Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 4th May 2020

This update will be published weekly on Monday at 12pm GMT 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 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

As of 4th May 09:00 (GMT)

Source: Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

COVID-19 Cumulative Global Cases

As of 3rd May 11:00 (GMT)

Source: World Health Organisation

COVID-19 Global Active Cases Map

As of 4th May 09:00 GMT

Source: Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

Total UK COVID-19 Cases

As of 3rd May

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 Cumulative UK Cases

As of 3rd May

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 Daily UK Cases

As of 3rd May

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 in the African Region

As of 3rd May

Source: World Health Organisation

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

As of 3rd May

Source: World Health Organisation

COVID-19 Key Data

Source: Financial Times

Source: Financial Times

Source: The Guardian

Source: Financial Times

Latest Developments

Coronavirus lockdown: Inventive routes back to normal life

How to avoid a W-shaped global coronavirus recession

Africa

Somali medics report rapid rise in deaths as Covid-19 fears grow

Botswana 'masks up' over COVID-19: Govt restricts sale of medical masks

African countries move from COVID-19 readiness to response as many confirm cases

Tracking Africa's coronavirus cases

COVID-19 pandemic in west Africa

Asia

Southeast Asia Covid-19 Tracker

Malaysia cites Covid-19 for rounding up hundreds of migrants

Brunei’s Response To COVID-19

Voices of Nurses and Midwives in the Philippines

Middle East

The Syrian refugee tailor sewing face masks for Italians

UN repeats call for ceasefire as it works to save Middle East from COVID-19

COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa

Coronavirus: Syria's Kurds set up dedicated hospital following first death

Europe

European leaders join forces to combat Covid-19

Graph shows Sweden’s coronavirus death toll rapidly increasing compared to other countries

COVID-19: Why has Portugal seemingly fared better than Spain?

United Kingdom

Staggered work times expected in government exit strategy as NHS contact-tracing app tested

Coronavirus: Antibody test 'ready for production by June'

UK records 315 new daily deaths - lowest figure since March

North-west overtakes London for number of Covid-19 hospital cases

Coronavirus UK: how many confirmed cases are there in my area?

USA

Donald Trump's four-step plan to reopen the US economy

Covid-19 has cruelly exposed America's inequalities. Now we need to come together

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

Visualizing Speech-Generated Oral Fluid Droplets with Laser Light Scattering

Published 15th April 2020 in NEJM

With countries planning to ease lockdown measures, mask-wearing may become commonplace. What does the research say about wearing masks and droplet-spread? Research using laser light to measure the generation of droplets while speaking, includes an interesting video highlighting the droplets.

The number of flashes was highest (arrow) when the “th” sound in the word “healthy” was pronounced. The trace offset below the graph shows that when the speaker’s mouth was covered with a damp cloth, there was no qualitative increase in the flash count during speech over the background level observed before the first trial of speech

Source: NEJM

New NIAID Study Examines Immune Responses in People Hospitalized with COVID-19

Published: 1st May 2020

New prospective study on COVID-19, aiming to recruit 2000 patients within 36 hours of their admission to the hospital and follow them for up to one year. By analyzing the immune responses of a variety of hospitalized patients, researchers aim to better understand at an immunological level why some cases of COVID-19 worsen while other patients recover.

Source: NIH

Daily Update by Dr Samantha Goh and Dr Rachel Coles, MedShr Open Editorial Team, Medical Education Teaching Fellows