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BACKGROUND: During 2021-2022, mainland China experienced multiple times of local COVID-19 outbreaks in several cities, including Yangzhou, Xi'an etc., and the Chinese government persistently adopted the zero-COVID policy in combating with the local outbreaks. METHODS: We develop a mathematical model with pulse population-wide nucleic acid screening, part of the zero-COVID policy, to reveal its role in controlling the spread of COVID-19. We calibrate the model by fitting the COVID-19 epidemic data of the local outbreaks in Yangzhou and Xi'an, China. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to investigate the impact of population-wide nucleic acid screening on controlling the outbreak of COVID-19. RESULTS: Without the screening, the cumulative number of confirmed cases increases by [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in Yangzhou and Xi'an, respectively. Meanwhile, the screening program helps to shorten the lockdown period for more than one month when we aim at controlling the cases into zero. Considering its role in mitigating the epidemics, we observe a paradox phenomenon of the screening rate in avoiding the runs on medical resource. That is, the screening will aggravate the runs on medical resource when the screening rate is small, while it helps to relieve the runs on medical resource if the screening rate is high enough. We also conclude that the screening has limited effects on mitigating the epidemics if the outbreak is in a high epidemic level or there has already been runs on medical resources. Alternatively, a smaller screening population per time with a higher screening frequency may be a better program to avoid the runs on medical resources. CONCLUSIONS: The population-wide nucleic acid screening strategy plays an important role in quickly controlling and stopping the local outbreaks under the zero-COVID policy. However, it has limited impacts and even increase the potential risk of the runs on medical resource for containing the large scale outbreaks.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Brotes de Enfermedades/prevención & control , China/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Throughout the pandemic of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2, university students were considered a vulnerable risk group for mental health impairment and wellbeing deterioration. This study aimed at evaluating the pandemic's impact on the physical and mental health and wellbeing among students of a Portuguese university. This cross-sectional study included 913 participants and ran from June to October 2020. Data collected included sociodemographics, three mental health self-report questionnaires (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and Brief COPE) and lifestyle practices (eating and sleeping patterns, media, and entertainment habits) during the first months of the pandemic, which included a 72-day full national lockdown. Descriptive and correlational statistical analysis were conducted. Students' food habits changed during the pandemic, namely on the consumption of snacks and fast food and, overall, less balanced meals became more prevalent. Additionally, almost 70% of the students reported Body Mass Index changes, while 59% went through sleep pattern changes-these were more pronounced in women and younger students. Over half (67%) of the inquirees exhibited an increase in their stress, depression, and generalized anxiety symptoms. Also, the study demonstrates that students' lifestyles trended negatively during the pandemic and highlights how important regular psychological, health monitoring and emotional support is, amongst this somehow overlooked population throughout the pandemic. Universities should provide support to overcome challenges in future stressful situations. This study might have an impact on how universities and higher education systems approach their students in terms of mental and physical health monitoring and promotion in future situations, non-related with COVID. Moreover, it has a large sample of students well characterized in terms of mental and physical health, which might be of interest for future comparison with other worldwide group of students throughout stressful situations, such as tragic events, wars, pandemics.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , Femenino , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/psicología , Pandemias , Portugal/epidemiología , SARS-CoV-2 , Estudios Transversales , Universidades , Depresión/epidemiología , Estrés Psicológico/psicología , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Ansiedad/psicología , Estudiantes/psicologíaRESUMEN
