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Cheng MQ, Weng ZY, Li R, Song G. Efficacy of adjuvant-associated COVID-19 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in randomized controlled trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024; 103:e35201. [PMID: 38363919 PMCID: PMC10869057 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000035201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adjuvants may enhance the efficacy of vaccines. however, the efficacy of adjuvant-associated COVID-19 vaccines (ACVs) remains unclear since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to address this gap by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of ACVs against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 CoV (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOC). METHODS A systematic search was conducted of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the vaccine efficacy (VE) of ACVs against VOC (alpha, beta, gamma, delta, or Omicron), up to May 27, 2023. The DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model was used to assess VE with 95% confidence intervals (CI) through meta-analysis. Cochrane Risk of Bias tools were used to assess the risk of bias in RCTs. RESULTS Eight RCTs with 113,202 participants were included in the analysis, which incorporated 4 ACVs [Matrix-M (NVX-CoV2373), Alum (BBV152), CpG-1018/Alum (SCB-2019), and AS03 (CoVLP]). The pooled efficacy of full vaccination with ACVs against VOC was 88.0% (95% CI: 83.0-91.5). Full vaccination was effective against Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma variants, with VE values of 93.66% (95% CI: 86.5-100.74), 64.70% (95% CI: 41.87-87.54), 75.95% (95% CI: 67.9-83.99), and 91.26% (95% CI: 84.35-98.17), respectively. Currently, there is a lack of RCT evidence regarding the efficacy of ACVs against the Omicron variant. CONCLUSION In this meta-analysis, it should be that full vaccination with ACVs has high efficacy against Alpha or Gamma variants and moderate efficacy against Beta and Delta variants. Notably, with the exception of the aluminum-adjuvanted vaccine, the other ACVs had moderate to high efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 variant. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of ACVs booster vaccinations against Omicron.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-qun Cheng
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, The Pu’er People’s Hospital, Pu’er, China
| | - Zhi-Ying Weng
- School of Pharmaceutical Science and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Pharmacology for Natural Products, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Rong Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Pu’er People’s Hospital, Pu’er, China
| | - Gao Song
- Department of Pharmacy, The Pu’er People’s Hospital, Pu’er, China
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2
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Ma Z(S, Yang L. CDC (Cindy and David's Conversations) game: Advising President to survive pandemic. iScience 2023; 26:107079. [PMID: 37361877 PMCID: PMC10250248 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Ongoing debates on anti-COVID19 policies have been focused on coexistence-with versus zero-out (virus) strategies, which can be simplified as "always open (AO)" versus "always closed (AC)." We postulate that a middle ground, dubbed LOHC (low-risk-open and high-risk-closed), is likely favorable, precluding obviously irrational HOLC (high-risk-open and low-risk-closed). From a meta-strategy perspective, these four policies cover the full spectrum of anti-pandemic policies. By emulating the reality of anti-pandemic policies today, the study aims to identify possible cognitive gaps and traps by harnessing the power of evolutionary game-theoretic analysis and simulations, which suggest that (1) AO and AC seem to be "high-probability" events (0.412-0.533); (2) counter-intuitively, the middle ground-LOHC-seems to be small-probability event (0.053), possibly mirroring its wide adoptions but broad failures. Besides devising specific policies, an equally important challenge seems to deal with often hardly avoidable policy transitions along the process from emergence, epidemic, through pandemic, to endemic state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanshan (Sam) Ma
- Computational Biology and Medical Ecology Lab, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223 China
| | - Liexun Yang
- Bureau of Planning and Policy, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing 100085, China
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3
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Sawicki J, Berner R, Loos SAM, Anvari M, Bader R, Barfuss W, Botta N, Brede N, Franović I, Gauthier DJ, Goldt S, Hajizadeh A, Hövel P, Karin O, Lorenz-Spreen P, Miehl C, Mölter J, Olmi S, Schöll E, Seif A, Tass PA, Volpe G, Yanchuk S, Kurths J. Perspectives on adaptive dynamical systems. CHAOS (WOODBURY, N.Y.) 2023; 33:071501. [PMID: 37486668 DOI: 10.1063/5.0147231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Adaptivity is a dynamical feature that is omnipresent in nature, socio-economics, and technology. For example, adaptive couplings appear in various real-world systems, such as the power grid, social, and neural networks, and they form the backbone of closed-loop control strategies and machine learning algorithms. In this article, we provide an interdisciplinary perspective on adaptive systems. We reflect on the notion and terminology of adaptivity in different disciplines and discuss which role adaptivity plays for various fields. We highlight common open challenges and give perspectives on future research directions, looking to inspire interdisciplinary approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Sawicki
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Akademie Basel, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW, Leonhardsstrasse 6, 4009 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rico Berner
- Department of Physics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarah A M Loos
- DAMTP, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, United Kingdom
| | - Mehrnaz Anvari
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing, Schloss Birlinghoven, 53757 Sankt-Augustin, Germany
| | - Rolf Bader
- Institute of Systematic Musicology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wolfram Barfuss
