scholarly journals Laboratory-Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Following One or More Doses of mRNA Vaccine Among Care Team Members at an Academic Health System

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (S1) ◽  
pp. s16-s17
Author(s):  
Scott Curry ◽  
Cassandra Salgado ◽  
Krutika Kuppalli ◽  
Patricia Nickerson ◽  
Morgan Schrader ◽  
...  

Background: Medical University of South Carolina Health began vaccinating care team members December 15, 2020, with the Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. We report surveillance data for cases diagnosed following vaccination. Methods: Care team members (CTMs) diagnosed with COVID-19 following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination were self-identified during online electronic contact-tracing surveys. Demographic data, symptoms, and dates of symptoms were recorded. CTMs testing positive at MUSC were linked to viral burden data from nasopharyngeal swabs tested on Abbott PCR platforms. Results: As of January 31, 2021, 111 CTMs tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination: 99 and 12 after 1 and 2 doses, respectively, at medians of 10 days (range, 1–22) and 5 days (range, 1–16), respectively, from vaccination to testing. Of 2 cases that tested positive >14 days from dose 2, CTMs had symptom onset at 4 and 12 days from dose 2. Among CTMs reporting symptoms, 104 did so after a median of 7 days (mean 6.3, range −23 to +22) from vaccination to symptom onset, with 8 reporting symptoms before vaccination, 9 on the day of vaccination, and 3 CTMs at 1 day after vaccination, 6 CTMs at 2 days after vaccination, and 11 CTMs at 3 days after vaccination. Overall, 86 (78%) of 111 were female and 95 (86%) of 111 were white. The median age was 44 years (range, 22–71). Clinical job roles were most frequently nurses (n = 31, 28%), physicians or physician extenders (n = 19, 17%), and CTMs with no patient contact (n = 21, 19%). Assessment by the contact-tracing team assigned sources as household clusters (n = 22, 23%), local transmission (n = 21, 22%), occupational acquisition from coworkers (n = 11, 12%), travel related (n = 9, 10%), and unknown (n = 32, 34%). Only 32 (32%) CTMs were compliant with physical distancing. Among 104 CTMs reporting symptoms, cough (75%), headache (71%), rhinorrhea (63%), myalgia (60%), sore throat (48%), anosmia (44%), and subjective fever (40%) were the most commonly reported symptoms. Among 54 symptomatic CTMs with available viral-load data, the median and mean cycle numbers (Cn) were 19.98 and 21.91, respectively, for samples tested a median 3 days from symptom onset. Asymptomatic and symptomatic CTMs had a median Cn of 30.1 vs 20.9, respectively (p <0.001) and overall 50% of vaccinated CTMs had Cn >20, with no significant effect seen by vaccine dose (Figure 1). Conclusions: Most COVID-19 cases following vaccination occurred in CTMs with infection incubating prior to vaccination. No significant attenuation of viral load is apparent among vaccinated CTMs with COVID-19, but asymptomatic CTMs diagnosed with COVID-19 following vaccination appear to have resolved infections. Our data reinforce the need to adhere to public health measures by people who have been vaccinated.Funding: NoDisclosures: None

2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110190
Author(s):  
Abigail Anderson ◽  
Elizabeth M. Combs ◽  
Sheila Hurst ◽  
Cynthia F. Corbett

The primary goal of this study was to examine young adults’ perspectives about the effects of their food allergies (FAs) on their social lives from school-age to young adulthood. Young adults aged 18–21 ( n = 10) at the University of South Carolina were interviewed. A qualitative descriptive method to find themes and commonalities from transcribed interviews was used for data analysis. Identified themes were (1) feeling different and being isolated, (2) strategies for managing feeling different and being isolated, (3) strategies for managing safety, and (4) acceptance of myself and by others. School-age children attributed the school lunch allergy table as contributing to social isolation. Additionally, participants described feeling different and concerns about safety. Strategies to mitigate those experiences were identified by participants. Implications for children with FAs, their parents, school nurses, and other education and health professionals who work with children are presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110258
Author(s):  
Haritha Pavuluri ◽  
Nicolas Poupore ◽  
William Michael Schmidt ◽  
Samantha Gabrielle Boniface ◽  
Meenu Jindal ◽  
...  

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a debilitating chronic illness with significant morbidity and mortality across the United States. The AAMC and LCME have supported the efforts for more effective medical education of SUD to address the existing stigma, knowledge, and treatment gaps. The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated social, economic, and behavioral impacts have added to this urgency. The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (USCSOMG), in collaboration with community organizations, has successfully implemented an integrated SUD education curriculum for medical students. Students learn about SUD in basic sciences, receive case-based education during clinical exercises, and are provided the opportunity to become a recovery coach and participate in the patient and family recovery meetings through this curriculum during preclinical years. During the clinical years, SUD education is enhanced with exposure to Medication for Addition Treatment (MAT). Students also partake in the care coordination of patients with SUD between the hospital and community recovery organizations. All students receive MAT waiver training in their final year and are prepared to prescribe treatment for SUD upon graduation. The experiences in this integrated curriculum integration can perhaps assist other organizations to implement similar components and empower the next generation of physicians to be competent and effective in treating patients with SUD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 155798832097923
Author(s):  
Chanita Hughes Halbert ◽  
Caitlin G. Allen ◽  
Melanie Jefferson ◽  
Gayenell S. Magwood ◽  
Cathy Melvin ◽  
...  

The Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (TCC) in Precision Medicine for Minority Men’s Health was established at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 2015 to address disparities in the translation of precision medicine approaches among racial minority groups. This regional consortium focuses on three primary areas: (1) the development of a consortium of regional and national partners, (2) conducting transdisciplinary research examining synergistic effects of biological, social, physiological, and clinical determinants of chronic disease risks and outcomes, and (3) dissemination and implementation of precision medicine approaches, with an emphasis on reducing disparities in health care and outcomes among minority men. Given consistent calls to better translate precision medicine approaches and the focus of this consortium on addressing disparities among minority men, we provide an overview of our experience in developing the MUSC TCC, including barriers and facilitators to conducting translational research on minority men’s health issues in the context of precision medicine. Lessons learned and areas for improvement include providing enough time to create consistent partnerships and community engagement to improve recruitment and retention, identifying unique ways to engage diverse partners from across the region and nation, and better approaches to dissemination and communication for large partnerships focusing on precision medicine.


Author(s):  
Sarah Stalder ◽  
Aimee Techau ◽  
Jenny Hamilton ◽  
Carlo Caballero ◽  
Mary Weber ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The specific aims of this project were to create a fully integrated, nurse-led model of a psychiatric nurse practitioner and behavioral health care team within primary care to facilitate (1) patients receiving an appropriate level of care and (2) care team members performing at the top of their scope of practice. METHOD: The guiding model for process implementation was Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement. Three task forces were established to develop interventions in the areas of Roles and Responsibilities, Training and Implementation, and the electronic health record. INTERVENTION: The four interventions that emerged from these task forces were (1) the establishment of patient tiers based on diagnosis, medications, and risk assessment; (2) the creation of process maps to engage care team members; (3) just-in-time education regarding psychiatric medication management for primary care providers; and (4) use of a registry to track patients. RESULTS: The process measures of referrals to the psychiatric care team and psychiatric assessment intakes performed as expected. Both measures were higher at the onset of the project and lower 1 year later. The outcome indicator, number of case reviews, increased dramatically over time. CONCLUSIONS: For psychiatric nurse practitioners, this quality improvement effort provides evidence that a consultative role can be effective in supporting primary care providers. Through providing education, establishing patient tiers, and establishing an effective workflow, more patients may have access to psychiatric services.


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