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HGHI, HU CFAR Host Virtual Grand Rounds on Lessons from HIV for Global Equity During Pandemics

Ongoing global Covid-19 vaccine and therapeutic inequities threaten to prolong and exacerbate the pandemic for all countries. As advocates, academics, and policymakers alike call for the U.S. and other wealthy nations to share these lifesaving resources with the world, it is prudent to consider the lessons learned from the HIV pandemic that can be translated

Are patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus at increased risk for COVID-19 infection?

Preliminary evidence shows that patients with diabetes and/or hypertension are more likely to develop a severe infection from the novel coronavirus. Could a common drug used to treat both be the reason? HGHI’s Anders Gundersen reviews a new Lancet paper. [...]

Can SARS-CoV-2 contaminate hospitals?

By Anders Gundersen, HGHI | March 14, 2020 What do we know about how SARS-CoV-2 survives outside the human host in hospital settings? Transmission of COVID-19 within hospitals has been observed, but is is unclear how the virus was passed along. In a hospital in Singapore, researchers tested numerous sites in the rooms of three [...]

Is Twitter Becoming Better at Reporting COVID-19 Testing than the CDC?

Tynan Friend, HGHI | March 13, 2020 Numerous reports over the past weeks have circulated throughout the U.S detailing what many regard as severe shortcomings in the COVID-19 laboratory testing by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [...]

Building Testing Capacity in Africa – 42 Countries and Counting

Once the news was out about a novel coronavirus emerging in China, Dr. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, swiftly moved to action: In a few short weeks, he built capacity to test for the novel virus across the African continent. HGHI’s Ashish Jha asks: How did he do [...]

It’s a crisis, yes. But that’s when humans get creative.

By Kate Raphael, HGHI | March 12, 2020 Here is a truth about the human brain: in crisis, we get creative. So, like other major crises before, the coronavirus pandemic is driving innovative ideas and new solutions for how to deal with the risk of infection, testing shortages, and other current challenges. [...]

The Role of the FDA in the US Testing Debacle

By Anders Gundersen, HGH | March 11, 2020 Confusion and controversy have surrounded the conversation about diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in the United States. We know that testing is a critical component of an effective response effort. We summarize a recent JAMA viewpoint that highlights why the US has experienced a testing gap, walks through [...]

Lessons from Northern Italy: Why even great Health Systems collapse under COVID-19 case load

By Elie Lehmann, HGHI | March 10, 2020 Here is something many people in high-income nations take for granted: The capacity of their excellent health systems to take care of patients suffering from COVID-19. The dramatic scenes currently unfolding in Italy show a different reality. As the novel coronavirus spreads through an immunologicaly naive population [...]

Viral Shedding in COVID 19 Patients

By Anders Gundersen, HGHI | March 10, 2020 Throat swabs are sufficient for testing, and a patient’s viral load is highest 1-5 days after the onset of symptoms: Researchers in Germany identified important aspects of how the novel coronavirus behaves. While the work is under peer-review, early publication provides details that can inform decisions on [...]

Do Isolation And Contact Tracing Work?

A mathematical modeling paper aims to determine the extent to which the isolation of infected patients and the tracing of those they may have come into contact with is effective at reducing the spread of COVID-19 outbreaks. HGHI’s Anders Gundersen with a summary of the findings. [...]

The US Is Finally Testing For Coronavirus. What Happens Next?

By Andrew Iliff, HGHI | March 6, 2020 Public health departments across the country are scaling up the crucial work of testing thousands of Americans for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The process, essential in an outbreak, has been delayed by a CDC error in the first set of tests made available, budget cuts, and restrictions on who [...]