- Transdisciplinary Research Area: Sustainable Futures, University of Bonn, 53113 Bonn, Germany
- Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, 53113 Bonn, Germany
| | - Nicola Botta
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Nuria Brede
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Computer Science, University of Potsdam, An der Bahn 2, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Igor Franović
- Scientific Computing Laboratory, Center for the Study of Complex Systems, Institute of Physics Belgrade, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Daniel J Gauthier
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Sebastian Goldt
- Department of Physics, International School of Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Aida Hajizadeh
- Research Group Comparative Neuroscience, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Hövel
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Omer Karin
- Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Miehl
- Akademie Basel, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW, Leonhardsstrasse 6, 4009 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jan Mölter
- Department of Mathematics, School of Computation, Information and Technology, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstraße 3, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
| | - Simona Olmi
- Akademie Basel, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW, Leonhardsstrasse 6, 4009 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eckehard Schöll
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Akademie Basel, Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz FHNW, Leonhardsstrasse 6, 4009 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alireza Seif
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Peter A Tass
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94304, USA
| | - Giovanni Volpe
- Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Serhiy Yanchuk
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Physics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kurths
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Department of Physics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
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Shamsi Gamchi N, Esmaeili M. A novel mathematical model for prioritization of individuals to receive vaccine considering governmental health protocols. THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS : HEPAC : HEALTH ECONOMICS IN PREVENTION AND CARE 2023; 24:633-646. [PMID: 35900675 PMCID: PMC9330986 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-022-01491-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Infectious diseases drive countries to provide vaccines to individuals. Due to the limited supply of vaccines, individuals prioritize receiving vaccinations worldwide. Although, priority groups are formed based on age groupings due to the restricted decision-making time. Governments usually ordain different health protocols such as lockdown policy, mandatory use of face masks, and vaccination during the pandemics. Therefore, this study considers the case of COVID-19 with a SEQIR (susceptible-exposed-quarantined-infected-recovered) epidemic model and presents a novel prioritization technique to minimize the social and economic impacts of the lockdown policy. We use retail units as one of the affected parts to demonstrate how a vaccination plan may be more effective if individuals such as retailers were prioritized and age groups. In addition, we estimate the total required vaccine doses to control the epidemic disease and compute the number of vaccine doses supplied by various suppliers. The vaccine doses are determined using optimal control theory in the solution technique. In addition, we consider the effect of the mask using policy in the number of vaccine doses allocated to each priority group. The model's performance is evaluated using an illustrative scenario based on a real case.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Shamsi Gamchi
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - M Esmaeili
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran.
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Ma R, Shi L, Sun G. Policy Disparities Between Singapore and Israel in Response to the First Omicron Wave. Risk Manag Healthc Policy 2023; 16:489-502. [PMID: 37035268 PMCID: PMC10078824 DOI: 10.2147/rmhp.s402813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate public health measures during the first Omicron wave in Singapore and Israel to inform other countries confronted by COVID-19 outbreaks. Methods A comparative analysis was conducted using epidemiological data from Singapore and Israel between November 25th, 2021 and May 2nd, 2022 and policy information to examine the effects of public health measures in the two countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Public health measures implemented by Singapore and Israel in response to the first Omicron wave were primarily intended to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Singapore, the pandemic led to more than 910,000 confirmed cases, a mortality rate of approximately 0.047%, a hospitalization rate of approximately 10.95%, and a severe illness rate of approximately 0.48%, without a second peak. In Israel, the pandemic not only resulted in over 2.74 million confirmed cases, a mortality rate of 0.095%, a hospitalization rate of about 7.39%, and a severe illness rate of approximately 2.30% but also returned after the significant relaxation of prevention regulations from March 1st, 2022. Conclusion Early and strict border control measures and surveillance measures are more effective in preventing and controlling the rapid spread of new strains of COVID-19 in the early stage. Furthermore, to prevent and control this highly infectious disease, COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots must be promoted as soon as possible, medical service capacity must be enhanced, the hierarchical medical system must be improved, and non-pharmacological interventions must be implemented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongcai Ma
- Department of Health Management, School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China
| | - Leiyu Shi
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Gang Sun
