The Natural History of Covid-19 Window of Knowledge was launched during the event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Virtual Health Library of Brazil’s Ministry of Health’s, broadcast via the DataSUS YouTube channel. The Window is a product of technical cooperation between BIREME and the Department of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Strategic Health Inputs of the Ministry of Health of Brazil (SCTIE/MS), through the Department of Science and Technology (DECIT).
The initiative was born from the need to understand Covid-19’s natural history, as an important prerequisite for planning new studies, providing researchers, health professionals, and end users with access to a tool that aims to identify scientific studies on this subject, acting as a facilitator for the construction of evidence syntheses, providing updated information indexed in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) databases.
According to the Director of the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Health (DECIT/SCTIE/MS), Alessandra Siqueira, “facilitated access to scientific information and data is the only way we have to achieve the mission of the Department of Science and Technology”. Alessandra highlighted the “important role of BIREME as a member of the Brazilian Network of Evidence-Based Policies Informed” and the “Window of Knowledge as an essential tool for disseminating scientific evidence”.
Present at the launch, Rosana Leite, Extraordinary Secretary on Combating Covid-19 of the Ministry of Health (SECovid/MS), congratulated all the people involved in the project “who contributed with all their knowledge and experience, so fundamental at this time”, she highlighted that “solid evidence databases have contributed very much to all our projects” and that access to this evidence “is essential” for work in the health area.
The presentation of the Window of Knowledge was made by Veronica Abdala, Manager of Services, and Information Sources at BIREME, who highlighted that the purpose of the Window is “to present and highlight information, making it easier to be consumed and applied in the decision-making process”. Veronica also stated that other initiatives within this cooperation are set to be launched later this year, such as, for example, the Evidence Map on the rehabilitation of post-Covid-19 sequelae.
The Natural History of Covid-19 Window of Knowledge presents information organized by disease and virus phases, passing through the pre-pathogenic and pathogenic periods: transmission, viremia, incubation period, antibody production, cytokine storm, and severity. Behind each item in the Window, there is a bibliographic search that leads the user to find references of scientific studies on the subject in the VHL.
Explore the Natural History of Covid-19 Window of Knowledge and stay up-to-date with all the information about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and Covid-19.
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About the Window of Knowledge
The Window of Knowledge is a VHL resource developed by BIREME that aims to provide visibility and access to the main documents and other information resources on a relevant topic in health, containing the main and most up-to-date publications on the chosen topic. The windows aim to facilitate access to all this selected material in an organized way, free of charge. Learn more about the Windows of Knowledge methodology[1].
Watch the promotional video of the Window of Knowledge on Covid-19 Natural History prepared by BIREME. https://youtu.be/yatvyHl9nyY
[1] BIREME Bulletin n 31. Windows of Knowledge – A new concept for highlighting health information on the VHL. 28 April 2019. Available at: https://boletin.bireme.org/en/2019/04/28/knowledge-showcases-a-new-concept-for-highlighting-health-information-on-the-vhl/