We investigated the impact of a customized alcohol-based instant hand sanitizer hand-hygiene regimen in an Army basic training setting. The entire population at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Training Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, participated in the 13-week prospective cohort study between January 18, 2005 and April 18, 2005. Two training battalions were randomly assigned to the control group, one to the primary intervention group (customized Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer regimen, education, reinforcement) and one to the secondary intervention group (customized Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer regimen). When compared to the control group, intervention groups experienced 40% less respiratory illness (p < 0.001), 48% less gastrointestinal illness (p < 0.02), 44% less lost training time (p < 0.001), and 31% fewer health care encounters (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that this intervention is capable of significantly reducing illness in this setting and has the potential to help reduce absenteeism in the military workforce as a whole.

SARS-CoV-2, a human β-coronavirus implicated as thecausative agent in the COVID-19 pandemic, has been the subject of the most globally intensive vaccine development effort inrecorded history. The spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates, deployedglobally, demonstrates an expansive diversity in regardsto design philosophies and immunological mechanisms of action. In the context of an aging, physically deconditioned, and overweight global population, which finds itself heavily burdened by a high prevalence of non-communicable chronic disease; elite strength, power and endurance athletes represent a minority population comprised of extreme physiological outliers. This report explores the molecular toxicity and pathophysiology of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, the design and immunological strategies embodied by the spectrum of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates, and the intersection of these phenomena with the demographic, lifestyle and physiological characteristics of elite athletes; so as to inform vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2 which most protect this outlying minority population.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract