Estimated public health impact of concurrent mask mandate and vaccinate-or-test requirement in Illinois, October to December 2021.

BACKGROUND: Facing a surge of COVID-19 cases in late August 2021, the U.S. state of Illinois re-enacted its COVID-19 mask mandate for the general public and issued a requirement for workers in certain professions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. The mask mandate required any individual, regardless of their vaccination status, to wear a well-fitting mask in an indoor setting. METHODS: We used Illinois Department of Public Health's COVID-19 confirmed case and vaccination data and investigated scenarios where masking and vaccination would have been reduced to mimic what would have happened had the mask mandate or vaccine requirement not been put in place. The study examined a range of potential reductions in masking and vaccination mimicking potential scenarios had the mask mandate or vaccine requirement not been enacted. We estimated COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations averted by changes in masking and vaccination during the period covering October 20 to December 20, 2021. RESULTS: We find that the announcement and implementation of a mask mandate are likely to correlate with a strong protective effect at reducing COVID-19 burden and the announcement of a vaccinate-or-test requirement among frontline professionals is likely to correlate with a more modest protective effect at reducing COVID-19 burden. In our most conservative scenario, we estimated that from the period of October 20 to December 20, 2021, the mask mandate likely prevented approximately 58,000 cases and 1,175 hospitalizations, while the vaccinate-or-test requirement may have prevented at most approximately 24,000 cases and 475 hospitalizations. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that mask mandates and vaccine-or-test requirements are vital in mitigating the burden of COVID-19 during surges of the virus.

The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Improving Vaccination Confidence & Addressing Vaccination Disparities to Help Improve Vaccine Uptake: A Systematic Review.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of vaccination to support individual health across the life-course, with vaccination playing a central strategy role in mitigating transmission and disease. This required unprecedented mobilization and coordination across all sectors to meet people where they are, enable equitable access, and build vaccination confidence. A literature search was conducted with combinations of the keywords and variations of vaccination and faith-based organizations (FBOs). Search inclusion criteria were: (1) FBO programs that supported public health emergency efforts, including vaccination efforts as the primary outcome; and (2) articles written in English language. A total of 37 articles met inclusion criteria (n = 26 focused on general public health campaigns, n = 11 focused on vaccination efforts). The findings related to public health campaigns fell into four themes: FBO's ability to (1) tailor public health campaigns; (2) mitigate barriers; (3) establish trust; and (4) disseminate and sustain efforts. The findings related to vaccine uptake efforts fell into three themes: (1) pre-pandemic influenza and HPV vaccination efforts, (2) addressing vaccine disparities in minority communities, and (3) enabling COVID-19 vaccination. This review demonstrated that FBOs have a vital role in both public health campaigns and vaccination initiatives to support high vaccine uptake and confidence.

Outcomes and Disease Spectrum of LBW Neonates in a Secondary Health Facility.

Globally, 30 million low birth weight (LBW) babies are born every year and 95% of them are from developing countries. LBW neonates are at a high risk of mortality, morbidity, and long-term disability. The objective of this study is to investigate outcomes and disease spectrum among low birth weight neonates. This is a prospective, observational study conducted on 540 neonates admitted in the Mother and Child Hospital, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, from 2017 to 2018. Questionnaire, interview, clinical, and diagnostic procedures were used as research tools. There were 137 low birth weight (LBW) neonates, with the mean mothers' age of 31.92 ± 6.60. Of the 540 neonates, 69 (50.4%) and 68 (49.6%) were term and preterm, respectively. There were 64 female neonates (46.7%) and 73 male neonates (53.3%). The mean weight of the neonates was 1.82 ± 0.44 kg, and mean number of days on admission was 6.42 ± 6.75 days. Neonatal sepsis (NNS) was the highest morbidity 51 (37.2%) among the LBW neonates, followed by prematurity 47 (34.4%) and neonatal jaundice (NNJ) 18 (13.1%). Sex ( χ 2 = 3.584, p=0.310), mode of delivery ( χ 2 = 4.669, p=0.198), and gestational age ( χ 2 = 3.904, p=0.272) were not a significant determinant of outcome among LBW neonates. Men were 2.36 times more likely to be preterm (OR = 2.36, 95% CL = 1.01-5.54, p=0.048) among LBW neonates. Outcomes of LBW neonates who were delivered by SVD were not significant compared to preterm delivered by CS (OR = 0.46, 95% CL = 0.13-1.65, p=0.096). Sixty percent (60%) of the mothers had Prolonged Rupture of Membranes (PROM). Morbidities such as hypothermia (72.2%), apnoea (63.6%), haemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN) (66.7%), and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (66.7%) were more observed with preterm LBW neonates. Importance of qualitative antenatal care (ANC) should be emphasized; anticipation and prevention of LBW births can help mitigate some of the problems they are prone to.