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Greenhalgh T, MacIntyre CR, Baker MG, Bhattacharjee S, Chughtai AA, Fisman D, Kunasekaran M, Kvalsvig A, Lupton D, Oliver M, Tawfiq E, Ungrin M, Vipond J. Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review. Clin Microbiol Rev 2024; 37:e0012423. [PMID: 38775460 PMCID: PMC11326136 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00124-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYThis narrative review and meta-analysis summarizes a broad evidence base on the benefits-and also the practicalities, disbenefits, harms and personal, sociocultural and environmental impacts-of masks and masking. Our synthesis of evidence from over 100 published reviews and selected primary studies, including re-analyzing contested meta-analyses of key clinical trials, produced seven key findings. First, there is strong and consistent evidence for airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory pathogens. Second, masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect. Third, respirators are significantly more effective than medical or cloth masks. Fourth, mask mandates are, overall, effective in reducing community transmission of respiratory pathogens. Fifth, masks are important sociocultural symbols; non-adherence to masking is sometimes linked to political and ideological beliefs and to widely circulated mis- or disinformation. Sixth, while there is much evidence that masks are not generally harmful to the general population, masking may be relatively contraindicated in individuals with certain medical conditions, who may require exemption. Furthermore, certain groups (notably D/deaf people) are disadvantaged when others are masked. Finally, there are risks to the environment from single-use masks and respirators. We propose an agenda for future research, including improved characterization of the situations in which masking should be recommended or mandated; attention to comfort and acceptability; generalized and disability-focused communication support in settings where masks are worn; and development and testing of novel materials and designs for improved filtration, breathability, and environmental impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trisha Greenhalgh
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - C Raina MacIntyre
- Biosecurity Program, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Michael G Baker
- Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Shovon Bhattacharjee
- Biosecurity Program, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Abrar A Chughtai
- School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - David Fisman
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mohana Kunasekaran
- Biosecurity Program, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Amanda Kvalsvig
- Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Deborah Lupton
- Centre for Social Research in Health and Social Policy Research Centre, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matt Oliver
- Professional Standards Advocate, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Essa Tawfiq
- Biosecurity Program, The Kirby Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Mark Ungrin
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Joe Vipond
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Barreras F, Watts DJ. The exciting potential and daunting challenge of using GPS human-mobility data for epidemic modeling. NATURE COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE 2024; 4:398-411. [PMID: 38898315 DOI: 10.1038/s43588-024-00637-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Large-scale GPS location datasets hold immense potential for measuring human mobility and interpersonal contact, both of which are essential for data-driven epidemiology. However, despite their potential and widespread adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several challenges with these data that raise concerns regarding the validity and robustness of its applications. Here we outline two types of challenges-some related to accessing and processing these data, and some related to data quality-and propose several research directions to address them moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Barreras
- Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Duncan J Watts
- Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Operations, Information and Decisions Department, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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3
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Rangel DF, Costa LL, Ribeiro VV, De-la-Torre GE, Castro ÍB. Protective personal equipment on coastal environments: Identifying key drivers at a global scale. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 468:133839. [PMID: 38402681 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
The contamination of coastal ecosystems by personal protective equipment (PPE) emerged as a significant concern immediately following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Hence, numerous studies have assessed PPE occurrence on beaches worldwide. However, no predictors on PPE contamination was so far pointed out. The present study investigated social and landscape drivers affecting the PPE density in coastal environments worldwide using a meta-analysis approach. Spatial variables such as urban modification levels, coastal vegetation coverage, population density (HPD), distance from rivers (DNR), and poverty degree (GGRDI) were derived from global satellite data. These variables, along with the time elapsed after WHO declared the pandemic, were included in generalized additive models as potential predictors of PPE density. HPD consistently emerged as the most influential predictor of PPE density (p < 0.00001), exhibiting a positive effect. Despite the presence of complex non-linear relationships, our findings indicate higher PPE density in areas with intermediate GGRDI levels, indicative of emerging economies. Additionally, elevated PPE density was observed in areas located further away from rivers (p < 0.001), and after the initial months of the pandemic. Despite the uncertainties associated with the varied sampling methods employed by the studies comprising our database, this study offers a solid baseline for tackling the global problem of PPE contamination on beachesguiding monitoring assessments in future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leonardo Lopes Costa
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto Solar Brasil de Desenvolvimento Saúde e Pesquisa - ISOBRAS, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Gabriel E De-la-Torre
- Grupo de Investigación de Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Sociedad, Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Lima, Peru
| | - Ítalo Braga Castro
- Instituto do Mar, Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, Santos, SP, Brazil.
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Kamba M, She WJ, Ferawati K, Wakamiya S, Aramaki E. Exploring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Twitter in Japan: Qualitative Analysis of Disrupted Plans and Consequences. JMIR INFODEMIOLOGY 2024; 4:e49699. [PMID: 38557446 PMCID: PMC10986681 DOI: 10.2196/49699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite being a pandemic, the impact of the spread of COVID-19 extends beyond public health, influencing areas such as the economy, education, work style, and social relationships. Research studies that document public opinions and estimate the long-term potential impact after the pandemic can be of value to the field. OBJECTIVE This study aims to uncover and track concerns in Japan throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing Japanese individuals' self-disclosure of disruptions to their life plans on social media. This approach offers alternative evidence for identifying concerns that may require further attention for individuals living in Japan. METHODS We extracted 300,778 tweets using the query phrase Corona-no-sei ("due to COVID-19," "because of COVID-19," or "considering COVID-19"), enabling us to identify the activities and life plans disrupted by the pandemic. The correlation between the number of tweets and COVID-19 cases was analyzed, along with an examination of frequently co-occurring words. RESULTS The top 20 nouns, verbs, and noun plus verb pairs co-occurring with Corona no-sei were extracted. The top 5 keywords were graduation ceremony, cancel, school, work, and event. The top 5 verbs were disappear, go, rest, can go, and end. Our findings indicate that education emerged as the top concern when the Japanese government announced the first state of emergency. We also observed a sudden surge in anxiety about material shortages such as toilet paper. As the pandemic persisted and more states of emergency were declared, we noticed a shift toward long-term concerns, including careers, social relationships, and education. CONCLUSIONS Our study incorporated machine learning techniques for disease monitoring through the use of tweet data, allowing the identification of underlying concerns (eg, disrupted education and work conditions) throughout the 3 stages of Japanese government emergency announcements. The comparison with COVID-19 case numbers provides valuable insights into the short- and long-term societal impacts, emphasizing the importance of considering citizens' perspectives in policy-making and supporting those affected by the pandemic, particularly in the context of Japanese government decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaru Kamba
- Division of Information Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Wan Jou She
- Division of Information Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Kiki Ferawati
- Division of Information Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Shoko Wakamiya
- Division of Information Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
| | - Eiji Aramaki
- Division of Information Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Japan
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Näher AF, Schulte-Althoff M, Kopka M, Balzer F, Pozo-Martin F. Effects of Face Mask Mandates on COVID-19 Transmission in 51 Countries: Retrospective Event Study. JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024; 10:e49307. [PMID: 38457225 PMCID: PMC10926949 DOI: 10.2196/49307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The question of the utility of face masks in preventing acute respiratory infections has received renewed attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, given the inconclusive evidence from existing randomized controlled trials, evidence based on real-world data with high external validity is missing. OBJECTIVE To add real-world evidence, this study aims to examine whether mask mandates in 51 countries and mask recommendations in 10 countries increased self-reported face mask use and reduced SARS-CoV-2 reproduction numbers and COVID-19 case growth rates. METHODS We applied an event study approach to data pooled from four sources: (1) country-level information on self-reported mask use was obtained from the COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey, (2) data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker provided information on face mask mandates and recommendations and any other nonpharmacological interventions implemented, (3) mobility indicators from Google's Community Mobility Reports were also included, and (4) SARS-CoV-2 reproduction numbers and COVID-19 case growth rates were retrieved from the Our World in Data-COVID-19 data set. RESULTS Mandates increased mask use by 8.81 percentage points (P=.006) on average, and SARS-CoV-2 reproduction numbers declined on average by -0.31 units (P=.008). Although no significant average effect of mask mandates was observed for growth rates of COVID-19 cases (-0.98 percentage points; P=.56), the results indicate incremental effects on days 26 (-1.76 percentage points; P=.04), 27 (-1.89 percentage points; P=.05), 29 (-1.78 percentage points; P=.04), and 30 (-2.14 percentage points; P=.02) after mandate implementation. For self-reported face mask use and reproduction numbers, incremental effects are seen 6 and 13 days after mandate implementation. Both incremental effects persist for >30 days. Furthermore, mask recommendations increased self-reported mask use on average (5.84 percentage points; P<.001). However, there were no effects of recommendations on SARS-CoV-2 reproduction numbers or COVID-19 case growth rates (-0.06 units; P=.70 and -2.45 percentage points; P=.59). Single incremental effects on self-reported mask use were observed on days 11 (3.96 percentage points; P=.04), 13 (3.77 percentage points; P=.04) and 25 to 27 (4.20 percentage points; P=.048 and 5.91 percentage points; P=.01) after recommendation. Recommendations also affected reproduction numbers on days 0 (-0.07 units; P=.03) and 1 (-0.07 units; P=.03) and between days 21 (-0.09 units; P=.04) and 28 (-0.11 units; P=.05) and case growth rates between days 1 and 4 (-1.60 percentage points; P=.03 and -2.19 percentage points; P=.03) and on day 23 (-2.83 percentage points; P=.05) after publication. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to recommendations, mask mandates can be used as an effective measure to reduce SARS-CoV-2 reproduction numbers. However, mandates alone are not sufficient to reduce growth rates of COVID-19 cases. Our study adds external validity to the existing randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of face masks to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anatol-Fiete Näher
- Digital Global Public Health, Hasso Plattner Institute, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Method Development, Research Infrastructure, and Information Technology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthias Schulte-Althoff
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Information Systems, School of Business and Economics, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marvin Kopka
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology and Ergonomics, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Balzer
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Francisco Pozo-Martin
- Evidence-based Public Health Unit, Center for International Health Protection, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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Sandlund J, Duriseti R, Ladhani SN, Stuart K, Noble J, Høeg TB. Child mask mandates for COVID-19: a systematic review. Arch Dis Child 2024; 109:e2. [PMID: 38050026 PMCID: PMC10894839 DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2023-326215] [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: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mask mandates for children during the COVID-19 pandemic varied in different locations. A risk-benefit analysis of this intervention has not yet been performed. In this study, we performed a systematic review to assess research on the effectiveness of mask wearing in children. METHODS We performed database searches up to February 2023. The studies were screened by title and abstract, and included studies were further screened as full-text references. A risk-of-bias analysis was performed by two independent reviewers and adjudicated by a third reviewer. RESULTS We screened 597 studies and included 22 in the final analysis. There were no randomised controlled trials in children assessing the benefits of mask wearing to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection or transmission. The six observational studies reporting an association between child masking and lower infection rate or antibody seropositivity had critical (n=5) or serious (n=1) risk of bias; all six were potentially confounded by important differences between masked and unmasked groups and two were shown to have non-significant results when reanalysed. Sixteen other observational studies found no association between mask wearing and infection or transmission. CONCLUSIONS Real-world effectiveness of child mask mandates against SARS-CoV-2 transmission or infection has not been demonstrated with high-quality evidence. The current body of scientific data does not support masking children for protection against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Sandlund
- Board-Certified Clinical Microbiologist and Independent Scholar, Alameda, California, USA
| | - Ram Duriseti
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Shamez N Ladhani
- Immunisation Department, UK Health Security Agency, London, UK
- Centre for Neonatal and Paediatric Infection, St. George's University of London, London, UK
| | - Kelly Stuart
- SmallTalk Pediatric Therapy, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Jeanne Noble
- Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Tracy Beth Høeg
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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Dantuluri KL, Buahin A, Uschner D, DeWitt ME, Rossman W, Dunn CO, Hetherington TC, Priem J, Castri P, Lagarde WH, Gibbs M, Ahmed A. Association of social vulnerability index and masking adherence among children enrolled in COVID-19 community research partnership study. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:410. [PMID: 38331791 PMCID: PMC10854168 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17931-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with high social vulnerability index (SVI) have poorer outcomes with COVID-19. Masking reduces transmission of COVID-19 among children, but how SVI plays a role in masking behavior is unknown. We aimed to measure the association of SVI with masking adherence among children during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We conducted a multi-site, prospective syndromic surveillance study among children aged 2 - 17 years in the Southeastern United States by daily electronic surveys which solicited symptoms of COVID-19-like illness, infection with or exposure to SARS-CoV-2, masking habits, and any receipt of COVID-19 vaccines. Parents/guardians submitted surveys for their children; adolescents 13 years and older could opt to submit their own surveys. Multivariable and univariate linear models were used to measure the associations of different predictors such as SVI with masking adherence. RESULTS One thousand four hundred sixty-one children from 6 states and 55 counties predominately from North and South Carolina were included in the analysis. Most children in the cohort were 5 - 11 years old, non-Hispanic White, from urban counties, and with low-moderate SVI. Overall masking adherence decreased over time, and older children had higher masking adherence throughout the study period compared with younger children. Children who resided in urban counties had greater masking adherence throughout the study period than those who resided in suburban or rural counties. Masking adherence was higher among children with both low and medium SVI than those with high SVI. CONCLUSIONS Despite being at risk for more severe outcomes with COVID-19, children with high SVI had lower levels of masking adherence compared to those with low SVI. Our findings highlight opportunities for improved and targeted messaging in these vulnerable communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keerti L Dantuluri
- Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) at Levine Children's Hospital and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Atrium Health, 1001 Blythe Blvd, Medical Education Building, P.O. Box 32861, Charlotte, NC, 28203, USA.
| | - Asare Buahin
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and The Biostatistics Center at The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Diane Uschner
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics and The Biostatistics Center at The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Michael E DeWitt
- Section on Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Whitney Rossman
- Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Connell O Dunn
- Department of Emergency Medicine Research at Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Priem
- Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Paola Castri
- Department of Neurology (Pediatric Neurology) at Wake Forest Baptist, Winston Salem, NC, USA
| | - William H Lagarde
- Department of Pediatrics (Endocrinology) at WakeMed, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Michael Gibbs
- Department of Emergency Medicine at Atrium Health, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Amina Ahmed
- Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) at Levine Children's Hospital and Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Atrium Health, 1001 Blythe Blvd, Medical Education Building, P.O. Box 32861, Charlotte, NC, 28203, USA
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Douglas MD, Li C, Josiah Willock R, Baltrus P, Caplan L, Immergluck L, McKinney T, Hopkins J, Mack D, Gaglioti AH. Population-Level Disparities in Exposure to COVID-19 Mitigation Policies, April 2020-April 2021. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2023; 29:874-881. [PMID: 37498523 PMCID: PMC10549887 DOI: 10.1097/phh.0000000000001777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Studies have found that COVID-19 stay-at-home orders (SHOs) and face mask policies (FMPs) were associated with reduced COVID-19 transmission and deaths. But it is unknown whether exposure to these policies varied by sociodemographic characteristics across the US population. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to quantify and characterize the sociodemographic characteristics and geographic distribution of populations exposed to evidence-based COVID-19 mitigation policies. DESIGN We obtained statewide SHOs and FMPs for all US counties from April 10, 2020, to April 10, 2021, calculated median policy lengths, and categorized counties into 4 groups based on length of policy exposure: low SHO-low FMP, high SHO-low FMP, low SHO-high FMP, and high SHO-high FMP. We described exposure groups by COVID-19 cumulative case/death and vaccination rates and county sociodemographic characteristics. SETTING In total, 3142 counties from all 50 states and Washington, District of Columbia, were included in the analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES County-level sociodemographic factors and county cumulative rates for COVID-19 cases, deaths, and vaccinations. RESULTS The largest percentage of the US population lived in counties with high exposure to SHOs and FMPs. However, populations living in high SHO-high FMP counties had the lowest percent non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and highest percent non-Hispanic White (NHW) populations. Populations living in high SHO-low FMP counties had the highest percent NHB and Hispanic populations and the lowest percent NHW population. CONCLUSION This study identified county-level racial, ethnic, and sociodemographic disparities in exposure to evidence-based statewide COVID-19 mitigation policies. POLICY IMPLICATIONS Exposure to evidence-based policies is an important consideration for studies evaluating the root causes of health inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan D. Douglas
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Chaohua Li
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Robina Josiah Willock
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Peter Baltrus
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Lee Caplan
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Lilly Immergluck
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Tonyka McKinney
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Jammie Hopkins
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Dominic Mack
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
| | - Anne H. Gaglioti
- National Center for Primary Care (Drs Douglas, Baltrus, Mack, and Gaglioti and Mr Li), Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine (Drs Douglas, Josiah Willock, Baltrus, Caplan, and Hopkins), Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology (Dr Immergluck), Satcher Health Leadership Institute (Drs McKinney and Hopkins), and Department of Family Medicine (Dr Mack), Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and Population Health Research Institute at MetroHealth and Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (Dr Gaglioti)
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Amato HK, Loayza F, Salinas L, Paredes D, García D, Sarzosa S, Saraiva-Garcia C, Johnson TJ, Pickering AJ, Riley LW, Trueba G, Graham JP. Leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment to assess changes in antibiotic use and antibiotic-resistant E. coli carriage in semi-rural Ecuador. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14854. [PMID: 37684276 PMCID: PMC10491794 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39532-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had significant impacts on health systems, population dynamics, public health awareness, and antibiotic stewardship, which could affect antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) emergence and transmission. In this study, we aimed to compare knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of antibiotic use and ARB carriage in Ecuadorian communities before versus after the COVID-19 pandemic began. We leveraged data collected for a repeated measures observational study of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (3GCR-EC) carriage among children in semi-rural communities in Quito, Ecuador between July 2018 and September 2021. We included 241 households that participated in surveys and child stool sample collection in 2019, before the pandemic, and in 2021, after the pandemic began. We estimated adjusted Prevalence Ratios (aPR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) using logistic and Poisson regression models. Child antibiotic use in the last 3 months declined from 17% pre-pandemic to 5% in 2021 (aPR: 0.30; 95% CI 0.15, 0.61) and 3GCR-EC carriage among children declined from 40 to 23% (aPR: 0.48; 95% CI 0.32, 0.73). Multi-drug resistance declined from 86 to 70% (aPR: 0.32; 95% CI 0.13; 0.79), the average number of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) per 3GCR-EC isolate declined from 9.9 to 7.8 (aPR of 0.79; 95% CI 0.65, 0.96), and the diversity of ARGs was lower in 2021. In the context of Ecuador, where COVID-19 prevention and control measures were strictly enforced after its major cities experienced some of the world's the highest mortality rates from SARS-CoV-2 infections, antibiotic use and ARB carriage declined in semi-rural communities of Quito from 2019 to 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather K Amato
- Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Fernanda Loayza
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Liseth Salinas
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Diana Paredes
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Daniela García
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Soledad Sarzosa
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Carlos Saraiva-Garcia
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Timothy J Johnson
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Amy J Pickering
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Blum Center for Developing Economies, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lee W Riley
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Gabriel Trueba
- Instituto de Microbiología, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
| | - Jay P Graham
- Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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10
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Salti N, McCall SJ, Abi Zeid B, El Salibi N, Alawieh M, Ramadan Z, Ghattas H, Abdulrahim S. The determinants of sustained adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures among older Syrian refugees in Lebanon. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0268851. [PMID: 37347734 PMCID: PMC10286991 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Lebanon has battled the COVID-19 pandemic in the midst of an economic crisis. The evolution of the pandemic and a fragile health system have meant that public health policy has had to rely heavily on non-pharmaceutical interventions for disease control. However, changes in disease dynamics, an unraveling economy, and pandemic fatigue have meant that disease control policies need to be updated. METHODS Using recent and timely data on older (50 years and above) Syrian refugees in Lebanon, this paper uses multivariate linear probability models to explore the determinants of adherence to two non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 prevention measures (wearing a mask and avoiding social gatherings) among this high-risk subgroup in a vulnerable population. Among respondents who report adhering to these measures, the paper also investigates the determinants of sustained adherence over a period of 6 months. RESULTS The findings suggest that no individual-level characteristics were robustly associated with mask wearing. For avoiding social gatherings, education was inversely associated with adherence to this preventive measure. Avoiding social gatherings was also significantly lower for residents of informal tented settlements (ITSs). Among initial adherents, and for both preventive practices, ITS dwellers were also significantly less likely to maintain adherence. CONCLUSION Identifying variables associated with adherence to non-pharmaceutical preventive practices, particularly for vulnerable groups, can help inform and refine interventions in the face of changing conditions. The material, physical, administrative and socio-economic constraints of life in an ITS suggest that avoiding social gatherings is hardly feasible. Yet despite the challenging conditions of ITSs, the indication to wear a mask is initially complied with, suggesting that tailoring policies to the limits and constrains of context can lead to successful outcomes even in very adverse settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisreen Salti
