Top in ID: How will the COVID-19 pandemic end?
Healio asked infectious diseases experts for their opinions on what the end of the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially look like, including how far away the “end” may be and what, if any, guidelines are in place to indicate when it is appropriate to end infection control methods. It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
Another top story was about an outbreak of COVID-19 among people attending religious gatherings in Arkansas.
Read these and more of last week’s top stories in infectious disease below:
How will the COVID-19 pandemic end?
WHO reported the largest single-day increase in cases of COVID-19 this week, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, emphasizing that countries have “a long way to go in this pandemic” at a press briefing. As states throughout the country and cities around the world begin to reopen, in spite of the ongoing increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths, many have begun wondering what the end of the pandemic could potentially look like. Read more.
Arkansas church gatherings lead to dozens of cases of COVID-19
Several gatherings at an Arkansas church between March 6 and 11 resulted in 35 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among attendees and 26 additional cases among contacts of attendees, according to findings published in MMWR. Researchers said this further highlights the potential for widespread transmission of COVID-19 at both group gatherings and within the broader community. Read more.
Injectable cabotegravir effective as HIV PrEP when given every 2 months
Administered as an injection every 2 months, the investigational drug cabotegravir was 69% more effective at preventing HIV than currently approved pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, ViiV Healthcare announced in a press release. Read more.
Algorithm offers narrower- spectrum antibiotic recommendations than those of clinical practice
A case-based reasoning algorithm offered appropriate antibiotic recommendations that were significantly narrower in spectrum than choices made currently in clinical practice, according to results from a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Read more.
Patients with COVID-19 frequently receive antimicrobials despite low rate of bacterial coinfections
Patients with coronavirus-related respiratory infections are often prescribed broad-spectrum empirical antimicrobials despite scarce evidence for bacterial or fungal co-infections, according to a review in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Read more.