November 6, 2020

In today's episode we discuss: —Epidemiology: How effective are public health measures, such as quarantine, in decreasing viral spread? An extended Susceptible–Infected–Recovered (SIR) model to estimate the case rate mortality (CFR) of COVID-19 in Wuhan and the rates of infection, recovery, and death globally revealed an estimated CFR of 4.4% and an estimated quarantine effect against transmission of 99.3%, highlighting the importance of adherence to public health quarantine policies in decreasing viral spread during the pandemic. —Understanding the Pathology: What is the duration of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in plasma after symptom onset? Infectious Disease researchers from China studied the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in 52 convalescent COVID-19 patients (159 blood samples) from 1 to 6 months after symptom onset and found a positive rate of IgG (92.3%) and IgM (90.4%) antibodies in the first month, and continuously high IgG but downtrending IgM antibodies throughout the convalescent phase, suggesting retainment of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies up to at least 6 months post-infection. —Adjusting Practice During COVID-19: Are patients receptive to at-home rehabilitation services? Cardiac rehabilitation specialists in Providence, RI conducted a retrospective study after initiating a transitional home-based cardiac, pulmonary, or vascular rehabilitation treatment plan for 129 patients between April 6, 2020, to May 27, 2020 (the time of temporary closure of in-person rehabilitation services) and found that about 90% of patients were receptive to participating in at-home rehabilitation services and 70% were responsive to follow-up progress tracking by telephone, suggesting that a home-based treatment is a viable option for treatment centers restricting in-person treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic.