The superspreading places of COVID-19 and the associated built-environment and socio-demographic features: A study using a spatial network framework and individual-level activity data

Previous studies observed that most COVID-19 infections were transmitted by a few individuals at a few high-risk places (e.g., bars or social gathering venues). These individuals, often called superspreaders, transmit the virus to an unexpectedly large number of people. Further, a small number of superspreading places (SSPs) where this occurred account for a large number of COVID-19 transmissions. In this study, we propose a spatial network framework for identifying the SSPs that disproportionately spread COVID-19. Using individual-level activity data of the confirmed cases in Hong Kong, we first identify the high-risk places in the first four COVID-19 waves using the space-time kernel density method (STKDE). Then, we identify the SSPs among these high-risk places by constructing spatial networks that integrate the flow intensity of the confirmed cases. We also examine what built-environment and socio-demographic features would make a high-risk place to more likely become an SSP in different waves of COVID-19 by using regression models. The results indicate that some places had very high transmission risk and suffered from repeated COVID-19 outbreaks over the four waves, and some of these high-risk places were SSPs where most (about 80%) of the COVID-19 transmission occurred due to their intense spatial interactions with other places. Further, we find that high-risk places with dense urban renewal buildings and high median monthly household rent-to-income ratio have higher odds of being SSPs. The results also imply that the associations between built-environment and socio-demographic features with the high-risk places and SSPs are dynamic over time. The implications for better policymaking during the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed.     

UK food and nutrition security during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic

The COVID‐19 pandemic is a major shock to society in terms of health and economy that is affecting both UK and global food and nutrition security. It is adding to the ‘perfect storm’ of threats to society from climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, at a time of considerable change, rising nationalism and breakdown in international collaboration. In the UK, the situation is further complicated due to Brexit. The UK COVID‐19 Food and Nutrition Security project, lasting one year, is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and is assessing the ongoing impact of COVID‐19 on the four pillars of food and nutrition security: access, availability, utilisation and stability. It examines the food system, how it is responding, and potential knock on effects on the UK’s food and nutrition security, both in terms of the cascading risks from the pandemic and other threats. The study provides an opportunity to place the initial lessons being learnt from the on‐going responses to the pandemic in respect of food and nutrition security in the context of other long‐term challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.     

Hospital-at-Home Expands Hospital Capacity During COVID-19 Pandemic

A Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)–specific Hospital-at-Home was implemented in a 400-bed tertiary hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Senior or immune-compromised physicians oversaw patient care. The alternative to inpatient care more than doubled beds available for hospitalization and decreased the risk of transmission among patients and health care professionals. Mild cases from either the emergency department or after hospital discharge were deemed suitable for admission to the Hospital-at-Home. More than half of all patients had pneumonia. Standardized protocols and management criteria were provided. Only 6% of cases required referral for inpatient hospitalization. These results are promising and may provide valuable insight for centers undertaking Hospital-at-Home initiatives or in the case of new COVID-19 outbreaks.     

A Local COVID-19 Support Platform for Nursing Homes: Feedback and Perspectives

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on nursing homes (NHs), which were not prepared to manage infections among their at-risk patient populations. In order to comply with the French government's guidelines, we rapidly set up a local support platform (LSP) to help NHs manage their cases of COVID-19. The LSP comprised multidisciplinary decision support, a specialist phone hotline, mobile geriatric medicine teams, and videoconferences on COVID-19.We first quantified the LSP's interventions in 63 local NHs since the start of the first wave of COVID-19 (March 2020): 9 instances of multidisciplinary decision support, 275 calls to the specialist phone hotline, 84 interventions by mobile geriatric medicine teams, and 16 videoconferences. The LSP had been used during and between the first and second waves of the epidemic, and all had evolved to meet the NHs' needs.     

