Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 14th December 2020
Weekly update published on MedShr: 14th December 2020
Last updated: 14th December 2020
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Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 14th December 2020
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.
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Global Impact of COVID-19 to Date
WHO official data, reported on 13th Dec 2020
COVID-19 Cumulative Global Cases
WHO official data, reported on 13th Dec 2020
Source: World Health Organization
Total UK COVID-19 Cases
As of 14th Dec 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 13-12-20
Source: Public Health England
COVID-19 in the African Region
As of 14th Dec 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 13-12-20
Source: World Health Organization
COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
As of 14th Dec 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 13-12-20
Source: World Health Organization
Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:
A selection of recent publications and useful clinical guidance from scientific journals:
Editorials, Research Articles and Commentary:
Voysey M, Clemens SAC, Madhi SA, et al. Safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2: an interim analysis of four randomised controlled trials in Brazil, South Africa, and the UK. Lancet. 2020 Dec 8:S0140-6736(20)32661-1. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32661-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33306989; PMCID: PMC7723445.
NEJM: Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine
Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, et al. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020 Dec 10. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034577. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33301246.
Bhaskaran K, Rentsch CT, MacKenna B, et al. HIV infection and COVID-19 death: a population-based cohort analysis of UK primary care data and linked national death registrations within the OpenSAFELY platform. The Lancet HIV. 2020 Dec 11. doi: 10.1016/S2352-3018(20)30305-2. Epub ahead of print. Linked comment: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-3018(20)30332-5
Dorjee K, Kim H, Bonomo E, Dolma R. Prevalence and predictors of death and severe disease in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of 77 studies and 38,000 patients. PLoS One. 2020 Dec 7;15(12):e0243191. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243191. PMID: 33284825.
Lal A, Erondu NA, Heymann DL, Gitahi G, Yates R. Fragmented health systems in COVID-19: rectifying the misalignment between global health security and universal health coverage. Lancet. 2020 Dec 1:S0140-6736(20)32228-5. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32228-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33275906.
Transfus Clin Biol: The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on blood supplies and transfusion services in Eastern Mediterranean Region
Riyami AZA, Abdella YE, Badawi MA, et al. Transfus Clin Biol. 2020 Dec 1:S1246-7820(20)30161-0. doi: 10.1016/j.tracli.2020.11.002. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33276150; PMCID: PMC7706593.
J Glob Health: Nigeria's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic: January to May 2020 (viewpoint)
Dan-Nwafor C, Ochu CL, Elimian K, et al. Nigeria's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic: January to May 2020. J Glob Health. 2020 Dec;10(2):020399. doi: 10.7189/jogh.10.020399. PMID: 33274062; PMCID: PMC7696244.
J Med Internet Res: Middle East and North Africa SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance: A Longitudinal Trend Analysis
Post L, Marogi E, Moss CB, et al. Middle East and North Africa SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance: A Longitudinal Trend Analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Dec 10. doi: 10.2196/25830. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33302252.
Latest Developments in the News:
WHO Weekly Situational Reports: Epidemiological and Operational
Africa
WHO (AFRO): WHO urges stronger community role in COVID-19 vaccine rollout
BMJ: Rwanda’s secret weapon against covid-19: trust
WHO (AFRO): Keeping to the universal health coverage path in Kenya
BBC: Coronavirus in Africa tracker
WHO in the African Region: COVID-19
Eastern Mediterranean
WHO (EMRO): WHO Regional Director's statement for virtual press briefing, 8 December
WHO (EMRO): Islamic Advisory Group reiterates commitment to polio eradication amid COVID-19 pandemic
BBC: Coronavirus vaccine: China jab 86% effective, UAE says
WHO: Regional COVID-19 response: success stories
WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: COVID-19
United Kingdom
BMJ: Lateral flow tests cannot rule out SARS-CoV-2 infection
BBC: Covid: UK isolation period shortened to 10 days
BMJ: Lightening the viral load to lessen covid-19 severity
EClinicalMedicine (by The Lancet): The challenges of distributing COVID-19 vaccinations
BBC: Lockdown rules: What Covid tier is your area in and what are the restrictions?
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK
Global Health
BMJ: Covid-19: Many poor countries will see almost no vaccine next year, aid groups warn
Nature: Oxford COVID-vaccine paper highlights lingering unknowns about results
BMJ: Covid-19: Pfizer vaccine efficacy was 52% after first dose and 95% after second dose, paper shows
BMJ: Covid-19: FDA panel votes to approve Pfizer BioNTech vaccine
The Lancet: Facing up to long COVID
BMJ: Using antibiotics wisely for respiratory tract infection in the era of covid-19 (Practice Pointer)
Useful Sources for Latest Developments and News
WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic (including links to regional offices)
WHO: COVID-19 vaccines
United Nations: COVID-19 Response
Johns Hopkins University & Medicine: Coronavirus Resource Center
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Médecins Sans Frontières: Response and News Articles
BBC: Covid-19 pandemic: Tracking the global coronavirus outbreak
Financial Times: Coronavirus tracker: the latest figures as countries fight Covid-19 resurgence
Harvard Medical School: Coronavirus Resource Center
Our World in Data: Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) - Statistics and Research
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
MedShr Open: COVID-19 Weekly Article - Malaria and COVID-19
Last week's COVID-19 Open Article considers the challenge of managing COVID-19 in malaria endemic settings, and focuses on strategies for maintaining essential services for malaria during this time.
Public Health Emergency COVID-19 Initiative - PubMed Central
An open collection of COVID-19 and coronavirus-related publications, and the available data supporting them, from over 50 publishers to support the ongoing public health emergency response efforts (PMC).
Other Useful Resources:
Intensive Care Society (UK) Covid-19 Resource Hub
The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust COVID-19 Bulletins - A weekly bulletin detailing the "latest guidelines, research and reports relating to COVID-19"
NHS England: Coronavirus guidance for clinicians and NHS managers
Weekly Update by Dr Ryan Broll, MedShr Open Editorial Team, Medical Education Fellow
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