Global & Public Health (all articles)
Study shows AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are effective against Delta variant, but both doses are needed.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:16h | UTCCommentaries: Study Finds Pfizer And AstraZeneca Vaccines Effective Against The Delta Variant — As Long As You Get Both Doses – Forbes AND Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine works very well against the Delta variant — but only after 2 doses – Insider
Related: [Preprint] 2 doses of Covid vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca) highly effective against hospitalization from Delta variant. AND Reduced sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta to antibody neutralization. AND Should I get my second AstraZeneca dose? Yes, it almost doubles your protection against Delta.
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hildabast/status/1417964189566472195
COVID-19 antibodies persist at least nine months after infection – “98.8 percent of people infected in February/March showed detectable levels of antibodies in November”.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:14h | UTCNews release: COVID-19 antibodies persist at least nine months after infection – Imperial College London
Original study: SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics and transmission from community-wide serological testing in the Italian municipality of Vo’ – Nature Communications
Should children get COVID vaccines? What the science says.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:06h | UTCShould children get COVID vaccines? What the science says – Nature
Opinion | The benefits of a COVID vaccine far outweigh the small risk of treatable heart inflammation.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:57h | UTC
Analysis finds benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh risks of rare cases of myocarditis.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:05h | UTCNews release: Study finds benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh risks of rare cases of myocarditis – American Heart Association
Original study: Myocarditis with COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines – Circulation
Commentary: Myocarditis and COVID-19 Vaccines: New Review Tackles Knowns, Unknowns – TCTMD
Commentary on Twitter
Just published ahead of print- Myocarditis with Covid mRNA Vaccines https://t.co/mc2yrr5pDV Mechanisms, benefit of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination over low risk, management strategies – review of all myocarditis cases published to date, CDC&other reports @PeterHotez @ishannovation
— BiykemBozkurt (@BiykemB) July 20, 2021
WHO Guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infections.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:54h | UTCNews release: Launch WHO guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infection – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter
Great see @WHO new guidelines #STIs https://t.co/SgkCtcMDbv BUT hope last edition w syndromic management. Must deliver diagnostic capacity LMICs pic.twitter.com/B7ugeUpIRG
— Michael Marks (@dr_michaelmarks) July 17, 2021
Opinion | Kids aren’t just littler adults – here’s why they need their own clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:55h | UTC
Exploring the gap between excess mortality and COVID-19 deaths in 67 countries.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:51h | UTCExploring the Gap Between Excess Mortality and COVID-19 Deaths in 67 Countries – JAMA Network Open
More than 1.5 million children lost a primary or secondary caregiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:52h | UTCNews release: More than 1.5 million children lost a primary or secondary caregiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic – NIH News Releases
Original study: Global minimum estimates of children affected by COVID-19-associated orphanhood and deaths of caregivers: a modelling study – The Lancet
Invited commentary: Answering the call to support youth orphaned by COVID-19 – The Lancet
Related: Covid-19 Has Created Thousands Of Newly Single Parents And Orphans
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
NEW—Over 1.5 million children lost a parent, custodial grandparent, or other relative who cared for them during the first 14 months of the #COVID19 #pandemic, first global study estimates.
🔗 Read https://t.co/Ug2ADTvO8G (1/2)
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) July 20, 2021
Report: Three new estimates of India’s all-cause excess mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic – pandemic death toll estimated to be between 3.4 million and 4.9 million excess deaths.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:49h | UTCCommentaries: India’s pandemic death toll could be in the millions – Associated Press AND Covid-19: India excess deaths cross four million, says study – BBC AND India’s true pandemic death toll is likely to be well over 3 million, a new study finds. – The New York Times AND India’s excess deaths during Covid ‘could be 10 times official toll’ – The Guardian
Commentary on Twitter
India's official COVID death toll is 400,000.
But new research shows the death toll could be much higher, up to 4 million.
↘️ @abhishekecon @JustinSandefur & @arvindsubraman breakdown the numbers from three data estimates: https://t.co/rdOcZvHZQU.
— Center for Global Development (@CGDev) July 20, 2021
Perspective | Potential COVID-19 endgame scenarios: eradication, elimination, cohabitation, or conflagration?
