US excess deaths
Currently above average in 50 States
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/excess_deaths.htm#dashboard
March 15 to November 7
Deaths nationwide, 18 % percent higher than normal
Deaths above normal, 326,000
Covid deaths, 251,715
US trends
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailytrendscases
Donald Trump, Jr., (42) tested positive on Friday, has entered quarantine
Canadian
Toronto prepares 28 day lockdown Monday
A normal Christmas is quite frankly right out of the question
Mexico
Over 1 million confirmed cases
Test confirmed deaths, 100,000
UK
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases
https://covid.joinzoe.com/data#interactive-map
ONS
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveypilot/20november2020
8 November to 14 November 2020
England
Prevalence, 664,700 infections
One in 80 people
38,900 new cases per day
Rates increasing
London, East of England South East
Rates decreasing
North West, East Midlands
Highest positivity rates
Secondary school-aged, older teenagers, young adults
Wales
Positivity rates peaked end of October
One in 165
Northern Ireland
Rates decreasing over past four weeks
One in 135
Scotland
Rates levelled of
One in 155
WHO and remdesivir (20th November)
https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/who-recommends-against-the-use-of-remdesivir-in-covid-19-patients
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-who-advises-against-remdesivir-for-hospitalized-covid-19-patients/a-55671134?maca=en-NL-Corona-Compact
https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/remdesivir.html
Conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir in hospitalized patients
Regardless of disease severity
Currently no evidence that remdesivir improves survival and other outcomes
Guideline, developed by international guideline development group
28 clinical care experts, 4 patient-partners, one ethicist
Match scientific standards with the speed required to respond to an ongoing pandemic
WHO Solidarity Trial, 3 other randomized controlled trials
N = 7000
Insufficient evidence of an important effect on:
Mortality
Need for mechanical ventilation
Time to clinical improvement
Other patient-important outcomes
Supported continued enrollment in trials evaluating remdesivir.
A conditional recommendation
When the evidence around the benefits and risks of an intervention are less certain
In this case, there is a conditional recommendation against the use of remdesivir
This means that there isn’t enough evidence to support its use.
US pharmaceutical company Gilead
Disputes the findings
WHO’s findings were yet to be subjected to peer review
Remdesivir is currently approved for use as a COVID-19 in over 50 countries
Cost
https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4457
A treatment cycle may take 5-10 days
A five day course of treatment for one patient costs around $2340 (£1773; €1976) for government programmes
$3120 for private insurers
Gilead has reached agreements to make cheaper generic versions available in low and middle income countries
(Tamiflu costs less than $75 per course of treatment to shorten symptom duration for patients with influenza)
Source