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Medically attended acute gastroenteritis (MAAGE) is a substantial driver of health services use by patients, accounting for >10 million outpatient encounters and 1 million hospitalizations each year (1,2). Initial MAAGE [...]

In the United States, the incidence of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is high. AGE is estimated to cause 179 million illnesses annually (1,2). Precise data are limited on the occurrence and [...]

Background: There is limited information about how on-line screening tools developed by integrated systems facilitated management of COVID-like illness patients. Methods: Using the Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW) Electronic Health Record, we identified adult plan members who accessed online COVID-19 screening e-visits and enumerated their subsequent medical encounters, tests for SARS-CoV-2, and test outcomes. Results: Between May 2020 and December 2021, members completed 55,139 e-visits, with disproportionate representation among females (65% vs. 53% in the overall membership) and members aged <45 years (61% vs. 39%). Thirty percent of patients (16,953) were managed entirely through e-visits and 70% received subsequent in-person care. The percent of SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals was highest among the 1055 individuals triaged to inpatient care (17.9%), compared to 9.5% among those escalated to additional ambulatory care. Conclusions: The e-visit on-line screening tool helped KPNW assist thousands of patients with COVID-19 symptoms, avoid unnecessary in-person patient encounters, and preserved KPNW infection control and pandemic surge capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Points: Question: Among a cohort of US frontline and essential workers infected with the original strain or the Delta or Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, is there a difference in COVID-19 symptoms or viral RNA load among those receiving mRNA vaccines compared with being unvaccinated? Findings: In this prospective cohort study that included 1199 participants with SARS-CoV-2 infection, receipt of 2 or 3 mRNA vaccine doses before Delta infections and 3 mRNA vaccine doses before Omicron infections was significantly associated with milder COVID-19 (less frequently symptomatic, febrile, or medically attended or shorter duration of illness) compared with being unvaccinated. Receipt of 2 mRNA vaccine doses 14 to 149 days prior to either Delta or Omicron infection was significantly associated with lower viral RNA load. Meaning: Among a cohort of US frontline and essential workers, recent vaccination with 2 or 3 mRNA vaccine doses, compared with being unvaccinated, was associated with attenuated COVID-19 symptoms and lower viral RNA load for Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 in some comparisons. Importance: Data on the epidemiology of mild to moderately severe COVID-19 are needed to inform public health guidance. Objective: To evaluate associations between 2 or 3 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and attenuation of symptoms and viral RNA load across SARS-CoV-2 viral lineages. Design, Setting, and Participants: A prospective cohort study of essential and frontline workers in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Utah with COVID-19 infection confirmed by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction testing and lineage classified by whole genome sequencing of specimens self-collected weekly and at COVID-19 illness symptom onset. This analysis was conducted among 1199 participants with SARS-CoV-2 from December 14, 2020, to April 19, 2022, with follow-up until May 9, 2022, reported. Exposures: SARS-CoV-2 lineage (origin strain, Delta variant, Omicron variant) and COVID-19 vaccination status. Main Outcomes and Measures: Clinical outcomes included presence of symptoms, specific symptoms (including fever or chills), illness duration, and medical care seeking. Virologic outcomes included viral load by quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction testing along with viral viability. Results: Among 1199 participants with COVID-19 infection (714 [59.5%] women; median age, 41 years), 14.0% were infected with the origin strain, 24.0% with the Delta variant, and 62.0% with the Omicron variant. Participants vaccinated with the second vaccine dose 14 to 149 days before Delta infection were significantly less likely to be symptomatic compared with unvaccinated participants (21/27 [77.8%] vs 74/77 [96.1%]; OR, 0.13 [95% CI, 0-0.6]) and, when symptomatic, those vaccinated with the third dose 7 to 149 days before infection were significantly less likely to report fever or chills (5/13 [38.5%] vs 62/73 [84.9%]; OR, 0.07 [95% CI, 0.0-0.3]) and reported significantly fewer days of symptoms (10.2 vs 16.4; difference, −6.1 [95% CI, −11.8 to −0.4] days). Among those with Omicron infection, the risk of symptomatic infection did not differ significantly for the 2-dose vaccination status vs unvaccinated status and was significantly higher for the 3-dose recipients vs those who were unvaccinated (327/370 [88.4%] vs 85/107 [79.4%]; OR, 2.0 [95% CI, 1.1-3.5]). Among symptomatic Omicron infections, those vaccinated with the third dose 7 to 149 days before infection compared with those who were unvaccinated were significantly less likely to report fever or chills (160/311 [51.5%] vs 64/81 [79.0%]; OR, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.1-0.5]) or seek medical care (45/308 [14.6%] vs 20/81 [24.7%]; OR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.2-0.9]). Participants with Delta and Omicron infections who received the second dose 14 to 149 days before infection had a significantly lower mean viral load compared with unvaccinated participants (3 vs 4.1 log10 copies/μL; difference, −1.0 [95% CI, −1.7 to −0.2] for Delta and 2.8 vs 3.5 log10 copies/μL, difference, −1.0 [95% CI, −1.7 to −0.3] for Omicron). Conclusions and Relevance: In a cohort of US essential and frontline workers with SARS-CoV-2 infections, recent vaccination with 2 or 3 mRNA vaccine doses less than 150 days before infection with Delta or Omicron variants, compared with being unvaccinated, was associated with attenuated symptoms, duration of illness, medical care seeking, or viral load for some comparisons, although the precision and statistical significance of specific estimates varied. This study uses a prospective cohort of essential and frontline workers in 6 US states with SARS-CoV-2 infection to examine associations between 2 or 3 doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and attenuation of symptoms and viral RNA load across