Infectious Diseases (all articles)
Real-world data show that filters clean COVID-causing virus from air.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:43h | UTCReal-world data show that filters clean COVID-causing virus from air – Nature
Original article: The removal of airborne SARS-CoV-2 and other microbial bioaerosols by air filtration on COVID-19 surge units – medRxiv
Commentary on Twitter
Research at a hospital swamped by people with COVID-19 has confirmed that portable air filters effectively remove SARS-CoV-2 particles from the air https://t.co/OT3JKIxWhB
— nature (@Nature) October 11, 2021
Opinion | COVID lesson: trust the public with hard truths.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:47h | UTCCOVID lesson: trust the public with hard truths – Nature
Commentary from the author on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Today in @Nature, I outline a key lesson from COVID-19:
"Governments, dare to to trust your citizens."
Governments' fear of their people is not supported by science & it stymies pandemic management and breeds vaccine hesitancy.
Read it here: https://t.co/dbr5Epggow.
🧵 (1/8) pic.twitter.com/EegEIxGb2r
— Michael Bang Petersen (@M_B_Petersen) October 12, 2021
A primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:44h | UTCA primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines – STAT
Related:
Another study shows increased immune response with heterologous Oxford-AstraZeneca/mRNA vaccination.
RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Seroconversion and fever are dose-dependent in a nonhuman primate model of inhalational COVID-19.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:41h | UTCCommentary: Dose-dependent COVID-19 symptoms – Nature Reviews Microbiology
Commentaries on Twitter
When exposed to #SARSCoV2 why does one person have no illness, while another is soon in ICU?
Dose.
Controlled study in monkeys shows the dose of viruses inhaled is a key factor determining the severity of the disease.
Seems obvious, yet this is new.https://t.co/zdfCnR40bR pic.twitter.com/HH8kxMM2xm— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) October 11, 2021
In summer of 2020, our group had proposed a hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 viral dose or "inoculum" was associated with severity of symptoms in COVID (and proposed NPIs reduced the dose). There is now an experimental model showing this in cynomolgus monkeys:https://t.co/dXGDPyPBFZ
— Monica Gandhi MD, MPH (@MonicaGandhi9) October 12, 2021
M-A: Frequency of Neurologic Manifestations in COVID-19 – up to one-third of patients (89% hospitalized) experienced at least one neurological manifestation.
13 Oct, 2021 | 01:40h | UTC
RCT: No benefit from antithrombotic therapy (aspirin or apixaban) in outpatients with clinically stable symptomatic COVID-19.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:28h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Data do not support the use of aspirin or apixaban in the outpatient setting to reduce the major adverse cardiovascular or pulmonary consequences associated with symptomatic but clinically stable #SARSCoV2 infection https://t.co/SH6OefXOCj #COVID19
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) October 11, 2021
Nationwide study in Sweden shows link between COVID vaccination and reduced household transmission.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:25h | UTCNews release: Nationwide study shows link between COVID vaccination and reduced household transmission – Umea University
Original study: Association Between Risk of COVID-19 Infection in Nonimmune Individuals and COVID-19 Immunity in Their Family Members – JAMA Internal Medicine
Related:
Review | Prevention of host-to-host transmission by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
Study ties COVID vaccines to lower transmission rates.
Covid-19 vaccination prevents transmission from vaccinated to unvaccinated household members.
D-Dimer testing for the exclusion of pulmonary embolism has limited clinical utility among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 – most patients with or without pulmonary embolism have increased levels.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:26h | UTCCommentary: D-Dimer Level Not Useful for Ruling Out PE in COVID-19 Patients – HealthDay
Covid-19: Is New Zealand’s switch in policy a step forward or a retreat?
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:21h | UTCCovid-19: Is New Zealand’s switch in policy a step forward or a retreat? – The BMJ
Related:
New Zealand acknowledges it can no longer completely get rid of the coronavirus.
Why we must not allow COVID to become endemic in New Zealand – The Conversation
Commentary on Twitter
On 4 October New Zealand's prime minister announced that the country was shifting from a policy of elimination to a mitigation approach more in line with policies in other developed countries.
What comes next and what lessons have been learnt?https://t.co/Z62olXHzb9
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) October 11, 2021
How antiviral pill Molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:18h | UTCHow antiviral pill molnupiravir shot ahead in the COVID drug hunt – Nature
Related:
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.
Why easing COVID restrictions could prompt a fierce flu rebound – “As pandemic restrictions ease, other respiratory viruses are returning in unexpected ways”.
12 Oct, 2021 | 00:19h | UTCWhy easing COVID restrictions could prompt a fierce flu rebound – Nature
Cluster RCT: An antimicrobial stewardship intervention safely reduced the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics among patients hospitalized with moderately severe community-acquired pneumonia.
11 Oct, 2021 | 23:55h | UTCNarrow-spectrum antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia in Dutch adults (CAP-PACT): a cross-sectional, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised, non-inferiority, antimicrobial stewardship intervention trial – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Kids are losing school days to quarantines. Here’s a way to keep them in classrooms – “Test-to-stay could dramatically reduce close contact quarantines”.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:52h | UTCKids are losing school days to quarantines. Here’s a way to keep them in classrooms – NPR
Related study: Cluster RCT: Daily contact testing of school-based contacts was non-inferior to self-isolation for control of COVID-19 transmission.