Background: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) covers Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. We conducted a comparative analysis of the trade-off between the health policies for the prevention of COVID-19 spread and the impact of these policies on the economies and livelihoods of the South Asia populations. Methods: We analyzed COVID-19 data on epidemiology, public health and health policy, health system capacity, and macroeconomic indicators from January 2020 to March 2021 to determine temporal trends by conducting joinpoint regression analysis using average weekly percent change (AWPC). Results: Bangladesh had the highest statistically significant AWPC for new COVID-19 cases (17.0; 95% CI = 7.7-27.1, P < 0.001), followed by the Maldives (12.9; 95% CI = 5.3-21.0, P < 0.001) and India (10.0; 95% CI = 8.4-11.5, P < 0.001). The AWPC for COVID-19 deaths was significant for India (6.5; 95% CI = 4.3-8.9, P < 0.001) and Bangladesh (6.1; 95% CI = 3.7-8.5, P < 0.001). Nepal (55.79%), and India (34.91%) had the second- and third-highest increase in unemployment, while Afghanistan (6.83%) and Pakistan (16.83%) had the lowest. The rate of change of real GDP had the highest decrease for Maldives (557.51%), and India (297.03%); Pakistan (46.46%) and Bangladesh (70.80%), however, had the lowest decrease. The government response stringency index for Pakistan had a see-saw pattern with a sharp decline followed by an increase in the government health policy restrictions that approximated the test-positivity trend. Conclusions: Unlike developed economies, the South Asian developing countries experienced a trade-off between health policy and their economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. South Asian countries (Nepal and India), with extended periods of lockdowns and a mismatch between temporal trends of government response stringency index and the test-positivity or disease incidence, had higher adverse economic effects, unemployment, and burden of COVID-19. Pakistan demonstrated targeted lockdowns with a rapid see-saw pattern of government health policy response that approximated the test-positivity trend and resulted in lesser adverse economic effects, unemployment, and burden of COVID-19.
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COVID-19 , Pandemias , Humanos , Sur de Asia , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , India/epidemiología , Bangladesh/epidemiología , Pakistán/epidemiología , Política de SaludRESUMEN
Background: Children and pregnant women usually have multiple contacts with the health care system. While most conditions can be managed by primary health care (PHC) providers, hospitalisations are nevertheless common and often unjustified. The number of hospitalizations decreased in Romania at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this is likely due to the disruption of health services and public health measures established to limit the spread of COVID-19, it also suggests that a proportion of hospitalisations prior to the pandemic were unnecessary. This healthcare system evaluation in Romania quantified unnecessary and unnecessarily prolonged hospitalisations in children, pregnant women and women hospitalised for delivery, and assessed antibiotic and polypharmacy practices in these groups. Methods: We conducted the healthcare system evaluation in 10 hospitals across the country. We extracted data from medical records of patients hospitalized between 2019 and 2020. In each hospital, we randomly selected 40 medical records for each of the following groups: children 2-59 months of age, pregnant women, and women hospitalised for delivery. Clinical data were compared against WHO standards indicating a need for inpatient treatment or antibiotic therapy. Results: Among 209 children and 349 pregnant women, unnecessary hospitalisations accounted for 57.9% and 56.2% of hospitalisations, respectively. Among necessary hospitalisations, a large proportion was unnecessarily prolonged, including 44.4% (n = 32/72) in children, 23.3% (n = 34/146) in pregnant women, and 45.8% (n = 110/240) in women after delivery. The proportion of unnecessary and unnecessarily prolonged hospitalisations did not differ between the pre-pandemic, the lockdown, and the post-lockdown periods. Antibiotics were prescribed to 53.1% (n = 43/81) of children with diarrhoea, while 50.8% (n = 61/120) of women with caesarean section received an unjustified prolonged course of antibiotics. Children and women were commonly prescribed unnecessary medications. Conclusions: Findings of this evaluation should inform evidence-based decisions and actions for strengthening PHC and the healthcare system structure and improving the management of common diseases in mothers, newborns, and children. The evaluation should be repeated periodically to monitor progress.
