scholarly journals Genomic epidemiology reveals transmission patterns and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Aotearoa New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jemma L. Geoghegan ◽  
Xiaoyun Ren ◽  
Matthew Storey ◽  
James Hadfield ◽  
Lauren Jelley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Genomic Diversity ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Genomic Epidemiology ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
Health And Disease

AbstractNew Zealand, a geographically remote Pacific island with easily sealable borders, implemented a nationwide ‘lockdown’ of all non-essential services to curb the spread of COVID-19. Here, we generate 649 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from infected patients in New Zealand with samples collected during the ‘first wave’, representing 56% of all confirmed cases in this time period. Despite its remoteness, the viruses imported into New Zealand represented nearly all of the genomic diversity sequenced from the global virus population. These data helped to quantify the effectiveness of public health interventions. For example, the effective reproductive number, Re of New Zealand’s largest cluster decreased from 7 to 0.2 within the first week of lockdown. Similarly, only 19% of virus introductions into New Zealand resulted in ongoing transmission of more than one additional case. Overall, these results demonstrate the utility of genomic pathogen surveillance to inform public health and disease mitigation.

scholarly journals Genomic epidemiology reveals transmission patterns and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Aotearoa New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jemma L Geoghegan ◽  
Xiaoyun Ren ◽  
Matthew Storey ◽  
James Hadfield ◽  
Lauren Jelley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Genomic Diversity ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Genomic Epidemiology ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Health And Disease

New Zealand, a geographically remote Pacific island with easily sealable borders, implemented a nation-wide lockdown of all non-essential services to curb the spread of COVID-19. New Zealand experienced 102 days without community transmission before a new outbreak in August 2020. Here, we generated 649 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from infected patients in New Zealand with samples collected from the 'first wave' between 26 February and 22 May 2020, representing 56% of all confirmed cases in this time period. Despite its remoteness, the viruses imported into New Zealand represented nearly all of the genomic diversity sequenced from the global virus population. The proportion of D614G variants in the virus spike protein increased over time due to an increase in their importation frequency, rather than selection within New Zealand. These data also helped to quantify the effectiveness of public health interventions. For example, the effective reproductive number, Re, of New Zealand's largest cluster decreased from 7 to 0.2 within the first week of lockdown. Similarly, only 19% of virus introductions into New Zealand resulted in a transmission lineage of more than one additional case. Most of the cases that resulted in a transmission lineage originated from North America, rather than from Asia where the virus first emerged or from the nearest geographical neighbour, Australia. Genomic data also helped link more infections to a major transmission cluster than through epidemiological data alone, providing probable sources of infections for cases in which the source was unclear. Overall, these results demonstrate the utility of genomic pathogen surveillance to inform public health and disease mitigation.

‘Safer communities … together’? Plural policing and COVID-19 public health interventions in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Antje Deckert ◽  
Nicholas J. Long ◽  
Pounamu Jade Aikman ◽  
Nayantara Sheoran Appleton ◽  
Sharyn Graham Davies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand

Locking down behavioural compliance: The role of emotion and emotion regulation in breaches of COVID-19 mitigation measures in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110299
Author(s):  
Terise Broodryk ◽  
Kealagh Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Insight Into

Although anxiety and worry can motivate engagement with COVID-19 preventative behaviours, people may cognitively reframe these unpleasant emotions, restoring wellbeing at the cost of public health behaviours. New Zealand young adults ( n = 278) experiencing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown reported their worry, anxiety, reappraisal and lockdown compliance. Despite high knowledge of lockdown policies, 92.5% of participants reported one or more policy breaches ( M  = 2.74, SD = 1.86). Counter to predictions, no relationships were found between anxiety or worry with reappraisal or lockdown breaches. Findings highlight the importance of targeting young adults in promoting lockdown compliance and offer further insight into the role of emotion during a pandemic.

Health(y) education: A critical analysis of the role of public health regulation in and on tertiary education in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 147821032199501
Author(s):  
Susan Shaw ◽  
Keith Tudor
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Critical Analysis ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Educational Design ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Public Health Regulation

This article offers a critical analysis of the role of public health regulation on tertiary education in Aotearoa New Zealand and, specifically, the requirements and processes of Responsible Authorities under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act for the accreditation and monitoring of educational institutions and their curricula (degrees, courses of studies, or programmes). It identifies and discusses a number of issues concerned with the requirements of such accreditation and monitoring, including, administrative requirements and costs, structural requirements, and the implications for educational design. Concerns with the processes of these procedures, namely the lack of educational expertise on the part of the Responsible Authorities, and certain manifested power dynamics are also highlighted. Finally, the article draws conclusions for changing policy and practice.

scholarly journals Genetics and Public Health

2019 ◽  
pp. 529-546
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Biological Knowledge ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Environmental Models ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Disease

This chapter wraps up by discussing the crucial role played by public health specialists who must reconcile traditional public health concerns of health inequality and equity with safe and effective health interventions and diagnostics that meet individual health needs. Since most genetic diseases in the realm of public health are an interplay of different genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors, genomic science has given greater emphasis to the importance of molecular and cellular mechanisms in health and disease. New biological knowledge must be integrated with the social and environmental models to improve health at individual and population levels. Public health specialists must now be able to integrate genome-based knowledge into public health in a responsible, ethical, and effective way and anticipate the increase in the health service requirements likely to occur in the future. The foundational pillars of bioethics (beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice) must be protected by all public health stakeholders.

Genetics and Public Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 630-646
Author(s):  
Oscar J. Wambuguh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Genetic Diseases ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Biological Knowledge ◽  
Cellular Mechanisms ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
Environmental Models ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Disease

This chapter wraps up by discussing the crucial role played by public health specialists who must reconcile traditional public health concerns of health inequality and equity with safe and effective health interventions and diagnostics that meet individual health needs. Since most genetic diseases in the realm of public health are an interplay of different genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors, genomic science has given greater emphasis to the importance of molecular and cellular mechanisms in health and disease. New biological knowledge must be integrated with the social and environmental models to improve health at individual and population levels. Public health specialists must now be able to integrate genome-based knowledge into public health in a responsible, ethical, and effective way and anticipate the increase in the health service requirements likely to occur in the future. The foundational pillars of bioethics (beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice) must be protected by all public health stakeholders.

scholarly journals Food for People in Place: Reimagining Resilient Food Systems for Economic Recovery

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 9369
Author(s):  
Kelly Dombroski ◽  
Gradon Diprose ◽  
Emma Sharp ◽  
Rebekah Graham ◽  
Louise Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
Essential Services

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated response have brought food security into sharp focus for many New Zealanders. The requirement to “shelter in place” for eight weeks nationwide, with only “essential services” operating, affected all parts of the New Zealand food system. The nationwide full lockdown highlighted existing inequities and created new challenges to food access, availability, affordability, distribution, transportation, and waste management. While Aotearoa New Zealand is a food producer, there remains uncertainty surrounding the future of local food systems, particularly as the long-term effects of the pandemic emerge. In this article we draw on interviews with food rescue groups, urban farms, community organisations, supermarket management, and local and central government staff to highlight the diverse, rapid, community-based responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings reveal shifts at both the local scale, where existing relationships and short supply chains have been leveraged quickly, and national scale, where funding has been mobilised towards a different food strategy. We use these findings to re-imagine where and how responsibility might be taken up differently to enhance resilience and care in diverse food systems in New Zealand.

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