Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 12th July 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 healthcare professionals to help improve patient care.

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 12th July 2021

Sources: World Health Organization

COVID-19 Cumulative Global Cases

Data from WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, reported on 12th July 2021

Source: World Health Organization

Global Vaccinations Against COVID-19

Official data collated by Our World in Data - data up to 11th July 2021

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."

Mathieu, E., Ritchie, H., Ortiz-Ospina, E. et al. A global database of COVID-19 vaccinations. Nat Hum Behav (2021)

Total UK COVID-19 Cases

Data for 24 hour period, reported on 11-07-21

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 in the African Region

Data for 24 hour period, reported on 11-07-21

Source: World Health Organization

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Data for 24 hour period, reported on 11-07-21

Source: World Health Organization

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

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

The Lancet: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of BNT162b2 booster in ChAdOx1-S-primed participants (CombiVacS): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial

Borobia AM, Carcas AJ, Pérez-Olmeda M, et al. Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of BNT162b2 booster in ChAdOx1-S-primed participants (CombiVacS): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet. 2021 Jun 25;398(10295):121–30. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01420-3. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34181880; PMCID: PMC8233007.

BMJ Global Health: The secondary transmission pattern of COVID-19 based on contact tracing in Rwanda

Semakula M, Niragire F, Umutoni A, et al. The secondary transmission pattern of COVID-19 based on contact tracing in Rwanda. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Jun;6(6):e004885. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004885. PMID: 34103325; PMCID: PMC8189754.

Vaccine: Thrombocytopenia including immune thrombocytopenia after receipt of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) 

Welsh KJ, Baumblatt J, Chege W, et al. Thrombocytopenia including immune thrombocytopenia after receipt of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Vaccine. 2021 Jun 8;39(25):3329-3332. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.04.054. Epub 2021 Apr 30. PMID: 34006408; PMCID: PMC8086806.

NEJM: Three Doses of an mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine in Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients (commentary)

Kamar N, Abravanel F, Marion O, et al. Three Doses of an mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine in Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients. N Engl J Med. 2021 Jun 23. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2108861. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34161700.

Vaccine: COVID-19 related immunization disruptions in Rajasthan, India: A retrospective observational study

Jain R, Chopra A, Falézan C, et al. COVID-19 related immunization disruptions in Rajasthan, India: A retrospective observational study. Vaccine. 2021 Jul 13;39(31):4343-4350. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.06.022. Epub 2021 Jun 12. PMID: 34154863; PMCID: PMC8196298.

Science: Effect of natural mutations of SARS-CoV-2 on spike structure, conformation, and antigenicity 

Gobeil SM, Janowska K, McDowell S, et al. Effect of natural mutations of SARS-CoV-2 on spike structure, conformation, and antigenicity. Science. 2021 Jun 24:eabi6226. doi: 10.1126/science.abi6226. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34168071.

Front Public Health: Data-Driven and Machine-Learning Methods to Project Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Trend in Eastern Mediterranean

Huang W, Ao S, Han D, et al. Data-Driven and Machine-Learning Methods to Project Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Trend in Eastern Mediterranean. Front Public Health. 2021 May 13;9:602353. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.602353. PMID: 34055708; PMCID: PMC8158576.

Educational Resources:

WHO: COVID-19 Course Series and Vaccine Series

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

BMJ: Covid-19 vaccination hesitancy 

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

NEJM: Covid-19 Rx: Treatment Simulations

BMJ: Interpreting a lateral flow SARS-CoV-2 antigen test

Nature Podcast: Coronapod: kids' role in the future of COVID (9th July 2021)

MedShr Open: COVID-19 Articles and Learning Modules

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. There are also new, free COVID-19 Learning Modules live in the the COVID-19 discussion group:

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 of 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

India and Pakistan COVID-19 Support Groups

New groups have been launched as part of MedShr's COVID-19 education programme in response to the current challenges in India and Pakistan. The groups are intended to be a dedicated place for all healthcare professionals to share information and resources, and discuss how to manage increasingly unwell patients with limited resources, as well as giving access to international experts in COVID-19.

Weekly Update by MedShr Open Editorial Team