CORONAVIRUS NEWS
Government to offer antibody tests to health and social care staff and patients in England
New antibody testing programme to provide tens of thousands of antibody tests per day across the UK from next week.
NHS expands offer of help to people with diabetes during coronavirus outbreak
People living with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of dying with COVID-19 with a third of deaths in England associated with the condition, according to new NHS research. The health service in England has called on people with diabetes to access help available to them, including a new dedicated helpline and online tools to help manage the condition during the outbreak.
IPS provides guidance on correct use of PPE
The Infection Prevention Society (IPS) has released a questions and answer document on “Using PPE for Covid-19 in Intensive Care Settings” and an accompanying video.
High rate of blood clots in COVID-19
COVID-19 is associated with a high incidence of venous thromboembolism, blood clots in the venous circulation, according to a study conducted by researchers at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), UK.
Support for nurses facing hardship
Single Use Surgical will donate 5p from the sale of every disposable surgical instrument sold in the UK to Cavell Nurses’ Trust to help support nurses in their time of need.
Vital laboratory link delivered to NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol
CliniSys has delivered a laboratory link for NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol (Nightingale Bristol), so clinicians can request tests for patients and receive the results electronically
Coronavirus: new website for reporting medicines side effects and equipment incidents
A new online reporting site, dedicated to reporting any suspected side effects from medicines and medical equipment, relating to COVID-19 treatment, has been launched.
COVID-19 identification in X-ray images by artificial intelligence
A novel approach to identify COVID-19 with high confidence from other viral and bacterial infections using X-ray will help to make Coronavirus diagnosis faster and more accurate with the help artificial intelligence-based program.
Review into factors impacting health outcomes from COVID-19
Thousands of existing health records for people who have had COVID-19 are to be examined as part of a major exercise to establish more robust data on the factors impacting the number of cases and health outcomes for different groups within the population.
NICE COVID-19 guidance on immunocompromised children and antibiotics for pneumonia
NICE has published a new series of guidelines in the wake of COVID-19, including guidance on the care of children and young people who are immunocompromised.
New COVID-19 guideline on acute kidney injury
NICE has published a new COVID-19 rapid guideline on acute kidney injury (AKI). The guideline aims to help healthcare professionals who are not kidney specialists to prevent, detect and manage AKI in patients in hospital with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
UKAS supports efforts to ensure quality testing for COVID-19
Matt Hancock, the Secretary for Health and Social Care, has stated that during the Covid-19 (SARS-Cov-2) pandemic ‘good quality testing can help provide us with certainty’ and is ‘a big part of how we’re going to defeat this disease’.
Machine learning to help hospitals plan COVID-19 treatment
Trials have begun of a system that will use machine learning to help predict the upcoming demand for intensive care (ICU) beds and ventilators needed to treat patients with COVID-19 at individual hospitals and across regions in England.
COVID-19 treatments could be fast-tracked through new national clinical trial initiative
Thousands of patients could benefit from potential treatments for COVID-19 that will be fast-tracked through a new national clinical trial, the Health and Care Secretary has announced.
Deaths from COVID-19 in the most deprived areas are more than double those in the least deprived
New figures on 'Deaths involving COVID19 by local area and deprivation', show that the Coronavirus pandemic has hit the poorest hardest.
New guidance on managing tracheostomised patients during COVID-19
New supplementary guidance from the RCP will help clinicians manage patients in prolonged disorders of consciousness (PDOC - which includes vegetative state (VS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) but not short-term coma) who have had a tracheostomy.
Government begins large-scale virus infection and antibody test study
20,000 households in England are being contacted to take part in the first wave of a major new government study to track coronavirus (COVID-19) in the general population.
Advice issued on how to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission in response to PHE face mask re-use guidance
Surgical associations whose members work close to the face have issued further advice for their members in response to Public Health England (PHE) guidance changes that allow re-use of surgical masks.
Possible coronavirus drug identified
A collaborative study led by the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) with the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), a joint venture of the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital, has shown that an anti-parasitic drug already available around the world kills the virus within 48 hours.
Drive-through testing opens at Edinburgh Airport
A drive-through coronavirus testing facility has opened at Edinburgh Airport as part of the Government’s UK-wide drive to increase testing for thousands more NHS and other key workers.
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