The Latest in COVID-19 News: Week Ending Apr. 18

By the Editors

This week's novel coronavirus (COVID-19) news yielded potentially promising early results for remdesivir — but not for hydroxychloroquine in patients with hypoxic pneumonia. One analysis suggested that intermittent social distancing may need to be maintained through 2022, while another found very low or undetectable SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in 30% of recovered patients. Additionally, we saw more evidence of asymptomatic transmission. Catch up on these and all of our COVID-19 stories from the past week at the links below.

Our Physician-Editors Weigh In:

William E. Chavey, MD, MS: Many of the reports on COVID-19 have been what I have described as "science thinking out loud." While publicizing early results has been important, the more robust data on hydroxychloroquine show the risk of making treatment decisions based on preliminary evidence.

André Sofair, MD, MPH: As time passes, more treatment trials will come out to enable us to refine our treatment algorithms. The other important finding comes from the data on asymptomatic viral shedding. This should prompt states and hospitals to develop more robust social distancing and masking procedures even for asymptomatic people.