Weekly update published on MedShr: 19th April 2021
Last updated: 19th April 2021

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Global Impact of COVID-19 to Date

Data from WHO Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Dashboard, reported on 18th 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 18th April 2021

Source: World Health Organization

Global Vaccinations Against COVID-19

Official data collated by Our World in Data - data up to 18th April 2021 at 12:00 (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 19th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 18-04-21

Source: Public Health England

COVID-19 in the African Region

As of 19th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 18-04-21

Source: World Health Organization

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

As of 19th April 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 18-04-21

Source: World Health Organization

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

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

The Lancet: Efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/01 (B.1.1.7): an exploratory analysis of a randomised controlled trial

Emary KRW, Golubchik T, Aley PK, et al. Efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/01 (B.1.1.7): an exploratory analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2021 Apr 10;397(10282):1351-1362. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00628-0. Epub 2021 Mar 30. PMID: 33798499; PMCID: PMC8009612.

NEJM: Pathologic Antibodies to Platelet Factor 4 after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccination

Scully M, Singh D, Lown R, et al. Pathologic Antibodies to Platelet Factor 4 after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccination. N Engl J Med. 2021 Apr 16. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2105385. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33861525.

The BMJ: Drug treatments for covid-19: living systematic review and network meta-analysis

Update to living systematic review on drug treatments for covid-19. BMJ. 2021 Mar 31;372:n858. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n858. PMID: 33789885.

Science: Genomics and epidemiology of the P.1 SARS-CoV-2 lineage in Manaus, Brazil

Faria NR, Mellan TA, Whittaker C, et al. Genomics and epidemiology of the P.1 SARS-CoV-2 lineage in Manaus, Brazil. Science. 2021 Apr 14:eabh2644. doi: 10.1126/science.abh2644. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33853970.

The Lancet Respiratory Medicine: Inhaled budesonide in the treatment of early COVID-19 (STOIC): a phase 2, open-label, randomised controlled trial

Ramakrishnan S, Nicolau DV Jr, Langford B, et al. Inhaled budesonide in the treatment of early COVID-19 (STOIC): a phase 2, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Respir Med. 2021 Apr 9:S2213-2600(21)00160-0. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(21)00160-0. Epub ahead of print. Erratum in: Lancet Respir Med. 2021 Apr 14;: PMID: 33844996; PMCID: PMC8040526.

The Lancet Psychiatry: 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236 379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records

Taquet M, Geddes JR, Husain M, et al. 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236 379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records. Lancet Psychiatry. 2021 Apr 1:S2215-0366(21)00084-5. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00084-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33836148; PMCID: PMC8023694.

Am J Trop Med Hyg: Ebola Outbreak amid COVID-19 in the Republic of Guinea: Priorities for Achieving Control

Aborode AT, Tsagkaris C, Jain S, et al. Ebola Outbreak amid COVID-19 in the Republic of Guinea: Priorities for Achieving Control. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Apr 14:tpmd210228. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0228. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33852428.

Nature Communications: Genetic evidence for the association between COVID-19 epidemic severity and timing of non-pharmaceutical interventions

Ragonnet-Cronin M, Boyd O, Geidelberg L, et al. Genetic evidence for the association between COVID-19 epidemic severity and timing of non-pharmaceutical interventions. Nat Commun. 2021 Apr 12;12(1):2188. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-22366-y. PMID: 33846321.

JAMA: Effect of Intermediate-Dose vs Standard-Dose Prophylactic Anticoagulation on Thrombotic Events, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Treatment, or Mortality Among Patients With COVID-19 Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: The INSPIRATION Randomized Clinical Trial 

INSPIRATION Investigators, Sadeghipour P, Talasaz AH, et al. Effect of Intermediate-Dose vs Standard-Dose Prophylactic Anticoagulation on Thrombotic Events, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Treatment, or Mortality Among Patients With COVID-19 Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: The INSPIRATION Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2021 Mar 18:e214152. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.4152. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33734299; PMCID: PMC7974835.

Am J Obstet Gynecol: COVID-19 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study

Gray KJ, Bordt EA, Atyeo C, et al. COVID-19 vaccine response in pregnant and lactating women: a cohort study. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Mar 24:S0002-9378(21)00187-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.03.023. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33775692; PMCID: PMC7997025.

PLoS One: Impact of COVID-19 on mental health and quality of life: Is there any effect? A cross-sectional study of the MENA region

Al Dhaheri AS, Bataineh MF, Mohamad MN, et al. Impact of COVID-19 on mental health and quality of life: Is there any effect? A cross-sectional study of the MENA region. PLoS One. 2021 Mar 25;16(3):e0249107. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249107. PMID: 33765015; PMCID: PMC7993788.

J Infect Public Health: Antimicrobial Resistance Threats in the emerging COVID-19 pandemic: Where do we stand?

Ghosh S, Bornman C, Zafer MM. Antimicrobial Resistance Threats in the emerging COVID-19 pandemic: Where do we stand? J Infect Public Health. 2021 Mar 5;14(5):555-560. doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.02.011. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33848884; PMCID: PMC7934675.

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?

Nature Podcast: Coronapod: could COVID vaccines cause blood clots? Here's what the science says (16th 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