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COVID-19 , Cesárea , Niño , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Femenino , Embarazo , Polifarmacia , Rumanía , Pandemias , COVID-19/epidemiología , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Hospitalización , Atención Primaria de SaludRESUMEN
Background: The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic on 11 March 2020. Identifying the infected people and isolating them was the only measure that was available to control the viral spread, as there were no standardized treatment interventions available. Various public health measures, including vaccination, have been implemented to control the spread of the virus worldwide. India, being a densely populated country, required laboratories in different zones of the country with the capacity to test a large number of samples and report test results at the earliest. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) took the lead role in developing policies, generating advisories, formulating guidelines, and establishing and approving testing centers for COVID-19 testing. With advisories of ICMR, the National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR) established a high-throughput viral diagnostic laboratory (HTVDL) for RT-PCR-based diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in April 2020. HTVDL was established during the first lockdown to serve the nation in developing and adopting rapid testing procedures and to expand the testing capacity using "Real-Time PCR." The HTVDL provided its testing support to the national capital territory of Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh, with a testing capacity of 6000 tests per day. The experience of establishing a high-throughput laboratory with all standard operating procedures against varied challenges in a developing country such as India is explained in the current manuscript which will be useful globally to enhance the knowledge on establishing an HTVDL in pandemic or non-pandemic times.
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COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2/genética , COVID-19/diagnóstico , Prueba de COVID-19 , Laboratorios , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Control de Enfermedades TransmisiblesRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Although a growing share of the population in many countries has been vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus to different degrees, social distancing and hygienic non-pharmaceutical interventions still play a substantial role in containing the pandemic. The goal of this study was to investigate which factors are correlated with a higher compliance with these regulations in the context of a cohort study in the city of Munich, southern Germany, during the summer of 2020, i.e. after the first lockdown phase. METHODS: Using self-reported compliance with six regulations and personal hygiene rules (washing hands, avoiding touching face, wearing a mask, keeping distance, avoiding social gatherings, avoiding public spaces) we extracted two compliance factor scores, namely compliance with personal hygiene measures and compliance with social distancing regulations. Using linear and logistic regressions, we estimated the correlation of several socio-demographic and risk perception variables with both compliance scores. RESULTS: Risk aversion proved to be a consistent and significant driver of compliance across all compliance behaviors. Furthermore, being female, being retired and having a migration background were positively associated with compliance with personal hygiene regulations, whereas older age was related with a higher compliance with social distancing regulations. Generally, socioeconomic characteristics were not related with compliance, except for education, which was negatively related with compliance with personal hygiene measures. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that for a targeted approach to improve compliance with measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, special attention should be given to younger, male and risk-prone individuals.
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COVID-19 , Masculino , Humanos , Femenino , COVID-19/prevención & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Estudios de Cohortes , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Factores SocioeconómicosRESUMEN
Background. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted daily life with corresponding implications on levels of distress. Purpose. To describe factors associated with high distress among community-dwelling older adults during the first lockdown and explore how occupational participation was managed. Methods. A mixed methods design whereby multivariate regression analysis of a survey (N = 263) identified factors associated with high distress, as per the Impact of Events of Scale-Revised (IES-R). Follow-up interviews with a sub-sample of those surveyed who reflected a range of IES-R scores were conducted (N = 32). Findings. Those with lower resilience and anxiety/depression had 6.84 and 4.09 greater odds respectively of high distress. From the interviews, the main theme, "Lost and Found," and subthemes (Interruption and Disruption; Surving, not Thriving; Moving Forward, Finding Meaning) highlighted the process and corresponding stages, including adaptive strategies, by which participants navigated changes in their occupational participation. Implications. While the results suggest that many older adults, including those with high distress, were able to manage daily life under lockdown, some experienced ongoing challenges in doing so. Future studies should focus on those who experienced or who are at-higher risk for such challenges to identify supports that mitigate adverse consequences if another event of this magnitude occurs again.
