Search

We investigated the infectivity of 128 severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2-associated deaths and evaluated predictive values of standard diagnostic procedures. Maintained infectivity (20%) did not correlate with viral RNA loads but correlated well with anti-S antibody levels. Sensitivity >90% for antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests supports their usefulness for assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body of a deceased with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is considered infectious. In this study, we present the results of infectivity testing of the body and testing of mortuary staff for SARS-CoV-2. We performed real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for SARS-CoV-2 on 33 decedents with ante mortem confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Swabs of the body surface from five different body regions and from the body bag or coffin were examined. A subset of the swabs was brought into cell culture. In addition, screening of 25 Institute of Legal Medicine (ILM) personnel for ongoing or past SARS-CoV-2 infection was performed at two different time points during the pandemic. Swabs from all locations of the body surface and the body environment were negative in cases of negative post mortem nasopharyngeal testing (n=9). When the post mortem nasopharyngeal swab tested positive (n=24), between 0 and 5 of the body surface swabs were also positive, primarily the perioral region. In six of the cases, the body bag also yielded a positive result. The longest postmortem interval with positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR at the body surface was nine days. In no case viable SARS-CoV-2 was found on the skin of the bodies or the body bags. One employee (autopsy technician) had possible occupational infection with SARS-CoV-2; all other employees were tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antibody twice. Our data indicate that with adequate management of general safety precautions, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through autopsies and handling of bodies is unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To clarify the prevalence and determinants of fear of COVID-19 among homeless individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and Methods: Data were taken from the Hamburg survey of homeless individuals (n=150) covering homeless adults in Hamburg, Germany. Multiple linear regressions were used. Beyond sociodemographic and lifestyle-related independent variables, COVID-19-related factors were also used as independent variables. Results: In sum, 56.2% of homeless individuals reported no fear of COVID-19, 23.8% reported a little fear of COVID-19, 9.2% reported some fear of COVID-19 and 10.8% reported severe fear of COVID-19. Regressions showed that an increased fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with younger age (β=−.01, p< 0.05), absence of chronic alcohol consume (β=−.55, p< 0.01), an increased perceived own risk of getting infected with the coronavirus one day (β=0.42, p< 0.001) and a higher agreement that a diagnosis of the coronavirus would ruin his/her life (β=0.13, p< 0.01). Conclusion: Given the poor hygienic conditions and their increased vulnerability, data surprisingly suggest a quite low fear of COVID-19 among homeless individuals. Efforts may be beneficial which contribute to thinking rationally about COVID-19 among homeless people, since low levels of fear of COVID-19 may contribute to careless behavior and can lead to super-spreading events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyses of infection chains have demonstrated that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is highly transmissive. However, data on postmortem stability and infectivity are lacking. Our finding of nasopharyngeal viral RNA stability in 79 corpses showed no time-dependent decrease. Maintained infectivity is supported by virus isolation up to 35 hours postmortem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]