SARS-CoV-2 viral lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are known disparities in U.S. COVID-19 vaccination but there is limited information on national vaccine uptake in a large, racially diverse, all-age population. Here, we describe COVID-19 vaccination coverage in a large U.S. population accessing care in OCHIN (not an acronym), a national network of community-based healthcare organizations. Within OCHIN, we identified patients aged 6 months and older with ≥1 completed clinical encounter since becoming age-eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine between December 13, 2020 and December 31, 2022. Patients' COVID-19 vaccination status was assessed from OCHIN's Epic® electronic health record which includes data from state immunization information systems. Patients were considered vaccinated if they received ≥1 dose of a monovalent vaccine product; coverage was categorized by age groups (6 months-4 years; 5–11 years, 12–15 years, 16+ years). Multivariate analyses assessed factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination across age groups. The cohort included 3.3 million Hispanic (37 %), non-Hispanic (NH) White (31 %), NH Black (15 %), and NH Asian (7 %) patients; 45 % of whom were Medicaid-enrolled, 19 % uninsured, and 53 % with a household income below 100 % of the federal poverty level. The proportion with ≥1 COVID-19 vaccine dose increased with age, from 11.7 % (6 months through 4 years) to 72.3 % (65 years and older). The only factors associated with significantly higher COVID-19 vaccine coverage across age groups were prior receipt of an influenza vaccine and having private insurance. In adjusted modeling, when compared to NH whites, COVID-19 vaccine coverage was significantly higher among Hispanic, NH Asian, and NH multiple-race patients aged ≥5 years and significantly lower among NH Black and NH Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander patients aged 6 months-4 years old. We identified disparities in primary series COVID-19 vaccine coverage by age, race and ethnicity, household income, insurance status, and prior influenza vaccination within this large, diverse population accessing care in community-based healthcare organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Rotavirus is a common cause of severe pediatric acute gastroenteritis. Two vaccines are licensed in the United States and have demonstrated high effectiveness against moderate to severe disease. However, fewer data are available on rotavirus vaccine effectiveness (VE) against milder disease. Methods We leveraged active surveillance data from Kaiser Permanente Northwest to calculate rotavirus VE against medically attended rotavirus illness among age-eligible children. We utilized a test-negative case-control design and applied 4 distinct case definitions based on reverse transcription–quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test results. VE was calculated as 100 × (1 − odds ratio), and models were adjusted for age group. Results The VE analysis population comprised 842 children, 799 (95%) of whom had mild disease requiring at most a clinic visit and 698 (83%) of whom were fully vaccinated against rotavirus. Age-adjusted VE was 70% (95% confidence interval [CI], 37–86%) against disease defined solely by qRT-PCR results, 72% (95% CI, 31–89%) against disease as defined by qRT-PCR with a quantification cycle (C q ) value <27, 73% (95% CI, 32–90%) against disease that was qRT-PCR positive but EIA negative, and 62% (95% CI, –20–88%) against disease defined solely by EIA. Results were similar when restricting to disease resulting in at most an ambulatory clinic or emergency department visit. Conclusions These results support the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination in protecting US children from mild to moderate and severe disease. Our findings are also useful to show the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccination against qRT-PCR–defined illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Depression is a source of substantial burden for individuals and their families, including women during the pregnant and postpartum period.Objective: To systematically review the benefits and harms of depression screening and treatment, and accuracy of selected screening instruments, for pregnant and postpartum women. Evidence for depression screening in adults in general is available in the full report.Data Sources: MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Collaboration Registry of Controlled Trials through January 20, 2015; references; and government websites.Study Selection: English-language trials of benefits and harms of depression screening, depression treatment in pregnant and postpartum women with screen-detected depression, and diagnostic accuracy studies of depression screening instruments in pregnant and postpartum women.Data Extraction and Synthesis: Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles and extracted data from fair- and good-quality studies. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in pregnant and postpartum women.Main Outcomes and Measures: Depression remission, prevalence, symptoms, and related measures of depression recovery or response; sensitivity and specificity of selected screening measures to detect depression; and serious adverse effects of antidepressant treatment.Results: Among pregnant and postpartum women 18 years and older, 6 trials (n = 11,869) showed 18% to 59% relative reductions with screening programs, or 2.1% to 9.1% absolute reductions, in the risk of depression at follow-up (3-5 months) after participation in programs involving depression screening, with or without additional treatment components, compared with usual care. Based on 23 studies (n = 5398), a cutoff of 13 on the English-language Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale demonstrated sensitivity ranging from 0.67 (95% CI, 0.18-0.96) to 1.00 (95% CI, 0.67-1.00) and specificity consistently 0.87 or higher. Data were sparse for Patient Health Questionnaire instruments. Pooled results for the benefit of CBT for pregnant and postpartum women with screen-detected depression showed an increase in the likelihood of remission (pooled relative risk, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.19-1.50]; No. of studies [K] = 10, I2 = 7.9%) compared with usual care, with absolute increases ranging from 6.2% to 34.6%. Observational evidence showed that second-generation antidepressant use during pregnancy may be associated with small increases in the risks of potentially serious harms.Conclusions and Relevance: Direct and indirect evidence suggested that screening pregnant and postpartum