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COVID-19 , Terapia Ocupacional , Humanos , Anciano , COVID-19/epidemiología , Pandemias , SARS-CoV-2 , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Canadá/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has impacted both society and medical care. While Germany entered the first lockdown in spring 2020, the PIKKO study (Patient information, communication and competence empowerment in oncology) was still active. The intervention modules, patient navigator (PN), services of the Saarland Cancer Society (SCS), psycho-social counseling and different courses, and online knowledge database (ODB) continued to be offered, but in an adapted form. It was the aim of this supplementary survey to identify the restrictions and burdens of the pandemic containment strategies on the PIKKO patients and thus on the PIKKO study itself. Furthermore, this work shows how the PIKKO modules were used during the lockdown. METHODS: All patients in the PIKKO intervention group (IG) were invited to complete a questionnaire, n = 503. Furthermore, utilization of the SCS and log files of the ODB were analyzed. For socio-demographic data and contacts with the PN, data from the regular PIKKO surveys were used. In addition to descriptive statistics, chi²-tests, F-tests and linear regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: 356 patients participated in this supplemental survey. 37.6% reported restrictions. "Restrictions on accompanying persons", "ban on visits to the wards" and "protective mouth-nose-mask" were reported as the greatest burdens. 39.0% expressed fears that the restrictions would have an impact on the course of their disease. Linear regression analyses showed differences in feelings of burden among age groups (more among < 60-year-olds), gender (more among women), children in the household (more with children), and preexisting financial stress (more with financial worries). In April 2020, there was more patient contact with PNs by phone, more SCS psycho-social counseling by phone, adapted SCS course offering, but with significantly fewer participants, and high activity on the ODB. CONCLUSION: Cancer patients in the IG reported restrictions from the pandemic containment strategies and feared an impact on their recovery. However, whether a burden is perceived as heavy depends more on gender, age, or pre-existing burdens than on whether the lockdown affects PIKKO or not. The utilization of counseling, courses or the ODB despite lockdown shows the need for such services, especially in times of crisis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was retrospectively registered in the German Clinical Trial Register under DRKS00016703 (21 Feb 2019, retrospectively registered). https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00016703 .
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COVID-19 , Neoplasias , Niño , Femenino , Humanos , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , COVID-19/epidemiología , Neoplasias/epidemiología , Neoplasias/terapia , Pandemias , Aceptación de la Atención de SaludRESUMEN
COVID-19 lockdown has given us an opportunity to investigate the pollutant concentrations in response to the restricted anthropogenic activities. The atmospheric concentration levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) have been analysed for the periods during the first wave of COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 (25th March-31st May 2020) and during the partial lockdowns due to second wave in 2021 (25th March-15th June 2021) across India. The trace gas measurements from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Atmosphere InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) satellites have been used. An overall decrease in the concentration of O3 (5-10%) and NO2 (20-40%) have been observed during the 2020 lockdown when compared with business as usual (BAU) period in 2019, 2018 and 2017. However, the CO concentration increased up to 10-25% especially in the central-west region. O3 and NO2 slightly increased or had no change in 2021 lockdown when compared with the BAU period, but CO showed a mixed variation prominently influenced by the biomass burning/forest fire activities. The changes in trace gas levels during 2020 lockdown have been predominantly due to the reduction in the anthropogenic activities, whereas in 2021, the changes have been mostly due to natural factors like meteorology and long-range transport, as the emission levels have been similar to that of BAU. Later phases of 2021 lockdown saw the dominant effect of rainfall events resulting in washout of pollutants. This study reveals that partial or local lockdowns have very less impact on reducing pollution levels on a regional scale as natural factors like atmospheric long-range transport and meteorology play deciding roles on their concentration levels.