- Department of Health Management, School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Correspondence: Gang Sun, Department of Health Management, School of Health Management, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, People’s Republic of China, Email
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6
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Gupta P, Maharaj T, Weiss M, Rahaman N, Alsdurf H, Minoyan N, Harnois-Leblanc S, Merckx J, Williams A, Schmidt V, St-Charles PL, Patel A, Zhang Y, Buckeridge DL, Pal C, Schölkopf B, Bengio Y. Proactive Contact Tracing. PLOS DIGITAL HEALTH 2023; 2:e0000199. [PMID: 36913342 PMCID: PMC10010527 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred an unprecedented demand for interventions that can reduce disease spread without excessively restricting daily activity, given negative impacts on mental health and economic outcomes. Digital contact tracing (DCT) apps have emerged as a component of the epidemic management toolkit. Existing DCT apps typically recommend quarantine to all digitally-recorded contacts of test-confirmed cases. Over-reliance on testing may, however, impede the effectiveness of such apps, since by the time cases are confirmed through testing, onward transmissions are likely to have occurred. Furthermore, most cases are infectious over a short period; only a subset of their contacts are likely to become infected. These apps do not fully utilize data sources to base their predictions of transmission risk during an encounter, leading to recommendations of quarantine to many uninfected people and associated slowdowns in economic activity. This phenomenon, commonly termed as "pingdemic," may additionally contribute to reduced compliance to public health measures. In this work, we propose a novel DCT framework, Proactive Contact Tracing (PCT), which uses multiple sources of information (e.g. self-reported symptoms, received messages from contacts) to estimate app users' infectiousness histories and provide behavioral recommendations. PCT methods are by design proactive, predicting spread before it occurs. We present an interpretable instance of this framework, the Rule-based PCT algorithm, designed via a multi-disciplinary collaboration among epidemiologists, computer scientists, and behavior experts. Finally, we develop an agent-based model that allows us to compare different DCT methods and evaluate their performance in negotiating the trade-off between epidemic control and restricting population mobility. Performing extensive sensitivity analysis across user behavior, public health policy, and virological parameters, we compare Rule-based PCT to i) binary contact tracing (BCT), which exclusively relies on test results and recommends a fixed-duration quarantine, and ii) household quarantine (HQ). Our results suggest that both BCT and Rule-based PCT improve upon HQ, however, Rule-based PCT is more efficient at controlling spread of disease than BCT across a range of scenarios. In terms of cost-effectiveness, we show that Rule-based PCT pareto-dominates BCT, as demonstrated by a decrease in Disability Adjusted Life Years, as well as Temporary Productivity Loss. Overall, we find that Rule-based PCT outperforms existing approaches across a varying range of parameters. By leveraging anonymized infectiousness estimates received from digitally-recorded contacts, PCT is able to notify potentially infected users earlier than BCT methods and prevent onward transmissions. Our results suggest that PCT-based applications could be a useful tool in managing future epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prateek Gupta
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Tegan Maharaj
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Martin Weiss
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Nasim Rahaman
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hannah Alsdurf
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nanor Minoyan
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Soren Harnois-Leblanc
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Joanna Merckx
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Canada
| | - Andrew Williams
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Victor Schmidt
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Akshay Patel
- Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yang Zhang
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - David L. Buckeridge
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Canada
| | - Christopher Pal
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Bernhard Schölkopf
- Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen, Germany
- Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Canada
| | - Yoshua Bengio
- Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms (Mila), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Canada
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamud Sheek-Hussein
- Institute of Public Health; College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
- Harvard University, T.H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Loma Linda University School of Public Health, Loma Linda, California, USA
| | - Fikri M Abu-Zidan
- The Research Office, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
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Kim K, Cho K, Song J, Rahmati M, Koyanagi A, Lee SW, Yon DK, Il Shin J, Smith L. The case fatality rate of COVID-19 during the Delta and the Omicron epidemic phase: A meta-analysis. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28522. [PMID: 36691933 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
