The COVID-19 outbreak has spurred considerable news coverage about the ways artificial intelligence (AI) can combat the pandemic’s spread. Unfortunately, much of it has failed to be appropriately skeptical about the claims of AI’s value. Like many tools, AI has a role to play, but its effect on the outbreak is probably small. While this may change in the future, technologies like data reporting, telemedicine, and conventional diagnostic tools are currently far more impactful than AI.Still, va...

Excitement about a potential new treatment for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic currently engulfing the world is causing problems for patients with arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), who routinely use the drug to control their symptoms. 
Despite the absence of strong evidence about the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19, some people are already attempting to self-medicate with the drug, with disastrous consequences. Hydroxychloroquine can...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the following actions taken in its ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic:




Today, the FDA stood up a new program to expedite the development of potentially safe and effective life-saving treatments. The program, known as the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program (CTAP), is using every tool at the agency’s disposal to bring new therapies to sick patients as quickly as possible, while at the same time su...

International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) researchers are applying computational fluid dynamics models coupled with particle-based models to the simulation of the flow of virus in the air produced by a sneeze. This research is carried out in close cooperation with the group of Professor Rainald Lohner at George Mason University in the USA. Prof Lohner, who is also the PI in this research activity, is an affiliated scientist to CIMNE where he spends 2-3 months resea...

Is the anti-flu drug Avigan effective in treating Covid-19? Lately, there has been a lot of media speculations around the Japanese favipiravir and its effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2. Chinese officials announced in a press conference that the drug could effectively treat this virus. A clinical trial from Chinese experts proving its validity has become available, but the results should be interpreted with caution. 
The open-label non-randomized control study proves that from the patien...

Via Science, Jon Cohen write: Not wearing masks to protect against coronavirus is a ‘big mistake,’ top Chinese scientist says 
Chinese scientists at the front of that country’s outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have not been particularly accessible to foreign media. Many have been overwhelmed trying to understand their epidemic and combat it, and responding to media requests, especially from journalists outside of China, has not been a top priority.

Science has tried t...

It's imperative for hospital IT departments to track information for management decisions, enable the fast ramp-up of additional ICU beds and set up tools for remote working.As the number of lives touched by COVID-19 is continuously mounting, so are the efforts of IT departments to counter the rising pressure on hospitals. The recent HIMSS Webinar, 'Italy and Germany facing COVID-19', hosted by Charles Alessi, Chief Clinical Officer, HIMSS, had two CIOs from private hospital chains in Italy a...

UEG (United European Gastroenterology) did a webinar on Thursday 27th about Covid-19 and Digestive Health. Watch the recorded webinar to learn more about COVID-19, IBD and endoscopy from the experts James Lindsay and Alessandro Repici. You can watch it here. 




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The COVID-19 pandemic is straining health systems worldwide. The rapidly increasing demand on health facilities and health care workers threatens to leave some health systems overstretched and unable to operate effectively.




Previous outbreaks have demonstrated that when health systems are overwhelmed, mortality from vaccine-preventable and other treatable conditions can also increase dramatically. During the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, the increased number of deaths cause...

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) has launched a regularly updated document that represents a resource for smoke and gas evacuation based on known science, vetted publications, and potential strategies. The aim is to offer the best protection to both patients and the health care team. 


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Via Science, Martin Enserink and Kai Kupferschmidt write: With COVID-19, modeling takes on life and death importance
Jacco Wallinga's computer simulations are about to face a high-stakes reality check. Wallinga is a mathematician and the chief epidemic modeler at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), which is advising the Dutch government on what actions, such as closing schools and businesses, will help control the spread of the novel coronavirus in the coun...

As of this week, South Korea had just over 9,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, which puts it among the top 10 countries for total cases.

But South Korea has another distinction: Health experts are noting that recently the nation has managed to significantly slow the number of new cases. And the country appears to have reined in the outbreak without some of the strict lockdown strategies deployed elsewhere in the world.

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