Coronavirus COVID-19 Weekly Update 26th October 2020

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Weekly update published on MedShr: 26th October 2020
Last updated: 26th October 2020

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 26th October 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.

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

WHO official data, reported on 25th Oct 2020

COVID-19 Cumulative Global Cases

WHO official data, reported on 25th Oct 2020

Total UK COVID-19 Cases

As of 26th Oct 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 25-10-20

Total UK daily cases over past month

Source: Public Health England


Public Health England: "An issue was identified overnight on Friday 2 October in the automated process that transfers positive cases data to PHE. It has now been resolved. The cases by publish date for 3 and 4 October include 15,841 additional cases with specimen dates between 25 September and 2 October — they are therefore artificially high for England and the UK." The above image charting the trend in new cases over the past month only includes positive test results recorded daily, not the additional positive cases included in the published daily case number for 3rd and 4th October; for the cumulative case number including this data please see Public Health England.

COVID-19 in the African Region

As of 26th Oct 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 25-10-20

COVID-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

As of 26th Oct 09:00 (GMT) - Data for 24 hour period, reported on 25-10-20

Latest Developments in the News:

WHO Weekly Situational Reports: Epidemiological and Operational


Africa

WHO: New COVID-19 rapid tests a game changer for Africa

WHO: Enhancing diagnosis to beat COVID-19 in Senegal

WHO: Testing at the core of Gabon’s COVID-19 battle

WHO: Benin boosts COVID-19 response with increased testing

WHO: WHO Donates test kits to the Ministry of Health to help strengthen the national response towards the COVID-19 pandemic

UN: Someone to talk to: in Kenya, a hotline for women—and men—in crisis

BBC: Coronavirus in Africa tracker

WHO in the African Region: COVID-19


Eastern Mediterranean

WHO: Regional Director's statement on COVID-19

WHO: Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean hands-over medical supplies during his visit to Syria

WHO: Health workers celebrated on World Polio Day in Somalia

WHO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: COVID-19


United Kingdom

BBC: Covid: The NHS workers 'still recovering' as second wave looms 

BBC: 'Generation Covid' hit hard by the pandemic, research reveals

The Guardian: NHS short of over £1bn for Covid second wave and onset of winter

BBC: Coronavirus doctor's diary: 'We blame Eat Out To Help Out for our tragedy'

The Guardian: Boots to offer 12-minute Covid testing service within weeks

BBC: Local lockdown rules: What Covid tier is my area in?

UK Government Advice

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK


Global Health

WHO: The World Health Organization and Wikimedia Foundation expand access to trusted information about COVID-19 on Wikipedia

WHO: WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 - 23 October 2020

WHO (SEARO): Need to continue extreme caution against COVID-19: WHO

WHO (PAHO): Work to develop a COVID-19 vaccine is faster than ever but safety and efficacy processes remain unchanged, PAHO Director says

FDA: FDA Approves First Treatment for COVID-19  

BMJ: Will covid-19 vaccines save lives? Current trials aren’t designed to tell us 

Nature: How anti-ageing drugs could boost COVID vaccines in older people

JAMA: The Challenges of Expanding Rapid Tests to Curb COVID-19

BBC: Covid: Spain imposes national night-time curfew to curb infections 

BBC: Coronavirus: Germany improves ventilation to chase away Covid 

BMJ: Convalescent plasma is ineffective for covid-19

BBC: Covid: Why is coronavirus so deadly?


Useful Sources for Latest Developments and News

WHO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

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


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)


MedShr Open: COVID-19 Weekly Article - Seasonal Influenza

Last week's COVID-19 Open Article considered the evidence for convalescent plasma as an emerging therapy in the management of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic:

Latest COVID-19 Publications and Guidelines:

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


Editorials, Research Articles and Commentary:

BMJ: Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (PLACID Trial)

Agarwal A, Mukherjee A, Kumar G, Chatterjee P, Bhatnagar T, Malhotra P; PLACID Trial Collaborators. Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (PLACID Trial). BMJ. 2020 Oct 22;371:m3939. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3939. PMID: 33093056; PMCID: PMC7578662.

Nature: A pooled testing strategy for identifying SARS-CoV-2 at low prevalence

Mutesa L, Ndishimye P, Butera Y, Souopgui J, Uwineza A, Rutayisire R, Ndoricimpaye EL, Musoni E, Rujeni N, Nyatanyi T, Ntagwabira E, Semakula M, Musanabaganwa C, Nyamwasa D, Ndashimye M, Ujeneza E, Mwikarago IE, Muvunyi CM, Mazarati JB, Nsanzimana S, Turok N, Ndifon W. A pooled testing strategy for identifying SARS-CoV-2 at low prevalence. Nature. 2020 Oct 21. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2885-5. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33086375.

NEJM: Efficacy of Tocilizumab in Patients Hospitalized with Covid-19

Stone JH, Frigault MJ, Serling-Boyd NJ, Fernandes AD, Harvey L, Foulkes AS, Horick NK, Healy BC, Shah R, Bensaci AM, Woolley AE, Nikiforow S, Lin N, Sagar M, Schrager H, Huckins DS, Axelrod M, Pincus MD, Fleisher J, Sacks CA, Dougan M, North CM, Halvorsen YD, Thurber TK, Dagher Z, Scherer A, Wallwork RS, Kim AY, Schoenfeld S, Sen P, Neilan TG, Perugino CA, Unizony SH, Collier DS, Matza MA, Yinh JM, Bowman KA, Meyerowitz E, Zafar A, Drobni ZD, Bolster MB, Kohler M, D'Silva KM, Dau J, Lockwood MM, Cubbison C, Weber BN, Mansour MK; BACC Bay Tocilizumab Trial Investigators. Efficacy of Tocilizumab in Patients Hospitalized with Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2020 Oct 21. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2028836. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33085857.

BMJ: Living risk prediction algorithm (QCOVID) for risk of hospital admission and mortality from coronavirus 19 in adults: national derivation and validation cohort study

Clift AK, Coupland CAC, Keogh RH, Diaz-Ordaz K, Williamson E, Harrison EM, Hayward A, Hemingway H, Horby P, Mehta N, Benger J, Khunti K, Spiegelhalter D, Sheikh A, Valabhji J, Lyons RA, Robson J, Semple MG, Kee F, Johnson P, Jebb S, Williams T, Hippisley-Cox J. Living risk prediction algorithm (QCOVID) for risk of hospital admission and mortality from coronavirus 19 in adults: national derivation and validation cohort study. BMJ. 2020 Oct 20;371:m3731. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3731. PMID: 33082154; PMCID: PMC7574532.

Lancet Respiratory Medicine: Ventilation management and clinical outcomes in invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 (PRoVENT-COVID): a national, multicentre, observational cohort study

Botta M, Tsonas AM, Pillay J, et al. Ventilation management and clinical outcomes in invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 (PRoVENT-COVID): a national, multicentre, observational cohort study. Lancet Respir Med. 2020. ISSN 2213-2600, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30459-8.

PLOS One: Barriers and facilitators of adherence to social distancing recommendations during COVID-19 among a large international sample of adults

Coroiu A, Moran C, Campbell T, Geller AC. Barriers and facilitators of adherence to social distancing recommendations during COVID-19 among a large international sample of adults. PLoS One. 2020 Oct 7;15(10):e0239795. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239795. PMID: 33027281; PMCID: PMC7540845.


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

CDC: COVID-19 Science Updates


Weekly Update by Dr Ryan Broll, MedShr Open Editorial Team, Medical Education Fellow

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