A Patient with Escherichia coli Bacteremia and COVID-19 Co-Infection: A Case Report for the Louisville COVID-19 Epidemiology Study

Patients with COVID-19 may have co-infections with other microorganisms. Here we report a case of a patient with an E. coli bacteremia secondary to a urinary tract infection, who experienced fevers while on active antimicrobial therapy. The patient was eventually tested for COVID-19 and found to be positive. This case emphasizes the need to suspect COVID-19 even in patients with documented bacterial infection

The Incidence of Common Respiratory Viruses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From the Louisville COVID-19 Epidemiology Study

Introduction: Social distancing has been utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which is also expected to reduce the spread of common respiratory viruses. Methods: This retrospective, descriptive study assessed the rate of positivity of common respiratory viruses from commercially available respiratory pathogen panel, across a five-hospital health-system, during four-week periods within March to April of 2019 and 2020. Results: During the four-week period in 2019, the percent positivity of common respiratory viruses from week one to week four decreased from 6 to 32% among the four included viruses. In the comparator period in 2020, a decrease ranging from 74 to 100% was observed from week one to week four. Conclusions: These data indicate that the social distancing efforts implemented in Louisville, Kentucky, may be associated with a decrease in incidence of common respiratory viruses. This decrease in positivity of common respiratory viruses may serve as a surrogate marker for the effect of social distancing on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2