37; 0.68, 2.77) and 27% in Black study members (4.28; 2.67, 6.86). The residual risk in ethnic minority groups for COVID-19 deaths may be ascribed to unknown genetic factors or unmeasured phenotypes, most obviously racial discrimination.VOC 202012/01, a SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in the United Kingdom in September 2020, has spread to multiple countries worldwide. Several studies have established that this novel variant is more transmissible than preexisting variants of SARS-CoV-2, but have not identified whether the new variant leads to any change in disease severity. We analyse a large database of SARS-CoV-2 community test results and COVID-19 deaths for England, representing approximately 47% of all SARS-CoV-2 community tests and 7% of COVID-19 deaths in England from 1 September 2020 to 22 January 2021. Fortuitously, these SARS-CoV-2 tests can identify VOC 202012/01 because mutations in this lineage prevent PCR amplification of the spike gene target (S gene target failure, SGTF). We estimate that the hazard of death among SGTF cases is 30% (95% CI 9-56%) higher than among non-SGTF cases after adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation level, care home residence, local authority of residence and date of test. In absolute terms, this increased hazard of death corresponds to the risk of death for a male aged 55-69 increasing from 0.56% to 0.73% (95% CI 0.60-0.86%) over the 28 days following a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in the community. Correcting for misclassification of SGTF, we estimate a 35% (12-64%) higher hazard of death associated with VOC 202012/01. Our analysis suggests that VOC 202012/01 is not only more transmissible than preexisting SARS-CoV-2 variants but may also cause more severe illness.There is an urgent need to identify which COVID-19 patients will develop life-threatening illness so that scarce medical resources can be optimally allocated and rapid treatment can be administered early in the disease course, when clinical management is most effective. To aid in the prognostic classification of disease severity, we performed untargeted metabolomics profiling of 341 patients with plasma samples collected at six longitudinal time points. Using the temporal metabolic profiles and machine learning, we then built a predictive model of disease severity. We determined that the levels of 25 metabolites measured at the time of hospital admission successfully predict future disease severity. Through analysis of longitudinal samples, we confirmed that these prognostic markers are directly related to disease progression and that their levels are restored to baseline upon disease recovery. Finally, we validated that these metabolites are also altered in a hamster model of COVID-19. Our results indicate that metabolic changes associated with COVID-19 severity can be effectively used to stratify patients and inform resource allocation during the pandemic.The molecular mechanisms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, or Myalgic encephalomyelitis), a disease defined by extreme, long-term fatigue, remain largely uncharacterized, and presently no molecular diagnostic test and no specific treatments exist to diagnose and treat CFS patients. While CFS has historically had an estimated prevalence of 0.1-0.5% [1], concerns of a "long hauler" version of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that symptomatically overlaps CFS to a significant degree (Supplemental Table-1) and appears to occur in 10% of COVID-19 patients[2], has raised concerns of a larger spike in CFS [3]. Here, we established molecular signatures of CFS and a corresponding network-based disease context from RNA-sequencing data generated on whole blood and FACs sorted specific peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from CFS cases and non-CFS controls. The immune cell type specific molecular signatures of CFS we identified, overlapped molecular signatures from other fatiguing illnesses, demonstrating a common molecular etiology. Further, after constructing a probabilistic causal model of the CFS gene expression data, we identified master regulator genes modulating network states associated with CFS, suggesting potential therapeutic targets for CFS.
  Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 is an emerging approach to help identify the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. This tool can contribute to public health surveillance at both community (wastewater treatment system) and institutional (e.g., colleges, prisons, nursing homes) scales.
 
  This research aims to understand the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from initial wastewater surveillance efforts at colleges and university systems to inform future research, development and implementation.
 
  This paper presents the experiences of 25 college and university systems in the United States that monitored campus wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 during the fall 2020 academic period. We describe the broad range of approaches, findings, resource needs, and lessons learned from these initial efforts. These institutions range in size, social and political geographies, and include both public and private institutions.
 
  Our analysis suggests that wastewater monitoring at colleges requires consideration of information d community members.
  There is a concern that low initial SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers in individuals may drop to undetectable levels within months after infection. Although this may raise concerns over long term immunity, both the antibody levels and avidity of the antibody-antigen interaction should be examined to understand the quality of the antibody response.
 
  A testing-on-a-probe-plus panel (TOP-Plus) was developed, which included a newly developed avidity assay built into the previously described SARS-CoV-2 TOP assays that measured total antibody (TAb), surrogate neutralizing antibody (SNAb), IgM and IgG on a versatile biosensor platform.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mps1-in-6-compound-9-.html  TAb and SNAb levels were compared with avidity in previously infected individuals at 1.3 and 6.2 months post-infection in paired samples from 80 COVID-19 patients.
 
  The newly designed avidity assay in this TOP panel correlated well with a reference Bio-Layer Interferometry avidity assay (R=0.88). The imprecision of the TOP avidity assay was less than 9%. Although TAb and neutralization activity (by SNAb) decreased between 1.