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:48h | UTC
Is the cure really worse than the disease? The health impacts of lockdowns during COVID-19 – “While there are certainly costs to be expected from intervening against COVID-19—every decision has a cost, after all—the counterfactual of an unmitigated epidemic makes these restrictions far less damaging than some have suggested”.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:46h | UTCCommentaries: Expert reaction to a narrative review looking at the health impacts of lockdowns – Science Media Centre AND Lockdowns do not harm health more than Covid, say researchers – The Guardian
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
https://twitter.com/GYamey/status/1417509867498229760
UK National Food Strategy: Tax sugar and salt and prescribe veg, report says.
21 Jul, 2021 | 10:30h | UTCNational Food Strategy: Tax sugar and salt and prescribe veg, report says – BBC
Report: National Food Strategy Independent Review
Related: Fiscal policies for diet and the prevention of noncommunicable diseases – World Health Organization (free) AND The Lancet taskforce on NCDs and economics (free series and commentaries) To improve global health, tax the things that are killing us – Financial Times (free policies, articles and commentaries) AND Reducing cardiovascular disease burden through targeted dietary policies (free study and commentaries) AND Fiscal policies for the prevention of diseases (free study and commentary) AND The potential impact of food taxes and subsidies on cardiovascular disease and diabetes burden and disparities (free)
WHO Guidance for clinical case management of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) following vaccination to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:29h | UTCRelated Guidance: AHA/ASA Guidance: Diagnosis and Management of Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis with Vaccine-Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia – “No heparin products in any dose should be given.” AND ISTH Interim Guidance for the Diagnosis and Treatment on Vaccine Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia
WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:27h | UTCWHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19 – World Health Organization
Related: Millions of children worldwide missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic, study suggests.
WHO warns that HIV infection increases risk of severe and critical COVID-19.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:24h | UTCNews release: WHO warns that HIV infection increases risk of severe and critical COVID-19 – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
🆕 report confirms that #HIV infection is a significant independent risk factor for both severe/critical #COVID19 presentation at hospital admission & in-hospital mortality. 23.1% of all people living with HIV who were hospitalized with COVID-19, died.
👉 https://t.co/UBd0OyFKnd pic.twitter.com/UHLo9RPa1g
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 16, 2021
Experts recommend Covid jabs for some under-18s in UK – “advice is that 16 to 18-year-olds can be offered a Pfizer jab if they are in a priority group or live with someone who has a weakened immune system”.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:15h | UTCCommentaries: Experts recommend Covid jabs for some under-18s in UK – BBC
What vaccinated people should know about Covid-19 exposure, tests and more.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:17h | UTCWhat vaccinated people should know about Covid-19 exposure, tests and more – CNN
Editorial: Defining covid-19 elimination.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:20h | UTCDefining covid-19 elimination – The BMJ
ALA/ATS Response to Philip Morris International’s (PMI) Purchase of British Producer of Respiratory Treatments – “The announcement that PMI wants to acquire an inhaled medicine company is the latest reprehensible choice from a company that has profited from addicting users to its deadly products”.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:12h | UTC
Measuring routine childhood vaccination coverage in 204 countries and territories, 1980–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:04h | UTCRelated: Millions of children worldwide missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic, study suggests.
CDC warns Covid-19 vaccines might not protect people who are immunocompromised – “CDC is looking into ongoing research exploring the possibility that immunocompromised could benefit from an additional dose”.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:38h | UTCCDC warns Covid-19 vaccines might not protect people who are immunocompromised – CNN
Fauci says natural origins theory of coronavirus is still the most likely.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:40h | UTCFauci says natural origins theory of coronavirus is still the most likely – CNN
Related article (preprint): The Origins of SARS-CoV-2: A Critical Review – Zenodo
See also: A Group of Scientists Presses a Case Against the Lab Leak Theory of Covid – The New York Times (a few articles per month are free) AND Leading scientists push back against Wuhan lab leak theory – The Age
Related: Opinion | The Covid-19 lab leak theory is a tale of weaponized uncertainty.
WHO publishes new Consolidated HIV guidelines for prevention, treatment, service delivery & monitoring.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:22h | UTC
Study: Pooled saliva analysis is a low-cost and effective strategy for surveillance of Covid-19 in schools and universities and allows to rapidly assess transmission and adjust prevention protocols.
18 Jul, 2021 | 23:37h | UTCRelated: Pooling of Samples for Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Asymptomatic People AND Implementation of a Pooled Surveillance Testing Program for Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a College Campus — Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, August 2–October 11, 2020 – CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report