Covid-19
Despite Chile’s Speedy Covid-19 Vaccination Drive, Cases Soar
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:46h | UTCDespite Chile’s Speedy Covid-19 Vaccination Drive, Cases Soar – The New York Times (free registration may be required)
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Hospital ICUs overwhelmed despite fast vaccinations—Chile 🇨🇱 made a critical mistake—its government eased restrictions on travel, business and schools much too early, creating a false sense of confidence that pandemic was over. This always been my fear. 🧵https://t.co/6McpZjekxT pic.twitter.com/NbmKPiOpLI
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 30, 2021
Post-covid syndrome in individuals admitted to hospital with covid-19: retrospective cohort study
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:43h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Follow-up of nearly 48,000 hospitalized patients with covid-19 shows a high rate of readmission, death, and multi-organ disease (heart, diabetes, kidney, lung) compared with matched controls https://t.co/dzxVYdugz2 @bmj_latest pic.twitter.com/hWBn5w2XQf
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) April 1, 2021
Opinion | “Vaccine Passport” Certification — Policy and Ethical Considerations
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:40h | UTCRelated: Covid-19 vaccine passports will harm sustainable development – The BMJ Opinion AND Covid-19 vaccine passports and vaccine hesitancy: freedom or control? – The BMJ Opinion AND Vaccine certificates: does the end justify the means? – The Lancet Microbe AND Interim position paper: considerations regarding proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travellers – World Health Organization
[Preprint] Single dose of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines shows 62% efficacy for preventing disease and reduces viral load/transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in residents of Long-Term Care Facilities
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:38h | UTCCommentaries: Single dose of Pfizer and Oxford vaccines shows 60% efficacy in elderly care home residents – NewsMedical AND Care home residents gain 62% protection from single dose of COVID-19 vaccine – University College London
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Good news! An updated study has found that ONE dose of either Pfizer’s OR AstraZeneca’s vaccine led to a 62% reduction in the risk of ANY infection and lower viral loads in those that were infected after 28 days. Long-Term Care Facility/High-Risk Setting.https://t.co/ajgoSOA4fj
— Mac n’ Chise 🧬🦠🧫 (@sailorrooscout) March 29, 2021
Antibody evasion by the P.1 strain of SARS-CoV-2
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:36h | UTCAntibody evasion by the P.1 strain of SARS-CoV-2 – Cell
Commentary on Twitter (thread – Click for more)
An in-depth assessment of the P.1 (Brazil) variant
—less immune evasion than B.1.351 (South Africa) variant despite similar receptor binding domain mutations
—very good neutralization by mRNA vaccine via sera from vaccineshttps://t.co/2m0A1Pjs9O @CellCellPress today pic.twitter.com/uyV2eZdLQ9— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) March 30, 2021
Why indoor spaces are still prime COVID hotspots
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:35h | UTCWhy indoor spaces are still prime COVID hotspots – Nature
Transmissibility and transmission of respiratory viruses
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:33h | UTCTransmissibility and transmission of respiratory viruses – Nature Reviews Microbiology
What it will take to vaccinate the world against COVID-19
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:32h | UTCWhat it will take to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 – Nature
Opinion | Covid-19 vaccine passports will harm sustainable development
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:31h | UTCCovid-19 vaccine passports will harm sustainable development – The BMJ Opinion
“Where you are born can predict how freely you will be able to travel for opportunity, education, and leisure. Being a citizen of certain countries grants people access to nearly the entire globe, whereas others face challenges just to legally leave the borders of the country they live in”
Opinion | Covid-19 vaccine passports and vaccine hesitancy: freedom or control?
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:29h | UTCCovid-19 vaccine passports and vaccine hesitancy: freedom or control? – The BMJ Opinion
“Recent debates around “vaccine passports,” or formal/mandatory certification of vaccination, point towards a potential widening societal divide between those who are vaccinated and those who are not.”
All the Covid-19 vaccines prevent death and severe disease, and that’s what matters, experts say
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:28h | UTC
The impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:27h | UTC
WHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Part
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:25h | UTCWHO-convened global study of origins of SARS-CoV-2: China Part – World Health Organization
News release: WHO calls for further studies, data on origin of SARS-CoV-2 virus, reiterates that all hypotheses remain open
Commentaries: WHO report into COVID pandemic origins zeroes in on animal markets, not labs – Nature AND WHO Director-General’s remarks at the Member State Briefing on the report of the international team studying the origins of SARS-CoV-2 – World Health Organization
See also: WHO report: COVID likely 1st jumped into humans from animals
WHO report: COVID likely 1st jumped into humans from animals
30 Mar, 2021 | 03:29h | UTCWHO report: COVID likely 1st jumped into humans from animals – Associated Press
Commentaries: WHO report: Jump from animals most likely COVID-19 source – CIDRAP AND WHO, China Report Suggests COVID-19 Passed From Bats to Humans Through Another Animal – ContagionLive
‘Real world’ study by CDC shows Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective
30 Mar, 2021 | 03:27h | UTC‘Real world’ study by CDC shows Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective – STAT
Commentary on Twitter (thread – Click for more)
Prospective study in the US finds mRNA vaccine efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 infection (symptomatic or not) of 90% (CI: 68–97) after 2 doses, & 80% (CI: 59–90) after 1 dose. (Wide CI because few people got infected)…1/2 https://t.co/RSf3xFtL29 HT @HelenBranswell
— Hilda Bastian, PhD (@hildabast) March 29, 2021
Point-Counterpoint | Should healthcare providers receive treatment priority during a pandemic?
