Global & Public Health (all articles)
Covid-19’s Devastating Effect on Tuberculosis Care — A Path to Recovery.
11 Jan, 2022 | 01:33h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
In @NEJM today, @TerezaKasaeva @doctorsoumya and I write about
Covid-19’s devastating impact on tuberculosis care & offer suggestions for recoveryhttps://t.co/buOEOPVWwM pic.twitter.com/BfOK3X3MuU
— Madhu Pai, MD, PhD (@paimadhu) January 5, 2022
Covid-19: An urgent call for global “vaccines-plus” action.
11 Jan, 2022 | 01:22h | UTCCovid-19: An urgent call for global “vaccines-plus” action – The BMJ
CDC Report: COVID-19 vaccine safety in children aged 5–11 Years.
9 Jan, 2022 | 01:09h | UTCCommentary: COVID-19 vaccine appears safe in children aged 5–11 Years – News Medical
Commentary on Twitter
Early vaccine safety data for children ages 5–11 years old found that reactions such as fatigue and headaches were commonly reported following Pfizer-BioNTech #COVID19 vaccine. Everyone ages 5 years & older should get vaccinated as soon as possible. https://t.co/D66QgLRWni pic.twitter.com/8I48L5GmcG
— MMWR (@CDCMMWR) December 30, 2021
New CDC Guidance shortens isolation and quarantine period for Covid-19; patients that tested positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic after this period, can leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others.
9 Jan, 2022 | 01:13h | UTCSee also: Quarantine and Isolation – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commentaries:
Facing criticism, CDC updates Covid-19 isolation recommendations with guidance on testing – CNN
CDC posts rationale for shorter isolation, quarantine – Associated Press
Covid-19: CDC shortens isolation period as US cases hit record high – The BMJ
Shortened CDC COVID isolation guide draws sharply mixed reviews – CIDRAP
New CDC isolation guidelines raise concerns among health experts – NPR
CDC Reduces Recommended Isolation Time for People With COVID-19 – HealthDay
COVID isolation and quarantine period for general population shortened by CDC – News Medical
CDC shortens recommended Covid-19 isolation and quarantine time – CNN
CDC cuts the recommended isolation and quarantine periods for coronavirus infections – NPR
US officials recommend shorter COVID isolation, quarantine – Associated Press
See new recommendations from other countries:
Covid: Self-isolation cut from 10 days to seven with negative tests – BBC
Omicron’s feeble attack on the lungs could make it less dangerous.
11 Jan, 2022 | 01:23h | UTCOmicron’s feeble attack on the lungs could make it less dangerous – Nature
CDC Study: A test to stay strategy (allowing close contacts with masked COVID-19 exposures to remain in school) was very efficacious in preventing further school spread and allowed children to stay in the classroom as an alternative to home quarantine.
9 Jan, 2022 | 01:07h | UTCRelated CDC Guidance:
What You Should Know About COVID-19 Testing in Schools – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Commentary: ‘Test-to-stay’ works to keep students in school safely, CDC director says – CNN
Related:
Instead of quarantine for Covid-exposed students, some schools are trying test-to-stay.
Opinion | Data from routine Covid testing can help schools stay open this year.
Commentary on Twitter
Although vaccination is the best way to protect against #COVID19 for those aged 5 and up, schools might consider Test to Stay strategy for allowing close contacts who are not fully vaccinated to remain in the classroom. Learn more in a new @CDCMMWR: https://t.co/3m64vomRDh. pic.twitter.com/AAENAdxJ1y
— CDC (@CDCgov) December 17, 2021
[Preprint] Among individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in Brazil, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization or death after vaccine series completion was 81.3% for CoronaVac, 89.9% for AstraZeneca, 57.7% for J&J, and 89.7% for Pfizer.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:26h | UTCEffectiveness of CoronaVac, ChAdOx1, BNT162b2 and Ad26.COV2.S among – medRxiv
[In Portuguese] Commentary from one of the authors on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Já tive COVID, devo me vacinar?
