COVID-19 Truths, Lies, and Consequences

Misinformation and disinformation, most often propagated on social media sites, became rampant during the pandemic, contributing to myths and conspiracy theories. Such falsehoods resulted in inappropriate treatments, such as happened with hydoxychloroquine, and has contributed to vaccine hesitancy. Disinformation and political interference in institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) caused confusion for the American public and contributed to the poor pandemic performance in the United States. Anti-vaccine disinformation has interfered with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Healthcare providers need to take an active role in combating medical misinformation.

The Ethics of COVID-19 Vaccine Passports

Ethics & Medics ◽

10.5840/em20214646 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Joseph Meaney ◽

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

The United States ◽

Scientific Data ◽

World Health ◽

Medical Decisions ◽

The Poor ◽

Divided Society ◽

The World ◽

COVID-19 vaccine passports run the risk of creating a divided society where social privileges or restrictions based on “fitness” lead to discrimination based on immunization status. Individuals have a strong right to be free of coercion to take a COVID-19 vaccine, and we should be very leery of further invasion of private medical decisions. These concerns are shared both internationally and in the United States, and the World Health Organization, the Biden administration, and many US governors oppose COVID-19 vaccine credentials. In addition, regulations for COVID-19 vaccine credentials face practical barriers, including lack of access globally, especially among the poor; and lack of scientific data on the efficacy of these vaccines.

The Role of Pharmacists in Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and the Measles Outbreak

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190019895437 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 089719001989543

Author(s):

Katelin M. Lisenby ◽

Kruti N. Patel ◽

Michelle T. Uichanco

Keyword(s):

Cost Effective ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽

Measles Outbreak ◽

The World ◽

Vaccine hesitancy has been identified as a top threat to global health by the World Health Organization. The current measles outbreak in the United States places even greater emphasis on the relevance of this topic. Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective methods to avoid preventable disease and associated complications. Safety concerns and lack of education commonly contribute to vaccination refusals. By providing patients evidence-based facts and education, pharmacists have the opportunity to address common misconceptions influencing the antivaccination movement and prevent future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

COVID-19 Vaccination Perception and Attitude among Healthcare Workers in Egypt

Journal of Primary Care & Community Health ◽

10.1177/21501327211013303 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 215013272110133

Author(s):

Samar Fares ◽

Merihan M. Elmnyer ◽

Shimaa Sabry Mohamed ◽

Radwa Elsayed

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Study Groups ◽

World Health ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Accurate Information ◽

P Value ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Vaccination Programs ◽

The World ◽

Introduction COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world, especially the frontline worriers. To get shielded through this war, the world is racing to reach and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination hesitancy is one of the significant obstacles to global health. Objectives This study aimed to assess the perception and attitude of healthcare workers in Egypt toward COVID-19 vaccines, acknowledge the determinants of their attitude, and the factors that could increase the acceptance of the vaccine. Methods an observational web-based anonymous survey was conducted on 385 Egyptian healthcare workers in different governorates. The questionnaire-based on Vaccine Hesitancy Survey Questions of the World Health Organization was available in Arabic and English languages and was tested for reliability. Results Regarding vaccination decision, 51% of the participants were undecided, 28% refused, and 21% accepted vaccination. Reasons for vaccine acceptance mainly were risks of COVID-19 (93%), safety (57.5%), and effectiveness (56.25%) of the vaccine. Simultaneously, the reasons for vaccine hesitancy were the absence of enough clinical trials (92.4%) and fear of side effects of the vaccine (91.4%). The leading factor that could increase vaccination acceptance among the participants was to get sufficient and accurate information about the available vaccines. The participants revealed a high mean level of concern for COVID-19 vaccines’ safety (3.8 of 5) that differs significantly among the different study groups ( P-value .002). Conclusion Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, only approximately 21% of Egyptian healthcare workers in our study accepted the COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy represents a major barrier to implementing vaccination programs.

1.C. Workshop: How are digital solutions contributing to enhance immunization programmes and policies?