Absence of COVID-19 Disease Among Chronically Ventilated Nursing Home Patients

ObjectiveTo describe the experience of COVID-19 disease among chronically ventilated and nonventilated nursing home patients living in 3 separate nursing homes.DesignObservational study of death, respiratory illness and COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results among residents and staff during nursing home outbreaks in 2020.Setting and Participants93 chronically ventilated nursing home patients and 1151 nonventilated patients living among 3 separate nursing homes on Long Island, New York, as of March 15, 2020. Illness, PCR results, and antibody studies among staff are also reported.MeasurementsData were collected on death rate among chronically ventilated and nonventilated patients between March 15 and May 15, 2020, compared to the same time in 2019; prevalence of PCR positivity among ventilated and nonventilated patients in 2020; reported illness, PCR positivity, and antibody among staff.ResultsTotal numbers of deaths among chronically ventilated nursing home patients during this time frame were similar to the analogous period 1 year earlier (9 of 93 in 2020 vs 8 of 100 in 2019, P = .8), whereas deaths among nonventilated patients were greatly increased (214 of 1151 in 2020 vs 55 of 1189 in 2019, P < .001). No ventilated patient deaths were clinically judged to be COVID-19 related. No clusters of COVID-19 illness could be demonstrated among ventilated patients. Surveillance PCR testing of ventilator patients failed to reveal COVID-19 positivity (none of 84 ventilator patients vs 81 of 971 nonventilator patients, P < .002). Illness and evidence of COVID-19 infection was demonstrated among staff working both in nonventilator and in ventilator units.Conclusions and ImplicationsCOVID-19 infection resulted in illness and death among nonventilated nursing home residents as well as among staff. This was not observed among chronically ventilated patients. The mechanics of chronic ventilation appears to protect chronically ventilated patients from COVID-19 disease.     

FAM19A4基因启动子甲基化检测在宫颈癌及其癌前病变筛查的研究

宫颈癌是最常见的妇科恶性肿瘤之一。目前人乳头瘤病毒(HPV)检测及细胞学检查是宫颈癌及其癌前病变(CCPL)的主要筛查手段。由于上述传统筛查方法,仍然存在对CCPL漏诊的风险,因此寻找有效识别CCPL的特异性分子标志物,具有重要临床意义。对具有序列相似性家族19成员A4(FAM19A4)基因启动子甲基化定量检测,可有效检出CCPL组织,较传统筛查方法有较高特异度,有望成为CCPL筛查的特异性分子标志物。笔者拟就FAM19A4基因启动子甲基化定量检测,在CCPL筛查中应用的最新研究现状进行阐述,旨在为进一步推进CCPL筛查方法的开发,提供思路。     

新冠肺炎疫情定点医院的改造与思考

分析了综合医院临时改造为收治新冠肺炎患者定点医院时所遇到的问题,针对医院路线、门诊及住院楼区域、供氧设备、涉及人员及救治体系等采取符合传染病防护要求的改造措施。建议综合医院引入传染病医院建设与管理理念,合理规划建筑布局和医疗设备精细化布局,完善人员管理机制,建立应急组织机构,优化流程管理体系,以期为综合医院后期建设提供借鉴。     

COVID-19对学术交流的影响及学术出版机构的应对举措

【目的】 研究COVID-19疫情暴发给学术交流及学术出版带来的深远影响。【方法】 利用文献调研法和案例分析法挖掘COVID-19疫情带来的学术环境变化,并探讨学术出版的整体变化趋势和国内外出版机构的应对方式。【结果】 COVID-19疫情改变了当前的学术交流环境:加速推进开放科学进程,快速传播的预出版模式受到青睐,开放评审促进快速学术交流,多项基金项目助力COVID-19科学研究,中国科研人员应对COVID-19反应积极而迅速。出版机构顺应学术出版的整体趋势,为科学共同体提供大量免费服务,扩大知识服务的目标群体,提供海量知识及COVID-19快速发表通道,我国出版机构应对COVID-19也采取了大量积极举措。【结论】 国内外出版机构应对突发事件时应建立学术出版应急机制,增强知识服务能力,促进知识创新及传播,以适应一个全新的快速发展的学术环境。     

新型冠状病毒肺炎预防与营养治疗方案汇总分析

目的:全面检索国内新型冠状病毒肺炎(以下简称:COVID-19)疫情发生以来预防与营养治疗的专家建议、指南及相关文献,就COVID-19预防与营养治疗策略做一分析总结,以期为临床应用提供参考。方法:检索国家卫生健康委、中医药管理局官方网站以及中国知网、万方、维普等相关数据库,纳入有关COVID-19预防与营养治疗的推荐方案(截止日期到2020年4月1日),分类汇总分析。结果:共检索出中文文献20篇,发表时间为2020年1月至3月。其中膳食营养预防5篇、营养治疗专家建议6篇、指南1篇、危重症病人规范化营养治疗路径1篇、营养评估1篇、个体化1篇、呼吸系统疾病营养支持系统评价1篇及特殊人群4篇。结论:合理的营养膳食以及时机恰当、方案个体化、监护常态化的营养支持是COVID-19预防及治疗过程中必不可少的手段之一,临床应在规范的前提下推广应用。