women for depression may reduce depressive symptoms in women with depression and reduce the prevalence of depression in a given population. Evidence for pregnant women was sparser but was consistent with the evidence for postpartum women regarding the benefits of screening, the benefits of treatment, and screening instrument accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HealthPartners’ Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) team maintains standardized files of vaccines from medical and pharmacy claims and electronic health records (established data sources) for safety surveillance. Since 2021, for selected vaccines, data from the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC), Minnesota’s immunization information system, have been added to the HealthPartners’ VSD files. We examined how MIIC data have enhanced the identification of novel and routine vaccines.We describe the approach to incorporating MIIC data. We determined and compared the number and proportion of vaccines identified from established data sources with the additional capture of vaccine data identified from MIIC, in which age group and period of observation varied by vaccine.As of December 31, 2023, of 1 099 411 people in the HealthPartners’ VSD cohort, 1 001 400 people (91%) were linked with an MIIC record. Across all data sources, for the full cohort, >2.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were recorded since 2020, >4000 mpox vaccine doses since 2022, >7.3 million influenza vaccine doses since 2004, >600 000 human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine doses since 2006, and >1.1 million diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine doses since 2004. For COVID-19 vaccines, about 30% of vaccine doses were exclusively captured from MIIC, with the remaining 70% from established data sources. For the mpox vaccine, about 42% were exclusively from MIIC. For influenza, HPV, and DTaP vaccines, about 20%, 14%, and 17%, respectively, were exclusively identified from MIIC.Incorporation of data from state immunization information systems into existing vaccine data files can enhance monitoring on the safety of novel vaccines administered outside traditional health care settings and can enhance data quality for routine childhood and adult vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population-based rates of infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and related health care utilization help determine estimates of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and averted illnesses, especially since the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant began circulating in June 2021. Among members aged ≥12 years of a large integrated health care delivery system in Oregon and Washington, incidence of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations were calculated by COVID-19 vaccination status, vaccine product, age, race, and ethnicity. Infection after full vaccination was defined as a positive SARS-CoV-2 molecular test result ≥14 days after completion of an authorized COVID-19 vaccination series.* During the July-September 2021 surveillance period, SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred among 4,146 of 137,616 unvaccinated persons (30.1 per 1,000 persons) and 3,009 of 344,848 fully vaccinated persons (8.7 per 1,000). Incidence was higher among unvaccinated persons than among vaccinated persons across all demographic strata. Unvaccinated persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection were more than twice as likely to receive ED care (18.5%) or to be hospitalized (9.0%) than were vaccinated persons with COVID-19 (8.1% and 3.9%, respectively). The crude mortality rate was also higher among unvaccinated patients (0.43 per 1,000) than in fully vaccinated patients (0.06 per 1,000). These data support CDC recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination, including additional and booster doses, to protect individual persons and communities against COVID-19, including illness and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant (1)., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. Allison L. Naleway reported institutional funding from Pfizer for a meningococcal B vaccine study and Vir Biotechnology for an influenza vaccine study unrelated to the submitted work. Michelle L. Henninger reports institutional support from the Garfield Memorial Fund. No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in randomized placebo-controlled Phase III trials (1,2); however, the benefits of these vaccines for preventing asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection, particularly when administered in real-world conditions, is less well understood. Using prospective cohorts of health care personnel, first responders, and other essential and frontline workers* in eight U.S. locations during December 14, 2020-March 13, 2021, CDC routinely tested for SARS-CoV-2 infections every week regardless of symptom status and at the onset of symptoms consistent with COVID-19-associated illness. Among 3,950 participants with no previous laboratory documentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection, 2,479 (62.8%) received both recommended mRNA doses and 477 (12.1%) received only one dose of mRNA vaccine. † Among unvaccinated participants, 1.38 SARS-CoV-2 infections were confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) per 1,000 person-days. § In contrast, among fully immunized (≥14 days after second dose) persons, 0.04 infections per 1,000 person-days were reported, and among partially immunized (≥14 days after first dose and before second dose) persons, 0.19 infections per 1,000 person-days were reported. Estimated mRNA vaccine effectiveness for prevention of infection, adjusted for study site, was 90% for full immunization and 80% for partial immunization. These findings indicate that authorized mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are effective for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of symptom status, among working-age adults in real-world conditions. COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all eligible persons., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. Allison L. Naleway reported funding from Pfizer for a meningococcal B vaccine study unrelated to the submitted work. Kurt T. Hegmann serves at the Editor of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s evidence-based practice guidelines. Matthew S. Thiese reported grants and personal fees from Reed Group and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, outside the submitted work. No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.