Weekly update published on MedShr: 15th March 2021
Last updated: 15th March 2021

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Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 15th March 2021

This update will be published weekly at 12pm GMT on Mondays and aims to provide clinicians and the public with an overview of the latest data, guidelines, key publications and policy around COVID-19, with links to essential resources and information.

If you are a healthcare professional, please join the discussion on these latest COVID-19 cases on MedShr:

Please post any anonymous educational COVID-19 cases, images or learning points from your clinical practice on MedShr - share key knowledge and experience with a global network of doctors to help improve patient care. Include #COVID19 in your case title.

Please email COVID@medshr.net if you have any data, publications or information you would like to share.

Global Impact of COVID-19 to Date

Data from WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, reported on 14th March 2021

Sources: World Health Organization, Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

Data related to 'patients recovered' and 'countries affected' based on data from Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, other data obtained from WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard.

COVID-19 Cumulative Global Cases

Data from WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, reported on 14th March 2021

Source: World Health Organization

Global Vaccinations Against COVID-19

Official data collated by Our World in Data - data up to 14th March 2021 at 10:14 (GMT)

Source: Our World in Data

For full vaccination data, Our World in Data state: "Total number of people who received all doses prescribed by the vaccination protocol. This data is only available for countries which report the breakdown of doses administered by first and second doses."

Total UK COVID-19 Cases

As of 15th March 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 14-03-21

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 in the African Region

As of 15th March 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 14-03-21

Source: World Health Organization

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

As of 15th March 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 14-03-21

Source: World Health Organization

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

A selection of recent publications and useful clinical guidance from scientific journals

Anaesthesia: Timing of surgery following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: an international prospective cohort study 

COVIDSurg Collaborative; GlobalSurg Collaborative. Timing of surgery following SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international prospective cohort study. Anaesthesia. 2021 Mar 9. doi: 10.1111/anae.15458. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33690889.

Lancet Global Health: Addressing challenges to rolling out COVID-19 vaccines in African countries (comment)

Nachega JB, Sam-Agudu NA, Masekela R, et al. Addressing challenges to rolling out COVID-19 vaccines in African countries. Lancet Glob Health. 2021 Mar 10:S2214-109X(21)00097-8. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00097-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33713633.

BMJ: Severe covid-19 pneumonia: pathogenesis and clinical management

Attaway AH, Scheraga RG, Bhimraj A, et al. Severe covid-19 pneumonia: pathogenesis and clinical management. BMJ. 2021 Mar 10;372:n436. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n436. PMID: 33692022.

The Lancet: Azithromycin for community treatment of suspected COVID-19 in people at increased risk of an adverse clinical course in the UK (PRINCIPLE): a randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial

PRINCIPLE Trial Collaborative Group. Azithromycin for community treatment of suspected COVID-19 in people at increased risk of an adverse clinical course in the UK (PRINCIPLE): a randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial. The Lancet. 2021 Mar 4. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00461-X. Epub ahead of print.

J Intensive Care: Predictors of failure with high-flow nasal oxygen therapy in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure: a multicenter observational study

Mellado-Artigas R, Mujica LE, Ruiz ML, et al. Predictors of failure with high-flow nasal oxygen therapy in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure: a multicenter observational study. J Intensive Care. 2021 Mar 5;9(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s40560-021-00538-8. PMID: 33673863.

BMJ Open: COVID-19 in Ethiopia: a geospatial analysis of vulnerability to infection, case severity and death

Alene KA, Gelaw YA, Fetene DM, et al. COVID-19 in Ethiopia: a geospatial analysis of vulnerability to infection, case severity and death. BMJ Open. 2021 Feb 18;11(2):e044606. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044606. PMID: 33602713.

BMJ: SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow assays for possible use in national covid-19 seroprevalence surveys (React 2): diagnostic accuracy study

Moshe M, Daunt A, Flower B, et al. SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow assays for possible use in national covid-19 seroprevalence surveys (React 2): diagnostic accuracy study. BMJ. 2021 Mar 2;372:n423. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n423. PMID: 33653694; PMCID: PMC7921617.

JAMA: Discriminant Accuracy of the SOFA Score for Determining the Probable Mortality of Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia Requiring Mechanical Ventilation

Raschke RA, Agarwal S, Rangan P,et al. Discriminant Accuracy of the SOFA Score for Determining the Probable Mortality of Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia Requiring Mechanical Ventilation. JAMA. 2021 Feb 17:e211545. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.1545. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33595630; PMCID: PMC7890534.

Educational Resources:

WHO: COVID-19 Course Series

"Real-time training during global emergencies is critical for effective preparedness and response. The COVID-19 channel provides learning resources for health professionals, decision-makers and the public for the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19)." (WHO 2020)

WHO: Vaccine Series

Science: How do the leading COVID-19 vaccines work? Science explains

Johns Hopkins University: Understanding the COVID-19 Pandemic

BMJ Best Practice: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - clinical decision support tool

Elsevier: COVID-19 Health Education resource center, including the Health Education Faculty Hub

NEJM: Covid-19 Vaccine Resource Center

NEJM: Delayed Second Dose versus Standard Regimen for Covid-19 Vaccination

Nature: Coronapod: COVID and pregnancy - what do we know? (12th March 2021)

BMJ: A living WHO guideline on drugs to prevent covid-19

BMJ: Severe covid-19 pneumonia: pathogenesis and clinical management

MedShr Open: COVID-19 Articles

The COVID-19 Hub on MedShr Open includes a selection of articles covering a range of topics related to COVID-19, ranging from emerging therapies, long-term effects of COVID-19, and considering the effects of the pandemic on other essential healthcare services.

Global Health Data for COVID-19

Global.health - a Data Science Initiative - open public health COVID-19 dataset to advance the response to infectious diseases

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)

Research related to COVID-19

Below is a list of links to organisations who are making great efforts to categorise, evaluate and summarise the vast catalogue of COVID-19 research. If you discover any other great resources please feel free to share these in the comments section below.

Global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) - WHO Global research database and links to further research catalogues

LitCovid - a curated literature hub for tracking up-to-date scientific information about COVID-19

Public Health Emergency COVID-19 Initiative - PubMed Central

COVID-19 Science Updates - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines - National Institutes for Health

ClinicalTrials.gov - COVID-19 clinical trials

Finding the evidence: Coronavirus – Knowledge & Library Services - Public Health England

Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Cochrane resources and news - Cochrane

Weekly Update by Dr Ryan Broll, MedShr Open Editorial Team, Medical Education Fellow