Health disparities and COVID-19: A retrospective study examining individual and community factors causing disproportionate COVID-19 outcomes in Cook County, Illinois.

Early data from the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that the disease has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color with higher infection and mortality rates within those communities. This study used demographic data from the 2018 US census estimates, mortality data from the Cook County Medical Examiner's office, and testing results from the Illinois Department of Public Health to perform bivariate and multivariate regression analyses to explore the role race plays in COVID-19 outcomes at the individual and community levels. We used the ZCTA Social Deprivation Index (SDI), a measure of ZCTA area level deprivation based on seven demographic characteristics to quantify the socio-economic variation in health outcomes and levels of disadvantage across ZCTAs.

Years of potential life lost secondary to COVID-19: Cook County, Illinois.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to substantial morbidity and mortality world-wide. Evidence suggests that ethnic and racial minorities have been disproportionately affected in the United States, particularly within major population centers. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cook County, Illinois, and found that the rate of years of potential life lost (YPLL) was 4.

COVID-19 and the Nigerian correctional service: need for structured data.

Although prisoners are considered a vulnerable population, no data repository currently exists to monitor the COVID-19 incidence in Nigerian prisons. To better understand the impact of COVID-19 within the Nigerian prison system, prisons should develop detailed COVID-19 response protocols, implement enhanced point-of-care testing, and initiate contact tracing with meticulous data collection.

The utility of video technology and enhanced infection control in reducing COVID-19 disease burden in a custodial setting.

We describe the use of video technology to enhance case interviews, identify COVID-19 contacts, and determine exposures risk within a large juvenile temporary detention center. We created a COVID-19 outbreak management protocol which included the formation of an outbreak management team and enhanced infection control practices using video surveillance. Currently, our institution's positivity rate remains low for both staff and residents largely because of the outbreak management team.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of Clostridium difficile infection in patients with discordant diagnostic test results.

The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and laboratory characteristics of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in patients with discordant test results for the cytotoxin assay (CYT) and PCR assays. A retrospective study from May to August 2008 and March to May 2010 was performed. CDI was diagnosed in 128 patients.