The links below represent a wide range of topics in news articles, resources, and journal articles. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) identified in the respective articles, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Odyssey Medical, or the author of this blog post.

Foreword:

We ended the month of March with 8,591 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Canada. As of April 30, we had 53,236 confirmed and presumptive cases across the country. Nunavut was the last part of Canada to be free of COVID, but has since had its first confirmed case.

As parts of the country begin the slow re-opening, we will look at COVID-related materials, while also branching out to other topics that may be of interest to the event medicine community.

COVID Learning Tools

COVID-19 Primer: Virtual Patient Simulation
https://interactives.nejm.org/external/covid_simulation/index.html

This is an interactive learning tool from The New England Journal of Medicine. It provides a primer for the basic (i.e. not ICU) clinical considerations in managing patients with possible COVID infection.

Quick ICU Training for COVID-19
https://www.quickicutraining.com

This training tool is a project between multiple Ontario-based hospitals and the University of Toronto to ensure clinicians who don’t normally operate in a critical care environment to become prepare for such operation. You will find videos, instruction text and pocket cards/cheat sheets available on the website.

COVID Clinical Resources

Two clinical resource below that you will find lots of good summary on research articles, best practices, etc. – one from John Hopkins University (a point of care guide) and one from EMRAP (a guide directed towards emergency physicians and staff)

Johns Hopkins POC Guide: Coronavirus COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)
https://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540747/all/Coronavirus_COVID_19__SARS_CoV_2_

EMRAP: Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)
https://www.emrap.org/corependium/chapter/rec906m1mD6SRH9np/Novel-Coronavirus-2019-COVID-19

COVID Journals/Research

The NEJM presents a case study, and the various treatment options available. It is give you some good food-for-thoughts.

[NEJM] Clinical Practice: Mild or Moderate Covid-19
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp2009249

Given the close proximity to Mainland China, and its experience with SARS, Hong Kong was slated to be hit hard by COVID. However, case numbers remains low – the study looked into how early measures impacted the transmission of SARS-COV2 and the seasonal flu.

[The Lancet] Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong: an observational study
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30090-6/fulltext

“If clinical suspicion of infection associated with COVID-19 remains
after an initially negative nasopharyngeal swab, we urge clinicians
to continue isolation procedures to prevent nosocomial infection.”

[CMAJ] SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 76-year-old man with negative results for nasopharyngeal swabs and possible nosocomial transmission
https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/early/2020/04/29/cmaj.200641.full.pdf

This article looks at how psychological science can help reinforce COVID19 public health messaging.

[The Lancet] Pitfalls of judgment during the COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(20)30096-7/fulltext

This article looks at disease progression in the post-pandemic world and what public health surveillance needs to be in place.

[Science] Projecting the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 through the postpandemic period
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/24/science.abb5793

COVID News Articles

The four news articles below look into different aspects of COVID.

First, the WHO cautioned whether we can rely on the common percpetion “got it once and you are immuned to the disease”.

The second article looks at how our own immune system may be contributing to the replication of SARS-COV2 in our bodies.

The third article looks at how drug supplies have shifted in face of COVID – are people more likely to die from contaminated drugs as borders close and the movement of people restricted?

Finally, as the situation with COVID stabilize across the country and plans to re-open gets closer, are we really able to go back to life as we knew pre-COVID?

“Immunity passports” in the context of COVID-19
https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/immunity-passports-in-the-context-of-covid-19

SARS-CoV-2 may be exploiting our immune system’s ‘first responder’ cells
https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-immune-interferon-response.html

How coronavirus is changing the market for illegal drugs
https://theconversation.com/how-coronavirus-is-changing-the-market-for-illegal-drugs-134753

Why it will be so hard to return to ‘normal’
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200424-why-it-will-be-so-hard-to-return-to-normal

Pre-Hospital Care

Some US paramedics have been given the authority to use ketamine in an ambulance setting. Some Canadian doctors have also argued for the use here. Is the drug effective?

[Prehospital and Disaster Medicine] Ketamine as a Prehospital Analgesic: A Systematic Review
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X20000448

Mass Gatherings

It’s increasingly evident that mass gatherings will not happen around the world this summer. What are the impacts to event organizers and the event community as a whole? Would insurance have saved them?

In demonstrating why the need to cancel mass gathering, the article “Point of Contagion” described how “superspreaders” managed to pass the SARS-COV2 to others in otherwise mundane activities.

Finally, a study in Australia looked into the data of event medical teams – if you have been part of a medical team, no doubt you will find some aspect of it resonates with you.