- Department of Economics, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Stephen J. McCall
- Center for Research on Population and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Berthe Abi Zeid
- Center for Research on Population and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Noura El Salibi
- Center for Research on Population and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | | | | | - Hala Ghattas
- Center for Research on Population and Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Sawsan Abdulrahim
- Department of Health Promotion and Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
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11
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Peters JA, Farhadloo M. The Effects of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Mortality: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis. AJPM FOCUS 2023; 2:100125. [PMID: 37362389 PMCID: PMC10265928 DOI: 10.1016/j.focus.2023.100125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Introduction To assess the effects of various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) on cases, hospitalizations, and mortality during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods To empirically investigate the impacts of different NPIs on COVID-19-related health outcomes, a systematic literature review was conducted. We studied the effects of 10 NPIs on cases, hospitalizations, and mortality across three periodic lags (2, 3, and 4 weeks-or-more following implementation). Articles measuring the impact of NPIs were sourced from three databases by May 10, 2022, and risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results Across the 44 papers, we found that mask wearing corresponded to decreased per capita cases across all lags (up to -2.71 per 100,000). All NPIs studied except business and bar/restaurant closures corresponded to reduced case growth rates in the two weeks following implementation, while policy stringency and travelling restrictions were most effective after four. While we did not find evidence of reduced deaths in our per capita estimates, policy stringency, masks, SIPOs, limited gatherings, school and business closures were associated with decreased mortality growth rates. Moreover, the two NPIs studied in hospitalizations (SIPOs and mask wearing) showed negative estimates. Conclusions When assessing the impact of NPIs, considering the duration of effectiveness following implementation has paramount significance. While some NPIs may reduce the COVID-19 impact, others can disrupt the mitigative progression of containing the virus. Policymakers should be aware of both the scale of their effectiveness and duration of impact when adopting these measures for future COVID-19 waves.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Peters
- Department of Supply Chain & Business Technology Management, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mohsen Farhadloo
- Department of Supply Chain & Business Technology Management, John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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12
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Wu J, Quinn J, Middleman AB. Covering the Distance: A Study of Parent and Teen Attitudes on COVID-19 Mitigation Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cureus 2023; 15:e38615. [PMID: 37284384 PMCID: PMC10239983 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.38615] [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] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The Unity® Consortium surveyed teens and parents and guardians of teens across the country at three distinct time points or waves during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess participant attitudes and beliefs regarding COVID-19 mitigation guidelines, such as mask-wearing and physical distancing. Methodology A third-party market research company conducted 15-minute, online surveys from nationally representative panels. Surveys were conducted at three distinct time points or waves (August 2020, February 2021, and June 2021) with 300 teens aged 13-18 years in each wave and 593/531/500 parents and guardians of teens aged 13-18 years in each wave, respectively. Participants responded using a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree) on their COVID-19 experiences, including the perceived importance of strictly following mask-wearing and/or social distancing guidelines and the perceived effectiveness of mask-wearing and social distancing in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Data were analyzed for differences across waves and demographic variables. Statistical analyses included frequencies, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and t-tests/z-tests. Results While significantly more parents and teens in Waves 2 and 3 knew someone who was hospitalized or died due to COVID-19 compared to Wave 1, significantly fewer in Wave 3 reported experiencing a lot or some stress and worry regarding the pandemic. By Wave 3, 58% of teens and 56% of parents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Despite changes in experiences over time, a significant majority of parents and teens consistently agreed on the importance and effectiveness of social distancing and masking guidelines against the spread of COVID-19. In Wave 3, the demographic variables significantly associated with agreement on importance included race (Black (92%) > White (80%)), community type (urban (91%) > suburban (79%) and rural (73%)), and positive vaccination status of parents and teens (92%/89%) > not vaccinated (73%/73%), respectively). The demographic variables significantly associated with agreement on effectiveness included race (Black (91%) > White (81%)), community type (urban (89%) > suburban (83%) and rural (71%)), and positive vaccination status of parents and teens (94%/90% > not vaccinated (72%/70%), respectively). Conclusions This study into the perceived importance and perceived effectiveness of mitigation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed differences in attitudes among sociodemographic groups. Understanding these differences can help shape how adherence to public health guidelines in a pandemic is promoted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian Wu
- Pediatrics, Unity Consortium, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Jane Quinn
- Pediatrics, Unity Consortium, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Amy B Middleman
- Adolescent Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, USA
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Krieger E, Sharashova E, Kudryavtsev AV, Samodova O, Kontsevaya A, Brenn T, Postoev V. COVID-19: seroprevalence and adherence to preventive measures in Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia. Infect Dis (Lond) 2023; 55:316-327. [PMID: 36919829 DOI: 10.1080/23744235.2023.2179660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The published estimates of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Russia are few. The study aimed to assess the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Arkhangelsk (Northwest Russia), in a year after the start of the pandemic, to evaluate the population adherence to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), and to investigate characteristics associated with COVID-19 seropositive status. METHODS We conducted a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study between 24 February and 30 June 2021 involving 1332 adults aged 40-74 years. Logistic regression models were fit to identify factors associated with seropositive status and with adherence to NPIs. RESULTS Less than half (48.9%) of study participants adhered all recommended NPIs. Male sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.7, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.3; 2.3), regular employment (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3; 2.5) and low confidence in the efficiency of the NPIs (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.5; 2.5) were associated with low adherence to internationally recommended NPIs. The SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rate was 65.1% (95% CI: 62.5; 67.6) and increased to 73.0% (95% CI: 67.1; 85.7) after adjustment for test performance. Regular employment (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5; 2.8) and current smoking (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2; 0.5) were associated with being seropositive due to the infection. CONCLUSIONS Two third of the study population were seropositive in a year after the onset of the pandemic in Arkhangelsk. Individuals with infection-acquired immunity were more likely to have regular work and less likely to be smokers. The adherence to NPIs was not found associated with getting the virus during the first year of the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Krieger
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,International Research Competence Centre, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation
| | - Ekaterina Sharashova
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Alexander V Kudryavtsev
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.,International Research Competence Centre, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation
| | - Olga Samodova
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation
| | - Anna Kontsevaya
- Department of Public Health, National Medical Research Centre for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Tormod Brenn
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Vitaly Postoev
- Department of Research Methodology, Northern State Medical University, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation
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14
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Bray LA, Porter O, Kim A, Jervis LL. Collective health behavior and face mask utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic in Oklahoma, USA. J Public Health (Oxf) 2023; 45:e87-e94. [PMID: 35380730 PMCID: PMC8992353 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdac007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Face mask use offers an important public health tool for reducing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet the politicization of COVID-19 has resulted in uneven adherence. This study assesses the effects of setting characteristics and the sociodemographic composition of crowds on group-level masking rates. METHODS We conducted 123 site observations of masking behavior at public locations across Oklahoma (USA) between June and September 2020. We used analyses of variance and t-tests to examine variation in masking and ordinary least squares regression to model the effect of setting and sociodemographic characteristics on site-level masking rates. RESULTS The masking rate across all sites averaged 34% but varied widely. Site-level masking rates were higher at metropolitan sites and sites with a store or municipal masking mandate. The masking rate at sites where women or older adults (60+) were the predominant group did not differ significantly from other sites. Ethnically diverse sites exhibited significantly higher masking rates compared with predominantly white sites. Findings indicate that setting characteristics explained a greater amount of variation in collective masking rates than sociodemographic differences. CONCLUSIONS This study underscores the importance of place and policy for mask adherence. In the absence of state-level mandates, masking policies at a more local level may be effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Bray
- Center for Applied Social Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Olivia Porter
- Center for Applied Social Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Andrew Kim
- Center for Applied Social Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Lori L Jervis
- Department of Anthropology, Center for Applied Social Research, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
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15
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Litchfield SG, Tan M, Schulz KG, Kelaher BP. Disposable surgical masks affect the decomposition of Zostera muelleri. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 188:114695. [PMID: 36774916 PMCID: PMC9911587 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a surge in the use of both disposable and re-usable mask pollution globally. It is important to understand the potential impact this influx of novel pollution has on key ecological processes, such as detrital dynamics. We aimed to understand the impact mask pollution has on the decomposition of a common coastal seagrass, Zostera muelleri. Using an outdoor mesocosm system with heater chiller units and a gas mixer, we were able to test the impact of both re-usable single-ply homemade cotton masks and disposable surgical masks on samples of Z. muelleri detritus under different environmental conditions. We found that disposable masks, but not re-usable masks, significantly increased decomposition of Z. muelleri detritus. This may be due to the increased surface area available for detritivorous microorganism colonisation, driving further decomposition. This could have negative ramifications for seagrass communities and adjacent ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian G Litchfield
- National Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia
| | - Melissa Tan
- National Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia
| | - Kai G Schulz
- Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry and School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, East Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
| | - Brendan P Kelaher
- National Marine Science Centre and Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, PO Box 4321, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450, Australia.
