SARS-CoV-2 Test-to-Stay in Daycare

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Test-to-stay concepts apply serial testing of children in daycare after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 without use of quarantine. This study aims to assess the safety of a test-to-stay screening in daycare facilities.

METHODS

714 daycare facilities and approximately 50 000 children ≤6 years in Cologne, Germany participated in a SARS-CoV-2 Pool-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening from March 2021 to April 2022. The screening initially comprised post-exposure quarantine and was adapted to a test-to-stay approach during its course. To assess safety of the test-to-stay approach, we explored potential changes in frequencies of infections among children after the adaptation to the test-to-stay approach by applying regression discontinuity in time (RDiT) analyses. To this end, PCR-test data were linked with routinely collected data on reported infections in children and analyzed using ordinary least squares regressions.

RESULTS

219 885 Pool-PCRs and 352 305 Single-PCRs were performed. 6440 (2.93%) Pool-PCRs tested positive, and 17 208 infections in children were reported. We estimated that during a period of 30 weeks, the test-to-stay concept avoided between 7 and 20 days of quarantine per eligible daycare child. RDiT revealed a 26% reduction (Exp. Coef: 0.74, confidence interval 0.52-1.06) in infection frequency among children and indicated no significant increase attributable to the test-to-stay approach. This result was not sensitive to adjustments for 7-day incidence, season, SARS-CoV-2 variant, and socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analyses provide evidence that suggest safety of the test-to-stay approach compared with quarantine measures. This approach offers a promising option to avoid use of quarantine after exposure to respiratory pathogens in daycare settings.

Socioeconomic Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Germany: A Seroepidemiological Study After One Year of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Objective: To evaluate the socioeconomic patterns of SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through infection, vaccination or both ("hybrid immunity") after 1 year of vaccination campaign. Methods: Data were derived from the German seroepidemiological Corona Monitoring Nationwide study (RKI-SOEP-2; n = 10,448; November 2021-February 2022). Combining serological and self-report data, we estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, basic immunization (at least two SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through vaccination and/or infection), and three antigen contacts by education and income. Results: Low-education groups had 1.35-times (95% CI 1.01-1.82) the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to high-education groups. COVID-19 vaccination (at least one dose) and basic immunization decreased with lower education and income. Low-education and low-income groups were less likely to have had at least three antigen contacts (PR low vs. high education: 0.74, 95% CI 0.65-0.84; PR low vs. high income: 0.66, 95% CI 0.57-0.77). Conclusion: The results suggest a lower level of protection against severe COVID-19 for individuals from low and medium socioeconomic groups. Pandemic response and vaccination campaigns should address the specific needs and barriers of these groups.

Changes in emergency department utilisation in Germany before and during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, using data from a national surveillance system up to June 2021

BACKGROUND

During the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health and social measures, decreasing patient numbers have been described in various healthcare settings in Germany, including emergency care. This could be explained by changes in disease burden, e.g. due to contact restrictions, but could also be a result of changes in utilisation behaviour of the population. To better understand those dynamics, we analysed routine data from emergency departments to quantify changes in consultation numbers, age distribution, disease acuity and day and hour of the day during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We used interrupted time series analyses to estimate relative changes for consultation numbers of 20 emergency departments spread throughout Germany. For the pandemic period (16-03-2020 - 13-06-2021) four different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic were defined as interruption points, the pre-pandemic period (06-03-2017 - 09-03-2020) was used as the reference.

RESULTS

The most pronounced decreases were visible in the first and second wave of the pandemic, with changes of - 30.0% (95%CI: - 32.2%; - 27.7%) and - 25.7% (95%CI: - 27.4%; - 23.9%) for overall consultations, respectively. The decrease was even stronger for the age group of 0-19 years, with - 39.4% in the first and - 35.0% in the second wave. Regarding acuity levels, consultations assessed as urgent, standard, and non-urgent showed the largest decrease, while the most severe cases showed the smallest decrease.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of emergency department consultations decreased rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, without extensive variation in the distribution of patient characteristics. Smallest changes were observed for the most severe consultations and older age groups, which is especially reassuring regarding concerns of possible long-term complications due to patients avoiding urgent emergency care during the pandemic.

