Rates of Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infection and Associated Factors in Olmsted County, Minnesota, in the Prevaccination Era.

Objective: To estimate rates and identify factors associated with asymptomatic COVID-19 in the population of Olmsted County during the prevaccination era. Patients and Methods: We screened first responders (n=191) and Olmsted County employees (n=564) for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 from November 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 to estimate seroprevalence and asymptomatic infection. Second, we retrieved all polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses in Olmsted County from March 2020 through January 2021, abstracted symptom information, estimated rates of asymptomatic infection and examined related factors. Results: Twenty (10.5%; 95% CI, 6.9%-15.6%) first responders and 38 (6.7%; 95% CI, 5.0%-9.1%) county employees had positive antibodies; an additional 5 (2.6%) and 10 (1.8%) had prior positive PCR tests per self-report or medical record, but no antibodies detected. Of persons with symptom information, 4 of 20 (20%; 95% CI, 3.0%-37.0%) first responders and 10 of 39 (26%; 95% CI, 12.6%-40.0%) county employees were asymptomatic. Of 6020 positive PCR tests in Olmsted County with symptom information between March 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021, 6% (n=385; 95% CI, 5.8%-7.1%) were asymptomatic. Factors associated with asymptomatic disease included age (0-18 years [odds ratio {OR}, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.7-3.1] and >65 years [OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.0-2.0] compared with ages 19-44 years), body mass index (overweight [OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.44-0.77] or obese [OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.57-0.62] compared with normal or underweight) and tests after November 20, 2020 ([OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.13-1.71] compared with prior dates). Conclusion: Asymptomatic rates in Olmsted County before COVID-19 vaccine rollout ranged from 6% to 25%, and younger age, normal weight, and later tests dates were associated with asymptomatic infection.

Racial and socioeconomic status differences in stress, posttraumatic growth, and mental health in an older adult cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable and widened the health disparity gap in both physical and mental well-being. Consequentially, it is vital to understand how to best support elderly individuals, particularly Black Americans and people of low socioeconomic status, in navigating stressful situations during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived levels of stress, posttraumatic growth, coping strategies, socioeconomic status, and mental health between Black and non-Hispanic, White older adults, the majority over the age of 70. Additionally, we investigated which variables, if any, were associated with posttraumatic growth in these populations. Methods: One hundred seventy-six community dwelling older adults (mean age = 76.30 ±8.94), part of two observational studies (The Harvard Aging Brain Study and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Study) in Massachusetts, US, were included in this cross-sectional study. The survey, conducted from March 23, 2021 to May 13, 2021, measured perceived stress, behavioral coping strategies, posttraumatic growth, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated associations with post-traumatic growth in a multiple linear regression model and examined their differences by race with t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and Fisher's exact tests. A second multiple linear regression model was used to examine which coping strategies were associated with posttraumatic growth. Findings: Our results indicated no significant difference between the groups in terms of mental health or stress. However, Black participants showed significantly greater posttraumatic growth compared to non-Hispanic, White participants. Additionally, the coping strategies of religion and positive reframing were found to be significantly associated with posttraumatic growth. Furthermore, even with the effects of stress and coping strategies controlled for, race remained significantly associated with posttraumatic growth. Interpretation: The COVID-19 pandemic has differentially impacted Black and non-Hispanic White older adults. These results may help encourage further analysis on geriatric psychiatry as well as understanding how cultural values and adaptations impact posttraumatic growth and mental health in diverse populations. Funding: The Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS) has been funded by NIH-NIA P01 AG036694 (PI: Reisa Sperling). The IADL study is funded by the National Institute on Aging (R01 AG053184, PI: Gad A. Marshall).

Estimating COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Effectiveness Using Electronic Health Records From an Academic Medical Center in Michigan.

Introduction: Observational studies of COVID-19 vaccines' effectiveness can provide crucial information regarding the strength and durability of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and whether the protective response varies across different patient subpopulations and in the context of different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods: We used a test-negative study design to assess vaccine effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 resulting in hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, or death using electronic health records data of 170,741 adults who had been tested for COVID-19 at the University of Michigan Medical Center between January 1 and December 31, 2021. We estimated vaccine effectiveness by comparing the odds of vaccination between cases and controls during each 2021 calendar quarter and stratified all outcomes by vaccine type, patient demographic and clinical characteristics, and booster status. Results: Unvaccinated individuals had more than double the rate of infections (12.1% vs 4.7%) and >3 times the rate of severe COVID-19 outcomes (1.4% vs 0.4%) than vaccinated individuals. COVID-19 vaccines were 62.1% (95% CI=60.3, 63.8) effective against a new infection, with protection waning in the last 2 quarters of 2021. The vaccine effectiveness against severe disease overall was 73.7% (95% CI=69.6, 77.3) and remained high throughout 2021. Data from the last quarter of 2021 indicated that adding a booster dose augmented effectiveness against infection up to 87.3% (95% CI=85.0, 89.2) and against severe outcomes up to 94.0% (95% CI=89.5, 96.6). Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines showed comparable performance when controlling for vaccination timing. Vaccine effectiveness was greater in more socioeconomically affluent areas and among healthcare workers; otherwise, we did not detect any significant modification of vaccine effectiveness by covariates, including gender, race, and SES. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccines were highly protective against infection and severe COVID-19 resulting in hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, or death. Administration of a booster dose significantly increased vaccine effectiveness against both outcomes. Ongoing surveillance is required to assess the durability of these findings.

Daily concordance between ecological stressors and sleep in young minority children during the pre-COVID-19 outbreak period.

