COVID-19 therapeutics: stewardship in England and considerations for antimicrobial resistance

The COVID-19 pandemic saw unprecedented resources and funds driven into research for the development, and subsequent rapid distribution, of vaccines, diagnostics and directly acting antivirals (DAAs). DAAs have undeniably prevented progression and life-threatening conditions in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, there are concerns of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), antiviral resistance specifically, for DAAs. To preserve activity of DAAs for COVID-19 therapy, as well as detect possible mutations conferring resistance, antimicrobial stewardship and surveillance were rapidly implemented in England. This paper expands on the ubiquitous ongoing public health activities carried out in England, including epidemiologic, virologic and genomic surveillance, to support the stewardship of DAAs and assess the deployment, safety, effectiveness and resistance potential of these novel and repurposed therapeutics.

Occupational UVR skin protection by make-up

New legislation has been introduced in the Member States of the European Union, covering worker exposure to artificial optical radiation. Use of make-up could reduce the ultraviolet hazard level and provide additional protection for skin against UV radiation (UVR). This is particularly important in entertainment and filming where intentional exposure of the actors and presenters to the very intense light sources may be required for extended periods of time. This document presents the assessment of UVR protection of make-up used in entertainment and demonstrates that the protection level varies considerably for different luminaires and application techniques. An important practical implication of this finding is that make-up alone cannot be considered as a reliable protection measure against skin exposure to actinic UV.