Data from a new USC study shows a significant increase in the risk of severe outcomes for COVID-19 patients exposed to fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), two common (and correlated) components of ambient air pollution in Southern California. Produced by ground and air traffic, industrial burning and other sources, these air pollutants can exacerbate the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus over both the short and long term. Researchers collaborated with Kaiser Permanente Southern California to examine a cohort of more than 74,000 COVID-19 patients diagnosed from March to August 2020. With detailed residential address history linked to Kaiser Permanente members’ electronic medical records, investigators were able to accurately predict exposure history for specific pollutants.

Annals of Family Medicine is a peer-reviewed, indexed research journal that provides a cross-disciplinary forum for new, evidence-based information affecting the primary care disciplines.

Researchers in Ontario, Canada, conducted a study to assess the impact of utilizing an electronic consultation (eConsult) service to provide timely access to COVID-19 specialist advice for primary care practitioners. Researchers assert that their study demonstrates the significant potential of eConsults during a pandemic as the protocol was quickly implemented across Ontario and resulted in rapid and improved access to specialist care.

In a special report, Australian researchers describe the national rollout of General Practice Respiratory Clinics (GRPCs) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a special report, Australian researchers describe the national rollout of General Practice Respiratory Clinics (GRPCs) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regenstrief Institute, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI), the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Datavant have been honored with a 2022 FedHealthIT Innovation Award for the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) Privacy Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL). The Regenstrief, Indiana CTSI and Datavant collaboration developed processes to securely link data from different sources without patient-identifying information. PPRL protects patients’ identities while allowing the collaborative to create robust datasets that comply with HIPAA standards, while also supporting researchers seeking to answer questions related to COVID-19, its impact and its treatment and prevention.

Liver transplants from drug overdose donors rose significantly in the pandemic’s first year, helping keep the number of liver transplants in the U.S. stable despite COVID-19 disruptions, according to a study to be presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) 2022.

About The Study: In this cohort study of 173 health care workers, inpatients, and guardians and 45 participants in a community facility, secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was significantly less common, and viable virus was detected for a shorter duration in fully vaccinated individuals than in partially vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals.

Scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and the University of Massachusetts Medical School have developed a machine learning model that can analyze millions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes and predict which viral variants will likely dominate and cause surges in COVID-19 cases.