As coronavirus variants are constantly occurring, we tried to understand more about the omicron and delta variants that have hit the world. We provided dynamic information on the case fatality rate (CFR) of the Omicron variant over time and to compare it with that of the Delta variant through meta-analysis. Twenty-four countries were selected by submission counts, submission dates, and confirmed cases. We defined the Delta or the Omicron epidemic period for individual countries as when each variant is over 90%. We further analyzed the Omicron period by dividing it into the initial plateau, increasing, and decreasing phases according to the number of newly confirmed daily cases. Finally, the meta-analysis examined the summary and between-study heterogeneity. The CFR of COVID-19 during the Omicron epidemic was lower than that during the Delta epidemic (odds ratio [OR]: 0.252, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.205-0.309). The CFR of COVID-19 during the initial plateau phase of Omicron was higher than during other phases. (OR: 1.962, 95% CI 1.607-2.397). The CFR of COVID-19 during the increasing phase was lower than during the decreasing phases (OR: 0.412, 95% CI 0.342-0.498). The Omicron variant had lower CFR compared to the Delta variant, and the initial plateau phase had higher CFR compared to the noninitial phases. These results can help establish global health policies for COVID-19 in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kisong Kim
- Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyuyeon Cho
- Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Junmin Song
- Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Masoud Rahmati
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
| | - Ai Koyanagi
- Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Deu/CIBERSAM, ISCIII, Universitat de Barcelona, Fundacio Sant Joan de Deu, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,ICREA (Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Seung Won Lee
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Keon Yon
- Center for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Il Shin
- Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Lee Smith
- Centre for Health, Performance, and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
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Romero García C, Briz-Redón Á, Iftimi A, Lozano M, De Andrés J, Landoni G, Zanin M. Understanding small-scale COVID-19 transmission dynamics with the Granger causality test. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 2023:1-9. [PMID: 36640118 DOI: 10.1080/19338244.2023.2167799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Mobility patterns have been broadly studied and deeply altered due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In this paper, we study small-scale COVID-19 transmission dynamics in the city of Valencia and the potential role of subway stations and healthcare facilities in this transmission. A total of 2,398 adult patients were included in the analysis. We study the temporal evolution of the pandemic during the first six months at a small-area level. Two Voronoi segmentations of the city (based on the location of subway stations and healthcare facilities) have been considered, and we have applied the Granger causality test at the Voronoi cell level, considering both divisions of the study area. Considering the output of this approach, the so-called 'donor stations' are subway stations that have sent more connections than they have received and are mainly located in interchanger stations. The transmission in primary healthcare facilities showed a heterogeneous pattern. Given that subway interchange stations receive many cases from other regions of the city, implementing isolation measures in these areas might be beneficial for the reduction of transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Romero García
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Unit, University General Hospital, Valencia, Spain
- Division of Research Methodology, European University, Valencia, Spain
| | - Álvaro Briz-Redón
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Adina Iftimi
- Department of Statistics and Operations Research, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Lozano
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - José De Andrés
- Head of Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Unit, Valencia University General Hospital, Valencia, Spain
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Giovanni Landoni
- Center for Intensive Care and Anesthesiology (CARE), San Raffaele Hospital Head of SIAARTI Clinical Research Committee, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Zanin
- Instituto de Física Interdisciplinar y Sistemas Complejos IFISC (CSIC-UIB), Palma de Mallorca, Spain
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10
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Wu JS. Measuring efficiency of the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Digit Health 2023; 9:20552076231197528. [PMID: 37654724 PMCID: PMC10467301 DOI: 10.1177/20552076231197528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented loss of life and a severe economic downturn across the globe. Countries have adopted various social distancing and vaccination policies to reduce the spread of the disease and lessen the impact on healthcare systems. The world should work together to confront the disaster and challenge of COVID-19. Methods This study uses stochastic frontier analysis to measure the efficiency and influencing factors of the global response to COVID-19 epidemics and to provide follow-up strategies and reference guidelines. Results The results of this study show that (1) the average efficiency of the global response to COVID-19 is not good, with significant space for improvement of up to 60%; (2) adequate medical supplies and equipment can reduce mortality; (3) the initial implementation of social distancing policies and wearing masks can effectively reduce the infection rate; and (4) as infection rates and vaccination rates increase so that most people have basic immunity to COVID-19, the epidemic will gradually be reduced. Conclusions As the world becomes more aware of the COVID-19 disease, humans will gradually return to normal social interaction and lifestyles. The results of this study are expected to provide a reference for the future direction of the global fight against epidemics and the improvement of public health policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jih-Shong Wu
- College of General Education, Chihlee University of Technology, New Taipei City, Taiwan
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11