New Global Burden of Disease analyses show depression and anxiety among the top causes of health burden worldwide, and a significant increase due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:57h | UTCCommentaries:
Depression and anxiety disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: knowns and unknowns – The Lancet
Covid crisis dramatically worsened global mental health, study finds – The Guardian
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
✨🆕–The #COVID19 pandemic led to a stark rise in depressive and anxiety disorders globally in 2020 w/women & younger people most affected, according to a new study by our researchers & collaborators published today in @TheLancet. #GBDstudy #MentalHealth
»https://t.co/qXEDzn3idV pic.twitter.com/4xsofBXyvS
— Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) (@IHME_UW) October 8, 2021
RCT: Therapeutic-dose heparin superior to standard prophylactic or intermediate-dose heparins for thromboprophylaxis in high-risk hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:53h | UTCInvited commentary: Anticoagulant Therapy in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 – JAMA Internal Medicine
Related studies (some conflicting results)
Commentary on Twitter
Thromboprophylaxis w therapeutic-dose LMWH reduced major thromboembolism and death by 32% compared with institutional standard heparin without increased major bleeding among #COVID19 inpatients with elevated D-dimers. The effect wasn't seen in ICU patients https://t.co/Wrgj2Ho5lv
— JAMA Internal Medicine (@JAMAInternalMed) October 7, 2021
Heart-inflammation risk from Pfizer COVID vaccine is very low.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:42h | UTCHeart-inflammation risk from Pfizer COVID vaccine is very low – Nature
Original studies:
[Preprint] COVID-19 in children due to SARS-CoV-2 Delta strain resembles illness due to the Alpha variant, with short duration and similar symptom burden.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:44h | UTCIllness characteristics of COVID-19 in children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant – medRxiv
Commentary on Twitter
Did you hear “Delta is different”, when it comes to #COVID19 symptom severity in children?
GOOD NEWS 🥳
Turns out there is barely any difference at all between Delta and Alpha in symptom duration, severity, or risk of “long covid”
Myth busted 💥 https://t.co/iPd9AedXaS
— Alasdair Munro (@apsmunro) October 7, 2021
Bioethics | The Trolley Problem and Vaccinating Young People Against COVID-19.
10 Oct, 2021 | 21:50h | UTCThe Trolley Problem and Vaccinating Young People Against COVID-19 – Science-Based Medicine
WHO Guidance: Antigen-detection in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:47h | UTCAntigen-detection in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection – World Health Organization
Related infographics:
Use of antigen detection rapid diagnostic testing – World Health Organization
Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Testing remains a critical component to the strategy to end the #COVID19 pandemic, and testing needs to be reliable, accessible, affordable, fast and linked to public health action.
So many around 🌍 have worked hard to increase testing capacities @WHOhttps://t.co/VDPdU0VK4g
— Maria Van Kerkhove (@mvankerkhove) October 7, 2021
WHO Consensus: A clinical case definition of post COVID-19 condition (Long Covid).
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:45h | UTCRelated:
Characterizing long COVID: a living systematic review.
Long Covid – The illness narratives.
New guidelines to help doctors manage long COVID patients published.
M-A: More than 50 long-term effects of COVID-19. (several articles on the subject)
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
🆕 WHO clinical case definition for post #COVID19 condition, also called 'long COVID' https://t.co/WoiLcwsgJX pic.twitter.com/Z0olrHlWPC
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) October 7, 2021
WHO Launches Strategy to Achieve Global Covid-19 Vaccination by mid-2022.
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:41h | UTCStrategy to Achieve Global Covid-19 Vaccination by mid-2022 – World Health Organization
News release: WHO, UN set out steps to meet world COVID vaccination targets – World Health Organization
Commentaries:
WHO launches global COVID vaccination strategy – CIDRAP
Study shows an increased risk of Guillain-Barré Syndrome with the J&J vaccine; the estimated observed to expected rate ratio was 4.18 for the 42-day window.
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:40h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Study suggests a potential small but statistically significant safety concern for #GuillainBarré syndrome following receipt of the @JanssenUS #COVID19 vaccine; findings considered preliminary pending analysis of medical records to establish a definitive Dx https://t.co/yZjJVkp6BA
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) October 7, 2021
Real-world data shows increased reactogenicity in adults after heterologous compared to homologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccination.
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:29h | UTCRelated:
Another study shows increased immune response with heterologous Oxford-AstraZeneca/mRNA vaccination.
RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.
Commentary on Twitter
As more & more countries consider adding a 3rd #COVID19 vaccine dose into their national immunisation programmes, vaccine reactogenicity will become important, especially if 3rd dose is different to first 2 doses. We need more mix-n-match booster studies 👉https://t.co/G57i9Ej7Nd
— Shamez Ladhani (@ShamezLadhani) October 7, 2021
Ivermectin: How false science created a Covid ‘miracle’ drug.
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:24h | UTCIvermectin: How false science created a Covid ‘miracle’ drug – BBC
Commentary on Twitter
Scientists evaluating ivermectin data for #COVID19
"had not found 'a single clinical trial' claiming to show that ivermectin prevented Covid deaths that did not contain 'either obvious signs of fabrication or errors so critical they invalidate the study'." https://t.co/Xndr6Q5LaS— Isaac Bogoch (@BogochIsaac) October 7, 2021
How the risk of Covid-19 for kids compares to other dangers.
8 Oct, 2021 | 10:26h | UTCHow the risk of Covid-19 for kids compares to other dangers – Vox