Prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection using a seroepidemiological survey

Abstract The prevalence of asymptomatic infection by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a critical measure for effectiveness of mitigation strategy has been reported to be widely varied. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic infection using serosurvey on general population. In a cross-sectional seroprevalence survey in Guilan province, Iran, the specific antibody against COVID-19 in a representative sample was detected using rapid test kits. Among 117 seropositive subjects, prevalence of asymptomatic infection was determined based on the history of symptoms during the preceding 3 months. The design-adjusted prevalence of asymptomatic infection was 57.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 44–69). The prevalence was significantly lower in subjects with previous contacts to COVID-19 patients (12%, 95% CI 2–49) than others without (69%, 95% CI, 46–86). The lowest prevalence was for painful body symptom (74.4%). This study revealed that more than half of the infected COVID-19 patients had no symptoms. The implications of our findings include the importance of adopting public health measures such as social distancing and inefficiency of contact tracing to interrupt epidemic transmission.

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Attitudes, behaviours and barriers to public health measures for COVID-19: a survey to inform public health messaging

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10790-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Raynell Lang ◽

Jamie L. Benham ◽

Omid Atabati ◽

Aidan Hollis ◽

Trevor Tombe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Online Survey ◽

Public Support ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public Places ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Health Measures ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Indoor Spaces

Abstract Background Public support of public health measures including physical distancing, masking, staying home while sick, avoiding crowded indoor spaces and contact tracing/exposure notification applications remains critical for reducing spread of COVID-19. The aim of our work was to understand current behaviours and attitudes towards public health measures as well as barriers individuals face in following public health measures. We also sought to identify attitudes persons have regarding a COVID-19 vaccine and reasons why they may not accept a vaccine. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in August 2020, in Alberta, Canada in persons 18 years and older. This survey evaluated current behaviours, barriers and attitudes towards public health measures and a COVID-19 vaccine. Cluster analysis was used to identify key patterns that summarize data variations among observations. Results Of the 60 total respondents, the majority of persons were always or often physically distancing (73%), masking (65%) and staying home while sick (67%). Bars/pubs/lounges or nightclubs were visited rarely or never by 63% of respondents. Persons identified staying home while sick to provide the highest benefit (83%) in reducing spread of COVID-19. There were a large proportion of persons who had not downloaded or used a contact tracing/exposure notification app (77%) and who would not receive a COVID-19 vaccine when available (20%) or were unsure (12%). Reporting health authorities as most trusted sources of health information was associated with greater percentage of potential uptake of vaccine but not related to contact tracing app download and use. Individuals with lower concern of getting and spreading COVID-19 showed the least uptake of public health measures except for avoiding public places such as bars. Lower concern regarding COVID-19 was also associated with more negative responses to taking a potential COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion These results suggest informational frames and themes focusing on individual risks, highlighting concern for COVID-19 and targeting improving trust for health authorities may be most effective in increasing public health measures. With the ultimate goal of preventing spread of COVID-19, understanding persons’ attitudes towards both public health measures and a COVID-19 vaccine remains critical to addressing barriers and implementing targeted interventions and messaging to improve uptake.

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Fueling the Covid-19 pandemic: summer school holidays and incidence rates in German districts

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdab080 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Thomas Plümper ◽

Eric Neumayer

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Summer School ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Robert Koch Institute ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Holiday Period ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Public Health Authorities

AbstractBackgroundThe Robert-Koch-Institute reports that during the summer holiday period a foreign country is stated as the most likely place of infection for an average of 27 and a maximum of 49% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany.MethodsCross-sectional study on observational data. In Germany, summer school holidays are coordinated between states and spread out over 13 weeks. Employing a dynamic model with district fixed effects, we analyze the association between these holidays and weekly incidence rates across 401 German districts.ResultsWe find effects of the holiday period of around 45% of the average district incidence rates in Germany during their respective final week of holidays and the 2 weeks after holidays end. Western states tend to experience stronger effects than Eastern states. We also find statistically significant interaction effects of school holidays with per capita taxable income and the share of foreign residents in a district’s population.ConclusionsOur results suggest that changed behavior during the holiday season accelerated the pandemic and made it considerably more difficult for public health authorities to contain the spread of the virus by means of contact tracing. Germany’s public health authorities did not prepare adequately for this acceleration.