Sim, sem dúvida. Como já dizíamos, agora com dados. Mostramos (preprint) que o ganho em proteção é muito grande. Para hospitalizações/óbito, após 2a dose:
➡️ 89.7% Pfizer
➡️ 89.9% AstraZeneca
➡️ 81.3% CoronaVacVacine-sehttps://t.co/Gzcb3cjirX pic.twitter.com/TRET1VQqQE
— Otavio Ranzani (@otavio_ranzani) December 29, 2021
Compared with previous waves, the Omicron wave in South Africa was associated with fewer hospitalizations and decreased severity and mortality.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:23h | UTC
[Preprint] Study showed reduced clinical severity of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Gauteng, South Africa, during the Omicron-dominant fourth wave – “any combination of a less-virulent virus, comorbidities, high immunity from prior infection(s) or vaccination may be important contributors to this clinical presentation”.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:24h | UTCCommentary: SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant may be less severe than the delta variant – News Medical
WHO: 10 key global health moments from 2021.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:20h | UTC10 key global health moments from 2021 – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
10 key global health moments from 2021 https://t.co/QYt8jV9WWh pic.twitter.com/ZPoM3zFPzI
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 21, 2021
New AAP Guidance recommends routine HIV screening to all youth 15 years or older.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:13h | UTCCommentary: Pediatricians Can Play Key Role in HIV Testing, Prophylaxis – HealthDay
FDA approves first injectable treatment for HIV pre-exposure prevention.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:04h | UTCCommentaries:
NIH celebrates FDA approval of long-acting injectable drug for HIV prevention – NIH News Releases
A new injection to prevent HIV, rather than pills, is a game-changer, scientists say – NPR
Related:
CDC Guidance: Preexposure Prophylaxis for Prevention of HIV Acquisition Among Adolescents
USPSTF Statement: Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection
British Guidelines on the Use of HIV Pre–exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) (several guidelines on the subject)
New Protocol for HIV Prevention Drug Reduces The Number Of Pills Required
RCT: Low-cost, easy to take antiretroviral treatment based on Dolutegravir as first- or second-Line therapy found to be non-inferior to standard care for treating HIV-1 infection in children.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:07h | UTCDolutegravir as First- or Second-Line Treatment for HIV-1 Infection in Children – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Easy-to-take medicine better at suppressing HIV in children – University College London
Commentaries on Twitter
Dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy was compared with standard care in children and adolescents starting first- or second-line therapy for HIV type 1 infection. Dolutegravir-based ART was superior to standard-care ART. https://t.co/PP0XaEVswO pic.twitter.com/pQvhjdXcUk
— NEJM (@NEJM) December 29, 2021
Visual Abstract: Dolutegravir as First- or Second-Line HIV Treatment in Children https://t.co/2RIg9uH2V1 pic.twitter.com/mDr1Z6l6CJ
— NEJM (@NEJM) January 4, 2022
WHO issues interim recommendations for heterologous COVID-19 vaccine schedules.
17 Dec, 2021 | 10:01h | UTCInterim recommendations for heterologous COVID-19 vaccine schedules – World Health Organization
Commentary: Coronavirus: WHO gives the nod for mix-and-match vaccine schedules – South China Morning Post
Randomized trial with nearly 30.000 individuals showed Novavax vaccine was safe and had an overall efficacy of 90.4% against symptomatic infections.
17 Dec, 2021 | 09:54h | UTCCommentaries:
Novavax COVID vaccine shows 90.4% efficacy against infection – CIDRAP
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine found to be safe and effective – University of Maryland School of Medicine
Related: [Preprint] In RCT with 29,949 participants, the Novavax vaccine demonstrated high overall efficacy (>90%) for the prevention of Covid-19, and all moderate-to-severe cases occurred in placebo recipients. (several articles on the subject)
CDC advisors recommend mRNA COVID vaccines over J&J.
17 Dec, 2021 | 09:46h | UTCCDC advisors recommend mRNA COVID vaccines over J&J – CIDRAP
Covid-19: Runny nose, headache, and fatigue are commonest symptoms of Omicron, early data show.
17 Dec, 2021 | 09:48h | UTCSee also: Omicron and cold-like symptoms rapidly taking over in London – ZOE COVID Study
Commentary on Twitter
The UK government has been urged to update its list of symptoms for covid-19, after early data showed cold-like symptoms of a runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, and sore throat were the most commonly reported by people with the new omicron variant https://t.co/n6OJYIDTgf
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) December 16, 2021
Opinion: COVID-19 vaccine strategies must focus on severe disease and global equity.
17 Dec, 2021 | 09:45h | UTCCOVID-19 vaccine strategies must focus on severe disease and global equity – The Lancet
How COVID vaccines shaped 2021 in eight powerful charts.
17 Dec, 2021 | 09:44h | UTCHow COVID vaccines shaped 2021 in eight powerful charts – Nature
Modeling COVID-19 mortality across 44 Countries: Face covering may reduce deaths.
16 Dec, 2021 | 10:33h | UTCCommentary: Mask laws could prevent unnecessary COVID-19 deaths, study shows – News Medical
Merck’s COVID pill loses its luster: what that means for the pandemic – “Molnupiravir was initially heralded by public-health officials as a game-changer for COVID-19, but full clinical-trial data showed lower-than-expected efficacy”.
16 Dec, 2021 | 09:52h | UTCMerck’s COVID pill loses its lustre: what that means for the pandemic – Nature
Related:
FDA panel narrowly recommends authorization of first antiviral pill to treat COVID.
8 lingering questions about the new Covid pills from Merck and Pfizer.
The U.K. approves Merck’s COVID-19 antiviral pill, calling it a world first.
Merck to allow other nations to produce new COVID-19 antiviral.
Video: Merck’s Covid pill could transform treatment. Here’s how it works.
How antiviral pill Molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt.
What we know — and don’t know — about Merck’s new Covid-19 pill.
Merck’s Covid-19 pill is great news but may not be a game-changer.
Video | A Pill For COVID? A Doctor Explains Molnupiravir.
Opinion: Unequal global vaccine coverage is at the heart of the current covid-19 crisis.
16 Dec, 2021 | 09:50h | UTCUnequal global vaccine coverage is at the heart of the current covid-19 crisis – The BMJ
Abortion safety and use with normally prescribed Mifepristone in Canada.
16 Dec, 2021 | 08:51h | UTCNews Release: Prescribing the abortion pill without restrictions is safe and effective, study finds – University of British Columbia
Opinion: Decision makers need constantly updated evidence synthesis.
16 Dec, 2021 | 08:39h | UTCDecision makers need constantly updated evidence synthesis – Nature
M-A: Global percentage of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections around 40%.
15 Dec, 2021 | 08:47h | UTCCommentary: ~40 Percent With Confirmed COVID-19 Are Asymptomatic – HealthDay