Data Snapshot
UW Medicine Hospitals:
King County: The county reported 672 new positive cases and 1 new death on Nov. 16.
Washington: The state reported 132,532 cases and 2,548 deaths as of Nov. 15.
United States: The CDC reports 10,984,398 cases and 245,470 deaths as of Nov. 16.
Global: WHO reports 54,771,888 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,324,249 deaths as of Nov. 17.
*Numbers update frequently, please follow links for most up-to-date numbers.
COVID-19 Literature Situation Report
COVID-19 Literature Situation Report is a daily (M-F) newsletter put together by the Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness that provides a succinct summary of the latest scientific literature related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Takeaways: COVID-19 Literature Situation Report Nov. 13, 2020
- Symptom-based screening of travelers at airports to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was found to be resource-intensive and overall ineffective, identifying about one case for every 85,000 travelers screened. More.
- In a double-blind, randomized single center study, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluvoxamine at standard doses prevented clinical deterioration in outpatients with mild, symptomatic COVID-19. More.
- Social gatherings including church services, a wedding, and a funeral likely contributed to the rapid transmission of SARS-CoV-2 throughout an Amish community in Ohio. More.
- Results from a modeling study suggest that the closure of public primary schools in early 2020 could result in decreases in life expectancy for US children due to effects on education attainment. More.
- SARS-CoV-2 infections in skilled nursing facilities continue to be an issue in hotspot states with common reports of shortages of personal protective equipment and staffing issues. More.
You can read more literature reports from the COVID-19 Literature Surveillance Team, an affiliated group of medical students, PhDs, and physicians keeping up with the latest research on SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19. Here’s their latest report: Nov. 16 | Daily COVID-19 LST Report.
UW Medicine in the News
The Seattle Times: Gov. Inslee orders sweeping restrictions on indoor gatherings, restaurants, bars, gyms as COVID-19 cases surge in Washington state
Featuring: Teresa Wren, RN, UWMC
“In King County, more than 500 nurses wrote a public letter, pleading with the public to wear masks, avoid gatherings and reduce travel. ‘I am seeing my hospital start to fill up again with COVID-19 cases,’ said Teresa Wren, a labor and delivery nurse at University of Washington Medical Center. ‘While we’re not at a crisis point yet, we need to come together as a community — once again — to flatten the curve so that our hospitals aren’t overwhelmed.’”
The Seattle Times: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients twice as likely to die than those with flu, UW study finds
Featuring: Natalie Cobb, PCCSM
“COVID-19 patients had an in-hospital death rate two times higher than that of influenza patients, according to a study published Friday. This higher in-hospital mortality rate — of 40% for COVID-19 patients versus 19% for influenza patients — was independent of patients’ age, gender, co-occurring health conditions, and severity of illness while in the ICU, according to the study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. The study is believed to be the first in the United States to directly compare clinical features, laboratory results and health outcomes between COVID-19 patients and flu patients. Lead author Dr. Natalie Cobb, a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician with UW Medicine, and her co-authors reviewed the medical records of 65 patients critically ill with COVID-19 and 74 with severe influenza A or B who were admitted to the intensive care units of two UW Medicine hospitals between Jan. 1, 2019, and April 15, 2020. “
KOMO News: After the COVID-19 pandemic will you still wear a mask on flights?
Featuring: Paul Pottinger, Allergy & Infectious Diseases
“‘I love that you’re thinking about these ‘life after Covid’ that’s great, but I think it’s a ways away,’ said UW Medicine Infectious Diseases Dr. Paul Pottinger. Dr. Pottinger said masks will be critical and around for a while—until there’s a vaccine for the masses. He says even then, wearing masks will be useful in crowded places without good airflow, not only for Covid-19 but other viruses. CDC guidance says most viruses don’ts spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes, but keeping your distance is the challenge. ‘There may be a time, even after Covid-19 is under control that people would say, ‘Yeah I want to wear that mask,’ because I just don’t want to live in fear. I just don’t want to be defined by this concern for viruses, let’s just wear a mask and move on with our lives and everyone is protected,’ said Dr. Pottinger.”
Tweet of the Week
Great story @SpokesmanReview on why testing is falling way short (largely lab shortages). And realities of vaccine distribution. “It is very likely it will take months to get a vaccine to everyone, maybe all of 2021." – @JohnLynchID @UWMedicine https://t.co/7mugGhzK1M
— UW Medicine Newsroom (@uwmnewsroom) November 16, 2020