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HUBUNGAN TINGKAT PENGETAHUAN MENGENAI DIET HIPERTENSI TERHADAP KEJADIAN HIPERTENSI PADA LANSIA DI PUSKESMAS BALOI PERMAI BATAM KOTA

Zona Kedokteran: Program Studi Pendidikan Dokter Universitas Batam ◽

10.37776/zked.v9i1.280 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 50-60

Author(s):

Brain Guntoro ◽

Kasih Purwati

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Center ◽

The Elderly ◽

P Value ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public Health Center ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

History Of ◽

Level Of Knowledge

Hypertension is one of the number one causes of death and disability in the world. Hypertension contributes nearly 9.4 million deaths from cardiovascular disease each year. Hypertension can cause undesirable effects, it needs good handling, one of them is by doing a hypertension diet. To carry out a hypertension diet requires knowledge, lack of knowledge can increase risk factors for hypertension. This study aims to determine the relationship of the level of knowledge about hypertension diet to the incidence of hypertension in the elderly at the Baloi Permai Public Health Center Batam City. This research method is an analytic observational with a cross-sectional approach conducted at the Baloi Permai Public Health Center Batam City 2018. Sampling technique is a total sampling with a sample of 64 people in 2018 determined by inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results of the study were analyzed with frequency distribution and then tested with the Chi-square test. Based on the results of this study indicate that of the 64 respondents found elderly who have a good level of knowledge are 41 people (64.1%), 48 people (75.0%) have an age range between 60-70 years. 27 people (42.2%) elderly have the last high school education and 40 people (62.5%) have jobs as entrepreneurs. Elderly people who have normal blood pressure are 40 people (62.5%), and those affected by hypertension are 24 people (37.5%). The elderly who have a family history of hypertension is 21 people (32.8%) and those who do not have a history of hypertension are 43 people (67.2%). Chi-Square Test analysis results show the significance value p = 0.009. This number is significant because the p-value is smaller than the significance level (Î±) â‰¤ 5% (0.05), so H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted. Therefore it can be concluded that there is a significant relationship about the level of knowledge about the hypertension diet to the incidence of hypertension in the elderly. From the results of this study it was concluded that there was a relationship between the level of knowledge about the hypertension diet and the incidence of hypertension in the elderly at the Baloi Permai Public Health Center Batam City in 2016.

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Do Black Lives Matter in the American Public’s Mitigation Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic? A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Mask Wearing and Racial/ethnic Disparities in Deaths from COVID-19 in the United States

10.21203/rs.3.rs-445021/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Berkeley Franz ◽

Adrienne Milner ◽

Jomills H. Braddock

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Residential Segregation ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

The United States ◽

Ethnic Composition ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public Health Challenges ◽

History Of ◽

Sectional Analysis ◽

Racial Ethnic

Abstract Background: Anti-black and anti-Hispanic attitudes in the U.S. must be included in efforts to understand resistance to public health measures, such as mask wearing, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on the structural and individual context of racism will enable us to improve public health and better prepare for future public health challenges. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between mask usage, racial segregation, and racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths.Methods: We used linear regression to assess whether the racial/ethnic composition of deaths and residential segregation predicted Americans’ decisions to wear masks in July 2020. Results: After controlling for mask mandates, mask usage increased when the White death rates relative to Black and Hispanic rates increased. Conclusions: Mask wearing may be shaped by an insensitivity to Black and Hispanic deaths and a corresponding unwillingness to engage in health protective behaviors. The broader history of systemic racism and residential segregation may also explain why white Americans do not wear masks or perceive themselves to be at risk when communities of color are disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

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Quantifying contact patterns in response to COVID-19 public health measures in Canada

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-12080-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Gabrielle Brankston ◽

Eric Merkley ◽

David N. Fisman ◽

Ashleigh R. Tuite ◽

Zvonimir Poljak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Population Based ◽

Skewed Distribution ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Measures ◽

