Daily curated COVID-19 literature
WP11 - The objective of this work package is to respond to requests concerning the current scientific knowledge on SARS-CoV-2. Based on the latest scientific literature the team will compile findings and give advice when needed
150 publications
2020-04-17
Kidney Transplant Programmes during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Expert Summary: The limited accuracy of the RT-PCR test might lead to underdiagnosis of infection with COVID-19, which could result in a high risk of false-negative test results. Authors point out to other difficulties in this time of crisis: scarce resources, increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection after the kidney transplant due to induction and immunosuppressive treatment... All taken together, authors consider that there is not enough evidence to qualify kidney transplantation as a safe procedure in this pandemic time, although decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis.
Smell and taste dysfunction in patients with COVID-19
Expert Summary: It has been observed that Covid-19 is associated with the loss of taste and smell, indicating SARS-Cov2, which is currently respiratory virus, may also be neurotrophic. The authors describes historical understanding of loss of smell and taste sensing in virus infections.
An Uncomplicated Delivery in a Patient with Covid-19 in the United State
Expert Summary: This case observation describes uncomplicated and successful labor and vaginal delivery in a woman with Covid-19. The healthcare staff involved in this procedures did not test positive for the virus up to 7 days after the contact with the patient.
2020-04-16
Temporal dynamics in viral shedding and transmissibility of COVID-19
Expert Summary: The authors report temporal patterns of virus shedding and modelled infectiousness profiles from transmission pairs. They estimate that viral shedding peaked on or before symptom onset and a substantial proportion of transmission might occur before first symptoms. Criteria to include tracing to individuals in contact with the patient 2 to 3 days before symptom onset must be considered for effective control of the outbreak.
A tool to early predict severe corona virus diseases 2019 (COVID-19): A multicenter study using the Risk Nomogram in Wuhan and Guangdong, China
Expert Summary: Authors constructed an effective model for early identification of cases at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19. Looking at several parameters (high serum LDH, C-reactive protein…), the authors generated a nomogram for early identification of severe COVID-19 patients with high sensitivity (85.71%) and specificity (87.58%).
China is tightening its grip on coronavirus research
Expert Summary: Chinese government has started to control COVID-19 research findings. In the past months, new policies were introduced that require scientists to get approval to publish results concerning COVID-19 research. Some scientists state that this is a response of the Government to avoid poor-quality studies, while others see the policies as an attempt to control the information regarding the origins of the outbreak.
2020-04-15
Preparing for a responsible lockdown exit strategy
Expert Summary: The authors present broad guidelines for an EXIT strategy essentially based on three points: 1. Maintenance of social distancing measures; 2. Comprehensive Testing (PCR-based and serological testing) for identification of infected and immune individuals, with implementation of isolation and contact tracing measures; 3. Upscaling of diagnostic capacity for progressive de-confinement of groups based on transmission and risk profile. The authors also mention the crucial need to protect inidivudals at high risk, exempting them from returning to work in a first phase.
Significance of Serology Testing to Assist Timely Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections: Implication from a Family Cluster
Expert Summary: In this study of family cluster of six people, five were seropositive for COVID-19, however only two were detected by molecular assays. The authors emphasize the significance of serology testing in close contacts screening for timely diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections.
