Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology
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To evaluate the reliability of self-collection for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses because swab collections for SARS-CoV-2 put health workers at risk of infection and require use of personal protective equipment (PPE). ⋯ Self-collection of nasal and throat swabs offers a reliable alternative to health worker collection for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses and provides patients with easier access to testing, reduces exposure of the community and health workers to those being tested and reduces requirement for PPE.
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Several SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays have been developed recently. The purpose of this study was to assess the performance of five immunoassays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. ⋯ This study shows accurate and equivalent performance of the five serological antibody assays (ELISA, CLIA and three lateral flow tests) in detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies 14 days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. This is compatible with their application in specific clinical contexts and in determining epidemiological strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Multicenter Study
Characterisation of COVID-19 Pandemic in Paediatric Age Group: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic first originated in Wuhan the capital of Hubei province, China in December 2019 and then spread globally. It is caused by SARS-CoV-2. Until 1st April 2020, the number of cases worldwide was recorded to be 823,626 with 40,598 deaths. Most of the reported cases were adults with few cases described in children and neonates. ⋯ The disease trajectory in Paediatric patients has good prognosis compared to adults. Intensive care unit and death are rare. Vertical transmission and virus shedding in breast milk are yet to be established.
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The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is associated with a severe respiratory manifestation, COVID-19, and presents a challenge for healthcare systems worldwide. Healthcare workers are a vulnerable cohort for SARS-CoV-2 infection due to frequent and close contact to patients with COVID-19. ⋯ The overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers of a tertiary hospital in Germany is low (1.6 %). The data indicate that the local hygiene standard might be effective.
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Comparative Study
Clinical evaluation of an immunochromatographic IgM/IgG antibody assay and chest computed tomography for the diagnosis of COVID-19.
We evaluated the clinical performance of an immunochromatographic (IC) IgM/IgG antibody assay for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) and chest computed tomography (CT) for the diagnosis of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ The IC assay had low sensitivity during the early phase of infection, and thus IC assay alone is not recommended for initial diagnostic testing for COVID-19. If RT-qPCR is not available, the combination of chest CT and IC assay may be useful for diagnosing COVID-19.