Contact Patterns ◽

Region Of Residence ◽

Control Procedures ◽

The Impact ◽

Made In

Abstract Background A variety of public health measures have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada to reduce contact between individuals. The objective of this study was to provide empirical contact pattern data to evaluate the impact of public health measures, the degree to which social contacts rebounded to normal levels, as well as direct public health efforts toward age- and location-specific settings. Methods Four population-based cross-sectional surveys were administered to members of a paid panel representative of Canadian adults by age, gender, official language, and region of residence during May (Survey 1), July (Survey 2), September (Survey 3), and December (Survey 4) 2020. A total of 4981 (Survey 1), 2493 (Survey 2), 2495 (Survey 3), and 2491 (Survey 4) respondents provided information about the age and setting for each direct contact made in a 24-h period. Contact matrices were constructed and contacts for those under the age of 18 years imputed. The next generation matrix approach was used to estimate the reproduction number (Rt) for each survey. Respondents with children under 18 years estimated the number of contacts their children made in school and extracurricular settings. Results Estimated Rt values were 0.49 (95% CI: 0.29–0.69) for May, 0.48 (95% CI: 0.29–0.68) for July, 1.06 (95% CI: 0.63–1.52) for September, and 0.81 (0.47–1.17) for December. The highest proportion of reported contacts occurred within the home (51.3% in May), in ‘other’ locations (49.2% in July) and at work (66.3 and 65.4% in September and December). Respondents with children reported an average of 22.7 (95% CI: 21.1–24.3) (September) and 19.0 (95% CI 17.7–20.4) (December) contacts at school per day per child in attendance. Conclusion The skewed distribution of reported contacts toward workplace settings in September and December combined with the number of reported school-related contacts suggest that these settings represent important opportunities for transmission emphasizing the need to support and ensure infection control procedures in both workplaces and schools.

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Engagement with COVID-19 Public Health Measures in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Social Media Analysis from June to November 2020 (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.26655 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Daisy Massey ◽

Chenxi Huang ◽

Yuan Lu ◽

Alina Cohen ◽

Yahel Oren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Social Media ◽

Language Processing ◽

Daily Life ◽

The United States ◽

Media Analysis ◽

Prevention Measures ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Measures ◽

The Us

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has continued to spread in the US and globally. Closely monitoring public engagement and perception of COVID-19 and preventive measures using social media data could provide important information for understanding the progress of current interventions and planning future programs. OBJECTIVE To measure the public’s behaviors and perceptions regarding COVID-19 and its daily life effects during the recent 5 months of the pandemic. METHODS Natural language processing (NLP) algorithms were used to identify COVID-19 related and unrelated topics in over 300 million online data sources from June 15 to November 15, 2020. Posts in the sample were geotagged, and sensitivity and specificity were both calculated to validate the classification of posts. The prevalence of discussion regarding these topics was measured over this time period and compared to daily case rates in the US. RESULTS The final sample size included 9,065,733 posts, 70% of which were sourced from the US. In October and November, discussion including mentions of COVID-19 and related health behaviors did not increase as it had from June to September, despite an increase in COVID-19 daily cases in the US beginning in October. Additionally, counter to reports from March and April, discussion was more focused on daily life topics (69%), compared with COVID-19 in general (37%) and COVID-19 public health measures (20%). CONCLUSIONS There was a decline in COVID-19-related social media discussion sourced mainly from the US, even as COVID-19 cases in the US have increased to the highest rate since the beginning of the pandemic. Targeted public health messaging may be needed to ensure engagement in public health prevention measures until a vaccine is widely available to the public.

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A cross-sectional population survey of physicians in Alberta, Canada about a novel provincial contact tracing smartphone app

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdaa183 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

D Jerome ◽

M Pietrosanu ◽

K Dhillon

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

English Language ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Smartphone App ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Knowledge And Beliefs ◽

Public Health Officials ◽

Health Zone ◽

Public Health Campaigns

Abstract Background The Canadian province of Alberta released the ABTraceTogether smartphone app in May 2020 to assist in contact tracing during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Public engagement with this public health tool has been low, limiting the effectiveness of the intervention. This study examines physician knowledge of the app and practice patterns in relation to the app. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional self-administered online English language survey of physicians and medical students in Alberta, Canada. The survey link was sent to all registered members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and was distributed by other provincial physician organizations and health zone leaders. Results The survey received 317 responses. 96% of participants were aware of the app but only 27% had recommended the app to patients. The most common reason provided for not downloading or recommending the app was that participants had security concerns about the app. 23% of participants indicated they did not believe they had a responsibility to recommend the app to others. Conclusions Our study provides insights into participants’ knowledge and beliefs about the ABTraceTogether app. This information may be valuable to public health officials who wish to engage physicians in future public health campaigns.

