High Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness and Absence of Increased Influenza-like-Illness Epidemic Activity in the 2021-2022 Influenza Season in Catalonia (Spain) Based on Surveillance Data Collected by Sentinel Pharmacies.

Influenza surveillance and influenza vaccination are the key activities for preventing and controlling influenza epidemics. The study assessed the influenza surveillance and influenza vaccination data obtained from sentinel pharmacies of Catalonia, Spain, in the 2021-2022 influenza season. The sentinel pharmacies were selected from all community pharmacies to report all influenza-like illness (ILI) cases detected during the 2021-2022 influenza season and collect influenza surveillance and influenza vaccination data. The ILI cases were identified based on European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) criteria. The moving epidemic method (MEM) was used to assess the ILI epidemic activity. The screening method was used to assess influenza vaccination effectiveness in patients aged 65-or-more years old. The sentinel pharmacies reported 212 ILI cases with a negative COVID-19 test and a total number of 412 ILI cases. An absence of increased ILI epidemic activity was observed in the 2021-2022 influenza season based on two criteria: (1) Number of ILI cases reported per week in the 2021-2022 influenza season significantly lower than the MEM-based epidemic threshold. (2) Mean number of ILI cases reported per week in the 2021-2022 influenza season significantly lower than during the ILI/influenza epidemic periods detected from 2017 to 2020 using the same methodology. Influenza vaccination was effective in preventing ILI among patients aged 65-or-more-years old. The absence of the influenza epidemic during the 2021-2022 influenza season could be explained by influenza vaccination and COVID-19 prevention measures (wearing face masks, social distancing). The sentinel pharmacies provided influenza surveillance data not provided by traditional influenza surveillance systems.

Pharmacological interventions for the treatment of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

RESUMEN Varios fármacos han sido propuestos como alternativas terapéuticas para COVID-19. Se efectuó una búsqueda sistematica en MEDLINE (vía PubMed) hasta el 20 de marzo de 2020, con el fin de identificar la evidencia disponible sobre intervenciones farmacológicas para tratamiento específico de COVID-19. 947 publicaciones fueron identificadas y 15 estudios seleccionados: 3 ensayos clínicos, 5 series de casos y 7 reportes de casos. La calidad de la evidencia procedente de ensayos clínicos fue evaluada según la metodología GRADE. La evidencia existente para hidroxicloroquina, favipiravir y lopinavir/ritonavir procede de ensayos clínicos que reportan resultados favorables para los dos primeros fármacos en tanto que no se observó ningún beneficio al adicionar lopinavir/ritonavir al tratamiento estándar. Sin embargo, debido a las limitaciones metodológicas, la evidencia es de muy baja certeza para hidroxicloroquina y de baja certeza para favipiravir y lopinavir/ritonavir. Respecto al uso de arbidol interferón, o el uso combinado de estos con lopinavir/ritonavir, la evidencia es limitada ya que deriva de serie de casos o reporte de casos con resultados no determinantes. No se identificaron estudios que permitan determinar la eficacia y seguridad de intervenciones farmacológicas frente a COVID-19. ABSTRACT Several drugs have been proposed as therapeutic alternatives for COVID-19. An electronic systematic search of MEDLINE (via PubMed) was carried out until March 20th 2020, in order to identify the available evidence on pharmacological interventions for specific treatment of COVID-19. The quality of the evidence from clinical trials was evaluated according to the GRADE methodology. 947 publications were identified and 15 studies were selected: 3 clinical trials, 5 case series and 7 case reports. The existing evidence for hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir and lopinavir/ritonavir comes from clinical trials reporting favorable results for the first two drugs, while no benefit was observed when lopinavir/ritonavir was added to standard treatment. However, due to methodological issues, the evidence for hydroxychloroquine is very low. For favipiravir and lopinavir/ritonavir the evidence is low. Regarding the use of arbidol interferon, or the combined use of these with lopinavir/ritonavir, the evidence is limited since it derives from case series or case report with non-determining results. No studies were identified that reliably demonstrate the efficacy and safety of any pharmacological intervention against COVID-19.

Pharmacological interventions for the treatment of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

RESUMEN Varios fármacos han sido propuestos como alternativas terapéuticas para COVID-19. Se efectuó una búsqueda sistematica en MEDLINE (vía PubMed) hasta el 20 de marzo de 2020, con el fin de identificar la evidencia disponible sobre intervenciones farmacológicas para tratamiento específico de COVID-19. 947 publicaciones fueron identificadas y 15 estudios seleccionados: 3 ensayos clínicos, 5 series de casos y 7 reportes de casos. La calidad de la evidencia procedente de ensayos clínicos fue evaluada según la metodología GRADE. La evidencia existente para hidroxicloroquina, favipiravir y lopinavir/ritonavir procede de ensayos clínicos que reportan resultados favorables para los dos primeros fármacos en tanto que no se observó ningún beneficio al adicionar lopinavir/ritonavir al tratamiento estándar. Sin embargo, debido a las limitaciones metodológicas, la evidencia es de muy baja certeza para hidroxicloroquina y de baja certeza para favipiravir y lopinavir/ritonavir. Respecto al uso de arbidol interferón, o el uso combinado de estos con lopinavir/ritonavir, la evidencia es limitada ya que deriva de serie de casos o reporte de casos con resultados no determinantes. No se identificaron estudios que permitan determinar la eficacia y seguridad de intervenciones farmacológicas frente a COVID-19. ABSTRACT Several drugs have been proposed as therapeutic alternatives for COVID-19. An electronic systematic search of MEDLINE (via PubMed) was carried out until March 20th 2020, in order to identify the available evidence on pharmacological interventions for specific treatment of COVID-19. The quality of the evidence from clinical trials was evaluated according to the GRADE methodology. 947 publications were identified and 15 studies were selected: 3 clinical trials, 5 case series and 7 case reports. The existing evidence for hydroxychloroquine, favipiravir and lopinavir/ritonavir comes from clinical trials reporting favorable results for the first two drugs, while no benefit was observed when lopinavir/ritonavir was added to standard treatment. However, due to methodological issues, the evidence for hydroxychloroquine is very low. For favipiravir and lopinavir/ritonavir the evidence is low. Regarding the use of arbidol interferon, or the combined use of these with lopinavir/ritonavir, the evidence is limited since it derives from case series or case report with non-determining results. No studies were identified that reliably demonstrate the efficacy and safety of any pharmacological intervention against COVID-19.