Epidemiology
· Health policy researchers analyzed the COVID-19 and excess all-cause mortality rates across three periods (since the start of the pandemic, since 10 May 2020, and since 7 June 2020) between the U.S. and 18 nations and found that while the U.S. mortality rate since the start of pandemic is similar to that of other “High mortality” nations, its mortality rates since May 10th and June 7th far exceed that of any other nation.
· Investigators from multiple university hospitals in Denmark performed a retrospective cohort study comparing 473,654 Danish individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 to 2.2 million non-tested individuals and found that those who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were less likely to have type O blood than A, B, or AB (P<0.001), suggesting a significantly reduced risk of COVID-19 infection in those with type O blood.
R&D: Diagnosis & Treatments
· Investigators within the fields of of toxicology and medical biochemistry found that lab testers working with SARS-CoV-2 need to be aware of potential contagiousness of samples, use disinfectants, and ample precautions; sampling of the airway and subsequent RT-PCR remains the best way to detect SARS-CoV-2 infection; and there is a growing body of literature suggesting cytokine, chemokine, blood, and serum parameters may help monitor severity of COVID-19 cases.
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