30 Mar, 2021 | 03:23h | UTCIntroducing Point-Counterpoint Perspectives in the Journal of Hospital Medicine
Counterpoint: Prioritizing Healthcare Workers for Scarce Critical Care Resources Is Impractical and Unjust – Journal of Hospital Medicine
Study: mRNA vaccine is associated with decreased SARS-CoV-2 viral load in individuals with breakthrough infection, suggesting a role in suppressing onward transmission
30 Mar, 2021 | 03:25h | UTC
Commentaries on Twitter
A study in @NatureMedicine reports that breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections occurring 12 or more days after the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had lower viral loads, suggesting the vaccine might reduce infectiousness. https://t.co/yskN9lgiwr pic.twitter.com/LQVESgRjZz
— Nature Research (@nresearchnews) March 29, 2021
(Thread – Click for more)
New @NatureMedicine: The concern about asymptomatic transmission addressed in nearly 5,000 people after 1st dose of mRNA vaccine (~2 -5 wks). Viral load markedly reduced (high Ct). Supports vaccine effect for blocking or strongly reducing chance of spreadhttps://t.co/mmJmZPZfHK pic.twitter.com/0TTf4cFZed
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) March 29, 2021
Antimicrobial resistance in ICUs: an update in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic
30 Mar, 2021 | 03:21h | UTC
COVID associated with hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo – new study confirms link
30 Mar, 2021 | 03:19h | UTCOriginal study: One year on: an updated systematic review of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 and audio-vestibular symptoms – International Journal of Audiology
COVID-19, Personal Protective Equipment, and Human Performance
30 Mar, 2021 | 03:14h | UTCCOVID-19, Personal Protective Equipment, and Human Performance – Anesthesiology
Cochrane Library Editorial: Contested effects and chaotic policies: the 2020 story of (hydroxy) chloroquine for treating COVID‐19
28 Mar, 2021 | 22:55h | UTCCommentary and Infographic: Is chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine useful in treating people with COVID-19, or in preventing infection in people who have been exposed to the virus? – Cochrane Library
Original review: Chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for prevention and treatment of COVID‐19 – Cochrane Library
Commentary on Twitter
New #VisualAbstract for the @Cochrane_IDG systematic review on #Chloroquine or #hydroxychloroquine for prevention and treatment of #COVID19 https://t.co/U7TnMzQTil Many thanks to @tylerdau & @cg_coleman from @EmoryMedicine pic.twitter.com/tlFKKa31E8
— The Cochrane Library (@CochraneLibrary) March 25, 2021
Another study indicates SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.351, but not variant B.1.1.7, has partial resistance to neutralizing antibodies generated by natural infection or mRNA vaccination
28 Mar, 2021 | 22:53h | UTC
Commentaries on Twitter
Now a peer-reviewed pub in a top journal, this elegant study clearly shows that variant B.1.351 isn't stopped by antibodies from prior infection or the Pfizer vax. We'll have revised vaccines, but we don't yet. Please behave accordingly. https://t.co/w8GHPDB7aL
— EQV Analytics (@AnalyticsEqv) March 27, 2021
New @NatureMedicine, further data on immune response after vaccination to 2 variants, B.1.1.7 (UK) and B.1.351 (SA). Reinforcing recent reports, the latter is more of an immune evader, and may pose vulnerability for reinfection post-vaccinehttps://t.co/w8xFc3fkh5 pic.twitter.com/i7DAnjSZwE
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) March 26, 2021
How COVID-19 Affects the Brain
28 Mar, 2021 | 22:51h | UTCHow COVID-19 Affects the Brain – JAMA Psychiatry
Commentary on Twitter
#COVID19 brain symptoms are a rising concern. Mechanisms of brain damage by the virus include lasting neuroinflammation, thrombotic events and alteration of neurotransmitters release. Consequently, people suffer cognitive, emotional and behavioral symptoms https://t.co/pTzJo6DLV8
— JAMA Psychiatry (@JAMAPsych) March 26, 2021
Covid-19: Middle aged women face greater risk of debilitating long term symptoms
28 Mar, 2021 | 22:49h | UTCCovid-19: Middle aged women face greater risk of debilitating long term symptoms – The BMJ
Linked Opinion: The stigma is real for people living with long covid – The BMJ Opinion
Persistent neurologic symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in non‐hospitalized Covid‐19 “long haulers”
28 Mar, 2021 | 22:48h | UTCCommentary: 85% of COVID-19 long-haulers have multiple brain-related symptoms – LiveScience AND ‘Brain fog’ and other neurologic symptoms can last for months after Covid – NBC News AND Neurologic Symptoms Persistent for Many COVID-19 ‘Long-Haulers’ – Health Day