Weekly update published on MedShr: 12th April 2021
Last updated: 12th April 2021

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Global Impact of COVID-19 to Date

Data from WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, reported on 11th 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 11th April 2021

Source: World Health Organization

Global Vaccinations Against COVID-19

Official data collated by Our World in Data - data up to 11th April 2021 at 11:48 (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 12th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 11-04-21

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 in the African Region

As of 12th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 11-04-21

Source: World Health Organization

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

As of 12th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 11-04-21

Source: World Health Organization

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

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

The Lancet: The first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: a cross-sectional study 

Salyer SJ, Maeda J, Sembuche S, et al. The first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: a cross-sectional study. Lancet. 2021 Mar 24:S0140-6736(21)00632-2. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00632-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33773118.

BMJ: Remote management of covid-19 using home pulse oximetry and virtual ward support

Greenhalgh T, Knight M, Inda-Kim M, et al. Remote management of covid-19 using home pulse oximetry and virtual ward support. BMJ. 2021 Mar 25;372:n677. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n677. PMID: 33766809.

Nature Communications: Hospital load and increased COVID-19 related mortality in Israel

Rossman H, Meir T, Somer J, et al. Hospital load and increased COVID-19 related mortality in Israel. Nat Commun. 2021 Mar 26;12(1):1904. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22214-z. PMID: 33771988.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI): The urgent need to refocus on hardwiring prevention efforts

Fakih MG, Bufalino A, Sturm L, et al. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI): The urgent need to refocus on hardwiring prevention efforts. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2021 Feb 19:1-6. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.70. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33602361.

Science: mRNA vaccination boosts cross-variant neutralizing antibodies elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection

Stamatatos L, Czartoski J, Wan YH, et al. mRNA vaccination boosts cross-variant neutralizing antibodies elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Science. 2021 Mar 25:eabg9175. doi: 10.1126/science.abg9175. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33766944.

The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Performance and operational feasibility of antigen and antibody rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Cameroon: a clinical, prospective, diagnostic accuracy study

Boum Y, Fai KN, Nicolay B, et al. Performance and operational feasibility of antigen and antibody rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Cameroon: a clinical, prospective, diagnostic accuracy study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 25:S1473-3099(21)00132-8. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00132-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33773618.

JAMA Surgery: Use of Telehealth by Surgical Specialties During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Chao GF, Li KY, Zhu Z, McCullough J, et al. Use of Telehealth by Surgical Specialties During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Surg. 2021 Mar 26. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.0979. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33769434.

JAMA Psychiatry: How COVID-19 Affects the Brain 

Boldrini M, Canoll PD, Klein RS. How COVID-19 Affects the Brain. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 Mar 26. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.0500. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33769431.

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

BMJ: What is my covid risk?

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