Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)—For Beginners to Experts
No Longer Updated as of July 2023:
- News: COVID19, and its emerging variants, continues to be an international health crisis affecting 200+ countries, healthcare systems & state economies worldwide.
- Most provinces have removed mask mandates; Canada has also lifted its border requirements.
- Vaccines are available to all age groups .
Where are we globally?
- With 700,000,000+ million cases worldwide, we are in the 8th wave with #SARSCoV2 & #COVID infections.
- The Novel 2019 coronavirus, or "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2", SARS-CoV-2, causes the illness known as COVID-19.
- In Canada, there are pockets of increase in the cities such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal = 5,000,000+ cases.
- In the US, more than ~100,000,000+ cases have been reported.
Vaccine websites
- Variants & vaccines: Since the beginning of the pandemic, several variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have emerged. The WHO tracks these variants and efficacy of vaccines: https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/.
- For more information, see:
- Global Information About Pfizer‑BioNTech COVID‑19 Vaccine (also known as BNT162b2)
- Canada - Bivalent vaccines - Information
- Moderna Vaccine Information for Patients
- Canada - Pfizer Vaccine
- Open access patient decision aid for Covid-19 Vaccination
- US Center for Disease Control (CDC) - Pfizer Vaccine
- COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccine Tracker
To locate and browse a range of scientific papers on COVID vaccines, see this Google Scholar search:
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2023&q=COVID+vaccine*+&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5
STRUCTURE OF CONTENT BELOW
This pathfinder is completely open though some of the resources require a university subscription.
It is structured in three sections and updated every month:
- Part I is for consumers: protect yourself (next section)
- Part II is for experts such as researchers & clinicians.
- Part III for medical librarians.
Reliable, evidence-based COVID-19 information is urgently needed by patients and health professionals around the world.
PART I FOR CONSUMERS: WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Stay informed: Ask for assistance "in managing the COVID19 infodemic".
- Practice social distancing: stay two metres or six (6) feet apart in public.
- Use an N95 or similar mask: many continue to wear masks in certain indoor locations.
- Quarantine: Varies. Ten (10) days if you have been exposed to others with COVID-19. (Testing is recommended if you have been exposed.)
- Disinfect: Wash your hands with soap & hot water (and often) for infection control.
- Sanitize: 70% alcohol-based hand sanitizers are useful when soap and water are not available. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth until you can disinfect.
COVID19 - SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
If you have symptoms such as fever, malaise, cough OR difficulty breathing see your health care provider and ask about testing.
- SEE THIS simple, informative easy literacy handout from HealthLink BC: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- SPEAK to a health professional now for advice about your "next steps"?
- In BC, call 811 toll-free or for the deaf and hard of hearing, call 7-1-1.
- In an effort to ease the burden on HealthLink 811, BC has set up a dedicated COVID-19 line at 1-888-COVID19 or text at 1-888-268-4319.
- Public Health Agency of Canada has a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone line 1-833-784-4397.
- Use caution when evaluating information on the Web (or in print) about COVID-19; urge others to do the same. Evaluate information with your health provider.
- Stay informed, and ask your health provider for assistance. [Disclaimer]
In Canada
For emerging, easy-to-understand information, see:
- COVID19 Resources Canada https://covid19resources.ca
- COVID-19 Government of Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html#a1
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION:
- Alberta: Coronavirus info for Albertans | (Alberta.ca)
- BC: Coronavirus information | BCCDC (BC Centre for Disease Control)
- Canada: Novel Coronavirus infection | (Public Health Agency of Canada)
- Sask: 2019 Novel Coronavirus (Government of Saskatchewan)
- Manitoba: Coronavirus (Province of Manitoba)
- Ontario: 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Ontario.ca)
- In French: Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Gouvernement du Québec)
- Eastern Canada: 2019 Novel Coronavirus Infection Outbreak update (Gov’t of Newfoundland & Labrador)
In the United States
- COVID-19 Information and Resources (Google Site)
- COVID-19 (National Institutes of Health)
- COVID-19 (Centers for Disease Control / CDC)
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- Excellent CDC handouts and posters https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/factsheets.html
- MedlinePLUS Coronavirus (NLM)
- NLM Disaster Info—Coronavirus Infections (including 2019-nCoV, MERS-CoV and SARS)
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Food & Drug Administration):
Medline/PubMed Searching
- In New MEDLINE/PubMed
- In Classic PubMed (high specificity search)
- In PubMed, high sensitivity search for COVID-19 & virus name variants back in time
- In PubMedCentral, try this pre-formatted search:
- New MeSH Supplementary Concept Record for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- COVID-19 [Supplementary Concept] Viral disorder characterized by high FEVER; COUGH; DYSPNEA; renal dysfunction & other symptoms of a VIRAL PNEUMONIA. A coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in genus BETACORONAVIRUS is suspected agent.
- severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [Supplementary Concept] https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/record/ui?ui=C000656484
PART II FOR RESEARCHERS: “Evidence-Based” Studies, Reports, Updates
This part of the guide presents links to research and evidence-based information on COVID-19. It is intended for research purposes only.
It will be updated as more evidence becomes available. Patients should contact their health care team if they have questions about their health care.
- LitCOVID ... is a curated literature hub at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) for tracking up-to-date scientific information about the 2019 novel Coronavirus.
- One-stop access to peer-review articles; updated daily and further categorized by different topics and geographic locations for improved access. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/research/coronavirus/
- LitCOVID is "a subset of PubMed" with some human curation/DG
- To search LitCOVID use the search filters under category "Medline/PubMed Searching".
Core COVID-19 Websites & Initiatives
- Cochrane Library—Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources
- Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register
- Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, Welch Medical Library—COVID-19 Guide
OVID Search - Filters, Strings
Ovid Medline “Search on COVID-19”
- (exp coronavirus/ or coronavirus*.mp.) and (wuhan or beijing or shanghai or 2019-nCoV or nCov or COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2).mp.
- coronavirus*.ti. or (novel coronavirus*.mp. and (exp china/ or china.mp.)) or ((pneumonia.mp. or exp pneumonia/) and Wuhan.mp.)
- ('COVID-19' or '2019-nCov' or 'SARS-CoV-2').mp. or exp Coronavirus Infections/
- or/1-3
- See also http://tools.ovid.com/coronavirus/
- Coronaviruses (UpToDate):
- Expert Searches: Wolters Kluwer
Google Scholar Searching - Search Strings
- Cut and paste Bramer’s search into google.scholar.com: 2019nCoV|"2019 nCoV|CoV|coronavirus"|"2019 novel|new coronavirus|cov"|"wuhan coronavirus|cov|ncov|outbreak"|"wuhan*coronavirus|cov|ncov|outbreak"|"wuhan**coronavirus|cov|ncov|outbreak"|"coronavirus|cov|ncov*wuhan"
- Try this highly-sensitive search in Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_ylo=2020&q=2019+novel+coronavirus+disease+OR+2019+novel+coronavirus+infection+OR+2019-ncov+disease+OR+2019-ncov+infection+OR+coronavirus+disease+2019+OR+coronavirus+disease-19+OR+coronavirus*+OR+coronovirus*+OR+coronavirus+Infections+OR+Wuhan+coronavirus+OR+2019-nCoV&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5
Evidence-based & Point-of-care information
- AccessMedicine COVID-19 Central
- American College of Physicians - COVID-19 Physician's Guide
- American Society for Microbiology - Novel Coronavirus (COVID-10) Resources
- BioCentury - COVID-19 Resource Guide
- Centre for Evidence-Based Dermatology (CEBD) Coronavirus Resource for Dermatology
- Canadian Pharmacists Association COVID-19: Information for Pharmacists
- Cochrane Library—Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources
- Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register
- COVID-19 Living Evidence (updated daily with published articles from Pubmed and EMBASE)
- DynaMed Plus COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus)
- EBSCO COVID-19 Updates & Information
- Elsevier - Novel Coronavirus Information Center
- Lancet - COVID-19 Resource Centre
- New England Journal of Medicine - Coronavirus articles and resources
- Pharmacy Letter - Coronavirus COVID-19 Resources Hub
- Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine - COVID-19 Evidence Service
- JBI Evidence-based Resources for Health Professionals - COVID-19 Special Collection
- JoVE - Coronavirus Free Access Resource Center
- UpToDate COVID-19
Top Impact Medical Journals & Preprints - Articles about COVID-19
- CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/publications.html
- NEJM https://www.nejm.org/coronavirus
- JAMA https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/coronavirus-alert
- Lancet https://www.thelancet.com/coronavirus
- Cell https://www.cell.com/2019-nCOV
- BMJ https://www.bmj.com/coronavirus
- Elsevier https://www.elsevier.com/connect/coronavirus-information-center
- Oxford https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/coronavirus