Using routine emergency department data for syndromic surveillance of acute respiratory illness, Germany, week 10 2017 until week 10 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic expanded the need for timely information on acute respiratory illness at population level.

Aim

We explored the potential of routine emergency department data for syndromic surveillance of acute respiratory illness in Germany.

Methods

We used routine attendance data from emergency departments, which continuously transferred data between week 10 2017 and 10 2021, with ICD-10 codes available for > 75% of attendances. Case definitions for acute respiratory infection (ARI), severe acute respiratory infection (SARI), influenza-like illness (ILI), respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV) and COVID-19 were based on a combination of ICD-10 codes, and/or chief complaints, sometimes combined with information on hospitalisation and age.

Results

We included 1,372,958 attendances from eight emergency departments. The number of attendances dropped in March 2020 during the first COVID-19 pandemic wave, increased during summer, and declined again during the resurge of COVID-19 cases in autumn and winter of 2020/21. A pattern of seasonality of respiratory infections could be observed. By using different case definitions (i.e. for ARI, SARI, ILI, RSV) both the annual influenza seasons in the years 2017–2020 and the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/21 were apparent. The absence of the 2020/21 influenza season was visible, parallel to the resurge of COVID-19 cases. SARI among ARI cases peaked in April–May 2020 (17%) and November 2020–January 2021 (14%).

Conclusion

Syndromic surveillance using routine emergency department data can potentially be used to monitor the trends, timing, duration, magnitude and severity of illness caused by respiratory viruses, including both influenza viruses and SARS-CoV-2.

[Using emergency department routine data for the surveillance of suicide attempts and psychiatric emergencies]

BACKGROUND

The occurrence of suicide attempts is a key indicator of the population's mental health and therefore belongs in the domain of Mental Health Surveillance at the Robert Koch Institute. No data source is currently being used systematically for the continuous observation of psychiatric emergencies (including suicide attempts) in Germany. Therefore, the use of routine data from emergency departments will be explored in this work.

METHODS

We included routine data from 12 emergency departments between 1 January 2018 and 28 March 2021. We developed syndrome definitions for suicide attempts, psychiatric emergencies based on combinations of chief complaints, and diagnoses from patients presenting with psychopathological symptoms. A descriptive analysis over time was presented and stratified by age and sex.

RESULTS

In total 1,516,883 emergency department attendances were included, among which we identified 5,133 cases (0.3%) as suicide attempts, 31,085 (2.1%) as psychiatric emergencies, and 34,230 (2.3%) as cases with psychiatric symptoms. Among psychiatric emergencies, 16.5% presented because of a suicide attempt. Of cases presenting with a suicide attempt, 53.4% were male and 20.2% were aged between 25 and 34 years. Cases identified by all 3 syndrome definitions and their temporal variations could be displayed over the entire observation period.

CONCLUSION

Syndromic surveillance using emergency department data indicates a potential for continuous surveillance of suicide attempts and psychiatric emergencies and provides a basis for further validation and analysis. The display of changes in real time extends the current research opportunities for psychiatric emergencies in Germany. Systematic surveillance of suicide attempts can contribute to evidence-based suicide prevention.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated non-pharmaceutical interventions on other notifiable infectious diseases in Germany: An analysis of national surveillance data during week 1-2016 - week 32-2020

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) affect healthcare seeking behaviour, access to healthcare, test strategies, disease notification and workload at public health authorities, but may also lead to a true change in transmission dynamics. We aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic and NPIs on other notifiable infectious diseases under surveillance in Germany.

METHODS

We included 32 nationally notifiable disease categories with case numbers >100/year in 2016-2019. We used quasi-Poisson regression analysis on a weekly aggregated time-series incorporating trend and seasonality, to compute the relative change in case numbers during week 2020-10 to 2020-32 (pandemic/NPIs), in comparison to week 2016-01 to 2020-09.

