Chest Medicine
WHO Report: Preparing for Long COVID 2021
26 Feb, 2021 | 08:46h | UTCIn the wake of the pandemic: preparing for Long COVID (2021) – World Health Organization
Commentaries: Long COVID sufferer still has disease’s debilitating symptoms nearly a year after first falling ill – EuroNews AND Debilitating ‘long-COVID’ may have severe health, social impacts: WHO – Reuters
Related: Dr. Fauci says new data suggests ‘long’ Covid symptoms can last up to 9 months – CNBC
People with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may have a low risk of future infection
25 Feb, 2021 | 09:04h | UTCEditorial: How to Advise Persons Who Are Antibody Positive for SARS-CoV-2 About Future Infection Risk
Commentaries: Covid-19 antibodies may protect against reinfection later, study suggests – CNN AND NCI study finds that people with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies may have a low risk of future infection – National Cancer Institute
Perspective: Coronavirus reinfection will soon become our reality
25 Feb, 2021 | 08:59h | UTCCoronavirus reinfection will soon become our reality – The Atlantic (a few articles per month are free)
ASCO Guideline: Management of dyspnea in advanced cancer
24 Feb, 2021 | 02:10h | UTCManagement of Dyspnea in Advanced Cancer: ASCO Guideline – Journal of Clinical Oncology
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
1/ How can we better manage dyspnea in people with advanced cancer?
Wonderful to see this new @ASCO Guideline out.
Led by Drs. @DrDavidHui and @campbell_meg #supponc #pallonc
Full text: https://t.co/qbdhzbibKw pic.twitter.com/f2Qf6GswvK
— Arjun Gupta (@guptaarjun90) February 23, 2021
Study: Patients with severe COVID-19 might shed viable virus during prolonged periods of up to 4 weeks
24 Feb, 2021 | 02:56h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Different pattern of SARS-CoV-2 viability in mild cases (viral replication max 10 days) vs severe COVID-19: viable virus demonstrated up to 4 weeks even in the presence of high levels of neutralizing activityhttps://t.co/dhERkipKJ0
— Rafael Delgado (@derafaeldelgado) February 23, 2021
FDA issues alert on ‘limitations’ of pulse oximeters, without explicit mention of racial bias
23 Feb, 2021 | 02:03h | UTCFDA issues alert on ‘limitations’ of pulse oximeters, without explicit mention of racial bias – STAT
FDA Safety Alert: Pulse Oximeter Accuracy and Limitations: FDA Safety Communication – U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Related: “Racial Bias in Pulse Oximetry Measurement”. In two large cohorts, Black patients had nearly three times the frequency of occult hypoxemia that was not detected by pulse oximetry as White patients – New England Journal of Medicine (study and commentaries)
FDA: No credible evidence of food or food packaging associated with viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2
23 Feb, 2021 | 02:05h | UTCCommentary: FDA: COVID-19 Not Transmitted by Food or Packaging – WebMD
Editorial: Prophylactic anticoagulation for patients in hospital with covid-19
23 Feb, 2021 | 01:59h | UTCProphylactic anticoagulation for patients in hospital with covid-19 – The BMJ
Related: Full-dose Heparin best for moderate COVID-19 regardless of D-dimer — Data released from ACTIV-4a, ATTACC, and REMAP-CAP trials AND Cohort study: Early initiation of prophylactic anticoagulation linked to reduced mortality in patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19
M-A: Asthma does not increase the risk of infection, hospitalization, ICU admission, and mortality from COVID-19
23 Feb, 2021 | 01:44h | UTCCommentary: Study: Asthma does not increase risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 – News Medical
WHO announces updates on new molecular assays for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) and drug resistance
21 Feb, 2021 | 22:05h | UTC
The effects of tobacco control policies on global smoking prevalence
21 Feb, 2021 | 21:55h | UTCThe effects of tobacco control policies on global smoking prevalence – Nature Medicine
Commentaries on Twitter
Analysis of global #smoking prevalence trends from 2009-2017 demonstrates the effectiveness of #tobacco control policies across countries, and highlights gaps that remain for achieving universal adoption of anti-tobacco interventions. https://t.co/g86jhDUVFu #publichealth pic.twitter.com/fQZS4KKJIF
— Nature Medicine (@NatureMedicine) January 25, 2021
Nearly twice as many people live in countries (2.1 billion) where there are no smoking control or smoke-free policies, compared to people living in countries (1.1 billion) with national bans on smoking in public places.
