Weekly update published on MedShr: 26th April 2021
Last updated: 26th April 2021

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Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 26th April 2021

This update will be published weekly at 12pm (London time) 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.

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 25th April 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 25th April 2021

Source: World Health Organization

Global Vaccinations Against COVID-19

Official data collated by Our World in Data - data up to 25th April 2021 at 11:40 (London time)

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 26th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 25-04-21

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 in the African Region

As of 26th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 25-04-21

Source: World Health Organization

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

As of 26th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 25-04-21

Source: World Health Organization

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

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

The Lancet Global Health: How COVID-19 has fundamentally changed clinical research in global health

Park JJH, Mogg R, Smith GE, et al. How COVID-19 has fundamentally changed clinical research in global health. Lancet Glob Health. 2021 May;9(5):e711-e720. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30542-8. PMID: 33865476.

The BMJ: Post-covid syndrome in individuals admitted to hospital with covid-19: retrospective cohort study

Ayoubkhani D, Khunti K, Nafilyan V, et al. Post-covid syndrome in individuals admitted to hospital with covid-19: retrospective cohort study. BMJ. 2021 Mar 31;372:n693. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n693. PMID: 33789877; PMCID: PMC8010267.

JAMA: Symptoms and Functional Impairment Assessed 8 Months After Mild COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers 

Havervall S, Rosell A, Phillipson M, et al. Symptoms and Functional Impairment Assessed 8 Months After Mild COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers. JAMA. 2021 Apr 7. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.5612. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33825846.

The Lancet Psychiatry: Suicide trends in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic: an interrupted time-series analysis of preliminary data from 21 countries

Pirkis J, John A, Shin S, et al. Suicide trends in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic: an interrupted time-series analysis of preliminary data from 21 countries. Lancet Psychiatry. 2021 Apr 13:S2215-0366(21)00091-2. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00091-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33862016.

The BMJ Open: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and depression symptoms of young people in the global south: evidence from a four-country cohort study

Porter C, Favara M, Hittmeyer A, et al. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and depression symptoms of young people in the global south: evidence from a four-country cohort study. BMJ Open. 2021 Apr 15;11(4):e049653. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049653. PMID: 33858874.

East Mediterr Health J: COVID-19 pandemic: a unique opportunity to 'build back fairer' and reduce health inequities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (Editorial)

Al-Mandhari A, Marmot M, Ghaffar A, et al. COVID-19 pandemic: a unique opportunity to 'build back fairer' and reduce health inequities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. East Mediterr Health J. 2021 Mar 23;27(3):217-219. doi: 10.26719/2021.27.3.217. PMID: 33788208.

The Lancet Respiratory Medicine: SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and subsequent infection risk in healthy young adults: a prospective cohort study

Letizia AG, Ge Y, Vangeti S, et al. SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity and subsequent infection risk in healthy young adults: a prospective cohort study. Lancet Respir Med. 2021 Apr 15. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(21)00158-2

The BMJ Open Respiratory Research: Impact of corticosteroids in hospitalised COVID-19 patients 

Ho KS, Narasimhan B, Difabrizio L, et al. Impact of corticosteroids in hospitalised COVID-19 patients. BMJ Open Respir Res. 2021 Apr;8(1):e000766. doi: 10.1136/bmjresp-2020-000766. PMID: 33811098; PMCID: PMC8023732.

JAMA Internal Medicine: Incidence of 30-Day Venous Thromboembolism in Adults Tested for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an Integrated Health Care System in Northern California

Roubinian NH, Dusendang JR, Mark DG, et al. Incidence of 30-Day Venous Thromboembolism in Adults Tested for SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an Integrated Health Care System in Northern California. JAMA Intern Med. 2021 Apr 5. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.0488. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33818615.

Nature Communications: Orally delivered MK-4482 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in the Syrian hamster model 

Rosenke K, Hansen F, Schwarz B, et al. Orally delivered MK-4482 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in the Syrian hamster model. Nat Commun. 2021 Apr 16;12(1):2295. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22580-8. PMID: 33863887.

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

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

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

Nature Podcast: Coronapod: Kids and COVID vaccines (23rd April 2021)

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 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

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