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16
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Cordero Franco HF, Salinas Martínez AM, Martínez Martínez DL, Santiago Jarquin BR, Guzmán de la Garza FJ. Cessation of Face Mask Use after COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients with Diabetes: Prevalence and Determinants. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:2768. [PMID: 36833465 PMCID: PMC9956089 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20042768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Studies on the cessation of face mask use after a COVID-19 vaccine in patients with diabetes are not available, despite their greater predisposition to complications. We estimated the prevalence of cessation of face mask use after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in patients with diabetes and identified which factor was most strongly associated with non-use. This was a cross-sectional study in patients with diabetes 18-70 years with at least one dose of vaccine against COVID-19 (n = 288). Participants were asked to respond face-to-face to a questionnaire in a primary care center. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariate binary logistic regression were used for analyzing the association between vulnerability, benefits, barriers, self-efficacy, vaccine expectations (independent variables), and cessation of use (dependent variable), controlling for sociodemographic, smoking, medical, vaccine, and COVID-19 history. The prevalence of cessation of face masks was 25.3% (95% CI 20.2, 30.5). Not feeling vulnerable to hospitalization increased the odds of non-use (adjusted OR = 3.3, 95% CI 1.2, 8.6), while perceiving benefits did the opposite (adjusted OR = 0.4, 95% CI 0.2, 0.9). The prevalence was low, and only two factors were associated with the cessation of face mask use after COVID-19 vaccination in patients with type 2 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hid Felizardo Cordero Franco
- Epidemiologic and Health Services Research Unit/CIBIN, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Monterrey 64360, Mexico
| | - Ana María Salinas Martínez
- Epidemiologic and Health Services Research Unit/CIBIN, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Monterrey 64360, Mexico
- School of Public Health and Nutrition, Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Diana Laura Martínez Martínez
- Vice-Rectory of Health Sciences, University of Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García 66238, Mexico
- Family Medicine Clinic No. 26, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Monterrey 64360, Mexico
| | | | - Francisco Javier Guzmán de la Garza
- Epidemiologic and Health Services Research Unit/CIBIN, Mexican Institute of Social Security, Monterrey 64360, Mexico
- School of Medicine, Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Monterrey 64460, Mexico
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17
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Kim S, Oh J, Tak S. Association between face covering policies and the incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 in European countries. Osong Public Health Res Perspect 2023; 14:31-39. [PMID: 36944343 DOI: 10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0287] [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: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to determine the impact of the strengthening or relaxation of face covering mandates on the subsequent national case incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Europe as the full vaccination rate was increasing. METHODS European countries in which case incidence increased for 3 consecutive weeks were monitored and analyzed using COVID-19 incidence data shared by the World Health Organization (WHO). The epidemic trend of COVID-19 in Europe was compared with that of countries elsewhere in the world based on WHO weekly epidemiological reports from June 20 to October 30, 2021. In addition, this study provided insight into the impact of government mask mandates on COVID-19 incidence in Europe by measuring the index scores of those facial covering policies before and after mandate relaxation or strengthening. The effects of the vaccination rate and the speed of vaccination on COVID-19 incidence were also analyzed. RESULTS The incidence of COVID-19 after the relaxation of face covering mandates was significantly higher than before relaxation. However, no significant difference was observed in vaccination rate between countries with increased and decreased incidence. Instead, rapid vaccination delayed the resurgence in incidence. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that face covering policies in conjunction with rapid vaccination efforts are essential to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sookhyun Kim
- Division of Risk Assessment, Bureau of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Jiyoung Oh
- Division of Risk Assessment, Bureau of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Korea
| | - Sangwoo Tak
- Division of Risk Assessment, Bureau of Public Health Emergency Preparedness, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Korea
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18
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Magoc D, Tomaka J, Emovon O, Mustapha T. Psychosocial Factors Predict Mask-Wearing: A Longitudinal Study Across 3 Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic. INQUIRY : A JOURNAL OF MEDICAL CARE ORGANIZATION, PROVISION AND FINANCING 2023; 60:469580231166732. [PMID: 37026684 PMCID: PMC10098426 DOI: 10.1177/00469580231166732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Determinants of mask-wearing during a pandemic range from the personal to the political. Using a repeated measures design, we examined psychosocial predictors of self-reported mask-wearing 3 times during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed surveys at baseline (summer 2020), 3 months (fall 2020), and 6 months (winter 2020-2021). The survey assessed the frequency of mask-wearing and psychosocial predictors from various theories, including fear of COVID-19, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, attitude, health locus of control, and self-efficacy. Results indicated that the strongest predictors of mask-wearing varied as a function of the stage in the pandemic. In the earliest phase, fear of COVID-19 and perceived severity were the strongest predictors. Three months later, attitude was the strongest predictor. Finally, another 3 months later, self-efficacy became the strongest predictor. Overall, the results suggest that the primary determinants of a novel protective behavior shift over time and with increased familiarity.
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19
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DuBois LZ, SturtzSreetharan C, MacFife B, Puckett JA, Jagielski A, Dunn T, Anderson T, Hope DA, Mocarski R, Juster RP. Trans and Gender Diverse People's Experience Wearing Face Masks During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from Data Across 4 States in the USA. SEXUALITY RESEARCH & SOCIAL POLICY : JOURNAL OF NSRC : SR & SP 2022; 20:1-9. [PMID: 36589257 PMCID: PMC9792916 DOI: 10.1007/s13178-022-00781-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Social isolation and reduced access to public life in response to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) challenges health and well-being for many. Marginalized communities, including transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people, have been disproportionally impacted. Experiences of TGD people should be centered in pandemic-related research to better inform policy. Methods A diverse sample of TGD people (N = 158) were recruited from Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, and Tennessee to participate in the Trans Resilience and Health Study. Participants ranged from 19 to 70 years old (M = 33.06; SD = 12.88) with 27.2% identifying as trans men/men, 26% identifying as trans women/women, and remaining identifying with terms like genderqueer and nonbinary. Thirty percent identified as people of color. Participants completed a monthly COVID-19-related questionnaire April 2020-March 2021 including open-ended questions to learn what contributed to resilience during this time. Thematic analyses of responses enabled identification of salient themes. Results Analyses revealed pandemic-related changes in social experiences of marginalization and mask-wearing. Twenty-six participants mentioned face masks as contributing to resilience while also elaborating the influence of masks on experiences of misgendering. Participants identifying as trans women reported decreased misgendering while trans men and nonbinary participants reported increased misgendering. Conclusions and Policy Implications Mask-wearing helps reduce transmission of COVID-19. For some trans women, masks also reduce the threat of misgendering and possibly other forms of enacted stigma. However, increased risk for misgendering, as noted by trans men in our study, should be considered and increased supports should be provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Zachary DuBois
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, 355 Condon Hall, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Cindi SturtzSreetharan
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, SHESC Bldg 266 ASU, P.O. Box 872402, Tempe, AZ 85287 USA
| | - Bex MacFife
- Department of Sociology, University of Oregon, 1415 Kincaid St, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Jae A. Puckett
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Rd., East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
| | - Alex Jagielski
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, 355 Condon Hall, Eugene, OR 97403 USA
| | - Terra Dunn
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Rd., East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
| | - Taylor Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Rd., East Lansing, MI 48824 USA
| | - Debra A. Hope
- Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1100 Seaton Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588 USA
| | - Richard Mocarski
- Office of Research, San José State University, One Washington Square, 525a Clark Hall, San José, CA 95126 USA
| | - Robert-Paul Juster
- Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, University of Montreal, 7331 Hochelaga, FS-145-12, Montreal, QC H1N 3V2 Canada
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20
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Maleki M, Bahrami M, Menendez M, Balsa-Barreiro J. Social Behavior and COVID-19: Analysis of the Social Factors behind Compliance with Interventions across the United States. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15716. [PMID: 36497805 PMCID: PMC9740774 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Since its emergence, COVID-19 has caused a great impact in health and social terms. Governments and health authorities have attempted to minimize this impact by enforcing different mandates. Recent studies have addressed the relationship between various socioeconomic variables and compliance level to these interventions. However, little attention has been paid to what constitutes people's response and whether people behave differently when faced with different interventions. Data collected from different sources show very significant regional differences across the United States. In this paper, we attempt to shed light on the fact that a response may be different depending on the health system capacity and each individuals' social status. For that, we analyze the correlation between different societal (i.e., education, income levels, population density, etc.) and healthcare capacity-related variables (i.e., hospital occupancy rates, percentage of essential workers, etc.) in relation to people's level of compliance with three main governmental mandates in the United States: mobility restrictions, mask adoption, and vaccine participation. Our aim was to isolate the most influential variables impacting behavior in response to these policies. We found that there was a significant relationship between individuals' educational levels and political preferences with respect to compliance with each of these mandates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morteza Maleki
- School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Mohsen Bahrami
- Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Monica Menendez
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates
| | - Jose Balsa-Barreiro
- Division of Engineering, New York University Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island P.O. Box 129188, United Arab Emirates
- MIT Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 75 Amherst St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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21
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Axenhus M, Frederiksen KS, Zhou RZ, Waldemar G, Winblad B. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality in people with dementia without COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Geriatr 2022; 22:878. [PMID: 36402953 PMCID: PMC9675075 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-022-03602-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Significant mortality amongst vulnerable populations, such as people living with dementia, might go undetected during pandemic conditions due to refocus of care efforts. There is an urgent need to fully evaluate the pandemic impact on mortality amongst people living with dementia in order to facilitate future healthcare reforms and prevent deaths. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was any significant difference in mortality amongst people with dementia without COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to previous years. METHODS A literature search was conducted in 5 databases. The relative risk ratio and confidence interval was used to estimate the change in mortality rates amongst people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The I2 value was used to assess heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS Pooled analysis of 11 studies showed that mortality amongst people living with dementia was significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic for people with dementia without COVID-19. Mortality risk increased by 25% during the time period studied. Subgroup analysis was not performed due the low number of included studies. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that people with dementia had a significant increased mortality during the pandemic even if they did not have COVID-19. People with dementia should participate in efforts that reduce general social spread and pandemic impact on healthcare system such as vaccinations, mask mandates, and testing. These results have clinical implications as preventing direct COVID-19 infection is not enough to adequately protect people living with dementia from increased mortality. Measures to limit social spread of infections and help support patients should also be a focus for clinicians. Further research should focus on the identification of mechanisms and other explanations for increased mortality as well as contributing factors such as living in care homes and differences between countries with various pandemic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Axenhus
