CORONAVIRUS NEWS

A ​Medical Technology Group survey shows that patients are embracing technology during the COVID-19 pandemic, but still value real-life consultations.

The University of Kent's School of Biosciences and the Institute of Medical Virology at Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, have identified that a glycoprotein known as transferrin may critically contribute to severe forms of COVID-19.

BD has teamed up with CloserStill Media, organisers of Health Plus Care, to present ‘Take, Test and Treat – The critical future in diagnostics and blood culture’ webinar series, taking place online on 8, 9 and 10 September.

A new post-mortem study of patients who have died from COVID-19 found severe damage to the lungs and signs of blood clotting in major organs.

Ecolab has been asked to supply NHS Supply Chain with five million litres of hand sanitiser by the end of the year, to meet increased demand in the wake of COVID-19.

Thousands of patients with cancer have had chemotherapy delivered to their doors so that they can more safely receive treatment during the coronavirus pandemic.

The ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey tracking the virus in the general population will be expanded from regularly testing 28,000 people per fortnight in England to 150,000 by October, the Health Secretary has announced.

Wolters Kluwer Health has won seven new NHS contracts for its clinical decision support tool UpToDate, as hospitals have turned to evidence-based support during the COVID-19 crisis.

More than 100,000 people across England have tested themselves for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at home as part of a major research programme.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) have announced a multi-million-pound investment in six new projects to improve understanding of the links between COVID-19 and ethnicity.

Single Use Surgical, part of Eakin Healthcare Group, has signed a contract to package and sterilise 1.92 million surgical isolation gowns – a move that will create 45 new jobs and protect frontline NHS staff against COVID-19.

Millions of rapid coronavirus tests will be rolled out to hospitals, care homes and labs across the UK to increase testing capacity ahead of winter.

A survey of members of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has found that almost two thirds (60%) of doctors worry that patients in their care have suffered harm or complications following diagnosis or treatment delays during the pandemic.

Frontline healthcare workers in the UK and US were at least 3.4 times more likely to report a positive COVID-19 test compared with the general community, after accounting for differences in testing frequency between the two groups.

According to a new study from Memorial Sloan Kettering, published in Nature Medicine, patients in active cancer treatment who develop COVID-19 infection don't fare any worse than other hospitalised patients.

A study by researchers at Bicêtre Hospital, on patients hospitalised for COVID-19, has shown that asthmatics do not present an increased risk of developing a severe form of the disease.

The COVID-19 rapid antibody test, developed by Abingdon Health, the medical device manufacturer leading the UK-Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC), has received its CE mark. This means it is approved for professional use in the UK and EU.

NICE has published a guideline on the arrangements the NHS should put in place for patients needing elective surgery and other planned treatments and procedures (including diagnostics and imaging) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BMA has warned that Government measures and public guidance on face covering rules in England are unclear, inconsistent and are causing widespread confusion.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust has implemented a containerised CT scanning solution that will help meet increased demand for scanning services, during the COVID crisis, while protecting non-infected patients.