ABSTRACT
Background: Clinical trials for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have struggled to achieve diverse patient enrollment, despite underrepresented groups bearing the largest burden of the disease and, presumably, being most in need of the treatments under investigation. Methods: To assess the willingness of patients to enroll into inpatient COVID-19 clinical trials when invited, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 who were approached regarding enrollment. Associations between patient and temporal factors and enrollment were assessed by multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 926 patients were included in this analysis. Overall, Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity was associated with a nearly half-fold decrease in the likelihood to enroll (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.60 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .41-.88]). Greater baseline disease severity (aOR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.02-1.17]), age 40-64 years (aOR, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.03-3.25]), and age ≥65 years (aOR, 1.92 [95% CI, 1.08-3.42]) were each independently associated with higher likelihood to enroll. Over the course of the pandemic, patients were less likely to enroll during the summer 2021 wave in COVID-19-related hospitalizations (aOR, 0.14 [95% CI, .10-.19]) compared with patients from the first wave in winter 2020. Conclusions: The decision to enroll into clinical trials is multifactorial. Amid a pandemic disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups, Hispanic/Latinx patients were less likely to participate when invited, whereas older adults were more likely. Future recruitment strategies must consider the nuanced perceptions and needs of diverse patient populations to ensure equitable trial participation that advances the quality of healthcare for all.
ABSTRACT
Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent COVID-19. The aim of the present study was to assess the incidence of COVID-19 hospitalizations after vaccination, as well as the effect of prior vaccination on hospitalization outcomes among patients with COVID-19. We analyzed and compared all consecutive patients, with or without prior vaccination, who were admitted to our hospital network due to COVID-19 from January to April 2021. Our primary outcome was to identify and describe cases of COVID-19 hospitalized after vaccination. We also utilized a multivariate logistic regression model to investigate the association of previous vaccination with hospitalization outcomes. We identified 915 consecutive patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 with 91/915 (10%) previously vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Utilizing our multivariate logistic regression model, we found that prior vaccination, regardless of the number of doses or days since vaccination, was associated with decreased mortality (aOR 0.44, 95% CI: 0.20-0.98) when compared to unvaccinated individuals. Our study showed that COVID-19 related hospitalization after vaccination may occur to a small percentage of patients, mainly those who are partially vaccinated. However, our findings underline that prior vaccination, even when partial, is associated with a decreased risk of death. Ongoing vaccination efforts should remain an absolute priority.
ABSTRACT
The care for patients infected with COVID-19 requires a team approach, and dermatologists may collaborate with other specialties, especially infectious disease (ID) medicine and obstetrics and gynecology (ObGyn), at every stage of the infection process. A broad spectrum of cutaneous manifestations may occur early in COVID-19 infection, making appropriate dermatologic identification critical for an early diagnosis. There is prognostic value in appropriately identifying different types of COVID-19-associated skin manifestations, which have been linked to disease severity. Such observations emanated from dermatology research, especially large series and international registries of cutaneous manifestations relating to COVID-19, and impact COVID-19 care provided by most health care providers. Also, research based on international registries of skin reactions from the COVID-19 vaccines has an impact across disciplines. An increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 is encountered during pregnancy, and dermatologists' role is to urge ObGyn and other clinicians to monitor and educate pregnant patients about the potential for eruptions as a manifestation of COVID-19. ID and ObGyn experts indicate that teledermatology enhanced the interaction among health care providers and improved COVID-19 care. More than 40% of all dermatology consultations at a tertiary care hospital were done via teledermatology. Future collaborative research involving dermatology and specialties, such as ID and ObGyn, could help delineate guidelines for dermatology consultations in patients infected with COVID-19 and determine cases appropriate for teledermatology.
ABSTRACT
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) have had a disproportionally high mortality rate due to COVID-19. We describe a rapidly escalating COVID-19 outbreak among 116 LTCF residents in Rhode Island, USA. Overall, 111 (95.6%) residents tested positive and, of these, 48 (43.2%) died. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (84.7%) and cardiovascular disease (84.7%). A small percentage (9%) of residents were asymptomatic, while 33.3% of residents were pre-symptomatic, with progression to symptoms within a median of three days following the positive test. While typical symptoms of fever (80.2%) and cough (43.2%) were prevalent, shortness of breath (14.4%) was rarely found despite common hypoxemia (95.5%). The majority of patients demonstrated atypical symptoms with the most common being loss of appetite (61.3%), lethargy (42.3%), diarrhea (37.8%), and fatigue (32.4%). Many residents had increased agitation (38.7%) and anxiety (5.4%), potentially due to the restriction measures or the underlying mental illness. The fever curve was characterized by an intermittent low-grade fever, often the first presenting symptom. Mortality was associated with a disease course beginning with a loss of appetite and lethargy, as well as one more often involving fever greater than 38 °C, loss of appetite, altered mental status, diarrhea, and respiratory distress. Interestingly, no differences in age or comorbidities were noted between survivors and non-survivors. Taking demographic factors into account, treatment with anticoagulation was still associated with reduced mortality (adjusted OR 0.16; 95% C.I. 0.06-0.39; p < 0.001). Overall, the clinical features of the disease in this population can be subtle and the symptoms are commonly atypical. However, clinical decline among those who did not survive was often rapid with patients expiring within 10 days from disease detection. Further studies are needed to better explain the variability in clinical course of COVID-19 among LTCF residents, specifically the factors affecting mortality, the differences observed in symptom presentation, and rate of clinical decline.
ABSTRACT
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) have had a disproportionally high mortality rate due to COVID-19. We describe a rapidly escalating COVID-19 outbreak among 116 LTCF residents in Rhode Island, USA. Overall, 111 (95.6%) residents tested positive and, of these, 48 (43.2%) died. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (84.7%) and cardiovascular disease (84.7%). A small percentage (9%) of residents were asymptomatic, while 33.3% of residents were pre-symptomatic, with progression to symptoms within a median of three days following the positive test. While typical symptoms of fever (80.2%) and cough (43.2%) were prevalent, shortness of breath (14.4%) was rarely found despite common hypoxemia (95.5%). The majority of patients demonstrated atypical symptoms with the most common being loss of appetite (61.3%), lethargy (42.3%), diarrhea (37.8%), and fatigue (32.4%). Many residents had increased agitation (38.7%) and anxiety (5.4%), potentially due to the restriction measures or the underlying mental illness. The fever curve was characterized by an intermittent low-grade fever, often the first presenting symptom. Mortality was associated with a disease course beginning with a loss of appetite and lethargy, as well as one more often involving fever greater than 38 °C, loss of appetite, altered mental status, diarrhea, and respiratory distress. Interestingly, no differences in age or comorbidities were noted between survivors and non-survivors. Taking demographic factors into account, treatment with anticoagulation was still associated with reduced mortality (adjusted OR 0.16;95% C.I. 0.06–0.39;p <0.001). Overall, the clinical features of the disease in this population can be subtle and the symptoms are commonly atypical. However, clinical decline among those who did not survive was often rapid with patients expiring within 10 days from disease detection. Further studies are needed to better explain the variability in clinical course of COVID-19 among LTCF residents, specifically the factors affecting mortality, the differences observed in symptom presentation, and rate of clinical decline.