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Kristian Steen Frederiksen
- Danish Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Robin Ziyue Zhou
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Gunhild Waldemar
- Danish Dementia Research Centre, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Dept. of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bengt Winblad
- Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Theme Inflammation and Aging, Karolinska University hospital, Huddinge, Sweden
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22
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Williamson LD, Tarfa A. Examining the relationships between trust in providers and information, mistrust, and COVID-19 vaccine concerns, necessity, and intentions. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2033. [PMCID: PMC9639262 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14399-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
To facilitate maximum uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, the roles of medical trust and mistrust of healthcare professionals must be examined. Previous work suggests that trust and mistrust may have differential impacts on vaccination intention via vaccine necessity and concerns. Multigroup structural equation modeling was utilized to test whether vaccine necessity and concerns mediated the associations between trust in providers and health information, mistrust of providers, and willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The model was found to be invariant across Black and White respondents. Trust in providers and trust in healthcare information exerted indirect effects on intentions through vaccine necessity, while mistrust of providers exerted indirect effects through vaccine concerns. Unlike previous work, the forms of trust did not influence vaccine concerns. The findings have implications for future communication efforts from healthcare professionals and health messengers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lillie D. Williamson
- grid.14003.360000 0001 2167 3675Department of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 6050 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706 USA
| | - Adati Tarfa
- grid.14003.360000 0001 2167 3675School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
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23
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Dunphy C, Joo H, Sapiano MRP, Howard-Williams M, McCord R, Sunshine G, Kao SY, Guy GP, Weber R, Gakh M, Ekwueme DU. The Association Between State-Issued Mask Mandates and County COVID-19 Hospitalization Rates. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE 2022; 28:712-719. [PMID: 36194816 PMCID: PMC9560902 DOI: 10.1097/phh.0000000000001602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Mask mandates are one form of nonpharmaceutical intervention that has been utilized to combat the spread of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. OBJECTIVE This study examines the association between state-issued mask mandates and changes in county-level and hospital referral region (HRR)-level COVID-19 hospitalizations across the United States. DESIGN Difference-in-difference and event study models were estimated to examine the association between state-issued mask mandates and COVID-19 hospitalization outcomes. PARTICIPANTS All analyses were conducted with US county-level data. INTERVENTIONS State-issued mask mandates. County-level data on the mandates were collected from executive orders identified on state government Web sites from April 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Daily county-level (and HRR-level) estimates of inpatient beds occupied by patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 were collected by the US Department of Health and Human Services. RESULTS The state issuing of mask mandates was associated with an average of 3.6 fewer daily COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100 000 people (P < .05) and a 1.2-percentage-point decrease in the percentage of county beds occupied with COVID-19 patients (P < .05) within 70 days of taking effect. Event study results suggest that this association increased the longer mask mandates were in effect. In addition, the results were robust to analyses conducted at the HRR level. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that state-issued mask mandates were associated with reduction in COVID-19 hospitalizations across the United States during the earlier portion of the pandemic. As new variants of the virus cause spikes in COVID-19 cases, reimposing mask mandates in indoor and congested public areas, as part of a layered approach to community mitigation, may reduce the spread of COVID-19 and lessen the burden on our health care system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Dunphy
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Heesoo Joo
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Mathew R. P. Sapiano
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Mara Howard-Williams
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Russell McCord
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Gregory Sunshine
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Szu-Yu Kao
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Gery P. Guy
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Regen Weber
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Maxim Gakh
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
| | - Donatus U. Ekwueme
- COVID-19 Response (Drs Dunphy, Joo, Howard-Williams, McCord, Sunshine, Kao, Guy, Weber, and Ekwueme) and Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (Dr Sapiano), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Lantana Consulting Group, Thetford, Vermont (Dr Sapiano); and School of Public Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada (Dr Gakh)
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24
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Global survey on COVID-19 beliefs, behaviours and norms. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:1310-1317. [PMID: 35606513 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01347-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Policy and communication responses to COVID-19 can benefit from better understanding of people's baseline and resulting beliefs, behaviours and norms. From July 2020 to March 2021, we fielded a global survey on these topics in 67 countries yielding over 2 million responses. This paper provides an overview of the motivation behind the survey design, details the sampling and weighting designed to make the results representative of populations of interest and presents some insights learned from the survey. Several studies have already used the survey data to analyse risk perception, attitudes towards mask wearing and other preventive behaviours, as well as trust in information sources across communities worldwide. This resource can open new areas of enquiry in public health, communication and economic policy by leveraging large-scale, rich survey datasets on beliefs, behaviours and norms during a global pandemic.
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25
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Tano M, Baek J, Ordonez A, Bosetti R, Menser T, Naufal G, Kash B. COVID-19 and communication: A sentiment analysis of US state governors' official press releases. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272558. [PMID: 36040975 PMCID: PMC9426878 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study examines the contents of official communication from United States governors' offices related to the COVID-19 pandemic to assess patterns in communication and to determine if they correlate with trends for COVID cases and deaths. METHODS We collected text data for all COVID-19 related press releases between March 1 and December 31, 2020 from the US governors' office websites in all 50 states. An automated parsing and sentiment analyzer assessed descriptive statistics and trends in tone, including positivity and negativity. RESULTS We included a total of 7,720 press releases in this study. We found that both positive and negative sentiments were homogenous across states at the beginning of the pandemic but became heterogeneous as the pandemic evolved. The same trend applied to the frequency and tone of press releases. Sentiments across states were overall positive with a small level of negativity. We observed a reactive official communication to the evolution of the number of COVID-19 cases rather than responsive or preventive. CONCLUSIONS The findings of both positivity and negativity in press communications suggest that the effect of discounted importance was present in official communications. Our findings support a state-dependent optimal communication frequency and tone, agreeing with the curvilinear communication model of organizational theory and implying that feedback cycles between government officials and public response should be shortened to rapidly maximize communication efficacy during the pandemic. Future research should identify and evaluate the drivers of the large differences in communication tone across states and validate the reactive characteristics of COVID-19 official communications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio Tano
- Nuclear Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
| | - Juha Baek
- Department of Health Care Policy Research, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong-si, Korea
| | - Adriana Ordonez
- Department of Health Care Policy Research, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong-si, Korea
| | - Rita Bosetti
- Department of Health Care Policy Research, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong-si, Korea
| | - Terri Menser
- Department of Health Care Policy Research, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong-si, Korea
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - George Naufal
- Department of Health Care Policy Research, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong-si, Korea
- Public Policy Research Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
| | - Bita Kash
- Department of Health Care Policy Research, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Sejong-si, Korea
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States of America
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26
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Impact of Mask Mandates on K-12 and Higher-Ed Teaching along with the Recommendation for Mask-Wearing during an Infectious Disease Outbreak. EDUCATION SCIENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/educsci12080509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Mask mandates were used as a multilayered approach to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. The state of New Mexico had one of the longest indoor mask mandates during the pandemic. We surveyed the K-12 teachers located throughout the state as well as higher-ed faculty members at New Mexico Tech to determine the impact of mask mandates on their teaching. Many instructors indicated minor problems, especially their ability to judge students’ engagement and/or participation. While some reported that their classrooms adopted masks as a new norm and it has become part of their school lives with no major issues. Some instructors did report negative impacts because of the participants’ opposition to mask-wearing. Two of the instructors provided unique perspectives by comparing secondary school vs. higher-education (higher-ed) teaching during the pandemic. Moreover, three K-12 teachers who worked with hearing-impaired students reported the initial issues of being unable to use facial expressions; however, they also noted their students learned to sign with masks on. Collectively the benefits of masks in slowing the spread of COVID-19 outweigh many of the communication issues noted here. After the mask mandate was lifted in February 2022, instructors reported general excitement and/or social awkwardness in some cases.
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27
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Jacques N, Silveira MFD, Hallal PC, Menezes AMB, Horta BL, Mesenburg MA, Hartwig FP, Barros AJD. [Mask use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: results of the EPICOVID19-BR study]. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2022; 38:e00271921. [PMID: 35857921 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311xpt271921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
By March 3, 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 399 million infections and claimed the lives of more than five million people worldwide. To reduce infection rates, a series of prevention measures indicated by the World Health Organization (WHO) were adopted by countries, including the use of masks. This study aims to describe mask use in Brazil via data analysis from the EPICOVID19-BR, a population-based study conducted in 133 cities in the country in four phases between March and August 2020. The proportion of individuals who reported wearing a mask when they left their homes was 97.9% (95%CI: 97.8-98.0). The interviewer did not see interviewees' mask in 50% (95%CI: 49.9-51.1) of the cases at the time of the interview. However, between phase one and four of the survey, we observed a 4.4% decrease in the proportion of interviewees who failed to wear masks at the time of the interview. Mask non-visualization was more prominent in women, participants aged 10-19 and 20-29 years of indigenous, black, and brown skin color, and those with elementary and high school education and in the Central-West Region. The use of cloth masks showed a 91.4% predominance (95%CI: 91.2-1.5) with a 4.9% increase between phases 1 and 4. The results of the study bring important information to reinforce COVID-19 control policies in Brazil. The high percentage of people who failed to wear masks at the time of the interview suggests that it is still important to reinforce prevention and self-care, rather than relating mask wear to a mandatory measure.
