Here is what the editors at Physician's Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of May 11 to 15, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
NIH Launches Trial of Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin for COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced it is sponsoring a phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
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NIH: Large-Scale Testing of Some COVID-19 Vaccines Could Start in July
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A number of COVID-19 vaccines under development "look pretty promising" and one or two could be ready for large-scale testing by July, the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health says.
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FDA: Abbott Rapid COVID-19 Test Could Miss Infections
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A rapid COVID-19 test being used across the United States could miss infections, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
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COVID-19 Cases Increased More Rapidly With No Stay-at-Home Order in Iowa
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- COVID-19 cases increased more quickly in border counties in Iowa and more slowly in border counties in Illinois following enactment of a stay-at-home order in Illinois, according to a study published online May 15 in JAMA Network Open.
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ACP Advises Against Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In a special article from the American College of Physicians, published online May 13 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, practice points are presented to guide the use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine in the setting of COVID-19.
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Interferon-α2b May Shorten Viral Shedding Duration in COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Interferon-α2b therapy seems to shorten the duration of viral shedding in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, according to a study published online May 15 in Frontiers in Immunology.
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Guidance Issued for Osteoporosis Management During COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 15, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In a joint guidance document issued by the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Endocrine Society, European Calcified Tissue Society, and National Osteoporosis Foundation, recommendations are presented for the management of osteoporosis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Kawasaki-Like Disease Incidence Up After Start of SARS-CoV-2
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of Kawasaki-like disease increased after the start of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic in the Bergamo province of Italy, according to a study published online May 13 in The Lancet.
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Abnormalities Detected on Brain MRI of COVID-19 Patients in ICU
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in the intensive care unit with neurological symptoms, 44 percent of those undergoing magnetic resonance imaging have acute findings, according to a study published online May 8 in Radiology.
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COVID-19 Fatality Rate High for Heart Transplant Recipients
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Heart transplant recipients with COVID-19 infection have a case fatality rate of 25 percent, according to a study published online May 13 in JAMA Cardiology.
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Meta-Analysis Links Smoking to COVID-19 Disease Progression
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers have an increased likelihood of COVID-19 disease progression, according to research published online May 13 in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
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Guidance Issued for Acute Large Vessel CVA During COVID-19 Pandemic
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In a guidance statement from the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology, published online April 29 in Stroke, recommendations are presented for the management of acute ischemic large vessel occlusion stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Bowel Abnormalities Described in Inpatients With COVID-19
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Bowel abnormalities have been identified on abdominal imaging of some inpatients with COVID-19, according to a study published online May 11 in Radiology.
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Plan in Place to Up Production of Prefilled Syringes for Future COVID-19 Vaccine
WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A deal for hundreds of millions of syringes that could be used to quickly administer a possible vaccine against COVID-19 has been reached between the U.S. government and a private company.
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Doctors Should Watch for Pediatric Inflammatory Syndrome With COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- American physicians should watch for a dangerous inflammatory syndrome in children that may be linked to COVID-19 infection, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in an alert.
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Addition of Zinc May Benefit Some Being Treated for COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the addition of zinc sulfate to hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin may improve some outcomes, according to a study not yet peer reviewed and posted on medRxiv.org.
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Experts Discuss Strategy for Bariatric Surgery During COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In a personal view article, published online May 7 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, recommendations are presented for the management of bariatric and metabolic surgery patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Deceased Donor Transplantation Has Dropped Since COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a reduction in deceased donor transplantations in France and the United States, according to a research letter published online May 11 in The Lancet.
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Doctors Without Borders Team Sent to Navajo Nation to Fight COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors Without Borders has sent a nine-person team to the Navajo Nation in the Southwestern United States as it struggles with a COVID-19 crisis.
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Risk Score May Predict Critical Illness at COVID-19 Admission
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A risk score based on 10 factors can predict the risk for developing critical illness at COVID-19 admission, according to a study published online May 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Olfactory Dysfunction Most Often Occurs by Third Day of COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Olfactory dysfunction occurs commonly, severely, and early in COVID-19 infection, according to a study published online May 5 in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
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Crude Link ID'd for Vitamin D Levels, COVID-19 Cases, Death
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- There is a crude correlation between vitamin D levels and the number of COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 mortality, according to a study published online May 6 in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
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Pediatric Vaccine Ordering Has Decreased During COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- After the COVID-19 emergency declarations, there was a decrease in pediatric vaccine ordering, according to research published in the May 8 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Severe Illness Reported in Some Children With COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Severe illness from COVID-19 infection occurs in some children, most of whom have significant preexisting comorbidities, according to a study published online May 11 in JAMA Pediatrics.
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For Those With Heart Failure, ACE2 Concentrations Up in Men
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with heart failure, men have higher plasma concentrations of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, while neither use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors nor angiotensin receptor blockers are associated with increased plasma ACE2 concentrations, according to a study published online May 10 in the European Heart Journal.
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Established ARDS Therapy Aids Many Critically Ill With COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Many critically ill patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure managed with mechanical ventilation and established acute respiratory distress syndrome protocols survive, according to a letter to the editor published online April 29 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Hydroxychloroquine Has No Impact on Outcomes in COVID-19
MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Hydroxychloroquine is not associated with an increased or decreased risk for intubation or death among patients with COVID-19 admitted to the hospital, according to a study published online May 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Triple Antiviral Therapy Promising for Mild-to-Moderate COVID-19
MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with COVID-19, early triple antiviral therapy (lopinavir-ritonavir, ribavirin, and interferon beta-1b) is better than lopinavir-ritonavir for reducing the time to providing a nasopharyngeal swab negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to a study published online May 8 in The Lancet.
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ACR Issues Statement on Return of Routine Radiology Services
MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- In an American College of Radiology statement, published online May 6 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, recommendations are presented for re-engagement of routine radiology care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Epidemic Growth of COVID-19 Not Linked to Latitude, Temperature
MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- For COVID-19, epidemic growth is not associated with latitude and temperature or with absolute humidity, according to a study published online May 8 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Anakinra May Reduce Systemic Inflammation in COVID-19
MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- High-dose anakinra, a recombinant interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, is associated with improved clinical outcomes for patients with COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and hyperinflammation, according to a study published online May 7 in The Lancet Rheumatology.
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SARS-CoV-2 Spreads Rapidly Through Skilled Nursing Facilities
MONDAY, May 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Rapid and widespread transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 can occur in skilled nursing facilities, according to a study published online April 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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