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Contaminantes Atmosféricos , Contaminación del Aire , COVID-19 , Contaminantes Ambientales , Ozono , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , Contaminación del Aire/análisis , Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Dióxido de Nitrógeno/análisis , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Ozono/análisis , Contaminantes Ambientales/análisis , Material Particulado/análisisRESUMEN
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in a global lockdown in 2020. This stagnation in human activities ('anthropause') has been reported to affect the behaviour of wildlife in various ways. The sika deer Cervus nippon in Nara Park, central Japan, has had a unique relationship with humans, especially tourists, in which the deer bow to receive food and sometimes attack if they do not receive it. We investigated how a decrease and subsequent increase in the number of tourists visiting Nara Park affects the number of deer observed in the park and their behaviour (bows and attacks against humans). Compared with the pre-pandemic years, the number of deer in the study site decreased from an average of 167 deer in 2019 to 65 (39%) in 2020 during the pandemic period. Likewise, the number of deer bows decreased from 10.2 per deer in 2016-2017 to 6.4 (62%) in 2020-2021, whereas the proportion of deer showing aggressive behaviour did not change significantly. Moreover, the monthly numbers of deer and their bows both corresponded with the fluctuation in the number of tourists during the pandemic period of 2020 and 2021, whereas the number of attacks did not. Thus, the anthropause caused by the coronavirus altered the habitat use and behaviour of deer that have continuous interactions with humans.
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COVID-19 , Ciervos , Animales , Humanos , Animales Salvajes , SARS-CoV-2 , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/veterinaria , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Actividades Humanas , Japón/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
During the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, many people tried to compensate for limited face-to-face interaction by increasing digital communication. Results of a four-week experience sampling study in the German-speaking countries (N = 411 participants; k = 9791 daily questionnaires) suggest, however, that digital communication was far less relevant for lockdown mental health than face-to-face communication. Digital text-based communication (e.g., e-mail, WhatsApp, SMS) nevertheless was meaningfully associated with mental health, and both face-to-face and digital text communication were more predictive of mental health than either physical or outdoor activity. Our results underscore the importance of face-to-face communication for mental health. Our results also suggest that videoconferencing was only negligibly associated with mental health, despite providing more visual and audible cues than digital text communication.
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COVID-19 , Pandemias , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Salud Mental , ComunicaciónRESUMEN
To combat the public health crisis of Covid-19, governments and public health officials have been asking individuals to substantially change their behaviours for prolonged periods of time. Are happier people more willing to comply with such measures? Using independent, large-scale surveys covering about 79,000 adult respondents across 29 countries, including longitudinal data from the UK, we find that life satisfaction predicts compliance with preventive health behaviours during Covid-19 lockdowns, especially the number of weekdays stood at home (ß = 0.02, p < 0.01). The association is stronger for higher levels of life satisfaction (e.g. ß = 0.19, p < 0.01, 7 on a 0-to-10 scale). Lower life satisfaction, on the contrary, predicts lower compliance (e.g. ß = 0.02, p > 0.10, 2 on a 0-to-10 scale). We explore risk-avoidance and pro-social motivations for this relationship, and find suggestive evidence that people who are older or have certain medical preconditions seem to be behave in line with risk-avoidance, whereas motivations of people who are less at risk of Covid-19 seem more mixed. While it is difficult to estimate the relationship between life satisfaction and compliance behaviour due to potential confounders and unobserved heterogeneity, our findings suggest that life satisfaction is important, both for complying with preventive health measures and as a policy end in itself.