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.005 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

◽

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Framework ◽

Local Level ◽

Vaccine Uptake ◽

Childhood Vaccination ◽

World Health ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Immunization Programmes

Abstract As vaccine hesitancy and decreasing immunization coverage have been identified by the World Health Organization as global alarming health threats, it is of crucial importance to exploit the potential offered by digital solutions to enhance immunization programmes and ultimately increase vaccine uptake. We have previously developed and published a conceptual framework outlining how digitalization can support immunization at different levels: i) when adopted for health education and communication purposes, ii) in the context of immunization programmes delivery, and iii) in the context of immunization information systems management. The proposed workshop is co-organized by the EUPHA Digital health section (EUPHA-DH) and EUPHA Infectious diseases control section (EUPHA-IDC) and aims at discussing the current AVAILABILITY, USE and IMPACT of digital solutions to support immunization programmes at the international, national and local level, as well as, debating on how technical infrastructures on one side and normative and policy frameworks on the other side enable their implementation. We plan to have a rich set of contributions covering the following: the presentation of a conceptual framework identifying and mapping the digital solutions' features having the potential to bolster immunization programmes, namely: i) Personalization and precision; ii) Automation; iii) Prediction; iv) Data analytics (including big data and interoperability); and v) Interaction; the dissemination of key results and final outputs of a Europe-wide funded project on the use of Information & Communication Technology to enhance immunization, with particular reference to the use and comparative impact of email remainders and personal electronic health records, as well as the results of an international survey conducted to map and collect best practices on the use of different digital solutions within immunization programmes at the national and regional level; the firsthand experience of the United Kingdom NHS Digital Child Health Programme which developed, implemented and is currently evaluating a number of solutions to increase childhood vaccination uptake in England, including an information standard and information sharing services developed to ensure that the details of children's vaccinations can be shared between different health care settings the perspective and experience of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) for Europe and of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the global level of what has worked so far in the digitalization of immunization programmes around the world, what recommendations were developed and which barriers identified at the technical normative and policy level Key messages Digitalization has great potential to support immunization programmes but its practice and impact need to be measured. Country-level and international experiences have created qualitative and quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of digital intervention aimed at increasing vaccine uptake.

(Mis)Information on Digital Platforms: Lessons from Twitter and Sina Weibo in the COVID-19 Pandemic (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.31793 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Kreps

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Discourse ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

Sina Weibo ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Relative Prevalence

BACKGROUND Misinformation about COVID-19 has presented challenges to public health authorities during pandemics. Understanding the prevalence and type of misinformation across contexts offers a way to understand the discourse around COVID-19 while informing potential countermeasures. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to study COVID-19 content on two prominent microblogging platform, Twitter, based in the United States, and Sina Weibo, based in China, and compare the content and relative prevalence of misinformation to better understand public discourse of public health issues across social media and cultural contexts. METHODS A total of 3,579,575 posts were scraped from both Weibo and Twitter, focusing on content from January 30th, 2020, when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” and February 6th, 2020. A 1% random sample of tweets that contained both the English keywords “coronavirus” and “covid-19” and the equivalent Chinese characters was extracted and analyzed based on changes in the frequencies of keywords and hashtags. Misinformation on each platform was compared by manually coding and comparing posts using the World Health Organization fact-check page to adjudicate accuracy of content. RESULTS Both platforms posted about the outbreak and transmission but posts on Sina Weibo were less likely to reference controversial topics such as the World Health Organization and death and more likely to cite themes of resisting, fighting, and cheering against the coronavirus. Misinformation constituted 1.1% of Twitter content and 0.3% of Weibo content. CONCLUSIONS Quantitative and qualitative analysis of content on both platforms points to cross-platform differences in public discourse surrounding the pandemic and informs potential countermeasures for online misinformation.

Coronavirus Pandemic: Coping with the Psychological Outcomes, Mental Changes, and the “New Normal” During and After COVID-19

10.36811/ojda.2020.110005 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 07-19

Author(s):