Read more about tobacco control: https://t.co/qN8YBV9aFo pic.twitter.com/CoiOjeRFyU
— Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (@IHME_UW) February 21, 2021
3-month interval between first and second dose of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine results in higher vaccine efficacy than 6-week interval
21 Feb, 2021 | 22:42h | UTC
Study: One Pfizer/BioNTech shot gives 85% Covid protection
21 Feb, 2021 | 22:41h | UTCOne Pfizer/BioNTech shot gives 85% Covid protection – study – The Guardian
Original study: Early rate reductions of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 in BNT162b2 vaccine recipients – The Lancet
Commentary on Twitter
NEW Correspondence reports early findings from study of #Pfizer #vaccine in health-care workers in Israel, suggesting early reductions in #COVID19 infection and symptomatic rates following first dose. Read https://t.co/ONU8bS3Iwo pic.twitter.com/BDDvA7Juyb
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) February 19, 2021
Twelve criteria for the development and use of COVID-19 vaccine passports
21 Feb, 2021 | 22:36h | UTCTwelve criteria for the development and use of COVID-19 vaccine passports – The Royal Society
Commentaries: Vaccine passports can work, but face 12 challenges – University of Oxford AND UK scientists highlight 12 criteria for Covid vaccine passports – The Guardian
See also: What place should COVID-19 vaccine passports have in society? – Ada Lovelace Institute AND WHO looks at possible ‘e-vaccination certificates’ for travel – Reuters
Intensive care management of patients with COVID-19: a practical approach
21 Feb, 2021 | 22:34h | UTCRelated Guideline: Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines on the Management of Adults With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the ICU: First Update AND Infographic
Long Covid: Sequelae in adults at 6 Months after COVID-19 infection
21 Feb, 2021 | 22:13h | UTCSequelae in Adults at 6 Months After COVID-19 Infection – JAMA Network Open
Commentaries: Almost a third of people with ‘mild’ COVID-19 still battle symptoms months later, study finds – CNN AND Nearly One Third of Covid-19 Survivors Have Symptoms, Some Up To 9 Months Later, New Study Finds – Forbes
Commentary on Twitter
Long COVID:
~1/3 of COVID-19 pts had lingering symptoms of a median of 6 mths after infection onset.Among pts whose infections ranged from asymptomatic to severe, 2 problems — fatigue & loss of smell/taste persisted most frequently.https://t.co/xoaWwskPnP
— Christopher Lee (@chriskc_Lee) February 20, 2021
A single dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine is 92.6% effective in preventing Covid-19. Is delaying the second dose to get more people vaccinated an alternative?
19 Feb, 2021 | 02:59h | UTCSafety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine – New England Journal of Medicine
Commentary: Researchers urge delaying Pfizer vaccine’s second dose as first highly effective – Reuters
Covid-19: In vitro studies show Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines produce fewer antibodies against South African variant
19 Feb, 2021 | 03:01h | UTCCommentaries: Expert reaction to two NEJM Correspondence articles on in vitro studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines and different variants/mutations including mutations on the South Africa variant – Science Media Centre AND Lab studies suggest Pfizer, Moderna vaccines can protect against coronavirus variant – CNN AND Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have reduced effectiveness against South African variant, newly published studies show – The Washington Post AND Pfizer, Moderna vaccines less effective against South African COVID variant – MedicalXpress
Commentary on Twitter
New reports @NEJM today confirming some immune evasion of the B.1.351 variant (identified in South Africa) to both the mRNA vaccines, in vitro data @BioNTech_Group/@Pfizer and @moderna_tx. Less vaccine efficacy vs B.1.351 has been confirmed in clinical trials for 3 vaccines pic.twitter.com/2N7eKDllso
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) February 17, 2021
What does 95% COVID-19 vaccine efficacy really mean?
19 Feb, 2021 | 02:58h | UTCWhat does 95% COVID-19 vaccine efficacy really mean? – The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Related: Pfizer vaccine: what an ‘efficacy rate above 90%’ really means – The Conversation
COVID‐19 convalescent plasma: Interim recommendations from the AABB
19 Feb, 2021 | 02:56h | UTCCOVID‐19 convalescent plasma: interim recommendations from the AABB – Transfusion
News release: AABB panel issues interim recommendations for Covid-19 convalescent plasma use
Fauci: There’s evidence COVID-19 vaccines don’t just protect you — they may stop you from spreading the virus to others, too
19 Feb, 2021 | 02:46h | UTCRelated: [Preprint] Covid-19 vaccination associated with reduced viral load, may reduce transmission (study and commentary)
How many people get ‘long COVID’ – and who is most at risk?
19 Feb, 2021 | 02:54h | UTCHow many people get ‘long COVID’ – and who is most at risk? – The Conversation
Review: Oxygen administration for patients with ARDS
19 Feb, 2021 | 02:24h | UTCOxygen administration for patients with ARDS – Journal of Intensive Care
RCT: Vitamin D3 does not improve outcomes in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19
18 Feb, 2021 | 03:20h | UTCEditorial: Vitamin D3 to Treat COVID-19: Different Disease, Same Answer
In this RCT a single high dose of #vitaminD3 (100K IU) raised mean serum 25OH D levels but had no effect on hospital LOS (primary outcome), in-hospital mortality, ICU admission, or need for mechanical ventilation (secondary outcomes) https://t.co/eozVaYnb25
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) February 17, 2021
M-A: The effect of convalescent plasma therapy on COVID-19 patient mortality
18 Feb, 2021 | 03:07h | UTCRelated study (not published yet) with conflicting results: RECOVERY trial: No Benefit from convalescent plasma in hospitalized patients with Covid-19 (news release and commentary)