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COVID-19 , Adulto , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Felicidad , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud , Servicios Preventivos de SaludRESUMEN
Background: From August to September 2022, Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China, faced its largest COVID-19 outbreak caused by the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5.2 variants. Although the superspreading of COVID-19 played an important role in triggering large-scale outbreaks, little was known about the superspreading potential and heterogeneity in the transmission of Omicron BA.5 variants. Methods: In this retrospective observational, contact tracing study, we identified 1139 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases of Omicron BA.5.2 variants, and 51 323 test-negative close contacts in Urumqi from 7 August to 7 September 2022. By using detailed contact tracing information and exposure history of linked case-contact pairs, we described stratification in contact and heterogeneity in transmission across different demographic strata, vaccine statuses, and contact settings. We adopted beta-binomial models to characterise the secondary attack rate (SAR) distribution among close contacts and modelled COVID-19 transmission as a branching process with heterogeneity in transmission governed by negative binomial models. Results: After the city lockdown, the mean case cluster size decreased from 2.0 (before lockdown) to 1.6, with decreased proportions of contacts in workplace and community settings compared with household settings. We estimated that 14% of the most infectious index cases generated 80% transmission, whereas transmission in the community setting presented the highest heterogeneity, with 5% index cases seeding 80% transmission. Compared with zero, one, and two doses of inactivated vaccine (Sinopharm), index cases with three doses of vaccine had a lower risk of generating secondary cases in terms of the reproduction number. Contacts of female cases, cases with ages 0-17 years, and household settings had relatively higher SAR. Conclusions: In the context of intensive control measures, active case detection, and relatively high vaccine coverage, but with an infection-naive population, our findings suggested high heterogeneity in the contact and transmission risks of Omicron BA.5 variants across different demographic strata, vaccine statuses, and contact settings. Given the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2, investigating the distribution of transmission not only helped promote public awareness and preparedness among high-risk groups, but also highlighted the importance of continuously monitoring the transmission characteristics of genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , Femenino , COVID-19/epidemiología , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Estudios Retrospectivos , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , China/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has impacted and changed consumer behavior because of a prolonged quarantine and lockdown. This study proposed a theoretical framework to explore and define the influencing factors of online consumer purchasing behavior (OCPB) based on electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) data mining and analysis. Data pertaining to e-WOM were crawled from smartphone product reviews from the two most popular online shopping platforms in China, Jingdong.com and Taobao.com. Data processing aimed to filter noise and translate unstructured data from complex text reviews into structured data. The machine learning based K-means clustering method was utilized to cluster the influencing factors of OCPB. Comparing the clustering results and Kotler's five products level, the influencing factors of OCPB were clustered around four categories: perceived emergency context, product, innovation, and function attributes. This study contributes to OCPB research by data mining and analysis that can adequately identify the influencing factors based on e-WOM. The definition and explanation of these categories may have important implications for both OCPB and e-commerce.
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COVID-19 , Comportamiento del Consumidor , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Modelos Teóricos , Minería de Datos/métodosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: In March 2022, the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly in Shanghai, China. The city adopted strict non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) measures, including lockdown (implemented on March 28 in Pudong and April 1 in Puxi) and blanket PCR testing (April 4). This study aims to understand the effect of these measures. METHODS: We tabulated daily case counts from official reports and fitted a two-patch stochastic SEIR model to the data for the period of March 19 to April 21. This model considered two regions in Shanghai, namely Pudong and Puxi, as the implementation of control measures in Shanghai was carried out on different dates in these regions. We verified our fitting results using the data from April 22 to June 26. Finally, we applied the point estimate of parameter values to simulate our model while varying the dates of control measure implementation, and studied the effectiveness of the control measures. RESULTS: Our point estimate for the parameter values yields expected case counts that agree well the data for both the periods from March 19 to April 21 and from April 22 to June 26. Lockdown did not significantly reduce the intra-region transmission rates. Only about 21% cases were reported. The underlying basic reproduction number R0 was 1.7, and the control reproduction number with both lockdown and blanket PCR testing was 1.3. If both measures were implemented on March 19, only about 5.9% infections would be prevented. CONCLUSIONS: Through our analysis, we found that NPI measures implemented in Shanghai were not sufficient to reduce the reproduction number to below unity. Thus, earlier intervention only has limited effect on reducing cases. The outbreak dies out because of only 27% of the population were active in disease transmission, possibly due to a combination of vaccination and lockdown.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , SARS-CoV-2 , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , China/epidemiología , Brotes de Enfermedades/prevención & controlRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: In the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health services were disrupted worldwide, including HIV prevention services. While some studies have begun to document the effects of COVID-19 on HIV prevention, little has been done to qualitatively examine how lockdown measures were experienced and perceived to affect access to HIV prevention methods in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVES: To explore how the COVID-19 pandemic was perceived to affect access to HIV prevention methods in eastern Zimbabwe. METHOD: This article draws on qualitative data from the first three data collection points (involving telephone interviews, group discussions, and photography) of a telephone and WhatsApp-enabled digital ethnography. Data were collected from 11 adolescent girls and young women and five men over a 5-month period (March-July 2021). The data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Participants reported widespread interruption to their condom supply when beerhalls were shut down as part of a nationwide lockdown. Restrictions in movement meant that participants who could afford to buy condoms from larger supermarkets or pharmacies were unable to. Additionally, the police reportedly refused to issue letters granting permission to travel for the purpose of accessing HIV prevention services. The COVID-19 pandemic was also described to obstruct the demand (fear of COVID-19, movement restrictions) and supply (de-prioritised, stock-outs) for HIV prevention services. Nonetheless, under certain formal and informal circumstances, such as accessing other and more prioritised health services, or 'knowing the right people', some participants were able to access HIV prevention methods. CONCLUSION: People at risk of HIV experienced the COVID-19 epidemic in Zimbabwe as disruptive to access to HIV prevention methods. While the disruptions were temporary, they were long enough to catalyse local responses, and to highlight the need for future pandemic response capacities to circumvent a reversal of hard-won gains in HIV prevention.