FINDINGS

During week 2020-10 to 2020-32, 216,825 COVID-19 cases, and 162,942 (-35%) cases of other diseases, were notified. Case numbers decreased across all ages and notification categories (all p<0•05), except for tick-borne encephalitis, which increased (+58%). The number of cases decreased most for respiratory diseases (from -86% for measles, to -12% for tuberculosis), gastro-intestinal diseases (from -83% for rotavirus gastroenteritis, to -7% for yersiniosis) and imported vector-borne diseases (-75% dengue fever, -73% malaria). The less affected infections were healthcare associated pathogens (from -43% infection/colonisation with carbapenem-non-susceptible Acinetobacter, to -28% for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus invasive infection) and sexually transmitted and blood-borne diseases (from -28% for hepatitis B, to -12% for syphilis).

INTERPRETATION

During the COVID-19 pandemic a drastic decrease of notifications for most infectious diseases and pathogens was observed. Our findings suggest effects of NPIs on overall disease transmission that require further investigation.

FUNDING

The Robert Koch Institute is the National Public Health Institute of Germany, and is an institute within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Health.

Correlation of Retinal Thickness and Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Derived Vascular Changes in Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate whether structural OCT changes, in specific retinal thickness, is associated with the vascular response within the nAMD CNV lesion. In other words, whether SSOCTA derived parameters may prove suitable to assess CNV activity in future.Methods: During the first 3 months patients were prospectively followed with visits at days 7, and 14 after each anti-VEGF treatment up to day 90. At baseline, day 30 and 60 Aflibercept was administered. OCT-derrived retinal thickness (RT) and OCTA-derived CNV lesion parameters (vessel area [VA]), total vessel length [TVL], total number of junctions [TNJ], junction density [JD]) were determined. Parameters were exported from SSOCT/A (PlexElite, Zeiss) images using the semi-automated AngioTool software. Additionally, the superficial and deep vascular plexus fractal dimension of the para- and perifoveal region were identified. Consequently, all OCTA derived parameters were correlated with RT.Results: 16 consecutive patients presenting with treatment-naïve, SSOCTA-positive CNV lesions were included. A weak to moderate statistically significant correlation was found between the mean RT of the inner as well as the outer ETDRS ring with the SSOCTA-derived vascular markers vessel area (VA; r² = -0.38, p < .001; r² = -0.47, p < .001, respectively), total vessel length, (TVL; r² = -0.38, p < .001; r² = -0.48, p < .001, respectively) and total number of junctions (TNJ; r² = -0.35, p < .001; r² = -0.44, p < .001, respectively). Junctions density (JD), and all variables based on fractal dimension (FD) did not show statistically significant correlations with retinal thickness measurements.Conclusions: In summary, we could confirm a moderate, however, statistically significant correlation between mean para- and perifoveal retinal thickness and the SSOCTA derived vascular parameters VA, TVL, and TNJ. This leads us to the conclusion that an SSOCTA-based activity analysis of the CNV complex is not yet a substitute for retinal thickness or in-depth fluid analysis in patients with nAMD.

[Real-time data from medical care settings to guide public health action]

Echtzeitdaten aus der medizinischen Versorgung spielen für die Handlungsteuerung in Public Health eine entscheidende Rolle. Dies zeigt die COVID-19-Pandemie besonders deutlich: Viele Public-Health-Akteure sind auf die aktuellen Daten aus dem klinischen und Versorgungsgeschehen angewiesen, um wichtige Entscheidungen treffen und Empfehlungen geben zu können. Die Automatisierung der Verarbeitungs- und Kommunikationsprozesse ist essenziell, damit eine Kontinuität des Datenflusses gewährleistet wird und Ressourcen geschont werden. Bisher standen der Entwicklung digital automatisierter Echtzeitsysteme mit wissenschaftlichem Qualitätsanspruch verschiedene technische, fachliche und organisatorische Herausforderungen im Weg. Die COVID-19-Pandemie dient seit ihrem Beginn Anfang 2020 als Motor für zukunftsfähige Systementwicklungen.

