Coronavirus (COVID-19) Q&A

The lack of availability of COVID-19 testing has interfered with the ability to contain the spread of disease. Omai Garner, PhD, laboratory director for Clinical Microbiology in the UCLA health system, explains how PCR testing for COVID-19 works and why testing is in short supply.

Interview with Robert O. Bonow, MD, Patrick T. O'Gara, MD, Clyde W. Yancy, MD, and Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, authors of Association of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) With Myocardial Injury and Mortality and Ajay J. Kirtane, MD

As COVID-19 spreads globally, populations who survive their illness will become immune. Mayo Vaccine Research Group Director Gregory Poland, MD, discusses antibody responses, duration of immunity, vaccine safety, and the prospects for using convalescent serum to passively immunize people unexposed to SARS-CoV-2.

As COVID-19 spreads, clinicians and health systems are struggling to prepare for a surge of patients. Richard Stone, MD, the US Veterans Health Administration's Executive in Charge, spoke with JAMA about how the VA health system is preparing for this public health emergency.

In 2003, Toronto was the North American center for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The disease spread through the city’s hospitals before anyone knew what was happening. Dr Allison McGeer was a clinician caring for SARS patients and ultimately was infected herself. She describes her experience as a patient and provider and reviews lessons learned that might help others manage their regional COVID-19 outbreaks.

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Supporting the Health Care Workforce During the COVID-19 Global Epidemic

The ARDS in COVID-19 patients appears more responsive to PEEP and prone ventilation, but seems to require prolonged ventilation and may be associated with myocardial injury. Michelle N. Gong, MD, MS, Chief of Critical Care Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, discusses her department's experience managing critically ill coronavirus patients, procuring diagnostic tests and personal protective equipment (PPE) for her staff, and more.

Chloroquine was shown in 2004 to be active in vitro against SARS coronavirus but is of unproven efficacy and safety in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The drug's potential benefits and risks for COVID-19 patients, without and with azithromycin, is discussed by Dr. David Juurlink, head of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

Emerging information about how SARS-CoV-2 virus infects cells has led to speculation that NSAIDs and ACE inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may worsen clinical disease. Infectious disease physician Carlos del Rio, MD, of Emory University explains the concerns and their clinical implications.

The strategy for managing the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted from containment to mitigation. What does that mean for US hospitals and health systems? Kaiser Permanente Executive Vice President Stephen M. Parodi, MD, discusses telemedicine, protecting health care workers, equipment allocation planning, and more.

Interview with Jason Ying Kuen Chan, MBBS, author of Practical Aspects of Otolaryngologic Clinical Services During the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Epidemic: An Experience in Hong Kong