Snapshot of Clinical Public Health
Period. 11 - 13 May 2020
Snapshot of Clinical Public Health
- Two papers suggest that the Infection Fatality Rate (IFR) for COVID-19 may be “significantly higher” than previously thought. In Health Affairs, authors estimates an IFR of 1.3% among symptomatic cases in the U.S., while a paper in the Journal of Econometrics cautions against comparison due to variability across countries in testing strategies and testing accuracies.
- WHO Europe issued a new guidance document that recommends expanding nurse-led models of care to improve access to care to during the pandemic
- Commentary: Bioethics for the Pandemic (Judit Sandor)
- In collaboration with the WHO, the U.S. CDC is launching a new weekly webinar series for Infection Prevention & Control in healthcare settings. The first webinar on ‘Triage of COVID-19 Patients: Operational Considerations and Practical Examples’ will be Thursday, May 14
- Johns Hopkins offers a free online course on Contact Tracing (Coursera)
- A paper in the Journal of Virology and a commentary in GUT point to gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting in a quarter of patients in China
- A new study suggests that patients with mild cases cleared the Coronavirus in five less days on a combination of interferon beta-1b, lopinavir-ritonavir and ribavirin (Lancet)
- Patients that have recovered from COVID-19 are selling their blood plasma at significant prices to healthy patients that believe it will confer immunity (KHN, WSJ)
Snapshot of State of the Pandemic
- A new WHO study projects that up to 190,000 people in Africa could die and an additional 29-44 million could get infected by the Coronavirus in the first year if containment measures fail.
- Harvard Professor Joseph Nye - one of the world’s leading scholars on global governance- examines the “abysmal failure of leadership” from the U.S. and China, urging that more global solidarity and recognition of mutual interest is essential to address the pandemic
- In collaboration with DIGHR, the Ilisaqsivik Society, and Médecins Sans Frontières (Latin), SeeChange Initiative is launching a Community Roadmap planning tool today to support communities organize, prepare and respond to COVID-19. See:
- In a commentary, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Kailash Satyarthi, highlights the compassionate work of community and civil-society groups working with vulnerable populations, urging G20 to increase international aid and coordination through UN agencies like WHO, UNICEF and UNOCHA.
- A study in Lancet Global Health projects an additional 0.25-1.2 million children under 5 could die indirectly in the next six months as a result of the pandemic though disruption of health systems and decreased access to food. This would be the first increase in global child mortality since World War II. The researchers from Johns Hopkins also estimate that indirect maternal deaths could rise from 8% to 38%.
- An analysis by the New York Times reveals spikes in fatalities across Latin America (including Brazil, Ecuador and Peru) that exceed the worst pandemic trajectories in Europe and the U.S. The Brazilian president, when asked about the death toll, replied “So what? What do you want me to do?”.
- Amazon indigenous leaders warn of the potentially devastating effects of COVID-19 (New Humanitarian), where “no specific attention has been given to indigenous communities”.In Brazil, the potential effects highlight the lack of government support with food and health services. The former health minister of Ecuador, meanwhile, warns that “everyone is at risk” if marginalized communities are not able to afford basic health services, while officials in Mexico suggest that thousands of deaths are not being reported, obscuring the true toll of the COVID-19 epidemic.
- China, South Korea and Japan are experiencing a resurgence in COVID cases, as the WHO and public health experts warn against lifting containment measures too early (CNBC)
- Authorities in Wuhan plan to test all 11 million residents over the next ten days after discovering new infections for the first time since its lockdown was lifted, prioritizing vulnerable groups and high-density areas (BBC)
- Exceptionally heavy seasonal rains across East Africa since late April have resulted in widespread floods that caused a heavy loss of life and property, compounding the risks to human health and food security from the COVID-19 pandemic and the most serious desert locust invasion in decades. (WMO)
- COVID19 epitomises why a “One Health” approach - which recognises the fundamental interconnectedness of humans, animals, and their shared environment- is key to ensuring the healthy and sustainable future of the planet. coChairs of the Lancet One Health Commission are calling for a COVID-19 One Health Research Coalition (Lancet)
Snapshot of Equity & Protection
- A new report by the World Bank projects the sharpest historic decline in global remittances could push 40-60 million people into extreme poverty
- A UNDP report warns of the alarming increase of gender-based violence due to COVID-19
- Like Zambia, more African countries seek emergency funding from the IMF
- A ban on large funerals in South Africa has forced people to give up many traditions, but they have also rediscovered old ones, including "secret burials" (BBC)
- By prioritizing Early detection, contact tracing and 28 day quarantines, Kerala’a COVID-19 fatality rate (0.53%) is the lowest in India, and has limited the spread of the virus without inflicting any of the human suffering seen in other parts of the country (Commentary: The Kerala Model (Shashi Tharoor)
- In a new commentary, Tony Blair and Agnes Kalibata highlight four global actions to increase food security during the pandemic. These including: (1) Increasing funding for food-relief and social-protection measures; (2) Investing in local agricultural production; (3) Supporting regional and local logistics hubs to limit disruptions to food and agricultural produce supply chains; and (4) Incentivizing funding of agro-processing and Agtech companies.
- DIGHR Fellow Rhonda Ferguson also argues that displacement of local food systems threaten 265 million people with famine, and that transformation in trade is urgently needed (Conversation)
- HIV and Food Insecurity: A Syndemic Amid COVID-19 (AIDS and Behaviour)
- Small-scale farmers can help build resilient food systems in post-COVID world (IFAD)
Snapshot of Access and R&D
- Soaring drug prices could bar access to future coronavirus treatments (Guardian)
- COVID-19 exposes drug supply gaps as Canada explores local ‘Made in Canada’ solutions (CTV News)
- To deliver a COVID-19 vaccine equitably, we must start planning now (Devex)
- U.S. taxpayer funding contributed to research for a remdesivir patent that will likely remain inaccessible to many people due to the $4,500 price tag by Gilead (STAT)
- Protect against market exclusivity in the fight against COVID-19 (Nature Medicine)
- Compulsory Licensing: A Cure for Distributing the Cure? (CSIS)
- Mobile apps that allow real-time tracking of self-reported symptoms are effective in predicting infections, according to a new study in Nature Medicine
- COVID-19 and digital inequalities: Reciprocal impacts and mitigation strategies (Computers in Human Behavior)
Snapshot of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
- The WEF recognizes that lack of clean water and sanitation services in informal settlements and slums will increase their vulnerability to the pandemic
- UNICEF issues Guidance on WASH and Infection Prevention & Control in health facilities
- Linking aerosol characteristics of size distributions, core potential pathogens and toxic metals to wastewater treatment process (Environmental Pollution)
- Making waves: Coronavirus detection, presence and persistence in the water environment: State of the art and knowledge needs for public health (Water Research)