General Interest
Investigation | Covid 19: How harm reduction advocates and the tobacco industry capitalized on the pandemic to promote nicotine.
6 Jun, 2021 | 23:51h | UTCCommentaries: Researchers report how the tobacco and e-cigarette industry capitalized on COVID-19 to promote smoking – News Medical AND Investigation discredits studies suggesting lower COVID-19 risk for smokers
Cohort study: long working hours (more than 55 h/week) linked to increased risk of recurrent coronary events.
6 Jun, 2021 | 23:32h | UTCLong Working Hours and Risk of Recurrent Coronary Events – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Working long hours may increase odds of second heart attack – American College of Cardiology AND Recurrent CHD Risk Up With Long Working Hours After First MI – HealthDay AND Longer Work Hours After MI Tied to Higher Risk of Recurrent Events – TCTMD
In a Mendelian randomization study, researchers found no genetic evidence to support an association between Vitamin D levels and COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, or hospitalization.
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:35h | UTCCommentary: Vitamin D may not provide protection from COVID-19 susceptibility or disease severity, study suggests – PLOS
Related: Living systematic review: The evidence is insufficient to determine the benefits and harms of vitamin D supplementation as a treatment of COVID‐19. AND RCT: Vitamin D3 does not improve outcomes in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19
[Preprint] Covid-19 B.1.617.2 variant of concern (Delta) is associated with increased transmissibility compared to B.1.1.7 (Alpha) that will rapidly lead to B.1.617.2 becoming the prevailing variant in the UK.
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:36h | UTCRelated: Covid: Indian variant ‘now dominant’ in the UK – BBC
United States Unveils Global Vaccine Sharing Scheme for 80 Million Doses by End June
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:32h | UTCSee also: Statement by President Joe Biden on Global Vaccine Distribution – The White House
WHO: Vaccinating kids ‘not a high priority’ amid shortage
4 Jun, 2021 | 10:31h | UTCWHO: Vaccinating kids ‘not a high priority’ amid shortage – Associated Press
Related: WHO: Wealthy nations urged to delay youth Covid vaccines, donate to solidarity scheme AND Editorial: Vaccinating children against SARS-CoV-2 – “Hard to justify right now for most children in most countries”. AND Opinion | American Kids Can Wait – “The U.S. should delay shots for children until global vaccine-manufacturing capacity significantly expands and the crisis in India subsides”. AND Vaccinating children before poor morally wrong, Oxford scientist says – BBC
Tracking Coronavirus Vaccinations Around the World.
3 Jun, 2021 | 11:01h | UTCTracking Coronavirus Vaccinations Around the World – The New York Times
What We Know About the Dangerous COVID B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant – “the Delta variant may soon become the most dominant COVID strain in the world and lead to rapid outbreaks in countries without high vaccination rates”.
3 Jun, 2021 | 11:05h | UTCWhat We Know About the Dangerous COVID B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant – Intelligencer
Commentary on Twitter
Good summary of what's presently known about the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant @NYMag. Important to emphasize 2-dose vaccination effectiveness is high.https://t.co/8cKvR5eBMM w/ @jburnmurdoch @zeynep @macroliter by @chasdanner
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) June 1, 2021
Brazilian town experiment shows mass vaccination can wipe out COVID-19.
3 Jun, 2021 | 10:59h | UTCBrazilian town experiment shows mass vaccination can wipe out COVID-19 – Science (a few articles per month are free)
AHA Statement: Physical Activity as a Critical Component of First-Line Treatment for Elevated Blood Pressure or Cholesterol: Who, What, and How?
3 Jun, 2021 | 10:52h | UTCNews Release: ‘Prescription’ to sit less, move more advised for mildly high blood pressure and cholesterol – American Heart Association
Commentary: AHA: Physical Activity Should First-line Therapy as BP, LDL Tick Upwards – TCTMD
Doctors tell how to make the most of your telehealth visits.
