Tag: COVID-19

After the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, physicians noted a surge of red to purple bruise-like bumps on the toes of otherwise healthy patients. This symptom, popularly referred to as “COVID toes,” is clinically identical to a skin condition known as chilblains. Rarely, chilblains can be a cutaneous manifestation of the type 1 interferonopathies, genetic disorders associated with elevated levels of type 1 interferons. Type 1 interferons are proteins produced in response to viral infections and are critical in the host response to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the precise link between COVID toes and the SARS-CoV-2 virus remained unknown. Because patients with COVID toes often reported close contacts with COVID-19 infection but consistently tested negative for infection in their blood and nasopharynx, researchers hypothesized that COVID toes could be a manifestation of resiliency to the SARS-CoV-2 virus via a robust and early type 1 interferon response, which remained visible in the toes. Researchers found evidence of local activation of the type I interferon in COVID toe biopsies that was significantly higher than in normal skin from patients without COVID. Researchers also identified the presence of viral RNA in patients’ toes, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a possible trigger for COVID toes. Finally, a golden hamster animal model was employed to evaluate whether SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA could reach the toes. In this model, after low-dose exposure of SARS-CoV-2 through the nasopharynx, viral RNA was found both in the lungs and indeed in the toes of infected hamsters. The hamsters mounted a robust type I interferon response in their lungs and their toes, and this response closely correlated with the presence of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA. Previous studies in humans with COVID toes found a very early type 1 interferon response in the peripheral blood, which waned within days. This study found a durable type 1 interferon response in skin but not in the peripheral blood, which could explain why most patients with COVID toes felt systemically well aside despite their skin findings.

Note: Funding for this grant has ended.

The Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) is a social service agency in Madison that offers support to those in need of assistance with meeting basic needs and spiritual and educational growth. It served some of Madison’s most vulnerable people, including those who were amongst the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic facing housing, food, and job insecurity. In order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 among its English and Spanish-speaking clients, the CMC sought to address their clients’ immediate needs for food and hygiene supplies and assist those seeking employment or unemployment benefits. This project allowed the CMC to continue offering crucial social services throughout the pandemic. The CMC served 810 households through its food pantry over the duration of the project and distributed 213,471 pounds of food – double the amount in 2019. The personal essentials pantry served 769 total households from May to December in 2020 and 205 households from January to April in 2021, distributing a total of 7,071 personal hygiene items. The jobs office successfully assisted an average of 61 individuals per month throughout the project, with 18 individuals referred to an employer to apply for work, and 15 individuals gaining employment on average each month.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, genetically changes across populations at a predictable rate of one mutation approximately every 15 days. Understanding the transmission of COVID-19 in healthcare facilities, which are at the core of the pandemic in Wisconsin, is crucial to help resolve the directionality and source of infection. In order to understand if healthcare workers are becoming infected through patient contact, the research team used information such as viral lineage and consensus sequence provided by Oxford Nanopore Technology. The researchers had an initial goal of sequencing ten transmission clusters per month from UW Hospitals and Clinics. They far surpassed this goal and have investigated 55 transmission clusters involving over 400 individuals. After identifying likely and unlikely sources of infection in healthcare workers (HCW) and comparing patient sequences to local outbreaks, they found little evidence for widespread transmission, suggesting that HCWs are most likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the community.

