Global & Public Health (all articles)
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
Perspective | Averting Future Vaccine Injustice.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:04h | UTCAverting Future Vaccine Injustice – New England Journal of Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
As high-income countries have secured much of the #Covid19vaccine supply, many low-income countries have barely begun the immunization process. We need political courage to end vaccine injustice now and political vision to negotiate rules for averting future inequities.
— NEJM (@NEJM) July 15, 2021
Why was a major study on ivermectin for covid-19 just retracted?
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:11h | UTCWhy Was a Major Study on Ivermectin for COVID-19 Just Retracted? – Grifter Analysis and Review
See also: Huge study supporting ivermectin as Covid treatment withdrawn over ethical concerns – The Guardian AND Some problems in the dataset of a large study of Ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19 – Nick Brown’s Blog AND Is Ivermectin for Covid-19 Based on Fraudulent Research? – Gideon M-K; Health Nerd
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
So, one of the biggest studies to date on ivermectin for COVID-19 has issues significant enough that, if not fraud, are so serious that it invalidates the study without further explanation
I promised a thread
Here we go 1/n https://t.co/L9QOChmGtA
— Health Nerd (@GidMK) July 16, 2021
Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and Moderna Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:02h | UTCHeterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273 Vaccination – New England Journal of Medicine
Related: [Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”. AND Phase 2 RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in patients that have received a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine – “BNT162b2 (Pfizer) given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile”. AND RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
Health care workers who had received a dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 were offered either ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or mRNA-1273 9 to 12 weeks later. Levels of S-specific and RBD-specific IgG increased by a factor of 5 after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and by a factor of 115 to 125 after mRNA-1273.
— NEJM (@NEJM) July 14, 2021
Donuts, drugs, booze, and guns: what governments are offering people to take covid-19 vaccines – “Incentive programs do not target the trust relationship between the public and the providers”.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:56h | UTC
Deaths from COVID ‘incredibly rare’ among children.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:58h | UTCDeaths from COVID ‘incredibly rare’ among children – Nature
Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and BioNTech/Pfizer Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:00h | UTCHeterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273 Vaccination – New England Journal of Medicine
Related: [Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”. AND Phase 2 RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in patients that have received a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine – “BNT162b2 (Pfizer) given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile”. AND RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
Mix and match vaccines?
2 doses AZ vs AZ and then Pfizer:
"BNT162b2 induced significantly higher frequencies of spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and, in particular, high titers of neutralizing antibodies against the B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1 variants" https://t.co/53J2erWVMy pic.twitter.com/aEmqMlhEar— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 14, 2021
Millions of children worldwide missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic, study suggests.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:24h | UTCMillions of children worldwide missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic, study suggests – CNN
Invited Commentary: Disruptions to childhood immunisation due to the COVID-19 pandemic – The Lancet
Why aren’t diseases like HIV and malaria, which still kill millions of people a year, called pandemics? – “HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria shouldn’t be labeled as “just” epidemics or endemic. They are pandemics that have been beaten in rich countries”.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:22h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
"HIV, TB, and malaria shouldn’t be labeled as “just” epidemics or endemic. They are pandemics that have been beaten in rich countries. Allowing them to persist elsewhere is a policy choice and a budgetary decision"https://t.co/MVCS960cN5
— Madhu Pai, MD, PhD (@paimadhu) July 14, 2021
WHO releases first-ever global guidance for country validation of viral hepatitis B and C elimination.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:16h | UTCSee guidance: Interim guidance for country validation of viral hepatitis elimination – World Health Organization
US Report: Death rates are declining for many common cancers, including lung cancer and melanoma.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:11h | UTCCommentaries: Death rates are declining for many common cancers in the U.S., report finds – STAT AND Annual report to the nation: Rapid decrease in lung cancer and melanoma deaths – American Cancer Society
Opinion | The case for mandating COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:22h | UTCThe Case for Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines for Health Care Workers – Annals of Internal Medicine
News release: Case is strong for mandating COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers – American College of Physicians
Commentary on Twitter
The Case for Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines for Health Care Workers https://t.co/pdaBRZdkfG via @AnnalsofIM "The case for mandating SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for health care workers is substantially stronger than the case was for mandating influenza vaccines." I fully agree.
