (Vann et al., 2020). To investigate access to viral testing in Los Angeles City, the current …

A Way To Track Governments’ Response And People’S Mobility Changes In Response To Covid-19 Pandemic, Dongshan Zhu, Shiva Raj Mishra, Salim S. Virani

Office of the Provost

No abstract provided.

Reproducibility And Sensitivity Of Thirty-Six Methods To Quantify The Sars-Cov-2 Genetic Signal In Raw Wastewater: Findings From An Interlaboratory Methods Evaluation In The U.S., Brian M. Pecson, Emily Darby, Charles N. Haas, Yamrot M. Amha, Mitchel Bartolo, Richard Danielson, Yeggie Dearborn, George Di Giovanni, Christobel Ferguson, Stephanie Fevig, Erica Gaddis, Donald Gray, George Lukasik, Bonnie Mull, Liana Olivas, Adam Olivieri, Yan Qu, Sars-Cov-2 Interlaboratory Consortium, John J. Dennehy

Publications and Research

In response to COVID-19, the international water community rapidly developed methods to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal in untreated wastewater. Wastewater surveillance using such methods has the potential to complement clinical testing in assessing community health. This interlaboratory assessment evaluated the reproducibility and sensitivity of 36 standard operating procedures (SOPs), divided into eight method groups based on sample concentration approach and whether solids were removed. Two raw wastewater samples were collected in August 2020, amended with a matrix spike (betacoronavirus OC43), and distributed to 32 laboratories across the U.S. Replicate samples analyzed in accordance with the project's quality assurance plan …

A Race For A Better Understanding Of Covid-19 Vaccine Non-Adopters, Zhaohui Su, Jun Wen, Jaffar Abbas, Dean Mcdonnell, Ali Cheshmehzangi, Xiaoshan Li, Junaid Ahmad, Sabina Šegalo, Daniel Maestro, Yuyang Cai

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this paper, we aim to underscore the need for a more nuanced understanding of vaccine non-adopters. As the availability of vaccines does not translate into their adoption-a phenomenon that may be more pronounced amid "Operation Warp Speed"-it is important for public health professionals to thoroughly understand their "customers" (i.e., end users of COVID-19 vaccines) to ensure satisfactory vaccination rates and to safeguard society at large.

Safety And Effectiveness Of Hydroxychloroquine And Azithromycin Combination Therapy For Treatment Of Hospitalized Patients With Covid-19: A Propensity-Matched Study, Henry D Huang, Hani Jneid, Mariam Aziz, Venkatesh Ravi, Parikshit S Sharma, Timothy Larsen, Neal Chatterjee, Basil Saour, Zaid Aziz, Hemal Nayak, Richard G Trohman, Kousik Krishnan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

INTRODUCTION: We sought to determine the effectiveness and safety of hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin (HCQ-AZM) therapy in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 613 patients hospitalized (integrated health system involving three hospitals) for RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection between March 1, 2020 and April 25, 2020. Intervention was treatment with HCQ-AZM in hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Outcomes of interest were in-hospital all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, pulseless electrical activity (PEA) arrest, non-lethal arrhythmias, and length of hospital stay. Secondary measures included in-hospital corrected QT (QTc) interval parameters and serum biomarkers levels.

RESULTS: Propensity-matched …

Postacute Covid-19: An Overview And Approach To Classification, Eva M Amenta, Amy Spallone, Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas, Hana M El Sahly, Robert L Atmar, Prathit A Kulkarni

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has progressed, a large volume of literature has developed delineating the clinical manifestations of acute infection. Recent reports have also started to describe persistent symptoms extending beyond the period of initial illness or hospitalization. Anecdotes of different signs and symptoms occurring after acute infection have also arisen in the lay press. Here we describe the current existing medical literature on the emerging concept of postacute COVID-19 and suggest an approach to classifying different manifestations of the syndrome. We also review long-term clinical manifestations observed in patients who recovered from infection due to other …

Age, Comorbidities, And Mortality Correlation In Covid-19 Patients: A Review, Vidyulata Salunkhe, Amr Aboelnasr, Parul Pahal, Nida Qadir, Simra Kiran, Balaji Sekaran, Omar Fahmy, Farah Daas, Syed Shah

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Background: The risk of death due to COVID-19 among hospitalized patients is known to be higher in older adults and those with underlying health conditions. Understanding the proportion of patients who are at increased risk of death due to COVID-19 and how this varies between age groups will inform the healthcare community as to how to evaluate the risk of COVID-19 and better design healthcare and economic policies.

Methods: We conducted a literature search for studies published between December 2019 and May 16, 2020 in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane (CENTRAL). Descriptive statistics were performed.

