Reducing the airborne transmission risk for SARS-CoV-2

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Nov 6 2020

Rapid Reviews: COVID-19 (RR:C19), an open-access overlay journal published by the MIT Press that accelerates peer review of  is currently soliciting reviews of the following COVID-19 preprints. COVID-19-related research preprints,

These preprints have been selected for review because they have the potential to enhance our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 or have been flagged as potentially misleading. Preprints with two finished reviews should be published within 10-14 days. Additional information or early access to these peer-reviews is available upon request.

Highlights from rapid reviews editorial team:

• "Testing mobile air purifiers in a school classroom: Reducing the airborne transmission risk for SARS-CoV-2"

  This preprint estimates that the use of air purifiers in school classrooms can reduce an inhaled dose of COVID-19 by a factor of six. Will be useful to parents and school districts planning how to safely reopen schools.

• "Repurposed antiviral drugs for COVID-19; interim WHO SOLIDARITY trial results"

  Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir, and Interferon regimens have been touted as potential therapeutics for COVID-19 patients, but this preprint finds they have little to no effects on overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, or duration of hospital stay. This research has the potential to directly impact point of care decisions.
• "Global projections of potential lives saved from COVID-19 through universal mask use" by Emmanuela Gakidou, et al.

  This preprint shows that universal mask mandates could reduce deaths by 815,600 globally before the year's end. It adds to the growing science showing masks are an effective tool in fighting the spread of COVID-19.

• "The relationship between neighborhood poverty and COVID-19 mortality within racial/ethnic groups (Cook County, Illinois)" by Justin M. Feldman, et al.

  This large cross-sectional study explores how socioeconomics and race affect COVID-19 mortality. Its findings could lead to a more detailed understanding of the specific processes that result in health inequities.

• "Less severe course of COVID-19 is associated with elevated levels of antibodies against seasonal human coronaviruses OC43 and HKU1 (HCoV OC43, HCoV HKU1)"

  This research explores whether previous infections with seasonal coronaviruses protects against a severe COVID-19 disease course. This immunological cross-reactivity has important implications on vaccine strategies.

Physical sciences/engineering

• "TRANSCOM/AMC commercial aircraft cabin aerosol dispersion tests" by David Silcott, et al.
• "The effect of temperature and humidity on the stability of SARS-CoV-2 and other enveloped viruses" by Dylan H. Morris, et al.
• "Multivalency transforms SARS-CoV-2 antibodies into broad and ultrapotent neutralizers" by Edurne Rujas, et al.
• "Development, evaluation, and validation of machine learning models for COVID-19 detection based on routine blood tests" by Cabitza Federico, et al.
• "Sniffing methanol in hand sanitizers" by Andreas T. Guntner, et al.
• "A high-throughput microfluidic nano-immunoassay for detecting anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in serum or ultra-low volume dried blood samples" by Zoe Swank, et al.

Biological/chemical sciences

• "Early induction of SARS?CoV?2 specific T cells associates with rapid viral clearance and mild 2 disease in COVID?19 patients" by Anthony T. Tan, et al.
• "Co-infection of influenza A virus enhances SARS-CoV-2 infectivity" by Lei Bai, et al.
• "Preferential recognition and antagonism of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein binding to 3-O-sulfated heparan sulfate" by Vaibhav Tiwari, et al.
• "Antigen-based testing but not real-time PCR correlates with SARS-CoV-2 virus culture" by Andrew Pekosz, et al.
• "The effect of influenza vaccination on trained immunity: impact on COVID-19" by Priya A. Debisarun, et al.
• "SARS-CoV-2 proteins and anti-COVID-19 drugs induce lytic reactivation of an oncogenic virus" by Jungang Chen, et al.
• "Functional Landscape of SARS-CoV-2 Cellular Restriction" by Laura Martin-Sancho, et al.

Public health

• "Excess risk of COVID-19 to university populations resulting from in-person sporting events"
• "COVID-19 and (un)desired fertility: The effect of stay-at-home orders on abortions in Mexico City" by Fernanda Marquez-Padilla, et al.
• "Misinformation on COVID-19 origin and social distancing: A cross-sectional study"
• "Economic precarity, social isolation, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic"
• "Modelling testing and response strategies for COVID-19 outbreaks in remote Australian Aboriginal communities"
• "Evaluating the sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 infection rates on college campuses to wastewater surveillance"
• "A cohort of SARS-CoV-2 infected asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic contacts from COVID-19 contact tracing in Hubei Province, China: short-term outcomes" by Peng Zhang, et al.
• "Modelling the potential impact of mask use in schools and society on COVID-19 control in the UK" by J. Panovska-Griffiths, et al.
• "Implication of backward contact tracing in the presence of overdispersed transmission in COVID-19 outbreak"
• "SARS-CoV-2 sequencing reveals rapid transmission from college student clusters resulting in morbidity and deaths in vulnerable populations" by Craig S. Richmond, et al.

Medical sciences

• "Enoxaparin is associated with lower rates of thrombosis, kidney injury, and mortality than Unfractionated Heparin in hospitalized COVID patients" by Colin Pawlowski, et al.
• "Neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV-2 revealed in a human brain organoid model" by Eric Song, et al.
• "Targeting androgen regulation of TMPRSS2 and ACE2 as a therapeutic strategy to combat COVID-19" Qu Deng, et al.
• "Treatment with human umbilical cord-dervied mesenchymal stem cells for COVID-19 patients with lung damage: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial" by Lei Shi, et al.
• "Risk of death during the 2020 UK COVID-19 epidemic among people with rare autoimmune diseases compared to the general population. Preliminary results from the RECORDER project" by Emily Peach, et al.
• "Validation of a derived international patient severity phenotype to support COVID-19 analytics from electronic health record data"
• "Dynamic dysregulation of IL-6 and genes functional in NETosis, complement and coagulation in severe COVID-19 illness"
• "High and increasing prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 swab positivity during end September beginning October 2020: REACT-1 round 5 updated report"