Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Adults after Mild SARS-CoV-2 Infection,Japan

In Japan, a 51-year-old man had minimally symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome was diagnosed ≈5 weeks later; characteristics included severe inflammation, cardiac dysfunction, and IgG positivity. Clinicians should obtain detailed history and examine IgG levels for cases of inflammatory disease with unexplained cardiac decompensation.     

Effects of Coronavirus Disease Pandemic on Tuberculosis Notifications,Malawi

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic might affect tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis and patient care. We analyzed a citywide electronic TB register in Blantyre, Malawi and interviewed TB officers. Malawi did not have an official COVID-19 lockdown but closed schools and borders on March 23, 2020. In an interrupted time series analysis, we noted an immediate 35.9% reduction in TB notifications in April 2020; notifications recovered to near prepandemic numbers by December 2020. However, 333 fewer cumulative TB notifications were received than anticipated. Women and girls were affected more (30.7% fewer cases) than men and boys (20.9% fewer cases). Fear of COVID-19 infection, temporary facility closures, inadequate personal protective equipment, and COVID-19 stigma because of similar symptoms to TB were mentioned as reasons for fewer people being diagnosed with TB. Public health measures could benefit control of both TB and COVID-19, but only if TB diagnostic services remain accessible and are considered safe to attend.     

SARS-CoV-2 Aerosol Exhaled by Experimentally Infected Cynomolgus Monkeys

We analyzed size of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) aerosol particles shed by experimentally infected cynomolgus monkeys. Most exhaled particles were small, and virus was mainly released early during infection. By postinfection day 6, no virus was detected in breath, but air in the isolator contained large quantities of aerosolized virus.     

Characteristics and Risk Factors of Hospitalized and Nonhospitalized COVID-19 Patients,Atlanta, Georgia,USA, March–April 2020

We compared the characteristics of hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients who had coronavirus disease in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. We found that risk for hospitalization increased with a patient’s age and number of concurrent conditions. We also found a potential association between hospitalization and high hemoglobin A1c levels in persons with diabetes.     

Cross-Sectional Serosurvey of Companion Animals Housed with SARS-CoV-2–Infected Owners,Italy

We conducted a serologic survey among dogs and cats in Italy to detect antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We found that SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was higher among cats (16.2%) than dogs (2.3%). In addition, seroprevalence was higher among animals living in close contact with SARS-CoV-2–positive owners.     

安徽省新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门人力资源现状调查

目的 了解安徽省不同级别新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门人力资源配置现状,分析存在问题及薄弱环节,为健全感控人才队伍建设提供依据。方法 通过调查问卷的形式,于2020年4月对安徽省各级新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门基本情况、医院感染管理专职人员配置情况进行调查,并对结果进行分析。结果 共调查68所医疗机构,其中省级医院6所,市级医院19所,县级医院43所。省、市、县级医疗机构医院感染管理专职人员配比达标的医院分别占16.67%、26.32%、51.16%。全省医院感染管理专职人员中女性占84.82%;医院感染管理队伍以护理专业为主,占59.53%;高级职称人员仅占21.01%。不同级别医疗机构医院感染管理专职人员在专业、学历分布、医院感染管理工作年限方面比较,差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.05）。结论 安徽省新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门存在专职人员配备不足、专业单一、学历偏低、职称晋升困难等情况,人力资源配置有待进一步优化,医疗机构及相关管理部门应加强感染监控人才队伍建设,推动疫情防控常态化下感染监控工作的有效落实。     

Cellular Immunity in COVID-19 Convalescents with PCR-Confirmed Infection but with Undetectable SARS-CoV-2–Specific IgG

We investigated immune responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among a group of convalescent, potential blood donors in Germany who had PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Sixty days after onset of symptoms, 13/78 (17%) study participants had borderline or negative results to an ELISA detecting IgG against the S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2. We analyzed participants with PCR-confirmed infection who had strong antibody responses (ratio >3) as positive controls and participants without symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and without household contact with infected patients as negative controls. Using interferon-γ ELISpot, we observed that 78% of PCR-positive volunteers with undetectable antibodies showed T cell immunity against SARS-CoV-2. We observed a similar frequency (80%) of T-cell immunity in convalescent donors with strong antibody responses but did not detect immunity in negative controls. We concluded that, in convalescent patients with undetectable SARS-CoV-2 IgG, immunity may be mediated through T cells.     

Risk for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Healthcare Workers,Turin, Italy

We measured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein subunits S1/S2 antibodies by using capillary electrophoresis and a chemiluminescence immunoassay for 5,444 active healthcare workers in Italy. Seroprevalence was 6.9% and higher among participants having contact with patients. Seroconversion was not observed in 37/213 previously infected participants.     

Postmortem Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in Nasopharyngeal Mucosa

Analyses of infection chains have demonstrated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is highly transmissive. However, data on postmortem stability and infectivity are lacking. Our finding of nasopharyngeal viral RNA stability in 79 corpses showed no time-dependent decrease. Maintained infectivity is supported by virus isolation up to 35 hours postmortem.     

Strand-Specific Reverse Transcription PCR for Detection of Replicating SARS-CoV-2

We developed an assay that detects minus-strand RNA as a surrogate for actively replicating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We detected minus-strand RNA in 41 persons with coronavirus disease up to 30 days after symptom onset. This assay might inform clinical decision-making about patient infectiousness.