3 Jun, 2021 | 10:39h | UTCDoctors Tell How to Make the Most of Your Telehealth Visits – Kaiser Health News
WHO: New US$50 billion health, trade and finance roadmap to end the pandemic and secure a global recovery.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:44h | UTCCommentary: Global Leaders Call for $50-billion Investment to End COVID-19, boost economies – Health Policy Watch
Israel reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:37h | UTCIsrael reports link between rare cases of heart inflammation and COVID-19 vaccination in young men – Science (a few articles per month are free)
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/rfsquared/status/1399803644288061442
After COVID-19 successes, researchers push to develop mRNA vaccines for other infectious diseases and cancer.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:34h | UTC
Covid pandemic over in Britain, say experts.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:31h | UTCCovid pandemic over in Britain, say experts – The Telegraph
Related: In rich countries, vaccines are making Covid-19 a manageable health issue – The Guardian AND Covid: Zero daily deaths announced in UK for first time – BBC AND Expert reaction to zero COVID-related deaths reported today – Science Media Centre
[Press release – not published yet] The city of Serrana in Brazil has seen a 95% drop in Covid-19 deaths after almost all adults were vaccinated with Chinese CoronaVac – The findings suggest the pandemic can be controlled after 75% of people are fully vaccinated.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:39h | UTCCommentaries: Study in Brazilian town shows 95% efficacy of Sinovac’s vaccine in reducing death by COVID-19 – Global Times AND Brazil Covid: Deaths plunge after town’s adults vaccinated – BBC AND Sinovac vaccine restores a Brazilian city to near normal – Associated Press
JAMA editor-in-chief stepping down after backlash from podcast that questioned racism in medicine.
2 Jun, 2021 | 08:28h | UTCSee also: JAMA editor in chief steps down over tweet that questioned racism in medicine – MarketWatch AND The Editor Of A Top Medical Journal Is Leaving After The Publication Said “No Physician Is Racist” – Buzzfeed News
JAMA Editorial: To Howard Bauchner, MD, Visionary Editor in Chief of JAMA—A Sincere Thank You and a Fond Farewell
The ‘time has come’ for a global pandemic treaty, WHO’s Tedros says.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:21h | UTCThe ‘Time Has Come’ For A Global Pandemic Treaty, WHO’s Tedros Says – NPR
See also: Will a global preparedness treaty help or hinder pandemic preparedness? – BMJ Global Health
WHO renames COVID-19 variants with the Greek alphabet (i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc), making them simple, easy to say and remember. The naming system aims to prevent calling COVID-19 variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing & discriminatory.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:26h | UTCTracking SARS-CoV-2 variants – World Health Organization
Commentaries: The name game for coronavirus variants just got a little easier – STAT AND Covid: WHO renames UK and other variants with Greek letters – BBC
Study shows low risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection 1 year after primary infection.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:23h | UTCEditorial: Protection Because of Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Commentary on Twitter
Lombardy, Italy was one of the worst-hit places in the world in the 1st wave of the pandemic. Now, a year later, how many had reinfections?
0.3%
And 13-15 X infections for those who did not have covidhttps://t.co/ewpMRcPIMB @JAMAInternalMed pic.twitter.com/I7z2L04Evp— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) May 28, 2021
Where could the next coronavirus jump to humans? New research offers clues.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:18h | UTCWhere could the next coronavirus jump to humans? New research offers clues. – Vox
COVID has caused ‘mass trauma,’ worsening mental health globally.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:14h | UTCCOVID Has Caused ‘Mass Trauma,’ Worsening Mental Health Globally – Health Policy Watch
Perspective | Can I get AstraZeneca now and Pfizer later? Why mixing and matching COVID vaccines could help solve many rollout problems.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:20h | UTC
How a superspreader festival seeded Covid across India.
1 Jun, 2021 | 08:17h | UTCHow a superspreader festival seeded Covid across India – The Guardian
Opinion | 7 reasons why we should not need boosters for COVID-19.
31 May, 2021 | 08:21h | UTC7 Reasons Why We Should Not Need Boosters for COVID-19 – by Monica Ghandi, MD