Evidence check
A rapid review outlining the available evidence on a discrete topic or question. Evidence includes grey and peer review literature. View all Evidence Checks by date of publication.
Surgery post COVID-19
Added: 11 Feb 2022
Updated: 31 Aug 2023
What is the evidence for timing of surgery, and outcomes following surgery, for people who have COVID-19?
- The evidence for the association between a recent COVID-19 infection history and the risk of surgical complications and mortality is mixed. Study findings vary depending on factors such as the severity of the infection, surgical types, patient health status, SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccination history.
- COVID-19 vaccinations reduce the risk of postoperative adverse outcomes among patients with a recent history of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Professional societies in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada have updated their recommendations this year (2023) to advise to proceed with surgery two to three weeks post COVID-19 infection. This advice may differ for high-risk patients or in certain circumstance
Archive SARS-CoV-2 variants - retired living evidence
Added: 4 Apr 2023
What is the evidence on SARS-CoV-2 variants that are under monitoring by the World Health Organization?
- This table includes information on Omicron subvariants that are currently causing concern in the scientific community and are under monitoring by the World Health Organization.
- It focuses on information related to transmissibility, virulence and severity, impact on immunity and treatments.
Archive COVID-19 vaccines - retired living evidence
Added: 4 Apr 2023
What is the evidence on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and safety?
- This evidence table includes information on vaccines that have published phase 3 trial data in the peer reviewed literature and are provisionally approved by the Australian Government Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
- It focuses on information related to efficacy and safety.
Archive Current and emerging patient safety issues during COVID-19
Added: 17 Jun 2022
Updated: 14 Dec 2022
What is the evidence on the current and emerging patient safety issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic?
- There are wide-ranging reports on the indirect impacts of COVID-19 and associated mitigation strategies such as lockdowns and service shutdowns.
- The literature not only discusses conventional patient safety issues, but also issues around delayed access to healthcare and equity issues.
Archive Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines
Added: 16 Nov 2022
What is the available regulatory and research evidence for bivalent COVID-19 vaccines?
- The bivalent COVID-19 vaccines have components that target both the original virus strain and the Omicron variant strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
- The Spikevax bivalent booster vaccine (Moderna, BA.1-adapted, data from an ongoing phase 2–3 trial) is found to induce stronger neutralising antibody activities against the Omicron variant (including BA.4/BA.5 subvariants) than the original booster version. It has a similar safety and reactogenicity profile to the original version.
- The Comirnaty bivalent booster vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech, BA.1-adapted, data from regulatory submission) is found to induce stronger neutralising antibody activities against the Omicron BA.1 subvariant than the original booster version.
Archive Molnupiravir
Added: 14 Oct 2021
Updated: 9 Nov 2022
What is the evidence for and regulatory context of molnupiravir for treatment of COVID-19?
- Molnupiravir (MK-4482/EIDD-2801) is an antiviral medication that is administered orally.
- Molnupiravir is a potent ribonucleoside analogue that inhibits the viral replication of SARS-CoV-2 (or other viruses that employ RNA-dependant RNA polymerase) by introducing errors in the viral genome.
- Despite some of evidence of risk reduction associated with molnupiravir treatment in non-hospitalised unvaccinated adults with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms pre-Omicron, a more recent clinical trial (pre-print) from the Omicron predominant period has suggested no risk reduction in all-cause hospitalisation or mortality among non-hospitalised vaccinated adults.
- In real-world studies from the Omicron predominant period, molnupiravir reduced the risk of disease progression in hospitalised patients not requiring oxygen therapy on admission and who are older than 65 or not fully vaccinated. In community-dwelling outpatients with mild symptoms who are at a higher risk of progressing to severe disease, molnupiravir treatment was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, hospitalisation and in-hospital disease progression in patients older than 60 only.
Archive Paxlovid
Added: 26 Sep 2022
What is the evidence for Paxlovid for treatment of COVID-19?
- Paxlovid (PF-07321332/ritonavir) is an oral antiviral medicine that contains nirmatrelvir tablets co-packaged with ritonavir tablets.
- In clinical trials, Paxlovid treatment was effective and beneficial in non-hospitalised and unvaccinated patients with COVID-19, who are at a high risk of disease progression and infected during the pre-Omicron period of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it did not have a significant clinical benefit in people with a standard risk.
- Two real-world studies from the Omicron-predominant period reported that Paxlovid treatment reduced the risk of disease progression (death or hospitalisation) in patients aged 65 or older. Both the studies found no clinical benefit of treatment in patients aged under 65. One study found no clinical benefit of Paxlovid treatment among fully vaccinated patients with regards to progression to severe disease, while the other found evidence of benefits regardless of vaccination or prior infection history in older adults.
Archive Eating disorders and COVID-19
Added: 23 Aug 2022
What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of eating disorders?
What are the trends in the presentation with eating disorders, especially among children and adolescents?
What are the innovative or new management strategies or pathways to care for patients with eating disorders?
What are the workforce implications and changes in workforce supports required?
What are the trends in the presentation with eating disorders, especially among children and adolescents?
What are the innovative or new management strategies or pathways to care for patients with eating disorders?
What are the workforce implications and changes in workforce supports required?
- Increase in the prevalence of eating disorders during the pandemic is attributed both to the worsening symptoms among patients with a prior history, and new onset symptoms and diagnosis in the community.1-5
- The prevalence of recurring or exacerbated symptoms among patients with pre-existing eating disorders is 57% (meta-analysis of studies with patients with diagnosed eating disorders and who had their mental health disturbances evaluated) during the pandemic.
Rapid evidence checks are based on a simplified review method and may not be entirely exhaustive, but aim to provide a balanced assessment of what is already known about a specific problem or issue. This brief has not been peer-reviewed and should not be a substitute for individual clinical judgement, nor is it an endorsed position of NSW Health. Evidence checks are archived a year after the date of publication.