Results: We reviewed 14 studies, of …

Protective Measures

Scientia

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States and engulfed frontline health care providers, faculty, staff and students in the College of Science and Health stepped in to help by donating and fabricating personal protective equipment (PPE).

Congregate Care In The Time Of Covid-19: Proposed Best Practices From The Inside, Linda Bergthold, Margan Zajdowicz, Thaddeus R. Zajdowicz, Elli Hall, Kimberley A. Buckner, Ruth Carrico

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Donor And Transplant Candidate Selection For Solid Organ Transplantation During The Covid-19 Pandemic, N Thao N Galvan, Nicolas F Moreno, Jay E Garza, Susan Bourgeois, Marion Hemmersbach-Miller, Bhamidipati Murthy, Katherine Timmins, Christine A O'Mahony, James Anton, Andrew Civitello, Puneet Garcha, Gabe Loor, Kenneth Liao, Alexis Shaffi, John Vierling, Rise Stribling, Abbas Rana, John A Goss

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus responsible for a worldwide pandemic has forced drastic changes in medical practice in an alarmingly short period of time. Caregivers must modify their strategies as well as optimize the utilization of resources to ensure public and patient safety. For organ transplantation, in particular, the loss of lifesaving organs for transplantation could lead to increased waitlist mortality. The priority is to select uninfected donors to transplant uninfected recipients while maintaining safety for health care systems in the backdrop of a virulent pandemic. We do not yet have a standard approach to evaluating …

The Use Of Penalized Regression Analysis To Identify County-Level Demographic And Socioeconomic Variables Predictive Of Increased Covid-19 Cumulative Case Rates In The State Of Georgia, Holly L. Richmond, Joana Tome, Haresh Rochani, Isaac Chun-Hai Fung, Gulzar H. Shah, Jessica S. Schwind

Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Environmental Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Systemic inequity concerning the social determinants of health has been known to affect morbidity and mortality for decades. Significant attention has focused on the individual-level demographic and co-morbid factors associated with rates and mortality of COVID-19. However, less attention has been given to the county-level social determinants of health that are the main drivers of health inequities. To identify the degree to which social determinants of health predict COVID-19 cumulative case rates at the county-level in Georgia, we performed a sequential, cross-sectional ecologic analysis using a diverse set of socioeconomic and demographic variables. Lasso regression was used to identify variables …

Winners And Losers In The American Political Debates Of The Nation’S Health: An Ethical And Moral Dilemma, Dr. Sheila P. Davis

Journal of Health Ethics

The third and final issue of the Online Journal of Health Ethics for 2020 presents two poignant articles that are rankled with current health ethics and moral issues as the world races to a resolve for the COVID pandemic. There appears to be no easy, quick-fix solutions to the pandemic that has claimed over 1.11 million lives worldwide in this first wave. The Gellert article addresses his view of the U.S. government’s political response and the Gunn article presents an ethical perspective of the emerging promised vaccine to halt the virus.

An Epidemiological View Of The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: Covid-19 And The Ethics Of Science Denial, George A. Gellert Md, Mph, Mpa

Journal of Health Ethics

COVID-19 is exploiting U.S. political and cultural polarization in the first presidential election to be driven by epidemiology and public health. Medical science is on the ballot as Americans’ views on economic re-opening fracture according to party affiliation. The difference between pro aggressive versus incremental re-opening, mask wearing and social distancing is rooted in respect for, or denial of, the science of epidemiological pandemic disease control. Political leaders at multiple levels, and in particular the president, have politicized the wearing of face masks and so intentionally obscured and misinformed the public regarding the objectively and scientifically proven value of these …

Covid-19 Contact Tracing Apps: How They Notify Users Of Potential Exposure, William A. Mattingly

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Considerations For A Covid-19 Research Data Warehouse In The Time Of Covid, William A. Mattingly

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Covid-19 Burden, Epidemiology And Mitigation Strategies In Muslim Majority Countries, Rachel Jardine, James Wright, Zainab Samad, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Section of Cardiology

Background: Muslim majority countries have experienced a considerable burden of COVID-19 infection. However, there has been a relative lack of research comparing COVID-19 outbreaks and responses between Muslim-majority countries.
Aims: This study aimed to analyse COVID-19 burden, epidemiology and mitigation strategies in Muslim-majority countries.
Methods: We use a mixed-methods approach to describe the course of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the Islamic world, highlight the range of non-pharmaceutical interventions used and the speed with which they were implemented, and investigate reasons behind the differing responses between Muslim-majority countries. The number of cases and deaths per million population, and the mean time …

