COVID-19 real-world data for the US and lessons to reopen business

Face Value: Remote facial expression analysis adds predictive power to perceived effectiveness for selecting anti-tobacco PSAs

Perceived effectiveness (PE) is a validated tool for predicting the potential impact of anti-tobacco public service announcements (PSAs). We set out to evaluate the added predictive value of facial expression analysis when combined with PE in a remote (online) survey. Each of 302 tobacco users watched 3 PSAs and allowed transmission of webcam videos from which metrics for "attention" (head position) and "facial action units" (FAU) were computed. The participants completed scales for their subjective emotions, willingness to share on social media, and intention to quit smoking using the Tobacco Free Florida website. Based on PE, both ready to quit (RTQ) and not ready (NR) respondents favored the same PSAs but RTQs assigned higher PE scores. Negative PSAs ("sad" or "frightening") were more compelling overall but RTQs also favored surprising ads and were more willing to share them on social media. Logistic regression showed that the combination of Attention + FAU+ PE (AUC = .816, p < .0001) outperformed single factors or factor combinations in distinguishing RTQ from NR. This study demonstrates that on-line assessment of facial expressions enhances the predictive value of PE and can be deployed on large remote samples.

Rivalry between Humans and Coronaviruses: Unanticipated Impact of Omicron

With our prior Commentary we discussed the rivalry between ideation (humans) and mutations (viruses), (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8439168/), and more specifically, we described and compared two means of adaptability: collective and focused ideation for humans and self-serving mutation for viruses. The amazingly fast development of new effective and safe vaccines and drugs requires the humankind's most sophisticated form of ideation ability to respond to threatening stressors such as a dangerous virus like SARS-CoV-2. The essence of what makes us human is that human ideation requires a society of people working towards the same goal and is interdependent on socialization for the sustainability of humankind. In contrast, viruses mutate alone and "selfishly". The best fit virus for a particular environment, for a particular host, eliminates the competition through successive mutations. The Omicron variant of concern (VoC) is a great example for how higher transmissibility and perhaps, stochasticity, can drive the transmissive success of a virus across an entire host species like humans. With this review, we describe how Omicron has impacted the COVID-19 pandemic in an unanticipated way that could bring an end to it.

Lessons learnt from emergency medicine services during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study of India and the United States

India and the United States have both witnessed a high burden of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic was declared in early 2020. However, the COVID-19 restrictions have met with mixed responses in India and the US. Despite recommendations to continue social isolation and personal hygiene measures, India has not been able to curb the rise in daily cases. Our findings demonstrate the difference in the manner by which India and the US differ in their emergency handling of patients. We conducted a thorough review of the existing protocols and data concerning emergency responses in India and the US. The triage and care of suspected COVID-19 positive patients is different across India and the US. We find that there is a shortage of oxygenation, vaccination and other essential supplies in India. Further, the US is able to triage patients through telemedicine and EMS before suspected COVID-19 patients arrive, which is less prevalent in India. Our study identifies the importance of the emergency department (ED) as a critical contributor to the prevention and care of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Hospitals in India have been struggling to accommodate a huge influx of patients during its second wave with the ED playing a key link in their COVID-19 response.

Rivalry between human ideation and virus mutation: two competing means of sustainability

For the first time in human history, obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine has become essential for the sustainability of our species. As an amazing product of collective ideation, remarkably safe and efficient vaccines have been invented, tested, distributed, and administered to the population on a voluntary basis. The fast-mutating individual behavior of the virus is probably guided by a similar goal of the sustainability of the species. With this commentary, we analyze and compare two means of sustainability through adaptability: collective ideation in the case of humans and individual mutations in the case of viruses - two very different species whose behaviors are driven by sustainability.