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28
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Cooper H, Brar A, Beyaztas H, Jennings BJ, Bennetts RJ. The effects of face coverings, own-ethnicity biases, and attitudes on emotion recognition. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:57. [PMID: 35780221 PMCID: PMC9250564 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00400-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, face coverings were introduced as a safety measure in certain environments in England and some research suggests that they can affect emotion recognition. Factors such as own-ethnicity bias (e.g. whether people perceiving and expressing emotions are of the same ethnicity) and social biases are also known to influence emotion recognition. However, it is unclear whether these factors interact with face coverings to affect emotion recognition. Therefore, this study examined the effects of face coverings, own-ethnicity biases, and attitudes on emotion recognition accuracy. In this study, 131 participants viewed masked and unmasked emotional faces varying in ethnicity and completed a questionnaire on their attitudes towards face masks. We found that emotion recognition was associated with masks and attitudes: accuracy was lower in masked than unmasked conditions and attitudes towards masks Inside and Outside were associated with emotion recognition. However, a match between perceiver and stimulus ethnicity did not have a significant effect on emotion recognition. Ultimately, our results suggest that masks, and negative attitudes towards them, were associated with poorer emotion recognition. Future research should explore different mask-wearing behaviours and possible in-group/out-group biases and their interaction with other social cues (e.g. in-group biases).
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Cooper
- Division of Psychology, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK.
| | - Amrit Brar
- Division of Psychology, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Hazel Beyaztas
- Division of Psychology, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Ben J Jennings
- Division of Psychology, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK
| | - Rachel J Bennetts
- Division of Psychology, College of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK.
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29
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Physical Fitness of Chinese Primary School Students across the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: A Retrospective Repeated Cross-Sectional Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19137870. [PMID: 35805528 PMCID: PMC9265837 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19137870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Social distancing measures against COVID-19 imposed restrictions on students that may have affected their physical health and fitness. The objective of this study was to investigate the change in physical fitness of primary school students across the coronavirus outbreaks from 2019 to 2021. This was a retrospective repeated cross-sectional study. We obtained the annual physical and fitness assessment data measured every November for all students at the same primary school in Guangzhou, China. There was a total of 6371 observations in the dataset for three years. The physical fitness of the students was evaluated with an overall physical fitness score, body mass index (BMI), lung vital capacity, physical flexibility (via a sit-and-reach test) and sports task performances (sprint, shuttle run, rope-jumping, and sit-up). Generalised estimating equations were used to determine any significant changes from 2019 to 2021, adjusted for confounders. After the COVID-19 outbreak in 2021, there was a significant elevation in BMI of 0.64 kg/m2 in 2020 and 0.39 kg/m2 in 2021 (p < 0.001). The overall physical fitness score was significantly increased by 2.1 and 4.1 points, respectively, in 2020 and 2021 (p < 0.001). Lung vital capacity and rope-jumping performance were significantly improved in both 2020 and 2021 compared with 2019, and sit-up performance was marginally significantly improved in 2020 and significantly improved in 2021. However, students demonstrated poorer flexibility and sprint and shuttle run performance in 2021 compared with 2019. A health promotion programme during and after COVID-19, including online physical education classes, television broadcasts, and a rope-jumping campaign, could account for these positive outcomes, along with the ease of administering rope-jumping and sit-ups at home.
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30
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Miller MJ, Himschoot A, Fitch N, Jawalkar S, Freeman D, Hilton C, Berney K, Guy GP, Benoit TJ, Clarke KE, Busch MP, Opsomer JD, Stramer SL, Hall AJ, Gundlapalli AV, MacNeil A, McCord R, Sunshine G, Howard-Williams M, Dunphy C, Jones JM. Association of Trends in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Seroprevalence and State-Issued Nonpharmaceutical Interventions: United States, 1 August 2020 to 30 March 2021. Clin Infect Dis 2022; 75:S264-S270. [PMID: 35684974 PMCID: PMC9214164 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We assess if state-issued nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are associated with reduced rates of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection as measured through anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) seroprevalence, a proxy for cumulative prior infection that distinguishes seropositivity from vaccination. METHODS Monthly anti-N seroprevalence during 1 August 2020 to 30 March 2021 was estimated using a nationwide blood donor serosurvey. Using multivariable logistic regression models, we measured the association of seropositivity and state-issued, county-specific NPIs for mask mandates, gathering bans, and bar closures. RESULTS Compared with individuals living in a county with all three NPIs in place, the odds of having anti-N antibodies were 2.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.0-2.3) times higher for people living in a county that did not have any of the 3 NPIs, 1.6 (95% CI: 1.5-1.7) times higher for people living in a county that only had a mask mandate and gathering ban policy, and 1.4 (95% CI: 1.3-1.5) times higher for people living in a county that had only a mask mandate. CONCLUSIONS Consistent with studies assessing NPIs relative to COVID-19 incidence and mortality, the presence of NPIs were associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence indicating lower rates of cumulative infections. Multiple NPIs are likely more effective than single NPIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen J. Miller
- Corresponding author: Maureen J. Miller, MD MPH, CDC COVID-19 Response, 1600 Clifton Rd. NE, MS 10-1, Atlanta, GA 30329-4027 ()
| | | | - Natalie Fitch
- Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Dane Freeman
- Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Kevin Berney
- Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Gery P. Guy
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Tina J. Benoit
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kristie E.N. Clarke
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | | | - Susan L. Stramer
- Scientific Affairs, American Red Cross, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Aron J. Hall
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Adi V. Gundlapalli
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Adam MacNeil
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Russell McCord
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Gregory Sunshine
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Mara Howard-Williams
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Christopher Dunphy
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jefferson M. Jones
- CDC COVID-19 Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Seidenfeld J, Tupetz A, Fiorino C, Limkakeng A, Silva L, Staton C, Vissoci JRN, Purakal J. Experiences of COVID-19 infection in North Carolina: A qualitative analysis. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269338. [PMID: 35653407 PMCID: PMC9162358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and aim
It has been demonstrated that marginalized populations across the U.S. have suffered a disproportionate burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, illustrating the role that social determinants of health play in health outcomes. To better understand how these vulnerable and high-risk populations have experienced the pandemic, we conducted a qualitative study to better understand their experiences from diagnosis through recovery.
Methods
We conducted a qualitative study of patients in a North Carolina healthcare system’s registry who tested positive for COVID-19 from March 2020 through February 2021, identified from population-dense outbreaks of COVID-19 (hotspots). We conducted semi-structured phone interviews in English or Spanish, based on patient preference, with trained bilingual study personnel. Each interview was evaluated using a combination of deductive and inductive content analysis to determine prevalent themes related to COVID-19 knowledge, diagnosis, disease experience, and long-term impacts.
Findings
The 10 patients interviewed from our COVID-19 hotspot clusters were of equal distribution by sex, predominantly Black (70%), aged 22–70 years (IQR 45–62 years), and more frequently publicly insured (50% Medicaid/Medicare, vs 30% uninsured, vs 20% private insurance). Major themes identified included prior knowledge of COVID-19 and patient perceptions of their personal risk, the testing process in numerous settings, the process of quarantining at home after a positive diagnosis, the experience of receiving medical care during their illness, and difficulties with long-term recovery.
Discussion
Our findings suggest areas for targeted interventions to reduce COVID-19 transmission in these high-risk communities, as well as improve the patient experience throughout the COVID-19 illness course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine Seidenfeld
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT), Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Anna Tupetz
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Cassandra Fiorino
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Alexander Limkakeng
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Lincoln Silva
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Catherine Staton
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Joao R. N. Vissoci
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - John Purakal
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
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Crinnion AM, Toscano JC, Toscano CM. Effects of experience on recognition of speech produced with a face mask. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:46. [PMID: 35616742 PMCID: PMC9134148 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00388-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past two years, face masks have been a critical tool for preventing the spread of COVID-19. While previous studies have examined the effects of masks on speech recognition, much of this work was conducted early in the pandemic. Given that human listeners are able to adapt to a wide variety of novel contexts in speech perception, an open question concerns the extent to which listeners have adapted to masked speech during the pandemic. In order to evaluate this, we replicated Toscano and Toscano (PLOS ONE 16(2):e0246842, 2021), looking at the effects of several types of face masks on speech recognition in different levels of multi-talker babble noise. We also examined the effects of listeners' self-reported frequency of encounters with masked speech and the effects of the implementation of public mask mandates on speech recognition. Overall, we found that listeners' performance in the current experiment (with data collected in 2021) was similar to that of listeners in Toscano and Toscano (with data collected in 2020) and that performance did not differ based on mask experience. These findings suggest that listeners may have already adapted to masked speech by the time data were collected in 2020, are unable to adapt to masked speech, require additional context to be able to adapt, or that talkers also changed their productions over time. Implications for theories of perceptual learning in speech are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Marie Crinnion
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, USA.
