COVID-19 Roundup: Remdesivir, Modes of Transmission
Remdesivir
Treatment with a 5-day course of remdesivir was associated with significantly better clinical status in hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19, according to a recent study.
The researchers conducted a randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial including 584 patients randomly assigned to receive a 5-day course of remdesivir, a 10-day course of remdesivir, or standard care. Clinical status was assessed on day 11 of the study period.
Overall, patients in the 5-day remdesivir group were more likely to have a better clinical status on day 11 than were those who received standard care. The researchers noted, however, that the effect size was of uncertain clinical importance.
Transmission
Three new studies have detailed various additional ways in which COVID-19 can be spread.
In the first study, researchers further examined the effects of low humidity on community spread of the virus. While other weather, including rain, temperature, and wind speed, was not shown to impact spread, the researchers estimated that every 1% decrease in humidity was associated with an increase in COVID-19 cases by 7% to 8%.
In the second study, researchers in China examined how the flushing of a public toilet could release clouds of aerosols into the restroom. Overall, they found that over 57% of viral particles traveled away from urinals after flushing, leading them to conclude that masks should be mandatory within public restrooms.
In the third study, researchers from the University of California, Davis, found that viruses are capable of traveling through the air on dust particles. Although they used influenza viruses in their study, they noted that their results are also applicable to COVID-19.
—Michael Potts
References:
- Spinner CD, Gottlieb RL, Criner GJ, et al. Effect of remdesivir vs standard care on clinical status at 11 days in patients with moderate COVID-19. Published online August 21, 2020. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.16349
- Ji-Xiang Wang, Yun-Yun Li, Xiang-Dong Liu, Xiang Cao. (2020). Virus transmission from urinals. Physics of Fluids, 32 (8): 081703 DOI: 10.1063/5.0021450
- Sima Asadi, Nassima Gaaloul ben Hnia, Ramya S. Barre, Anthony S. Wexler, William D. Ristenpart, Nicole M. Bouvier. (2020). Influenza A virus is transmissible via aerosolized fomites. Nature Communications, 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17888-w
- Ward, M.P., et al., (2020). Humidity is a consistent climatic factor contributing to SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Transboundary And Emerging Diseases, DOI.org/10.1111/tbed.13766