— Kenny Lin, MD, MPH (@kennylinafp) July 12, 2021
[Preprint] Wastewater genomic testing can effectively track COVID-19 variants of concern.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:19h | UTCOriginal Study: Assessing multiplex tiling PCR sequencing approaches for detecting genomic variants of SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater – medRxiv
Related: Perspective | Sewage sleuths helped an Arizona town beat back Covid-19. For wastewater epidemiology, that’s just the start. (texts on the subject) AND Human Waste Could Be The Next Big Weapon in Controlling COVID-19 – TIME
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Excited to share our new preprint assessing different approaches for sequencing SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater! We compared different sample matrices and tiled PCR schemes, and then applied the best combo to track variants of concern in @MetroVancouver: https://t.co/cXFhr1qmAe
— Ryan Ziels (@RyanZiels) June 1, 2021
Cohort study: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine associated with 78% lower risk of Covid-19 in pregnancy.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:20h | UTCBetween BNT162b2 Vaccination and Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pregnant Women – JAMA
Commentary: Pfizer COVID vaccine shows 78% efficacy in pregnancy – CIDRAP
Real-World Evidence: The low validity of temperature screening for COVID-19 triage.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:11h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Temperature screening with infrared thermometers has a sensitivity of 9.43% for PCR+ COVID. https://t.co/GjaKpkUqwU
— Carlos del Rio (@CarlosdelRio7) July 7, 2021
Next steps for wastewater testing to help end this pandemic — and prevent the next one.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:18h | UTCNext steps for wastewater testing to help end this pandemic — and prevent the next one – STAT
Author interview: A biostatistician on the ‘gold mine’ in our sewers – STAT
Related: Perspective | Sewage sleuths helped an Arizona town beat back Covid-19. For wastewater epidemiology, that’s just the start. (texts on the subject) AND Human Waste Could Be The Next Big Weapon in Controlling COVID-19 – TIME
One COVID vaccine dose yields good protection in elderly, 2 studies find.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:15h | UTCOne COVID vaccine dose yields good protection in elderly, 2 studies find – CIDRAP
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
2 research Articles on #COVID19 vaccine effectiveness in older people:
1) Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 COVID-19 vaccination at preventing hospitalisations in people aged at least 80 years: a test-negative, case-control study https://t.co/ELvMCPwSHF— The Lancet Infectious Diseases (@TheLancetInfDis) June 24, 2021
AAP Technical Report | Prevention of Drowning.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:09h | UTCPrevention of Drowning – Pediatrics
News releases: American Academy of Pediatrics Identifies Children Most at Risk of Drowning and Recommends Layers of Protection to Prevent Tragedy – American Academy of Pediatrics AND New information, research adds to understanding of drowning risks, precautions – AAP News
Related: The Burden of Unintentional Drowning: Global, Regional and National Estimates of Mortality from the Global Burden of Disease Study AND Preventing drowning: an implementation guide – World Health Organization AND Global report on drowning: preventing a leading killer – World Health Organization AND Report: Open Water Drowning and Risks for Children AND Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment and Prevention of Drowning: 2019 Update – Wilderness and Environmental Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related death in children. In 2018, almost 900 US children younger than 20 years died from drowning. As educators and advocates, pediatricians can play an important role in #DrowningPrevention: https://t.co/P3eLa1M28p #Pediatrics pic.twitter.com/h3YnqyiMDU
— AAP Journals (@AAPJournals) July 13, 2021
WHO: New study highlights unacceptably high global prevalence of syphilis among men who have sex with men.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:04h | UTCOriginal Study: Prevalence of syphilis among men who have sex with men: a global systematic review and meta-analysis from 2000–20 – The Lancet Global Health
Commentary: Syphilis in men who have sex with men: advancing research and human rights – The Lancet Global Health