| | - Joseph C Toscano
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Villanova University, Villanova, USA
| | - Cheyenne M Toscano
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Villanova University, Villanova, USA
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Berke A, Doorley R, Alonso L, Arroyo V, Pons M, Larson K. Using mobile phone data to estimate dynamic population changes and improve the understanding of a pandemic: A case study in Andorra. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264860. [PMID: 35472092 PMCID: PMC9041757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Compartmental models are often used to understand and predict the progression of an infectious disease such as COVID-19. The most basic of these models consider the total population of a region to be closed. Many incorporate human mobility into their transmission dynamics, usually based on static and aggregated data. However, mobility can change dramatically during a global pandemic as seen with COVID-19, making static data unsuitable. Recently, large mobility datasets derived from mobile devices have been used, along with COVID-19 infections data, to better understand the relationship between mobility and COVID-19. However, studies to date have relied on data that represent only a fraction of their target populations, and the data from mobile devices have been used for measuring mobility within the study region, without considering changes to the population as people enter and leave the region. This work presents a unique case study in Andorra, with comprehensive datasets that include telecoms data covering 100% of mobile subscribers in the country, and results from a serology testing program that more than 90% of the population voluntarily participated in. We use the telecoms data to both measure mobility within the country and to provide a real-time census of people entering, leaving and remaining in the country. We develop multiple SEIR (compartmental) models parameterized on these metrics and show how dynamic population metrics can improve the models. We find that total daily trips did not have predictive value in the SEIR models while country entrances did. As a secondary contribution of this work, we show how Andorra's serology testing program was likely impacted by people leaving the country. Overall, this case study suggests how using mobile phone data to measure dynamic population changes could improve studies that rely on more commonly used mobility metrics and the overall understanding of a pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Berke
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Ronan Doorley
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Luis Alonso
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | | | - Marc Pons
- Andorra Recerca + Innovació, Andorra
| | - Kent Larson
- Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
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Abstract
Masking was the single most common non-pharmaceutical intervention in the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Most countries have implemented recommendations or mandates regarding the use of masks in public spaces. The aim of this short study was to analyse the correlation between mask usage against morbidity and mortality rates in the 2020-2021 winter in Europe. Data from 35 European countries on morbidity, mortality, and mask usage during a six-month period were analysed and crossed. Mask usage was more homogeneous in Eastern Europe than in Western European countries. Spearman's correlation coefficients between mask usage and COVID-19 outcomes were either null or positive, depending on the subgroup of countries and type of outcome (cases or deaths). Positive correlations were stronger in Western than in Eastern European countries. These findings indicate that countries with high levels of mask compliance did not perform better than those with low mask usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beny Spira
- Microbiology, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, BRA
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Abd-Elsayed A, D'Souza RS. The Burden of Coronavirus Disease 2019-Related Cases, Hospitalizations, and Mortality Based on Vaccination Status and Mandated Mask Use: Statewide Data From Wisconsin and Narrative Review of the Literature. Anesth Analg 2022; 134:524-531. [PMID: 35180169 DOI: 10.1213/ane.0000000000005858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases continue to surge in the United States with the emergence of new variants. Statewide variability and inconsistency in implementing risk mitigation strategies are widespread, particularly in regards to enforcing mask mandates and encouraging the public to become fully vaccinated. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study conducted on July 31, 2021, utilizing publicly available data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The authors abstracted data on total COVID-19-related cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the state of Wisconsin. The primary objective was comparison of total COVID-19-related cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in vaccinated versus unvaccinated people in the state of Wisconsin over a 31-day period (July 2021). Furthermore, we also performed a narrative review of the literature on COVID-19-related outcomes based on mask use and vaccination status. RESULTS In the state of Wisconsin during July 2021, total COVID-19 cases was 125.4 per 100,000 fully vaccinated people versus 369.2 per 100,000 not fully vaccinated people (odds ratio [OR] = 0.34, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.35; P < .001). Total COVID-19 hospitalizations was 4.9 per 100,000 fully vaccinated people versus 18.2 per 100,000 not fully vaccinated people (OR = 0.27, 98% CI, 0.22-0.32; P < .001). Total COVID-19 deaths was 0.1 per 100,000 fully vaccinated people versus 1.1 per 100,000 not fully vaccinated people (OR = 0.09, 95% CI, 0.03-0.29; P < .001). Narrative review of the literature demonstrated high vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection prevention (79%-100% among fully vaccinated people), COVID-19-related hospitalization (87%-98% among fully vaccinated people), and COVID-19-related death (96.7%-98% among fully vaccinated people). Studies have also generally reported that mask use was associated with increased effectiveness in preventing COVID-19 infection ≤70%. CONCLUSIONS Strict adherence to public mask use and fully vaccinated status are associated with improved COVID-19-related outcomes and can mitigate the spread, morbidity, and mortality of COVID-19. Anesthesiologists and intensivists should adhere to evidence-based guidelines in their approach and management of patients to help mitigate spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaa Abd-Elsayed
- From the Department of Anesthesiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Ryan S D'Souza
- Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Rochester, Minnesota
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Fögen Z. The Foegen effect: A mechanism by which facemasks contribute to the COVID-19 case fatality rate. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e28924. [PMID: 35363218 PMCID: PMC9282120 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000028924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Extensive evidence in the literature supports the mandatory use of facemasks to reduce the infection rate of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). However, the effect of mask use on the disease course remains controversial. This study aimed to determine whether mandatory mask use influenced the case fatality rate in Kansas, USA between August 1st and October 15th 2020.This study applied secondary data on case updates, mask mandates, and demographic status related to Kansas State, USA. A parallelization analysis based on county-level data was conducted on these data. Results were controlled by performing multiple sensitivity analyses and a negative control.A parallelization analysis based on county-level data showed that in Kansas, counties with mask mandate had significantly higher case fatality rates than counties without mask mandate, with a risk ratio of 1.85 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.51-2.10) for COVID-19-related deaths. Even after adjusting for the number of "protected persons," that is, the number of persons who were not infected in the mask-mandated group compared to the no-mask group, the risk ratio remained significantly high at 1.52 (95% CI: 1.24-1.72). By analyzing the excess mortality in Kansas, this study determines that over 95% of this effect can solely be attributed to COVID-19.These findings suggest that mask use might pose a yet unknown threat to the user instead of protecting them, making mask mandates a debatable epidemiologic intervention.The cause of this trend is explained herein using the "Foegen effect" theory; that is, deep re-inhalation of hypercondensed droplets or pure virions caught in facemasks as droplets can worsen prognosis and might be linked to long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. While the "Foegen effect" is proven in vivo in an animal model, further research is needed to fully understand it.
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Huang J, Fisher BT, Tam V, Wang Z, Song L, Shi J, La Rochelle C, Wang X, Morris JS, Coffin SE, Rubin DM. The Effectiveness Of Government Masking Mandates On COVID-19 County-Level Case Incidence Across The United States, 2020. Health Aff (Millwood) 2022; 41:445-453. [PMID: 35171693 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Evidence for the effectiveness of masking on SARS-CoV-2 transmission at the individual level has accumulated, but the additional benefit of community-level mandates is less certain. In this observational study of matched cohorts from 394 US counties between March 21 and October 20, 2020, we estimated the association between county-level public masking mandates and daily COVID-19 case incidence. On average, the daily case incidence per 100,000 people in masked counties compared with unmasked counties declined by 23 percent at four weeks, 33 percent at six weeks, and 16 percent across six weeks postintervention. The beneficial effect varied across regions of different population densities and political leanings. The most concentrated effects of masking mandates were seen in urban counties; the benefit of the mandates was potentially stronger within Republican-leaning counties. Although benefits were not equally distributed in all regions, masking mandates conferred benefit in reducing community case incidence during an early period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Huang
- Jing Huang , University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Brian T Fisher
- Brian T. Fisher, University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | - Vicky Tam
- Vicky Tam, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | - Zi Wang
- Zi Wang, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | - Lihai Song
- Lihai Song, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | - Jiasheng Shi
- Jiasheng Shi, University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | | | - Xi Wang
- Xi Wang, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | | | - Susan E Coffin
- Susan E. Coffin, University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
| | - David M Rubin
- David M. Rubin, University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
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Abstract
To study the COVID-19 pandemic, its effects on society, and measures for reducing its spread, researchers need detailed data on the course of the pandemic. Standard public health data streams suffer inconsistent reporting and frequent, unexpected revisions. They also miss other aspects of a population’s behavior that are worthy of consideration. We present an open database of COVID signals in the United States, measured at the county level and updated daily. This includes traditionally reported COVID cases and deaths, and many others: measures of mobility, social distancing, internet search trends, self-reported symptoms, and patterns of COVID-related activity in deidentified medical insurance claims. The database provides all signals in a common, easy-to-use format, empowering both public health research and operational decision-making. The COVID-19 pandemic presented enormous data challenges in the United States. Policy makers, epidemiological modelers, and health researchers all require up-to-date data on the pandemic and relevant public behavior, ideally at fine spatial and temporal resolution. The COVIDcast API is our attempt to fill this need: Operational since April 2020, it provides open access to both traditional public health surveillance signals (cases, deaths, and hospitalizations) and many auxiliary indicators of COVID-19 activity, such as signals extracted from deidentified medical claims data, massive online surveys, cell phone mobility data, and internet search trends. These are available at a fine geographic resolution (mostly at the county level) and are updated daily. The COVIDcast API also tracks all revisions to historical data, allowing modelers to account for the frequent revisions and backfill that are common for many public health data sources. All of the data are available in a common format through the API and accompanying R and Python software packages. This paper describes the data sources and signals, and provides examples demonstrating that the auxiliary signals in the COVIDcast API present information relevant to tracking COVID activity, augmenting traditional public health reporting and empowering research and decision-making.
