Comparative analysis of COVID-19 guidelines from six countries: a qualitative study on the US, China, South Korea, the UK, Brazil, and Haiti.

BACKGROUND: In late January, a worldwide crisis known as COVID-19 was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO. Within only a few weeks, the outbreak took on pandemic proportions, affecting over 100 countries. It was a significant issue to prevent and control COVID-19 on both national and global scales due to the dramatic increase in confirmed cases worldwide. Government guidelines provide a fundamental resource for communities, as they guide citizens on how to protect themselves against COVID-19, however, they also provide critical guidance for policy makers and healthcare professionals on how to take action to decrease the spread of COVID-19. We aimed to identify the differences and similarities between six different countries' (US, China, South Korea, UK, Brazil and Haiti) government-provided community and healthcare system guidelines, and to explore the relationship between guideline issue dates and the prevalence/incidence of COVID-19 cases. METHODS: To make these comparisons, this exploratory qualitative study used document analysis of government guidelines issued to the general public and to healthcare professionals. Documents were purposively sampled (N = 55) and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: The major differences in the evaluation and testing criteria in the guidelines across the six countries centered around the priority of testing for COVID-19 in the general population, which was strongly dependent on each country's healthcare capacity. However, the most similar guidelines pertained to the clinical signs and symptoms of COVID-19, and methods to prevent its contraction. CONCLUSION: In the initial stages of the outbreak, certain strategies were universally employed to control the deadly virus's spread, including quarantining the sick, contact tracing, and social distancing. However, each country dealt with differing healthcare capacities, risks, threats, political and socioeconomic challenges, and distinct healthcare systems and infrastructure. Acknowledging these differences highlights the importance of examining the various countries' response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a nuanced view, as each of these factors shaped the government guidelines distributed to each country's communities and healthcare systems.

Esforços, sacrifícios e liderança heróicos: é tudo em um dia de trabalho para os enfermeiros antes, durante e após a crise do COVID-19

O novo coronavírus SARS-CoV-2 que surgiu na cidade de Wuhan, na China, no ano passado, produziu uma pandemia de coronavírus em larga escala (COVID-19). Enquanto escrevemos isso, em todo o mundo existem mais de um milhão de casos e o número de mortos chegou a mais de 100.000 pessoas. No Brasil e em outros países, alguns indivíduos teorizaram que o vírus foi criado em laboratórios, e alguns grupos religiosos levantaram a ideia de que o vírus sinalizava o início do apocalipse. No entanto, um estudo científico recente concluiu que o vírus é o produto da evolução natural, encerrando qualquer boato sobre engenharia genética deliberada. No Brasil, o COVID-19 foi diagnosticado pela primeira vez em 26 de fevereiro e já se espalhou por todos os estados e territórios. The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that emerged in the city of Wuhan, China last year has produced a large-scale coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As we are writing this, across the world there are more than a million cases, and the death toll has reached more than 100,000 people. In Brazil as well as other countries, some individuals theorized that the virus was created in laboratories, and some religious groups raised the idea that the virus signaled the onset of the apocalypse. However, a recent scientific study has concluded that the virus is the product of natural evolution, ending any rumor about deliberate genetic engineering. In Brazil, COVID-19 was first diagnosed on February 26th and has already spread throughout all the states and territories. El nuevo coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 que surgió en la ciudad de Wuhan, China, el año pasado produjo una pandemia de coronavirus a gran escala (COVID-19). Mientras escribimos esto, en todo el mundo hay más de un millón de casos, y el número de muertos ha llegado a más de 100,000 personas. En Brasil, así como en otros países, algunas personas teorizaron que el virus fue creado en laboratorios, y algunos grupos religiosos plantearon la idea de que el virus señalaba el inicio del apocalipsis. Sin embargo, un estudio científico reciente ha concluido que el virus es el producto de la evolución natural, poniendo fin a cualquier rumor sobre ingeniería genética deliberada. En Brasil, COVID-19 fue diagnosticado por primera vez el 26 de febrero y ya se ha extendido a todos los estados y territorios.