In diesem Beitrag wird zunächst beschrieben, wie ein Echtzeitdatensystem aufgebaut sein muss, damit eine automatisierte Datenverarbeitung möglich ist. Wichtige Aspekte bei der Zusammenführung der Daten, ihrer Aufbereitung, Bereitstellung und Kommunikation werden dargestellt. Als Beispiel dient ein System, das Routinedaten aus Notaufnahmen in Echtzeit verarbeitet und diese Public-Health-Akteuren bereitstellt. Es setzt sich zusammen aus dem Notaufnahmeregister des Aktionsbündnisses für Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologie in Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin (AKTIN) der Universität Magdeburg und der RWTH Aachen und dem Surveillance Monitor (SUMO) des Robert Koch-Instituts.

Die Entwicklung zukunftsfähiger Echtzeitsysteme zur Verarbeitung von Forschungsdaten aus der medizinischen Versorgung kann nur durch die Zusammenarbeit verschiedenster Akteure gelingen. Eine wichtige Grundlage für den langfristigen Erfolg ist die Entwicklung eines gesetzlichen Rahmens.

Clinical and metabolic characterization of obese subjects without non-alcoholic fatty liver: A targeted metabolomics approach

INTRODUCTION

As a small proportion of obese individuals do not develop metabolic complications and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), this study aimed to provide a comprehensive clinical, metabolic and genetic description of obese subjects with healthy livers.

METHODS

A total of 183 subjects were stratified, according to BMI, presence of metabolic syndrome, biochemical liver tests and hepatic steatosis on ultrasound, into: (i) lean controls (n = 69); (ii) obese healthy (n = 50); and (iii)obese NAFLD (n = 62) groups. Detailed clinical, genetic and metabolic evaluations were then performed.

RESULTS

Obese healthy subjects did not differ in glucose parameters from lean controls, and had a lower rate of minor TM6SF2 gene variants compared with obese NAFLD (2/49 vs. 11/60, respectively; P = 0.035) and lean controls (13/64; P = 0.035), but significantly higher leptin concentrations than lean controls (P < 0.001); they also higher adiponectin concentrations (P < 0.001), and lower TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations (P = 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively), than obese NAFLD subjects. Also, metabolomic studies identified ether- and ester-containing phospholipids [PC ae C44:6, PC ae C42:5, PC aa C40:4; P < 0.001, corrected by the false discovery rate (FDR) method] and found that the amino-acids lysine, glycine and isoleucine (FDR < 0.001) differed between the two obese groups, but not between lean controls and obese healthy subjects.

CONCLUSION

Obese people with healthy livers are characterized by intact glucose homoeostasis, lower pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, and higher adiponectin and leptin concentrations compared with obese people with NAFLD. In addition, the major allele of TM6SF2, a set of phosphatidylcholines and several amino acids are associated with healthy livers in obesity.

Cardiac rehabilitation in patients with implantable defibrillators

OBJECTIVE

We examined patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) in order to demonstrate their safe participation in a standard rehabilitation program.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study of a consecutive series of patients after ICD implantation. Setting Inpatient rehabilitation center.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 118 patients (73.7% male, mean age 60+/-11 years) took part for 23 +/- 4 days in a standard inpatient rehabilitation program including physical activity, psychological care, heart function seminars, and resuscitation exercises with family members. The following noninvasive tests were performed: symptomlimited exercise testing, two-dimensional echocardiography, Holter monitoring, telemetric ICD interrogation, optional fluoroscopy or X-ray examination of the thorax, and (in some patients) defibrillation threshold testing.

RESULTS

Out of 118 patients 101 patients (85.6%) participated in regular ergometer training during which the initial workload of 23 +/- 11 Watts could be increased to 45 +/- 18 Watts. An individual conditioning program was assigned to 15% (n = 17) patients, thereby enabling the inclusion of all patients in the rehabilitation process. Under these conditions 12 patients (10%) experienced ICD malfunctions requiring therapy. As a consequence of all cardiac function tests, ICD reprogramming was necessary in 26 patients (22.1%).

CONCLUSION

Following ICD implantation, patients may participate in a standard rehabilitation program without serious complications and with a significant increase in physical capacity. However, ICD malfunction occurs in approximately 10% of patients. Additional tests performed by skilled medical staff and appropriate technical equipment allows the ICD program to be optimized.