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40
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Lam CN, Kaplan C, Saluja S. Relationship between mask wearing, testing, and vaccine willingness among Los Angeles County adults during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Transl Behav Med 2021; 12:480-485. [PMID: 34865166 PMCID: PMC8690286 DOI: 10.1093/tbm/ibab150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Mask wearing mitigates the spread of COVID-19; however, many individuals have not adopted the protective behavior. Purpose We examine mask wearing behavior during the height of the pandemic in Los Angeles County, and its association with COVID-19 testing and willingness to get vaccinated. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey using representative sampling between December 2020 and January 2021, through an online platform targeting Los Angeles County residents. Survey items include demographic characteristics, health conditions, access to health care, mask wearing, COVID-19 testing, exposure risk factors, and willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine. We performed logistic regression models to examine factors associated with always mask wearing. Results Of the analytic sample (n = 1,984), 75.3% reported always wearing a face mask when leaving home. Being a female, Asian or African American, or non-Republican resident, or having higher education, having poor or fair health, having a regular doctor, knowing someone hospitalized for COVID-19, and being willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine were associated with always wearing a mask. Residents who were younger, had a highest risk health condition, and had ≥2 COVID-19 tests had lower odds of always mask wearing. Conclusion Mask wearing guidelines are easing; however, as vaccination rates plateau and new virus variants emerge, mask wearing remains an important tool to protect vulnerable populations. Encouraging protective measures among younger adults, those with less education, republicans, men, and White residents—groups that are least likely to be vaccinated or wear a mask—may be critical to reducing transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Nok Lam
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Cameron Kaplan
- Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,USC Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science and Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sonali Saluja
- USC Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science and Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Krishna A, Rodrigues J, Mitschke V, Eder AB. Self-reported mask-related worrying reduces relative avoidance bias toward unmasked faces in individuals with low Covid19 anxiety syndrome. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2021; 6:75. [PMID: 34806154 PMCID: PMC8606225 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-021-00344-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial masks have become and may remain ubiquitous. Though important for preventing infection, they may also serve as a reminder of the risks of disease. Thus, they may either act as cues for threat, priming avoidance-related behavior, or as cues for a safe interaction, priming social approach. To distinguish between these possibilities, we assessed implicit and explicit evaluations of masked individuals as well as avoidance bias toward relatively unsafe interactions with unmasked individuals in an approach-avoidance task in an online study. We further assessed Covid19 anxiety and specific attitudes toward mask-wearing, including mask effectiveness and desirability, hindrance of communication from masks, aesthetic appeal of masks, and mask-related worrying. Across one sample of younger (18-35 years, N = 147) and one of older adults (60+ years, N = 150), we found neither an average approach nor avoidance bias toward mask-wearing compared to unmasked individuals in the indirect behavior measurement task. However, across the combined sample, self-reported mask-related worrying correlated with reduced avoidance tendencies toward unmasked individuals when Covid19 anxiety was low, but not when it was high. This relationship was specific to avoidance tendencies and was not observed in respect to explicit or implicit preference for mask-wearing individuals. We conclude that unsafe interaction styles may be reduced by targeting mask-related worrying with public interventions, in particular for populations that otherwise have low generalized Covid19 anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Krishna
- Lehrstuhl Für Psychologie II, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 10, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Johannes Rodrigues
- Lehrstuhl Für Psychologie II, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 10, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Vanessa Mitschke
- Lehrstuhl Für Psychologie II, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 10, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas B Eder
- Lehrstuhl Für Psychologie II, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 10, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
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Hopfer S, Fields EJ, Lu Y, Ramakrishnan G, Grover T, Bai Q, Huang Y, Li C, Mark G. The social amplification and attenuation of COVID-19 risk perception shaping mask wearing behavior: A longitudinal twitter analysis. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257428. [PMID: 34555060 PMCID: PMC8460003 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Twitter represents a mainstream news source for the American public, offering a valuable vehicle for learning how citizens make sense of pandemic health threats like Covid-19. Masking as a risk mitigation measure became controversial in the US. The social amplification risk framework offers insight into how a risk event interacts with psychological, social, institutional, and cultural communication processes to shape Covid-19 risk perception. METHODS Qualitative content analysis was conducted on 7,024 mask tweets reflecting 6,286 users between January 24 and July 7, 2020, to identify how citizens expressed Covid-19 risk perception over time. Descriptive statistics were computed for (a) proportion of tweets using hyperlinks, (b) mentions, (c) hashtags, (d) questions, and (e) location. RESULTS Six themes emerged regarding how mask tweets amplified and attenuated Covid-19 risk: (a) severity perceptions (18.0%) steadily increased across 5 months; (b) mask effectiveness debates (10.7%) persisted; (c) who is at risk (26.4%) peaked in April and May 2020; (d) mask guidelines (15.6%) peaked April 3, 2020, with federal guidelines; (e) political legitimizing of Covid-19 risk (18.3%) steadily increased; and (f) mask behavior of others (31.6%) composed the largest discussion category and increased over time. Of tweets, 45% contained a hyperlink, 40% contained mentions, 33% contained hashtags, and 16.5% were expressed as a question. CONCLUSIONS Users ascribed many meanings to mask wearing in the social media information environment revealing that COVID-19 risk was expressed in a more expanded range than objective risk. The simultaneous amplification and attenuation of COVID-19 risk perception on social media complicates public health messaging about mask wearing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suellen Hopfer
- Department of Health, Society & Behavior, Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Emilia J. Fields
- Department of Health, Society & Behavior, Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Yuwen Lu
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Ganesh Ramakrishnan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Ted Grover
- Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Quishi Bai
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Yicong Huang
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Chen Li
- Department of Computer Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States of America
| | - Gloria Mark
- Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, United States of America
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Individual and COVID-19-Specific Indicators of Compliance with Mask Use and Social Distancing: The Importance of Norms, Perceived Effectiveness, and State Response. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18168715. [PMID: 34444465 PMCID: PMC8394116 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18168715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has resulted in widespread negative outcomes. Face masks and social distancing have been used to minimize its spread. Understanding who will engage in protective behaviors is crucial for continued response to the pandemic. We aimed to evaluate factors that are indicative of mask use and social distancing among current and former college students prior to vaccine access. Participants (N = 490; 67% female; 60% White) were current and former U.S. undergraduate college students. Perceived effectiveness and descriptive norms regarding COVID-19 safety measures, COVID-19-related news watching and seeking, state response timing to stay-at-home mandates, impulsivity-like traits, affect (mood), and demographic variables were assessed. Results found that greater perceived effectiveness indicated increased personal compliance within and across behaviors. Greater norms related to compliance within behaviors (e.g., indoor norms related to indoor compliance). Increased perceived stress, anxiety, and negative affect indicated greater compliance. More positive affect was associated with less compliance. Being non-White, compared to White (p < 0.001), and female, compared to male (p < 0.001), were associated with greater compliance. Overall, early implementation of stay-at-home orders, exposure to COVID-19-related news, and increased perceived effectiveness are crucial for health safety behavior compliance. Findings are important for informing response to health crises, including COVID-19.
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Rejinold N S, Choi G, Piao H, Choy JH. Bovine Serum Albumin-Coated Niclosamide-Zein Nanoparticles as Potential Injectable Medicine against COVID-19. MATERIALS 2021; 14:ma14143792. [PMID: 34300711 PMCID: PMC8307271 DOI: 10.3390/ma14143792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: COVID-19 has affected millions of people worldwide, but countries with high experimental anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rates among the general population respectively show progress in achieving general herd immunity in the population (a combination of natural and vaccine-induced acquired immunity), resulting in a significant reduction in both newly detected infections and mortality rates. However, the longevity of the vaccines’ ability to provide protection against the ongoing pandemic is still unclear. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to have new medications to fight against the pandemic at the earliest point possible. Recently, it has been found that repurposing already existing drugs could, in fact, be an ideal strategy to formulate effective medication for COVID-19. Though there are many FDA-approved drugs, it has been found that niclosamide (NIC), an anthelmintic drug, has significantly high potential against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. (2) Methods: Here we deployed a simple self-assembling technique through which Zein nanoparticles were successfully used to encapsulate NIC, which was then coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in order to improve the drugs’ stability, injectablity, and selectivity towards the virus-infected cells. (3) Results: The particle size for the BSA-stabilized Zein-NIC nanohybrid was found to be less than 200 nm, with excellent colloidal stability and sustained drug release properties. In addition, the nanohybrid showed enhanced drug release behavior under serum conditions, indicating that such a hybrid drug delivery system could be highly beneficial for treating COVID-19 patients suffering from high endothelial glycocalyx damage followed by a cytokine storm related to the severe inflammations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanoj Rejinold N
- Intelligent Nanohybrid Materials Laboratory (INML), Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering (ITREN), Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea; (S.R.N.); (G.C.); (H.P.)
| | - Goeun Choi
- Intelligent Nanohybrid Materials Laboratory (INML), Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering (ITREN), Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea; (S.R.N.); (G.C.); (H.P.)
- College of Science and Technology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea
- Department of Nanobiomedical Science and BK21 PLUS NBM Global Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea
| | - Huiyan Piao
- Intelligent Nanohybrid Materials Laboratory (INML), Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering (ITREN), Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea; (S.R.N.); (G.C.); (H.P.)
| | - Jin-Ho Choy
- Intelligent Nanohybrid Materials Laboratory (INML), Institute of Tissue Regeneration Engineering (ITREN), Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea; (S.R.N.); (G.C.); (H.P.)
- Department of Pre-medical Course, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea
- Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative (WRHI), Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan
- Correspondence:
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Pettigrew JD. Binocular visual processing in the owl's telencephalon. JMIR Public Health Surveill 1979; 204:435-54. [PMID: 38457 PMCID: PMC10926949 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1979.0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Single neurons recorded from the owl's visual Wulst are surprisingly similar to those found in mammalian striate cortex. The receptive fields of Wulst neurons are elaborated, in an apparently hierarchical fashion, from those of their monocular, concentrically organized inputs to produce binocular interneurons with increasingly sophisticated requirements for stimulus orientation, movement and binocular disparity. Output neurons located in the superficial laminae of the Wulst are the most sophisticated of all, with absolute requirements for a combination of stimuli, which include binocular presentation at a particular horizontal binocular disparity, and with no response unless all of the stimulus conditions are satisfied simultaneously. Such neurons have the properties required for 'global stereopsis', including a receptive field size many times larger than their optimal stimulus, which is more closely matched to the receptive fields of the simpler, disparity-selective interneurons. These marked similarities in functional organization between the avian and mammalian systems exist in spite of a number of structural differences which reflect their separate evoluntionary origins. Discussion therefore includes the possibility that there may exist for nervous systems only a very small number of possible solutions, perhaps a unique one, to the problem of stereopsis.
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