The development of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines began in March 2020 in response to a request from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Within 4 days of the request, the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel was established and the first meeting took place (virtually-as did subsequent meetings). The Panel comprises 57 individuals representing 6 governmental agencies, 11 professional societies, and 33 medical centers, plus 2 community members, who have worked together to create and frequently update the guidelines on the basis of evidence from the most recent clinical studies available. The initial version of the guidelines was completed within 2 weeks and posted online on 21 April 2020. Initially, sparse evidence was available to guide COVID-19 treatment recommendations. However, treatment data rapidly accrued based on results from clinical studies that used various study designs and evaluated different therapeutic agents and approaches. Data have continued to evolve at a rapid pace, leading to 24 revisions and updates of the guidelines in the first year. This process has provided important lessons for responding to an unprecedented public health emergency: Providers and stakeholders are eager to access credible, current treatment guidelines; governmental agencies, professional societies, and health care leaders can work together effectively and expeditiously; panelists from various disciplines, including biostatistics, are important for quickly developing well-informed recommendations; well-powered randomized clinical trials continue to provide the most compelling evidence to guide treatment recommendations; treatment recommendations need to be developed in a confidential setting free from external pressures; development of a user-friendly, web-based format for communicating with health care providers requires substantial administrative support; and frequent updates are necessary as clinical evidence rapidly emerges.

Evidence to understand effective strategies for surveillance and early detection of SARS-CoV-2 is limited.

This article summarizes the ACP/Annals COVID-19 Forum V held on 9 June 2021.

A surge in cases of mucormycosis is occurring during India's catastrophic “second wave” of the COVID- 19 pandemic. Multiple actions are urgently needed to prevent and treat this life-threatening disease.

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced historic educational disruptions. In April 2021, about 40% of U.S. public school students were not offered full-time in-person education.

Bilinski and colleagues reported a model that suggests that schools are not a primary driver of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection and, with appropriate mitigation, it is safe to resume in-person education. The editorialist discusses the model results and his experience with New York City public schools and argues that schools must offer in-person learning to avert a mental health and educational crisis.

Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding is common, morbid, and potentially fatal. Cornerstones of inpatient management include fluid resuscitation; blood transfusion; endoscopy; and initiation of proton-pump inhibitor therapy, which continues in an individualized manner based on risk factors for recurrent bleeding in the outpatient setting. The International Consensus Group released guidelines on the management of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding in 2019. These guidelines provide a helpful, evidence-based roadmap for management of gastrointestinal bleeding but leave certain management details to the discretion of the treating physician. Here, 2 gastroenterologists consider the care of a patient with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding from a peptic ulcer, specifically debating approaches to blood transfusion and endoscopy timing in the hospital, as well as the recommended duration of proton-pump inhibitor therapy after discharge.

Many groundbreaking advances have occurred in the field of multiple sclerosis since this series last reviewed the disorder in 2014. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved 7 new medications for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and approved the first medication for primary progressive multiple sclerosis. The McDonald criteria for diagnosing multiple sclerosis were updated in 2017. New blood tests can now differentiate patients with multiple sclerosis from those with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, and 3 new medications have been approved specifically for the latter disorder. Also, new medications for treating the symptoms of multiple sclerosis have been introduced.

Janjua S, Mathioudakis AG, Fortescue R, et al. Prophylactic antibiotics for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a network meta-analysis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021;1:CD013198. 33448349.

Palmer SC, Tendal B, Mustafa RA, et al. Sodium-glucose cotransporter protein-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for type 2 diabetes: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2021;372:m4573. 33441402.

Zannad F, Ferreira JP, Pocock SJ, et al. Cardiac and kidney benefits of empagliflozin in heart failure across the spectrum of kidney function: insights from EMPEROR-Reduced. Circulation. 2021;143:310-21. 33095032.