Aaim Recommendations For The 2020-2021 Internal Medicine Residency Application Cycle In Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katherine C Chretien, Jaya M Raj, Reeni A Abraham, Paul Aronowitz, Donna J Astiz, Shobhina G Chheda, Ernie L Esquivel, Maria M Garcia, Nadia Ismail, Susan Lane, Suzanne E Mclaughlin, Anne Pereira, Amy W Shaheen, Abby L Spencer, Kimberly M Tartaglia, Lisa L Willett

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

This statement was released in June 2020 by the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine to provide guidance for the 2020-2021 residency application cycle in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. While many of the recommendations are specific to this cycle, others, such as the Department Summary Letter of Evaluation, are meant to be an enduring change to the internal medicine residency application process. AAIM realizes that some schools may not yet have the tools or resources to implement the template fully this cycle and look toward collaboration within the internal medicine education community to facilitate adoption in the cycles to come.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms In Patients With Covid-19, Mohammed Abbas, Rafik Elbeblawy, Islam Gadelmoula, Suvarna Rekha, Bettina Sinanova, Jose Bordon

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: Though coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is predominantly a respiratory illness, a growing number of studies reported gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms among these patients. We examined the incidence of GI symptoms in patients with COVID-19 and GI symptoms as the initial presentation of the disease.

Methods: We examined peer-reviewed studies in English of patients with COVID-19 that reported GI symptoms. We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for articles published up to June 30, 2020, by using the keywords ``COVID-19,'' ``Coronavirus,'' ``severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,'', ``SARS-CoV-2,'' ``gastrointestinal tract,'' ``gastrointestinal diseases,'' and ``gastrointestinal symptoms and signs.'' Studies with fewer than 30 …

A Review Of Quarantine Period In Relation To Incubation Period Of Sars-Cov-2, Satya Rashmit Durugu, Hammad Tanzeem, Divya Menghani, Zahid Imran, Priya Krishnan

The University of Louisville Journal of Respiratory Infections

Introduction: The period from exposure to a potential pathogen to the manifestation of symptoms, i.e.  the incubation period, is time the virus spends replicating in the host. An estimation of this period and subsequent quarantine of the host can limit potential spread, particularly in asymptomatic carriers. Effective contact tracing, length of self-quarantine, repeat testing, and understanding of disease transmission are all contingent on a true estimation of this incubation period.

Methods: Articles in English published since December 1st, 2019, on Google scholar, PubMed, and Research Gate, along with bulletins from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control …

Perinatal Anxiety And Depression During The Covid 19 Pandemic, Helen Xumin Chen, Nancy Selix, Marcianna Nosek

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak places perinatal women at higher risk of developing anxiety and depression. Uncertainty, fear, and confusion in medical, social, economic, occupational and political aspects of life in the US add to existing stressors that perinatal women experience. To optimize the quality of perinatal care during the pandemic, appropriate mental health interventions must be implemented to prevent and alleviate perinatal anxiety and depression and improve maternal and infant outcomes. Measures include increased screening, non-pharmacologic and/or pharmacologic interventions and the use of telehealth for care delivery.

Keywords: perinatal anxiety, perinatal depression, COVID-19, SARS CoV-2, maternal …

Call To Action: Sars-Cov-2 And Cerebrovascular Disorders (Cascade), Shahram Abootalebi, Benjamin M. Aertker, Mohammad Sobhan Andalibi, Negar Asdaghi, Ozlem Aykac, M. Reza Azarpazhooh, M. Cecilia Bahit, Kristian Barlinn, Hamidon Basri, Reza Bavarsad Shahripour, Anna Bersano, Jose Biller, Afshin Borhani-Haghighi, Robert D. Brown, Bruce Cv Campbell, Salvador Cruz-Flores, Deidre Anne De Silva, Mario Di Napoli, Afshin A. Divani, Randall C. Edgell, Johanna T. Fifi, Abdoreza Ghoreishi, Teruyuki Hirano, Keun Sik Hong, Chung Y. Hsu, Josephine F. Huang, Manabu Inoue, Amanda L. Jagolino, Moira Kapral, Hoo Fan Kee, Zafer Keser, Rakesh Khatri

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Background and purpose: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), now named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), may change the risk of stroke through an enhanced systemic inflammatory response, hypercoagulable state, and endothelial damage in the cerebrovascular system. Moreover, due to the current pandemic, some countries have prioritized health resources towards COVID-19 management, making it more challenging to appropriately care for other potentially disabling and fatal diseases such as stroke. The aim of this study is to identify and describe changes in stroke epidemiological trends before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is an international, multicenter, hospital-based …