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Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida , COVID-19 , Infecciones por VIH , Masculino , Adolescente , Femenino , Humanos , Condones , Zimbabwe/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/prevención & control , Pandemias/prevención & control , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
The aim of the present research was to develop and test the efficacy of a novel online contingent attention training (i.e., OCAT) to modify attention and interpretation biases, improve emotion regulation, and reduce emotional symptom levels in the face of major stressors. Two proof-of-principle studies were carried out. In study 1, 64 undergraduates who were about to start a major stressful period (i.e., final exams) were randomized to undergo 10 days of active OCAT or a sham-control training. Emotion regulation (habitual use of rumination and reappraisal) and symptom levels (depression and anxiety) were assessed before and after the intervention. In study 2, the same 2 × 2 mixed design was used with 58 individuals from the general population undergoing a major stressful situation (the lockdown period at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020). In both studies, the OCAT group showed significant improvements on attention towards negative information and interpretation biases in comparison to the sham-control group. Additionally, changes in cognitive biases transferred to reductions of participants' use of rumination and anxiety symptom levels. These results show preliminary evidence regarding the efficacy of the OCAT to target attention and interpretation biases as well as to improve emotion regulation processes and to buffer against the effects of major stressors.
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COVID-19 , Pandemias , Humanos , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Ansiedad , Atención/fisiología , Cognición/fisiología , SesgoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder with a worldwide prevalence of about 0.3-1% of the population. During the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, the impact on the mental health of children and adolescents was very important. The persistence of symptoms in the post-acute phase of the disease has been termed Long COVID. The neuropsychiatric symptoms seem to be the most common impairment in children and adolescents with long COVID. OBJECTIVES: Considering the impact of pandemic on mental health, in this study we analyzed the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and adolescents affected by TS. METHODS: We conducted an online questionnaire covering socio-demographic and clinical data among 158 patients affected by TS or chronic tic disorders (CTD), of which 78 participants reported a positive SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data were collected to investigate tic severity and both the comorbidities, as well as lockdown-related changes to daily life activities and, in case of infection of SARS-CoV-2, possible symptoms of acute infection and long COVID. Markers of systemic inflammation including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), ferritin, iron, electrolytes, white blood cell counts, platelet cell counts levels, markers of liver, kidney and thyroid function were analyzed. First, all patients were screened with the Schedule for affective disorders and Schizophrenia for School age children-present and lifetime (Kiddie-SADS-PL) to rule out primary psychiatric disorders considered as criteria of exclusion. Then, all patients were clinically assessed at baseline (T0), and after three months (T1) through the administration of Yale Global Tic Severity Rating Scale (YGTSS), Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). RESULTS: Among the cohort of TS patients that contracted SARS-CoV-2 infection, 84.6% (n = 66) experienced any acute symptoms, and long COVID symptoms occurred in 38.5% (n = 30). A worsening of clinical symptoms of tics and eventually associated comorbidities occurred in 34.6% (n = 27) of TS patients that contracted SARS-CoV-2 infection. TS patients with or without SARS-CoV-2 infection showed an increase in the severity of tics and also behavioral, depressive and anxious symptoms. Instead, this increase was more evident in patients who contracted the infection than in patients who did not contract it. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infection may have a role in the increase of tics and associated comorbidities in TS patients. Despite of these preliminary results, further investigations are necessary to improve knowledge about the acute and long-term impact of SARS-CoV-2 in TS patients.
