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 May 18 to 22, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
CDC: COVID-19 Not Spread Easily From Contaminated Surfaces
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 spreads swiftly between people but is not easily caught from contaminated surfaces, according to updated information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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U.S. Government Seeks Deal With Private Industry to Boost Supply of Medical Equipment
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In an effort to prevent the United States from again struggling to have enough medical supplies in a pandemic, the federal government is seeking to make a five-year deal with U.S. manufacturers.
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U.S. Offers $1.2 Billion to Drug Company for COVID-19 Vaccine Research
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday it would provide up to $1.2 billion to AstraZeneca to develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine from a lab in Oxford, England.
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Age, Sex, History of Diabetes Predict Intubation in COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Older age, male sex, and history of diabetes are factors predictive of intubation among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, while age and body mass index are associated with time to extubation, according to a study published online May 19 in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
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SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Detected in 4.65 Percent in Los Angeles County
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In recent serologic tests, the weighted prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antibodies was 4.65 percent among adult residents of Los Angeles County, California, after adjustment for test sensitivity and specificity, according to a research letter published online May 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Delays in Cancer Surgery Due to COVID-19 Could Harm Survival
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Modest delays in cancer surgery due to the COVID-19 pandemic could have a significant impact on survival, according to a study published online May 19 in the Annals of Oncology.
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No SARS-CoV-2 ID’d in Asymptomatic Pregnant Women in Los Angeles
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — At the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, none of 80 asymptomatic women admitted to the labor and antepartum units tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a research letter published online May 19 in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Incidence of AMI Hospitalization Down During COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In Northern California, the incidence of hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic period, according to a letter to the editor published online May 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Cardiac Decompensation Seen in Children Following COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Children may experience acute cardiac decompensation due to a severe inflammatory state (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children or MIS-C) following infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a study published online May 17 in Circulation.
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ED Chest X-Ray Score Predicts COVID-19 Outcomes in Adults <50
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A chest X-ray severity score can predict outcomes among young and middle-aged adults with COVID-19 on presentation to the emergency department, according to a study published online May 14 in Radiology.
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CDC Says Test All Newborns of Mothers With Confirmed, Suspected COVID-19
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — All babies born to women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 should be tested, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines issued Wednesday.
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Convalescent Plasma Trial for COVID-19 Patients Underway at NYU Langone
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine are conducting a phase II clinical trial to determine the efficacy of convalescent plasma in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Corita R. Grudzen, M.D., vice chair for research in the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Emergency Medicine at NYU Langone Health, wrote the study protocol and recently spoke with HealthDay Live! about the trial.
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Rate of Stroke Low in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The rate of imaging-confirmed stroke is low in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, but mortality is higher than in contemporary controls without COVID-19 and historical controls, according to a study published online May 20 in Stroke.
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Factors Linked to COVID-19 In-Hospital Mortality ID’d in NYC
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Factors associated with in-hospital mortality include older age, chronic cardiac disease, and chronic pulmonary disease in a cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in New York City, according to a study published online May 19 in The Lancet.
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Asthma Tied to Longer COVID-19 Intubation Time
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Among COVID-19 patients who develop severe respiratory symptoms requiring intubation, asthma is associated with a significantly longer intubation time, according to a study published online May 14 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
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Clinical Performance of SARS-COV-2 Antibody Tests Varies
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The diagnostic specificity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 serologic assays varies, and sensitivity is poor during the first 14 days of symptoms, according to a study published online May 13 in Clinical Chemistry.
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Some Children With COVID-19 Require Admission, PICU Care
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Some children with COVID-19 require admission and intensive care, according to a study published online May 11 in The Journal of Pediatrics.
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Decrease Seen in Child Vaccination Coverage During COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There has been a decrease in child vaccination coverage in almost all milestone age cohorts during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published in the May 18 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Review Highlights Neuropsychiatric Presentations of COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — COVID-19 may cause delirium in some patients, according to a review published online May 18 in The Lancet Psychiatry.
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Odds of Pulmonary Embolism Up for Obese COVID-19 Patients
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Patients with COVID-19 with a body mass index >30 kg/m² have increased odds of developing pulmonary embolism, according to a research letter published online May 14 in Radiology.
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Age, CRP Up Risk for Mortality in Diabetes With COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with diabetes and COVID-19, risk factors for mortality include older age and elevated C-reactive protein, and insulin usage is associated with poor prognosis, according to a study published online May 14 in Diabetes Care.
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11.2 Percent of Pediatric Cancer Patients Positive for SARS-CoV-2
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Among pediatric cancer patients, overall morbidity of COVID-19 is low, according to a research letter published online May 13 in JAMA Pediatrics.
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15 Percent of Pregnant Women With COVID-19 Experience Severe Disease
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Fifteen percent of pregnant women with COVID-19 have severe disease, according to a case series published online May 18 in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Mental Health Symptoms Up for Medics Dealing With COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The scores for mental health symptoms in medical personnel responding to COVID-19 pneumonia are generally higher than the norm in China, according to a study published online May 19 in PLOS ONE.
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Obesity Tied to Increased Risk for Progression to Severe COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Obesity is associated with a significantly increased risk for progression to severe COVID-19, according to a study published online May 14 in Diabetes Care.
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CMS: Use ‘Extreme Caution’ in Reopening Nursing Homes
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — State governors should use “extreme caution” in deciding when to allow visits to nursing homes to resume, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said Monday.
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Factors ID’d for Positive SARS-CoV-2 Test Result in Primary Care
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Sociodemographic factors associated with the risk for a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 test result include deprivation, population density, and ethnicity, according to a study published online May 15 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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28 Million-Plus Surgeries Could Be Canceled Due to COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Worldwide, more than 28 million elective surgeries could be canceled or postponed during the 12 weeks of peak disruption due to COVID-19, according to a study published online May 12 in the British Journal of Surgery.
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Hydroxychloroquine Does Not Improve COVID-19 Pneumonia Outcomes
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Hydroxychloroquine does not improve outcomes in COVID-19, according to two studies published online May 14 in The BMJ.
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Corticosteroids for IBD May Up Risk for Severe COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with inflammatory bowel disease and COVID-19, risk factors for severe disease include increasing age, comorbidities, and systemic corticosteroids, according to a study published online May 18 in Gastroenterology.
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Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Appears Safe, Triggers Immune Response
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — An experimental vaccine against COVID-19 appears to be safe and to trigger an immune response, according to results of the first human clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine.
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Social Distancing Policies Reduced COVID-19 Growth Rate
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The impact of four widely adopted social distancing policies reduced the daily growth rate of COVID-19 across U.S. counties, according to a report published online May 14 in Health Affairs.
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Most Physicians Have Seen False-Negative COVID-19 Test Results
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Most physicians believe they have seen false-negative results for a COVID-19 diagnostic test, according to the results of a recent survey.
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Convalescent Plasma Appears Promising for Severe COVID-19
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Administration of convalescent plasma seems safe and results in improvement in clinical status for patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19, according to a study not yet peer reviewed and posted on medRxiv.org.
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Cough May Not Appear in Young Children With COVID-19
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Young children with COVID-19 may not present with respiratory symptoms, according to a case report published online May 12 in Frontiers in Pediatrics.
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Hydroxychloroquine No Aid for COVID-19-Related Mortality
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, or both is not associated with improvements in in-hospital mortality, according to a study published online May 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Use of Imaging to Assess Stroke Down in Early COVID-19 Epoch
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — From a prepandemic to early-pandemic epoch, there was a decrease in the use of imaging for the evaluation of stroke, according to a research letter published online May 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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