Update of COVID 19 Pandemic

BMJ Best Practice - Update

Globally, 179,112 cases and 7426 deaths have been reported as of 17 March 2020.

Many countries are moving from the containment phase to delay and mitigation phases in order to reduce the peak impact of the virus and slow its spread, as well as reduce the anticipated surge in healthcare use. This includes travel bans and restrictions, and social distancing strategies such as restrictions on public gatherings; closures of schools and universities; closures of cafes, bars, restaurants, and other businesses; and encouraging people to work from home and not to leave the house. Some cities and countries are currently in 'lockdown'.

The World Health Organization (WHO) formally declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020. "WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press briefing. "We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic. Describing the situation as a pandemic does not change WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by this virus. It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do," he said. This is the first pandemic to be caused by a coronavirus. It is expected that the number of cases, deaths, and affected countries will increase in the weeks ahead.

                                                                                                    Source: bestpractice.bmj.com

The situation is evolving rapidly with global case counts and deaths increasing each day. 

The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and rates the global risk assessment as very high.

Community transmission is occurring in many countries, but it is uncertain how easily the virus spreads between people. Clinical trials and investigations to learn more about the virus, its origin, and how it affects humans are ongoing.

Definition

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially severe acute respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019.[1]Ren LL, Wang YM, Wu ZQ, et al. Identification of a novel coronavirus causing severe pneumonia in human: a descriptive study. Chin Med J (Engl). 2020 Jan 30 [Epub ahead of print]. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32004165?tool=bestpractice.com 32004165 Fulltext The clinical presentation is that of a respiratory infection with a symptom severity ranging from a mild common cold-like illness, to a severe viral pneumonia leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome that is potentially fatal. (Source: BMJ Best Practice).

MNCLHD staff should use CIAP (BMJ Best Practice is on the Quick Links)or contact their librarian at PMBH or CHHC for a full-text PDF of this update.  The site includes guidelines and patient information.