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Zhou W, Zou L, Zhu F, Yang J. Biosafety protection and workflow of clinical microbiology laboratory under COVID-19: A review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e31740. [PMID: 36397385 PMCID: PMC9665890 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000031740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper mainly discusses how to do a good job of daily biosafety protection measures in clinical microbiology laboratories during the epidemic of COVID-19, so as to ensure the safe development of routine clinical microbiology testing items. According to the microbiological and epidemiological characteristics of the novel coronavirus, this paper analyzed the potential risks of the laboratory from the perspective of personal protection before, during, and after testing. Combined with the actual work situation, the improved biosafety protection measures and optimized work flow are introduced to ensure the safety of medical staff and the smooth development of daily work. Danyang People's Hospital of Jiangsu Province, clinical microbiology laboratory of clinical laboratory in strict accordance with the relevant laws and regulations, technical specifications and the expert consensus, combined with their own conditions, the biosafety measures to perfect the working process was optimized, effectively prevent the laboratory exposure, and maintain strict working condition for a long time, continue to improve. We found that the biosafety protection measures of clinical microbiology laboratory have good prevention and control effect on preventing infection of medical staff, which will greatly reduce the risk of infection of medical staff, form good working habits, and provide reference for biosafety protection of microbiology laboratory during the epidemic of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Zhou
- Clinical Laboratory, Danyang People’s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, Danyang Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Jiangsu, China
| | - Limin Zou
- Clinical Laboratory, Danyang People’s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, Danyang Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fenyong Zhu
- Clinical Laboratory, Danyang People’s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, Danyang Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Clinical Laboratory, Danyang People’s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, Danyang Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Jiangsu, China
- *Correspondence: Jie Yang, Clinical Laboratory, Danyang People’s Hospital of Jiangsu Province, Danyang Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Jiangsu 212300, China (e-mail: )
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Zeng G, Wang X. Ending the COVID-19 pandemic: We still have a long way to go. J Med Virol 2022; 94:5075-5076. [PMID: 35798567 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant, which led to increased global hospitalizations for coronavirus disease 2019, generated concern about immune evasion and the duration of protection from vaccines, and undermined humanity's confidence in ending the epidemic. The sudden mutation and origin of Omicron is even more of a mystery. The article highlights the virological characteristics and possible origins of Omicron and the global threats and challenges it poses, as well as strategies to deal with it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangting Zeng
- Department of Pharmacy, The First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Xia Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, The First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
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Xiao H, Ma C, Gao H, Gao Y, Xue Y. Green Transformation of Anti-Epidemic Supplies in the Post-Pandemic Era: An Evolutionary Approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:6011. [PMID: 35627548 PMCID: PMC9141084 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19106011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Post-pandemic, the use of medical supplies, such as masks, for epidemic prevention remains high. The explosive growth of medical waste during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant environmental problems. To alleviate this, environment-friendly epidemic prevention measures should be developed, used, and promoted. However, contradictions exist between governments, production enterprises, and medical institutions regarding the green transformation of anti-epidemic supplies. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate how to effectively guide the green transformation. Concerning masks, a tripartite evolutionary game model, consisting of governments, mask enterprises, and medical institutions, was established for the supervision of mask production and use, boundary conditions of evolutionary stabilization strategies and government regulations were analyzed, and a dynamic system model was used for the simulation analysis. This analysis revealed that the only tripartite evolutionary stability strategy is for governments to deregulate mask production, enterprises to increase eco-friendly mask production, and medical institutions to use these masks. From the comprehensive analysis, a few important findings are obtained. First, government regulation can promote the green transformation process of anti-epidemic supplies. Government should realize the green transformation of anti-epidemic supplies immediately in order to avoid severe reputation damage. Second, external parameter changes can significantly impact the strategy selection process of all players. Interestingly, it is further found that the cost benefit for using environmentally friendly masks has a great influence on whether green transformation can be achieved. Consequently, the government should establish a favorable marketplace for, and promote the development of, inexpensive, high-quality, and effective environmentally friendly masks in order to achieve the ultimate goal of green transformation of anti-epidemic supplies in the post-pandemic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Xiao
- School of Business, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (H.X.); (C.M.); (Y.G.)
| | - Cheng Ma
- School of Business, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (H.X.); (C.M.); (Y.G.)
| | - Hongwei Gao
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Ye Gao
- School of Business, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (H.X.); (C.M.); (Y.G.)
| | - Yang Xue
- School of Business, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (H.X.); (C.M.); (Y.G.)
- The Center for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
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