Browsing by Author "Short, Erica"

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    Vaccine Effectiveness During an Outbreak of COVID-19 Alpha Variant (B.1.1.7) in a Men’s Correctional Facility in Rural Virginia
    Silverman, Rachel A.; Ceci, Alessandro; Cohen, Alasdair; Helmick, Meagan; Short, Erica; Bordwine, Paige; Friedlander, Michael J.; Finkielstein, Carla V. (2022-07)
    In April 2021, a COVID-19 outbreak occurred at a correctional facility in rural Virginia, USA. Eighty-four infections were identified among 854 incarcerated persons by facilitywide testing with reverse transcription quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). We used whole-genome sequencing to link all infections to 2 employees infected with the B.1.1.7α (UK) variant. The relative risk comparing unvaccinated to fully vaccinated persons (mRNA-1273 [Moderna, https:// www.moderna.com]) was 7.8 (95% CI 4.8–12.7), corresponding to a vaccine effectiveness of 87.1% (95% CI 79.0%–92.1%). Average qRT-PCR cycle threshold values were lower, suggesting higher viral loads, among unvaccinated infected than vaccinated cases for the N, E, and S genes. Vaccination was highly effective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in this high-risk setting. This approach can be applied to similar settings to estimate vaccine effectiveness as variants emerge to guide public health strategies during the ongoing pandemic.
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    Vaccine Effectiveness during Outbreak of COVID-19 Alpha (B.1.1.7) Variant in Men’s Correctional Facility, United States
    Silverman, Rachel A.; Ceci, Alessandro; Cohen, Alasdair; Helmick, Meagan; Short, Erica; Bordwine, Paige; Friedlander, Michael J.; Finkielstein, Carla V. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022-07)
    In April 2021, a COVID-19 outbreak occurred at a correctional facility in rural Virginia, USA. Eighty-four infections were identified among 854 incarcerated persons by facilitywide testing with reverse transcription quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). We used whole-genome sequencing to link all infections to 2 employees infected with the B.1.1.7α (UK) variant. The relative risk comparing unvaccinated to fully vaccinated persons (mRNA-1273 [Moderna, https:// www.moderna.com]) was 7.8 (95% CI 4.8–12.7), corresponding to a vaccine effectiveness of 87.1% (95% CI 79.0%–92.1%). Average qRT-PCR cycle threshold values were lower, suggesting higher viral loads, among unvaccinated infected than vaccinated cases for the N, E, and S genes. Vaccination was highly effective at preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in this high-risk setting. This approach can be applied to similar settings to estimate vaccine effectiveness as variants emerge to guide public health strategies during the ongoing pandemic.