Impact of Mobile COVID-19 Laboratory Testing on Readiness of US Army 1/34th Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division Deployment to National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA.

INTRODUCTION: The emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly evolved into a worldwide pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pandemic had a major operational impact upon the US military, requiring interventions to mitigate transmission risk resulting in DoD-wide disruption of daily operations, restriction of movement, and delays in training. Development of a rapid mobile COVID-19 testing strategy was pursued as a means to allow service members to complete critical missions in select settings. In this report, we describe the first of its kind mobile medical laboratory (MML) that allowed for testing of approximately 4,000 soldiers of the 1/34th Armored Brigade Combat Team (1/34th ABCT), 34th Infantry Division, prior to deployment for validation exercises to the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA. We describe the utilizing of the MML, COVID-19 testing workflow, clinical symptom data/cycle threshold (Ct) data from positive patients, and outcomes from this testing mission.

Risk Factors Associated With COVID-19 Transmission Among US Air Force Trainees in a Congregant Setting.

Importance: Owing to concerns of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks, many congregant settings are forced to close when cases are detected because there are few data on the risk of different markers of transmission within groups. Objective: To determine whether symptoms and laboratory results on the first day of COVID-19 diagnosis are associated with development of a case cluster in a congregant setting. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study of trainees with COVID-19 from May 11 through August 24, 2020, was conducted at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, the primary site of entry for enlistment in the US Air Force. Symptoms and duration, known contacts, and cycle threshold for trainees diagnosed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were collected. A cycle threshold value represents the number of nucleic acid amplification cycles that occur before a specimen containing the target material generates a signal greater than the predetermined threshold that defines positivity. Cohorts with 5 or more individuals with COVID-19 infection were defined as clusters. Participants included 10 613 trainees divided into 263 parallel cohorts of 30 to 50 people arriving weekly for 7 weeks of training. Exposures: All trainees were quarantined for 14 days on arrival. Testing was performed on arrival, on day 14, and anytime during training when indicated. Protective measures included universal masking, physical distancing, and rapid isolation of trainees with COVID-19. Main Outcomes and Measures: Association between days of symptoms, specific symptoms, number of symptoms, or cycle threshold values of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and subsequent transmission within cohorts. Results: In this cohort study of 10 613 US Air Force basic trainees in 263 cohorts, 403 trainees (3%) received a diagnosis of COVID-19 in 129 cohorts (49%). Among trainees with COVID-19 infection, 318 (79%) were men, and the median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 20 (19-23) years; 204 (51%) were symptomatic, and 199 (49%) were asymptomatic. Median (IQR) cycle threshold values were lower in symptomatic trainees compared with asymptomatic trainees (21.2 [18.4-27.60] vs 34.8 [29.3-37.4]; P < .001). Cohorts with clusters of individuals with COVID-19 infection were predominantly men (204 cohorts [89%] vs 114 cohorts [64%]; P < .001), had more symptomatic trainees (146 cohorts [64%] vs 53 cohorts [30%]; P < .001), and had more median (IQR) symptoms per patient (3 [2-5] vs 1 [1-2]; P < .001) compared with cohorts without clusters. Within cohorts, subsequent development of clusters of 5 or more individuals with COVID-19 infection compared with those that did not develop clusters was associated with cohorts that had more symptomatic trainees (31 of 58 trainees [53%] vs 43 of 151 trainees [28%]; P = .001) and lower median (IQR) cycle threshold values (22.3 [18.4-27.3] vs 35.3 [26.5-37.8]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of US Air Force trainees living in a congregant setting during the COVID-19 pandemic, higher numbers of symptoms and lower cycle threshold values were associated with subsequent development of clusters of individuals with COVID-19 infection. These values may be useful if validated in future studies.

Pan-drug resistant Providencia rettgeri contributing to a fatal case of COVID-19.

Following prolonged hospitalization that included broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure, a strain of Providencia rettgeri was cultured from the blood of a patient undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment for hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19. The strain was resistant to all antimicrobials tested including the novel siderophore cephalosporin, cefiderocol. Whole genome sequencing detected ten antimicrobial resistance genes, including the metallo-ß-lactamase bla NDM-1, the extended-spectrum ß-lactamase bla PER-1, and the rare 16S methyltransferase rmtB2.

Outcomes of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Drive-Through Screening at an Academic Military Medical Center.

Drive-through coronavirus disease 2019 screening can evaluate large numbers of patients while reducing healthcare exposures and personal protective equipment use. We describe the characteristics of screened individuals as well as drive-through process and outcome measures. Optimal drive-through screening involves rapid turnaround of test results and linkage to follow-up care.