Objective: As the COVID-19 pandemic brings widespread changes in families, the sociology of sleep becomes noticeable. Yet, the socio-contextual determinants of a biopsychosocial phenomenon as sleep are poorly investigated. We examine changes concomitantly occurring in the child's sleep per familial and community stressors. Methods: During the pre-COVID-19 outbreak period, in 24 minority children (5.4 ± 1.7 years old, 54.2% girls), sleep was objectively measured 24 h for two consecutive weeks, and this was repeated three times over the study period of three months. The caregiver filled out questionnaires surveying sociodemographic, community and family aspects. Results: Children went to bed at 22:26 and woke up at 07:04, with each a variability of about 50 min. Money and time were revealed as related key stressors to sleep. Five dimensions best fitted their association. In general, concurrent changes within the individual child indicate that mean sleep variables seem to relate to predominantly features of the stressors (explained variance of 34.7 to 56.7%), while variability of sleep tends to associate to situational aspects of the stressors (explained variance of 30.4 to 61.8%). Associations were best explained in terms of the 24 h dimension, particularly exposing sleep variability. Conclusion: Individual variabilities in a child's sleep are associated with familial resources, such as caregiver's time to self, money and basic needs. Time spent in bed, a modifiable factor by society and shaper of sleep quantity and quality, plays a key role in stressor-sleep associations. Insights from biopsychosocial perspectives may be valuable for understanding COVID-19 sleep studies, and the development of (post-) COVID-19 sleep recommendations.

Relationships among changes in walking and sedentary behaviors, individual attributes, changes in work situation, and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Studies from many countries, including Japan, have reported decreased physical activity during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the individual attributes as related to changes in physical activity during the pandemic in Japan have been scarcely investigated. The present study explored the relationships among individual attributes including demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics, work situation changes, perception of anxiety, and changes in walking and sedentary behaviors, during the pandemic in Japan. To obtain data indicating individual circumstances during the first wave of the pandemic in Japan, we conducted a nationwide online survey from May 19 to May 23, 2020 (n = 1,200). To observe changes in walking behavior objectively and retrospectively, we collected data on the number of daily steps as measured by the iPhone's Health application. Path analysis was employed to examine relationships between individual attributes and changes in walking and sedentary behaviors. Decreased physical activity, especially, decreased walking behavior among younger individuals and those living in highest-density neighborhoods were identified. There was increased sedentary behavior among females. Moreover, individuals with higher socioeconomic status (SES) tended to become inactive due to work-from-home/standby-at-home and individuals with lower SES tended to become inactive due to decreased amount of work. Decreased walking behavior and increased sedentary behavior were associated with a perception of strong anxiety related to the pandemic. Our findings would be helpful in considering measures to counteract health risks during the pandemic by taking into account individual backgrounds.

Persistent disparities in SARS-CoV-2 test percent positivity by neighborhood in New York City, March 1-July 25, 2020.

PURPOSE: To examine neighborhood-level disparities in SARS-CoV-2 molecular test percent positivity in New York City (NYC) by demographics and socioeconomic status over time to better understand COVID-19 inequities. METHODS: Across 177 neighborhoods, we calculated the Spearman correlation of neighborhood characteristics with SARS-CoV-2 molecular test percent positivity during March 1-July 25, 2020 by five periods defined by trend in case counts: increasing, declining, and three plateau periods to account for differential testing capacity and reopening status. RESULTS: Percent positivity was positively correlated with neighborhood racial and ethnic characteristics and socioeconomic status, including the proportion of the population who were Latino and Black non-Latino, uninsured, Medicaid enrollees, transportation workers, or had low educational attainment. Correlations were generally consistent over time despite increasing testing rates. Neighborhoods with high proportions of these correlates had median percent positivity values of 62.6%, 28.7%, 6.4%, 2.8%, and 2.2% in the five periods, respectively, compared with 40.6%, 11.7%, 1.7%, 0.9%, and 1.0% in neighborhoods with low proportions of these correlates. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in SARS-CoV-2 molecular test percent positivity persisted in disadvantaged neighborhoods during multiple phases of the first few months of the COVID-19 epidemic in NYC. Mitigation of the COVID-19 burden is still urgently needed in disproportionately affected communities.

Role of Geographic Risk Factors in COVID-19 Epidemiology: Longitudinal Geospatial Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a geospatial and temporal trend analysis for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a Midwest community to identify and characterize hot spots for COVID-19. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: We conducted a population-based longitudinal surveillance assessing the semimonthly geospatial trends of the prevalence of test confirmed COVID-19 cases in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from March 11, 2020, through October 31, 2020. As urban areas accounted for 84% of the population and 86% of all COVID-19 cases in Olmsted County, MN, we determined hot spots for COVID-19 in urban areas (Rochester and other small cities) of Olmsted County, MN, during the study period by using kernel density analysis with a half-mile bandwidth. RESULTS: As of October 31, 2020, a total of 37,141 individuals (30%) were tested at least once, of whom 2433 (7%) tested positive. Testing rates among race groups were similar: 29% (black), 30% (Hispanic), 25% (Asian), and 31% (white). Ten urban hot spots accounted for 590 cases at 220 addresses (2.68 cases per address) as compared with 1843 cases at 1292 addresses in areas outside hot spots (1.43 cases per address). Overall, 12% of the population residing in hot spots accounted for 24% of all COVID-19 cases. Hot spots were concentrated in neighborhoods with low-income apartments and mobile home communities. People living in hot spots tended to be minorities and from a lower socioeconomic background. CONCLUSION: Geographic and residential risk factors might considerably account for the overall burden of COVID-19 and its associated racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. Results could geospatially guide community outreach efforts (eg, testing/tracing and vaccine rollout) for populations at risk for COVID-19.