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COVID-19 , Trastornos de Tic , Tics , Síndrome de Tourette , Adolescente , Humanos , Niño , Tics/complicaciones , Tics/epidemiología , Síndrome Post Agudo de COVID-19 , Estudios de Seguimiento , COVID-19/complicaciones , COVID-19/epidemiología , SARS-CoV-2 , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Trastornos de Tic/complicaciones , Trastornos de Tic/psicología , Síndrome de Tourette/complicaciones , Síndrome de Tourette/diagnóstico , Síndrome de Tourette/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in the incidence rate, length of hospital stay (LOS), in-hospital mortality rate, and surgical method of hip fractures during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in South Korea where lockdown restrictions were not implemented. METHODS: We calculated the expected values of the incidence of hip fractures, in-hospital mortality and LOS of hip fracture patients in 2020 (COVID period) based hip fracture database of the Korean National Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) during a 9-year period from 2011 to 2019 (pre-COVID period). A generalized estimating equation model with Poisson distribution and logarithmic link function was used to estimate adjusted annual percent change (PC) of incidence rate and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Then, we compared the annual incidence, in-hospital mortality rate and LOS in 2020 with the expected values. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate of hip fracture in 2020 was not significantly different from the expected value (PC, -5%; 95% CI, -13 to 4; P = 0.280). In women, the incidence rate of hip fracture in age groups over 70 years was smaller than the predicted value (P < 0.001). The in-hospital mortality rate was not significantly different from the expected value (PC, 5%; 95% CI, -8 to 19; P = 0.461). The mean LOS was larger than the expected value by 2% (PC, 2%; 95% CI, 1 to 3; P < 0.001). In intertrochanteric fracture, the proportion of internal fixation was smaller than the predicted value by 2% (PC, -2%; 95% CI, -3 to -1; P < 0.001), and that of hemiarthroplasty was larger than the predicted value by 8% (PC, 8%; 95% CI, 4 to 14; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In 2020, the incidence rate of hip fracture did not significantly decrease, and in-hospital mortality rate did not significantly increase compared to the expected rates, which were projected based on the HIRA hip fracture data from 2011 to 2019. Only LOS increased slightly.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Fracturas de Cadera , Humanos , Femenino , Anciano , Análisis de Series de Tiempo Interrumpido , COVID-19/epidemiología , Control de Enfermedades Transmisibles , Fracturas de Cadera/epidemiología , República de Corea/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: The unprecedented nature of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown order projected to contain the pandemic and the global use of the police to enforce the order has necessitated the investigation of public (non-compliant) behavior and police intervention (misconduct). Given that the phases of easing the lockdown and reopening of the economy were already underway in Nigeria in September 2020, four months post-lockdown, this period was deemed suitable to collect the data. DATA DESCRIPTION: The data consists of 30 participants' (25 individuals and five police personnel) views regarding the reasons that exacerbated the violation and the 'alleged' unethical practices of police personnel while enforcing the lockdown. However, it benefits the broader scientific community in areas such as policing, disaster risk reduction, pandemic management and public administration. It is valuable in police reforms against unethical practices and gives clear policy directions to policymakers and authorities in managing future public health emergencies. Also, it is useful in understanding the public awareness about the pandemic and public (mis)trust and disposition towards the government authorities on the obedience to law and public health safety advisories to contain a pandemic.
