CADTH Weekly COVID-19 Update

CADTH is committed to supporting Canada’s health care decision-makers through this challenging and uncertain time.

Our COVID-19 evidence portal contains the latest COVID-19 information from CADTH and other respected organizations. Content is updated daily to reflect the rapidly changing and growing state of the international scientific evidence related to this disease.

The following is a summary of the most recent information posted to our COVID-19 portal.

Events

Webinar: Developing a COVID-19 Vaccine (August 12, 2020)

• In this webinar an expert panel will take you inside the race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. Once we have a vaccine, what’s involved in adding it to Canada’s national immunization program?
• Our panel of experts include Megan Bettle (Health Canada), Monika Naus (BC Centre for Disease Control), and Dion Neame (Sanofi Canada).
• To participate, please register (there is no cost).

Reports

Dexamethasone in the Treatment of Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Critical Appraisal of the RECOVERY Study

• The RECOVERY trial is a large, ongoing, multi-centre, open-label, randomized controlled trial investigating several treatments for patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
• In July 2020, the preliminary results were published comparing dexamethasone plus usual standard of care with usual standard of care alone. Dexamethasone reduced the 28-day mortality rate in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
• The purpose of this CADTH report is to describe the internal and external validity of these published results of the RECOVERY trial.

COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Long-Term Care Facilities — Round-Up

• Elderly residents of long-term care homes in Canada have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 80% of COVID-19‒related deaths in Canada being linked to residents of long-term care facilities.
• This document provides an overview of the available guidance on infection prevention and control in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Round-Up document includes Canadian guidance and information from other countries.

Ongoing Trials for Novel Vaccines in the Prevention of COVID-19 (Updated on July 22, 2020)

• This report provides information on ongoing clinical trials of novel vaccines being investigated for the prevention of COVID-19; it will be updated every two weeks.
• Ongoing trials of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine are addressed in a separate CADTH report.

Ongoing Trials for Drugs in the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 (Updated July 17, 2020)

• This report provides information on ongoing randomized controlled trials of drugs being investigated to treat or prevent COVID-19; it will be updated every two weeks.
• Ongoing trials of vaccines and plasma-based therapies are addressed in separate CADTH reports.

Remote Monitoring Medical Devices for COVID-19: Clinical Utility and Cost-Effectiveness

• This report provides evidence on the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of remote monitoring medical devices for COVID-19.
• No relevant literature was identified for either the clinical utility or the cost-effectiveness of remote monitoring medical devices for COVID-19.
• No conclusions can be drawn based on this review.

Workplace COVID-19 Prevention Measures and the Role of Testing in Workplace Safety

• This briefing note explores issues related to returning to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The document includes workplaces at high risk, workplace control strategies, and the potential role of testing in enhancing workplace safety.

CADTH Literature Searching Tools

To help conduct your COVID-19–related literature searches, we have recently updated our COVID-19 Search Strings and our COVID-19 Grey Literature Resources.

Additional Resources

CADTH is pleased to showcase additional COVID-19 resources from our partner organizations, as well as from the Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments’ health jurisdictions:

• Pan-Canadian Health Organizations
• Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Information

CAN’T FIND WHAT YOU NEED? LET US KNOW.

Canadian ministries and departments of health, publicly funded organizations responsible for health service delivery, and clinical society stakeholders are encouraged to submit a request or contact their CADTH Liaison Officer. We’re here to help.

The CADTH Weekly COVID-19 Update is intended to keep you informed about the latest information posted on the CADTH COVID-19 portal. You’re receiving this update because you’ve subscribed to our CADTH e-alert system.