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

CADTH Virtual Symposium: November 9 to 10, 2020 — Call for Abstracts on COVID-19 Topics

You still have time to submit your abstracts on COVID-19 topics for presentation at the 2020 Virtual CADTH Symposium. Follow the details at the above link and submit your abstract by Wednesday, October 7, 2020.

Reports

Rapid Point-of-Care Antigen Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Infection

• This newsletter explores recent developments in testing for COVID-19.
• Testing for COVID-19 infection is important for stopping the spread of the virus. There is also a need for tests that can provide quick results.
• Evidence related to rapid point-of-care antigen testing — such as current practice, availability in Canada, cost, and safety — is summarized in this publication.

What You Should Know About Drug Treatments for COVID-19

• CADTH created this handout, intended for the general public, explaining the risks of using unproven drug treatments for COVID-19.
• The handout also provides information on what to do if someone is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, tips on how to assess the reliability of health information found on the internet, and a list of reliable websites that provide information on COVID-19.

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems in Public Spaces

• This report reviews evidence related to airflow transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the risk associated with the use of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
• A targeted literature review and a multidisciplinary expert panel discussion were the primary approaches to examine the evidence.
• More robust, published, peer-reviewed evidence is needed to help clarify the potential role HVAC systems play in spreading and/or mitigating the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in order to provide more concrete evidence-based recommendations.
• At this time, the most substantial risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is from close personal contact. As such, it remains critical to follow public health recommendations.

COVID-19 News

Visit our news page to stay on top of all of the emerging evidence we are monitoring and updating, including information on the following:

Tocilizumab

On September 18, 2020, a press release was made available about the results of a study on tocilizumab for the treatment of COVID-19 (EMPACTA, NCT04372186).

CADTH Literature Searching Tools

To help conduct your COVID-19–related literature searches, see 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.