Risks and opportunities: prisons and COVID-19

Overcrowding, a poor general health profile, inability to comply with social distancing or hand hygiene measures: Crowley and colleagues highlight the potential impact of COVID-19 on those in prison, and explore some of the opportunities in treatment and policy options for this marginalised group.

COVID-19 treatments: rapid reviews

Given the high rates of complications and mortality from COVID-19, there has been substantial interest in repurposing of drugs for treatment. A group from the University of Oxford has carried two rapid reviews of the literature, examining the evidence for the use of azithromycin, and of hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine to treat COVID-19. Their findings highlight a paucity of evidence to justify either treatment, especially from clinical trials.

Coding COVID-19: standardising data for better monitoring

Standardising the codes used in computerised medical records is key for accurate surveillance of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, de Lusignan and Williams outline best practice for primary care professionals: the clinical concepts to be recorded, the temporary codes that are currently in use, and the definitive codes that will be rolled out to replace them in April 2020.

National Early Warning Scores

A retrospective service evaluation of transfers from the community to secondary care across two major hospitals shows that NEWS scores could be strong indicator of adverse outcomes.