Latest healthcare news
What is the Best Method of SARS-CoV-2 PCR Testing?
A study published by Tsang and others in The Lancet April 12th 2021 looked carefully into this important issue. They argued that the comparative performance of different clinical sampling methods for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection by PCR among populations...
Blood Clot Risks – OK! Magazine April 2021
BLOOD CLOT RISKS OK! MAGAZINE APRIL 2021Dr Paul Ettlinger of The London General Practice speaks with Sandra Walsh at OK! Magazine about blood clots, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and whether we should be concerned about blood clot risk and Covid-19 Vaccination. ...
Is There Evidence that the Vaccination Programme is Effective?
A preprint published in MedRxiv by Andrejko and others evaluated the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination under real world conditions of use. They found that fully immunised individuals either with Pfizer or Moderna vaccination experienced 86% protection...
Could There Have Been an Ancient Viral Epidemic More Than 20,000 Years Ago in East Asia which Involved Host Coronavirus Interacting Genes?
An interesting preprint in BioRxiv by Souilmi and others investigated this interesting thought. The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has emphasised the vulnerability of human populations to novel viral pressures, despite the vast array of epidemiological and...
Is It Better to be Vaccinated Quickly or Await a Vaccination With a Higher Efficacy?
An interesting preprint by Kim and others looked at this subject. Recent mutations in SARS-CoV-2 have raised concerns about diminishing vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 caused by particular variants. Even with a high initial efficacy, if a...
Does Having Had COVID-19 Infection and Being Antibody Positive Protect From Future SARS-CoV-2 Infection?
A large, multi-centre prospective cohort study the SIREN study was published in The Lancet on April 9th 2021 by Hall and others. The study aimed to investigate whether antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were associated with a decreased risk of symptomatic and asymptomatic...
Ramadan and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
Correspondence published by Ali and others in The Lancet on 7th April. In 2020 Ramadan coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, moving what is a month of communal prayers and social gatherings into the era of virtual prayers. 2021 brings further...
COVID-19 Testing Available at The London General Practice
COVID-19 PCR test The London General Practice is delighted to be able to offer a COVID-19 PCR test with same day results. This test can be used for fit to fly and is available by a self-administered swab orally and nasally, which can then be couriered back to...
Does Inhaled Budesonide Help in the Treatment of Early COVID-19 Infection?
An interesting study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal April 9th 2021 by Rama Krishnan and others looked at this issue. It has been noted idiosyncratically that patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 were under represented if they had...
Can telemedicine be used within a termination service and is it safe, efficacious and acceptable?
An interesting study by Chong and others published in the International Reproductive Health Journal of Contraception on March 26, 2021 looked at this subject. They performed the study at 10 sites providing a termination service in 13 states and Washington...