Hiba Takieddine ◽

Samaa AL Tabbah

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Providers ◽

Well Being ◽

World Health ◽

Vulnerable Groups ◽

Public Health Response ◽

New Normal ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

The Impact

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease that has rapidly swept across the world, inducing a considerable degree of fear, worry and concern in the population at large and among certain groups in particular, such as older adults, healthcare providers and people with underlying health conditions. Authorities around the world tried to prevent the virus spread by imposing social distancing measures, quarantining citizens and isolating infected persons. Apart from its physical impact, COVID-19 pandemic has brought numerous changes to people’s lives. It changed daily routines, caused worldwide economic crisis, increased unemployment, and placed people under emotional and financial pressures. It affected people psychologically and mentally especially in terms of emotions and cognition. During the acute crisis, everyone to varying degrees experienced fear of infection, somatic concerns, worries about the pandemic’s consequences, loneliness, depression, stress, as well as increased alcohol and drug use. As part of its public health response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has worked with partners to develop a set of new guidelines and messages that can be used to prevent, manage, and support mental and psychological well-being in different vulnerable target groups during the outbreak. Whether people like it or not, the psychological sequela of this pandemic will emerge and persist for months and years to come leading to long-term consequences. New lifestyles and “New Normals” will surely emerge. The main purpose of this review is to summarize the impact of coronavirus pandemic on the psychological and mental health of people around the world especially vulnerable groups. It also presents the relevant intervention actions and recommendations to cope efficiently and effectively with the psychological short-term and long-term outcomes, mental changes, and the “New Normal” during and after COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19; Coronavirus, Psychological; Mental; New Normal

From Syphilis to Autism, How the Anti-Vaccination Movement of Today is an Echo of the Past

McGill Journal of Medicine ◽

10.26443/mjm.v19i1.770 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kayleigh Beaveridge

Keyword(s):

Personal Narratives ◽

World Health ◽

Statistical Characteristics ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Vaccine Preventable Diseases ◽

Vaccination Rates ◽

The World ◽

The One ◽

Health Organization ◽

The 19Th Century

Introduction: The anti-vaccination movement has led to decreased vaccination rates and increased vulnerability to vaccine-preventable diseases in the general population. In order to better understand the anti-vaccination movement of today, the anti-vaccination movement that emerged in the 19th century is examined and measured against the one observed in the 20th century. Discussion: Though the population of the 19th and 20th centuries differ in many regards and our knowledge of vaccine and immune mechanisms are far greater; the anti-vaccination movement seen today stands on the same pillars as that of the 1800s with the sentiment of fear at its core. Though the façade of these pillars has been altered to suit the world today, both movements exploited the influence of prominent public figures, maintained false associations with dire vaccine consequences and emphasized these through the use of visual media, repetition and personal narratives. The persistence of the anti-vaccination movement lies largely in the use of personal stories which are more impactful and memorable then the statistical characteristics of scientific study. Conclusion: The pro-vaccination movement must respond to the tactics used by the anti-vaccination movement and create accessible, understandable and equally impactful communication strategies in order to prevent the spread of misinformation and counter the efforts of the current anti-vaccination movement. Relevance: Vaccine hesitancy was listed amongst the top 10 global health threats in 2019 by the World Health Organization. In order to shift the negative rhetoric surrounding vaccines, the anti-vaccination movement of today and its historic roots need to be understood.

Quality Evaluation of Ethambutol Hydrochloride Tablet Batches Available in Governmental Health Facilities of Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia

Advances in Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.1155/2021/9969157 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Meseret Yirdaw ◽

Belachew Umeta ◽

Yimer Mokennen

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

Health Facilities ◽

World Health ◽

Southwest Ethiopia ◽

Weight Variation ◽

The World ◽

Storage Area ◽

Health Organization ◽

Jimma Town

Background. The availability of poor-quality drugs on the drug market might favor the ineffectiveness of the drug and/antimicrobial resistance. Aim. To evaluate the quality of similar batches of ethambutol hydrochloride tablets available in different governmental health facilities of Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia. Methods. The World Health Organization checklist was used to inspect the storage area of health facilities and check medicines for the sign of counterfeit. The test was conducted as per the United States Pharmacopeia on six similar batches of ethambutol hydrochloride sampled from different governmental health facilities. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20, and one-way ANOVA was used for comparing the dissolution profile and weight variation of batches. Results. Three health facilities did not comply with the storage area specifications for pharmaceuticals. No batches have shown any sign of counterfeit. All of the tablet batches tested complied with USP specifications for weight variation, percentage purity, and dissolution test. Conclusions and Recommendation. The entire tablet batches complied with the World Health Organization specification for packaging and labelling of pharmaceuticals. All tablet batches complied with the test for weight variation, purity of drug substance, and dissolution. Since some health facilities did not comply with at least one specification for storage of pharmaceuticals, regulatory agencies and stack holders are advised to inspect the health facilities to ensure appropriate storage of pharmaceuticals in health facilities.