Through the Badger Nurses Collaborating on Covid Vaccination and Education Delivery (BN-CoVED) project, the UW–Madison School of Nursing contributed to the statewide vaccination effort by training faculty and students to provide accurate COVID-19 information to the public and to safely give the vaccine. The School of Nursing collaborated with four UW System nursing schools: Green Bay, Oshkosh, Eau Claire, and Stevens Point, along with the schools’ community partners to staff vaccination clinics. Between February and June 2021, 648 nursing students and 68 faculty contributed a collective 10,196 hours of time to the vaccination effort. Sixty community organizations were assisted by nursing students and faculty during the vaccination roll-out. The success of this project has led to strengthened and new partnerships among many public health departments, health care centers, schools, tribal health organizations, and organizations involved in the state’s vaccination campaign, as well as prepared students for their career as nurses.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for detailed and timely information in making public health and operational decisions. This project aimed to develop an advanced COVID-19 syndromic surveillance system using electronic health records (EHR) and predictive analytics to provide just-in-time training for health care providers. Researchers successfully developed data pipelines from UW Health emergency department (ED) EHR data and validated them at Marshfield Clinic. Analysis of the data revealed an increase in acute respiratory infection (ARI) cases during the COVID-era, and predictive models performed well in predicting ARI arrivals and boarders ​(patients admitted to the hospital who remained in the ED for a minimum or four hours after admission). The Wisconsin Real-time Emergency Department Surveillance and Responsive Training (WIRED-RT) COVID-19 Simulation Curriculum Toolkit was developed to help health care teams prepare for surges in cases, focusing on key care scenarios.

This project, led by Bread of Healing Clinic (BOHC), aimed to address and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on low-income people of color who are uninsured. Early COVID-19 reports revealed significant disparities in its impact, like in Milwaukee where 73 percent of those dying from the virus were African Americans who comprised only 26 percent of the population. For low-income uninsured adults with chronic health conditions, access to ongoing health care, behavioral health care, medications and support in accessing community resources were major factors in managing health and COVID-19 risk. This project made significant strides in addressing the health care needs of uninsured adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. A telehealth model engaged 14 physicians and facilitated 517 telehealth visits, including specialized care in areas such as nutrition, dermatology and psychiatry. BOHC leveraged tools like Google Suite and “My Health Direct” to enhance data collection, revealing needs in primary and specialty care, diagnostic testing, insurance assistance and housing support. Finally, the project successfully connected 50 patients to free clinics and disseminated COVID-19 safety measures to approximately 1,800 individuals through a number of outreach efforts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted health inequities and disproportionately impacted communities in our state. Roots4Change Cooperative (R4C) and REAP Food Group collaborated on projects that advocated for food equity within the Latino community of Dane County, Wisconsin. The Farms to Families/De Granjas a Familias Fund (FFF) was created as a food security initiative that focused on addressing the financial and health disparities affecting Latino/Indigenous families in the county during the pandemic. FFF was created to address a forecasted food insecurity emergency, and to address the need to maintain connection when isolation was rampant. To reach their goal of supporting the Latino community and the surrounding food systems, the FFF team delivered food to families in need, supported young female and minority farmers in Wisconsin, provided temporary employment during the pandemic, created and distributed relevant educational materials, met with Governor Evers to discuss the biannual state budget, and facilitated therapy sessions with Latin American psychologists.

This project aimed to genetically characterize SARS-CoV-2 in Wisconsin to estimate infection parameters and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. In March 2020, little was known regarding the true extent of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Wisconsin. Researchers used genomic surveillance, tracking of different SARS-CoV-2 strains through space and time, to inform decisions on public health measures and aid the transition between mitigation and containment strategies. Preparing the genetic epidemiology infrastructure was crucial for tracking the local SARS-CoV-2 epidemic through 2020. The project was successful in understanding and tracking SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Wisconsin. The team utilized genomic surveillance to identify patterns in SARS-CoV-2 transmission and sequenced over 5,000 viral genomes. The establishment of a sequencing program played a vital role during the emergence of the Delta variant, contributing to its early detection in Wisconsin. This project was also one of the first to show that vaccinated people who became infected with Delta variants could transmit the virus to others. Results from this project established a vigorous new research program that attracted significant extramural support, including three new CDC-funded projects using SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences to reveal patterns in virus transmission and evolution.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greater Green Bay community faced increased food insecurity in vulnerable populations. This project aimed to address this challenge by securing additional funds, sustaining farmers markets’ ability to provide nutritious food and piloting a rapid response mechanism. The project successfully achieved its goals by funding the Double Your Bucks (DYB) and expanding it to non-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligible Hispanic households through the Pandemic Double Your Bucks (P-DYB) program. The project also supported farmers markets in implementing safety measures and innovative approaches to ensure the access to nutritious food. The success of the project led to procurement of additional funding to expand the reach to low-income African American individuals in the future.