Background REGEN-COV (previously known as REGN-COV2), a combination of the monoclonal antibodies casirivimab and imdevimab, has been shown to markedly reduce the risk of hospitalization or death among high-risk persons with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Whether subcutaneous REGEN-COV prevents severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and subsequent Covid-19 in persons at high risk for infection because of household exposure to a person with SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknown. Methods We randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, participants (≥12 years of age) who were enrolled within 96 hours after a household contact received a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection to receive a total dose of 1200 mg of REGEN-COV or matching placebo administered by means of subcutaneous injection. At the time of randomization, participants were stratified according to the results of the local diagnostic assay for SARS-CoV-2 and according to age. The primary efficacy end point was the development of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection through day 28 in participants who did not have SARS-COV-2 infection (as measured by reverse-transcriptase–quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction assay) or previous immunity (seronegativity). Results Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection developed in 11 of 753 participants in the REGEN-COV group (1.5%) and in 59 of 752 participants in the placebo group (7.8%) (relative risk reduction [1 minus the relative risk], 81.4%; P<0.001). In weeks 2 to 4, a total of 2 of 753 participants in the REGEN-COV group (0.3%) and 27 of 752 participants in the placebo group (3.6%) had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection (relative risk reduction, 92.6%). REGEN-COV also prevented symptomatic and asymptomatic infections overall (relative risk reduction, 66.4%). Among symptomatic infected participants, the median time to resolution of symptoms was 2 weeks shorter with REGEN-COV than with placebo (1.2 weeks and 3.2 weeks, respectively), and the duration of a high viral load (>10 4 copies per milliliter) was shorter (0.4 weeks and 1.3 weeks, respectively). No dose-limiting toxic effects of REGEN-COV were noted. Conclusions Subcutaneous REGEN-COV prevented symptomatic Covid-19 and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in previously uninfected household contacts of infected persons. Among the participants who became infected, REGEN-COV reduced the duration of symptomatic disease and the duration of a high viral load. (Funded by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04452318 .)

CoV-2 treatments may be used to prevent progression from asymptomatic infection to symptomatic disease and to reduce viral carriage.OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of combination subcutaneous casirivimab and imdevimab on progression from early asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to symptomatic COVID-19.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial of close household contacts of a SARS-CoV-2-infected index case at 112 sites in the US,

Summary Group testing involves pooling individual specimens (e.g., blood, urine, swabs, etc.) and testing the pools for the presence of disease. When the proportion of diseased individuals is small, group testing can greatly reduce the number of tests needed to screen a population. Statistical research in group testing has traditionally focused on applications for a single disease. However, blood service organizations and large-scale disease surveillance programs are increasingly moving towards the use of multiplex assays, which measure multiple disease biomarkers at once. Tebbs and others (2013, Two-stage hierarchical group testing for multiple infections with application to the Infertility Prevention Project. Biometrics69, 1064–1073) and Hou and others (2017, Hierarchical group testing for multiple infections. Biometrics73, 656–665) were the first to examine hierarchical group testing case identification procedures for multiple diseases. In this article, we propose new non-hierarchical procedures which utilize two-dimensional arrays. We derive closed-form expressions for the expected number of tests per individual and classification accuracy probabilities and show that array testing can be more efficient than hierarchical procedures when screening individuals for multiple diseases at once. We illustrate the potential of using array testing in the detection of chlamydia and gonorrhea for a statewide screening program in Iowa. Finally, we describe an R/Shiny application that will help practitioners identify the best multiple-disease case identification algorithm.

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Background: Casirivimab and imdevimab administered together (REGEN-COV) markedly reduces the risk of hospitalization or death in high-risk, symptomatic individuals with COVID-19. Here, we report phase 3 results of early treatment of asymptomatic, SARS-CoV-2-positive adults and adolescents with subcutaneous REGEN-COV. Methods: Individuals ≥12 years of age were eligible if identified within 96 hours of a household contact being diagnosed as SARS-CoV-2-positive; 314 were randomized 1:1 to receive subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg or placebo. The primary endpoint was the proportion of infected participants without evidence of prior immunity (i.e., SARS-CoV-2-RT-qPCR-positive/seronegative) who subsequently developed symptomatic Covid-19 during a 28-day efficacy assessment period. Results: Subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg significantly prevented progression from asymptomatic to symptomatic disease compared with placebo (31.5% relative risk reduction; 29/100 [29.0%] vs. 44/104 [42.3%], respectively; P=0.0380). REGEN-COV also reduced the overall population burden of high viral load weeks (39.7% reduction vs. placebo; 48 vs. 82 total weeks; P=0.0010) and of symptomatic weeks (45.3% reduction vs. placebo; 89.6 vs. 170.3 total weeks; P=0.0273), the latter corresponding to an approximately 5.6-day reduction per symptomatic participant. Six placebo-treated participants had a Covid-19-related hospitalization or ER visit versus none for those receiving REGEN-COV. The proportion of participants receiving placebo who had ≥1 treatment-emergent adverse events was 48.1% compared to 33.5% for those receiving REGEN-COV, including Covid-19-related (39.7% vs. 25.8%, respectively) or non-Covid-19-related (16.0% vs. 11.0%, respectively) events. Conclusions: Subcutaneous REGEN-COV 1200mg prevented progression from asymptomatic to symptomatic infection, reduced the duration of high viral load and symptoms, and was well tolerated.