Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 8th February 2021

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Weekly update published on MedShr: 8th February 2021
Last updated: 8th February 2021

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate and current at time of publication, but if you notice an error please contact covid@medshr.net and we will aim to address this. Please find MedShr’s full terms of service here.


Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 8th February 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 7th Feb 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 7th Feb 2021

Global Vaccinations Against COVID-19

Official data collated by Our World in Data - data up to 8th Feb 2021 at 10:40 (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 8th Feb 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 07-02-21

UK total daily cases over past month

COVID-19 in the African Region

As of 8th Feb 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 07-02-21

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

As of 8th Feb 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 07-02-21

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

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


Editorials, Research Articles and Commentary:

The Lancet: Safety and efficacy of an rAd26 and rAd5 vector-based heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccine: an interim analysis of a randomised controlled phase 3 trial in Russia 

Logunov DY, Dolzhikova IV, Shcheblyakov DV, et al. Safety and efficacy of an rAd26 and rAd5 vector-based heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccine: an interim analysis of a randomised controlled phase 3 trial in Russia. Lancet. 2021 Feb 2:S0140-6736(21)00234-8. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00234-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33545094; PMCID: PMC7852454.

BMJ: Explaining covid-19 performance: what factors might predict national responses? 

Baum F, Freeman T, Musolino C, et al. Explaining covid-19 performance: what factors might predict national responses? BMJ. 2021 Jan 28;372:n91. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n91. PMID: 33509924; PMCID: PMC7842256.

Science Advances: Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries

Egger D, Miguel E, Warren SS, et al. Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries. Sci Adv. 2021 Feb 5;7(6):eabe0997. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abe0997. PMID: 33547077.

Nature: Global absence and targeting of protective immune states in severe COVID-19 

Combes AJ, Courau T, Kuhn NF, et al. Global absence and targeting of protective immune states in severe COVID-19. Nature. 2021 Jan 25. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03234-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33494096.

BMJ: Are overwhelmed health systems an inevitable consequence of covid-19? Experiences from China, Thailand, and New York State

Tangcharoensathien V, Bassett MT, Meng Q, Mills A. Are overwhelmed health systems an inevitable consequence of covid-19? Experiences from China, Thailand, and New York State. BMJ. 2021 Jan 22;372:n83. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n83. PMID: 33483336.

The Lancet HIV: The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on HIV care in 65 South African primary care clinics: an interrupted time series analysis

Dorward J, Khubone T, Gate K, et al. The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on HIV care in 65 South African primary care clinics: an interrupted time series analysis. The Lancet HIV. ePub ahead of print. 2021 Feb 4. DOI: 10.1016/S2352-3018(20)30359-3

Pulmonology: Tuberculosis, COVID-19 and hospital admission: Consensus on pros and cons based on a review of the evidence

Migliori GB, Visca D, van den Boom M, et al. Tuberculosis, COVID-19 and hospital admission: Consensus on pros and cons based on a review of the evidence. Pulmonology. 2021 Jan 28:S2531-0437(21)00036-2. doi: 10.1016/j.pulmoe.2020.12.016. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33547028.


Latest Developments in the News:

WHO Weekly Situational Reports: Epidemiological and Operational


Africa

Science: South Africa suspends use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine after it fails to clearly stop virus variant

WHO (AFRO): COVAX expects to start sending millions of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa in February

The Lancet Microbe: Africa prepares for COVID-19 vaccines 

Africa CDC: The Rockefeller Foundation Announces Grant to Expand Access to COVID-19 Testing and Tracing in Africa

Médecins Sans Frontières: MSF urges immediate delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to southern Africa

BBC: Coronavirus in Africa tracker

WHO in the African Region: COVID-19


Eastern Mediterranean

East Mediterr Health J: Air quality and health impacts in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: an eye on COVID-19 

WHO (EMRO): Health care workers in the time of COVID-19, stories of heroes, part 2

BBC News: Covid-19: Why are Palestinians not getting vaccines?

The Lancet Respiratory Medicine: Yemen: Coronavirus in a War Zone 

WHO (EMRO): WHO and KSRelief are working together to support COVID-19 preparedness and response in Yemen

WHO: Regional COVID-19 response: success stories

WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: COVID-19


United Kingdom

BBC News: Covid: More than 12 million in UK have had first jab

The BMJ: Covid-19: New data on Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine backs 12 week dosing interval 

The BMJ: Covid-19: Four in 10 people with evidence of past infection had no classic symptoms, study finds 

BBC News: Covid: Oxford jab offers less S Africa variant protection

The BMJ: Covid-19: The E484K mutation and the risks it poses

UK Government Advice

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK


Global Health

Nature: Could mixing COVID vaccines boost immune response? 

The BMJ: Covid-19: Russian vaccine efficacy is 91.6%, show phase III trial results 

NEJM Journal Watch: How Long Does Immunity Last After Recovery from Mild COVID-19?

The Lancet: Understanding variants of SARS-CoV-2 

The BMJ: How to vaccinate the world against covid-19 

The Lancet: WHO team begins COVID-19 origin investigation 

The Lancet: Health and care workers are owed a better future - The Lancet


Useful Sources for Latest Developments and News

WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic (including links to regional offices) and COVID-19 vaccines

Our World in Data: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research

United Nations: COVID-19 Response

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine: Coronavirus Resource Center

BBC: Covid-19 pandemic: Tracking the global coronavirus outbreak

Harvard Medical School: Coronavirus Resource Center


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

The BMJ: Managing the long term effects of covid-19: summary of NICE, SIGN, and RCGP rapid guideline

Shah W, Hillman T, Playford ED, Hishmeh L. Managing the long term effects of covid-19: summary of NICE, SIGN, and RCGP rapid guideline. BMJ. 2021 Jan 22;372:n136. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n136. PMID: 33483331.

Nature Podcast, 5th February 2021: Coronapod: Variants – what you need to know


MedShr Open: COVID-19 Weekly Article - Comorbidities and COVID-19

Last weeks COVID-19 Open Article aims to consider some of the research exploring the relationship between comorbidities and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection.


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

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