Articles: coronavirus.
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The recent emergence of a new coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‑2, SARS-CoV-2) that is transmitted efficiently among humans and can result in serious disease and/or death has become a global threat to public health and economy. In this article, we describe some of the most important characteristics of this new virus (including gaps in our understanding) and provide a perspective of ongoing activities for developing virus-specific countermeasures, such as vaccines and antiviral drugs.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Nov 2020
The Impact of the Off-site Monitoring Clinic (Virtual Monitoring Clinic) on the Practice of Outpatient Rheumatology in a Tertiary Centre during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The ongoing pandemic in Singapore is part of a global pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To control the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the healthcare system from being overwhelmed, 'circuit breaker' measures were introduced between 7 April and 1 June 2020 in Singapore. ⋯ The virtual consultations address the need for safe-distancing by limiting face-to-face appointments and unnecessary exposure of patients to the hospital where feasible. This approach ensures that the patients are monitored appropriately for drug toxicities and side-effects, maintained on good disease control, and provided with patient education.
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The most serious COVID-19 deriving from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causes a cytokine release storm and it is associated with worse outcomes. In COVID-19 patients, interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels are significantly elevated. Blocking IL-6 preliminarily resulted in the improvement of this hyperinflammatory state. It is unknown which patients could require higher doses of tocilizumab to get out of the cytokine storm. ⋯ Repeated measurement of the serum level of IL-6 early after tocilizumab may distinguish nonsurvivors from survivors and support the choice of deeper targeting IL-6 in COVID-19 pneumonia.