Cluster analysis of the origins of the new influenza A(H1N1) virus

Eurosurveillance ◽

10.2807/ese.14.21.19224-en ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 14 (21) ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

A Solovyov ◽

G Palacios ◽

T Briese ◽

W I Lipkin ◽

R Rabadan

Keyword(s):

Cluster Analysis ◽

Influenza A ◽

H1n1 Virus ◽

Swine Influenza ◽

The United States ◽

Influenza Viruses ◽

World Health ◽

Influenza A H1n1 ◽

The World ◽

In March and April 2009, a new strain of influenza A(H1N1) virus has been isolated in Mexico and the United States. Since the initial reports more than 10,000 cases have been reported to the World Health Organization, all around the world. Several hundred isolates have already been sequenced and deposited in public databases. We have studied the genetics of the new strain and identified its closest relatives through a cluster analysis approach. We show that the new virus combines genetic information related to different swine influenza viruses. Segments PB2, PB1, PA, HA, NP and NS are related to swine H1N2 and H3N2 influenza viruses isolated in North America. Segments NA and M are related to swine influenza viruses isolated in Eurasia.

Rebuilding Post-Pandemic Societies: Editorial Section

Indonesian Scholars Scientific Summit Taiwan Proceeding ◽

10.52162/3.2021113 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Dadan Sumardani

Keyword(s):

Health Sector ◽

Active Role ◽

The United States ◽

World Health ◽

Scientific Conference ◽

Education And Health ◽

Use Of Technology ◽

Event Series ◽

Health Organization ◽

Joint Event

INDONESIAN SCHOLARS SCIENTIFIC SUMMIT (I3S) 2021 & OISAA ASIA-OCEANIA SYMPOSIUM 2021 DefinitionIndonesian Scholars Scientific Summit (I3S) 2021 is a scientific conference involving Indonesian scholars who currently work or study in Taiwan and outside of Taiwan, such as Indonesia and other countries. This event is conducted by Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia (PPI) Taiwan, which is the Overseas Indonesian Student’s Association Alliance in Taiwan, in collaboration with Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia Dunia Kawasan (PPIDK) Asia-Oceania or the Overseas Indonesian Student’s Association Alliance for Asia-Oceania Region, who have their annual symposium in 2021. These two associations are referred to as PPI Taiwan and OISAA Asia-Oceania, throughout this conference. The joint event of I3S 2021 and the OISAA Asia-Oceania Symposium 2021 is scheduled to be conducted on June 21-27, 2021 and being hosted by PPI Taiwan. The main event is taking place on June 25-27, 2021 which is prompted by four days of pre-event series on June 21-23, 2021. BackgroundDated back on December 31, 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) received a notification of pneumonia disease, whose source was unidentified, in Wuhan, China. Then, the disease which was caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was referred by WHO as COVID-19. The COVID-19 was designated by WHO as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Furthermore, by January 29, 2021, as many as 102.6 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide with more than 2.2 million deaths have been reported by WHO. Globally, five countries experiencing the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases are the United States, India, Brazil, Russia and Great Britain. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused not only casualties but also opens up opportunities, among others are in the fields of technology, education and health. In the field of technology, we can observe the increasing use of technology for distance or remote education and the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various fields including health. In the health sector, technology related to telemedicine and vaccines has also begun to develop. There has also been an expectation that within the post- COVID-19 period, the novel ideas keep developing, and Indonesia can take an active role in developing this. Regarding the aforementioned situation, the establishment of the 2021 Indonesian Scholar Scientific Summit (I3S 2021) is expected to serve as a scientific forum for exchanging ideas among scientists, students and industry practitioners in all relevant fields in order to generate innovative ideas that can be developed in the post-COVID-19 pandemic situation. Objectives To promote the development of scientific ideas from and among the participants and speakers. To disseminate new knowledge to the participants, committees, and speakers. To establish a network among the participants, committees, and speakers. To increase awareness on current issues related to the conference’s theme.