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Situating ‘careful surveillance’

International Journal of Cultural Studies ◽

10.1177/1367877921997450 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136787792199745

Author(s):

Mark Andrejevic ◽

Hugh Davies ◽

Ruth DeSouza ◽

Larissa Hjorth ◽

Ingrid Richardson

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Space ◽

Social Care ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Contact Tracing ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Health Measures ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

In this article we explore preliminary findings from the study COVIDSafe and Beyond: Perceptions and Practices conducted in Australia in 2020. The study involved a survey followed by interviews, and aimed to capture the dynamic ways in which members of the Australian public perceive the impact of Covid practices – especially public health measures like the introduction of physical and social distancing, compulsory mask wearing, and contact tracing. In the rescripting of public space, different notions of formal and informal surveillance, along with different textures of mediated and social care, appeared. In this article, we explore perceptions around divergent forms of surveillance across social, technological, governmental modes, and the relationship of surveillance to care in our media and cultural practices. What does it mean to care for self and others during a pandemic? How does care get enacted in, and through, media interfaces and public interaction?

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Schoolchildren in the Principality of Liechtenstein are mildly iodine deficient

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980010003393 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 14 (7) ◽

pp. 1312-1314 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Florentine M Hilty ◽

Michael B Zimmermann

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Primary Schools ◽

Urinary Iodine ◽

Primary School Children ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Who Criteria ◽

Iodised Salt ◽

Health Measures ◽

Iodine Level ◽

Neighbouring Country

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the iodine status of schoolchildren in the Principality of Liechtenstein.DesignA representative, cross-sectional principality-wide screening of iodine level in household salt and urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) in primary-school children. Data were compared with the WHO criteria and with 2009 iodine survey data from Switzerland, a neighbouring country that supplies most of the salt used in Liechtenstein.SettingsPrincipality of Liechtenstein.SubjectsSchoolchildren (n228) aged 6–12 years from five different primary schools representing 11·4 % of the children at this age.ResultsThe median UIC was 96 (range: 10–446) μg/l; 11 %, 56 % and 1 % of children had a UIC <50, <100 and >300 μg/l, respectively. In all, 79 % of households were using adequately iodised salt (≥15 ppm). The median UIC was 20 % lower than that in children at comparable age in Switzerland (120 μg/l;P< 0·05).ConclusionsAccording to the WHO criteria, schoolchildren in Liechtenstein are mildly iodine deficient and household iodised salt coverage is inadequate. Public health measures to increase iodine intakes in the Principality should be considered.

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Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) among Health Care Workers in Three Health Facilities of Yaounde, Center Region of Cameroon

European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences ◽

10.24018/ejmed.2021.3.6.1109 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (6) ◽

pp. 89-94

Author(s):

Philippe Salomon Nguwoh ◽

Akenji Blaise Mboringong ◽

Joseph Fokam ◽

Christian Ngounouh Taheu ◽

Ibrahima Halilou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Clinical Signs ◽

Rapid Test ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Facilities ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Face To Face ◽

Care Workers ◽

History Of

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first appeared in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and has subsequently become a worldwide pandemic. During the pandemic, health care workers (HCWs) were very exposed to COVID-19 infected patients. The aim of this study was to determine seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) among HCWs in three health facilities of Yaounde. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 368 HCWs was conducted from January 18th to February 13th, 2021, in three health facilities located in city of Yaounde. Data of study participants were collected by face-to-face interviews using standard questionnaire. Blood samples were collected in labelled dry tubes and analyzed using Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) cassettes (Abbott PanbioTMCOVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device). The data collected was analyzed using Epi info version 7. Any value of p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The average age was 30.25 (SD±10.43) years old, range from 21 to 72 years old. Overall, the positivity rates of IgM, IgG and IgM+IgG were 6.79% (n=25), 17.93% (n=66) and 1.09% (n=4) respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that, the rate of IgM positivity was highest in laboratory personnel (χ2= 7.99, p=0.3) and IgG (χ2= 8.50, p=0.29), IgM+IgG (χ2= 1.92, p=0.26) respectively in pharmacy and clinical personnel. The clinical signs such as fever (˃38°C) or history of fever was statistically significant with IgM (χ2=11.71, p= 0.0006) while, sore throat was statistically significant associated with IgM (χ2= 14.3, p= 0.0008) and IgG (χ2= 6.33, p= 0.04). Conclusion: The results of this study reveal a high seroprevalence of circulation of the virus in hospital milieu in Yaounde suggesting the continuation of the COVID-19 « Track-Test-Treat » system to break the chain of transmission.

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