- Nature https://www.nature.com/collections/hajgidghjb
- Wiley https://novel-coronavirus.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
- Cambridge https://www.cambridge.org/core/browse-subjects/medicine/coronavirus-free-access-collection
- medRxiv (pre-prints/ non-peer-reviewed papers) http://connect.medrxiv.org/relate/content/181
PART III FOR MEDICAL LIBRARIANS
- Medical Library Association (MLA): COVID-19 Resources for Medical Librarians & Other Health Information Professionals
- CADTH COVID-19 Search Strings (including Grey Literature ideas)
Library Web Guides
- Ask a Librarian—Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Canadian Medical Association Joule
- Alberta Health Services, Timely Topics
- Duke University Medical Center Library and Archives—2019 Novel Coronavirus Information
- Public Health England—Knowledge & Library Services—Finding the evidence: Coronavirus
- https://phelibrary.koha-ptfs.co.uk/coronavirusinformation/
- Hong Kong Baptist University—Novel Coronavirus Topic Guide
- Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, Welch Medical Library—COVID-19 Guide
- Librarianship.ca—COVID-19 Resources
- National Jewish Health—2019 Novel Coronavirus/COVID-19
- New York University Health Sciences Library—2019 Novel Coronavirus
- University at Buffalo University Libraries—Novel Coronavirus
- University of Michigan Library—(COVID-19) Novel Coronavirus
- University of Toronto—COVID-19 (2019 Novel Coronavirus) Information Guide
- https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/coronavirus
- Masks, personal protective equipment: https://guides.library.utoronto.ca/c.php?g=715025&p=5103131
- Navigating the COVID-19 evidence landscape: https://gerstein.library.utoronto.ca/sites/default/public/covid-19/#/lessons/5WUdZcHZv5ibu-qnLK7Sm8BoyMlFBvmW
- University of Toronto—Reporting, epidemic growth, and reproduction numbers for the 2019-nCoV epidemic: understanding control
Additional Readings / Misinformation
- Wikipedia: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
- Wikipedia: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Wikipedia: Misinformation related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
- WHO Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Advice for the Public
- WHO Says Fake Coronavirus Claims Causing ‘Infodemic’
- University of Toronto—How can I spot misinformation about the coronavirus and COVID-19?
- https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/faq/how-can-i-spot-misinformation-about-coronavirus-and-covid-19
International
- APA Coronavirus Topical Guide
- Cochrane Library—Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources
- Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register
- WHO—Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak
- WHO—Database of COVID-19 articles
Other useful links
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)—Fighting Products (Center for Biocide Chemistries)
- Coursera Science Matters—Let’s talk about COVID19
Disclaimer
This pathfinder was created by a medical librarian. When COVID-19 became a serious worldwide issue, I began collecting links to ensure all relevant information was brought together in one place. While the guide provides up-to-date information on the COVID-19 pandemic, it is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice or as a substitute for consulting your health provider. While I strive to keep all content current and correct, I make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability or suitability of information, products, services, or related graphics contained on any of the websites listed. Only qualified health providers can provide health care e.g., they will take your health history, examine you, and bring their expertise and experience to bear on evaluating you. Put simply, advice regarding your care should always include your physician and other health providers. Please ask your local medical librarian for further assistance.
"Sharing is caring'
Thank you for reading to the bottom of the pathfinder. This pathfinder and the links shared here are compiled from the suggestions of many medical librarians and information professionals from around the world. Feel free to reuse any information here and/or borrow the structure in building your own guides for your own communities.
Note: To recommend additional links to this page, please e-mail dean.giustini@ubc.ca