scholarly journals ONLINE QUERIES AS A CRITERION FOR EVALUATION OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STATUS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF COVID-19 EPIDEMIC CONTROL MEASURES

Author(s):  
Kuvat Momynaliev ◽  
Dimash Khoroshun ◽  
Vasiliy Akimkin

Monitoring online queries can provide early and accurate information about the spread of COVID-19 in the population and about the effectiveness of COVID-19 epidemic control measures. The purpose of the study. Assessment of significance of online queries regarding smell impairment to evaluate the epidemiological status and effectiveness of COVID-19 epidemic control measures. Materials and methods. Weekly online queries from Yandex Russian users regarding smell impairment were analysed in regions and large cities of Russia from 16/3/2020 to 21/2/2021. A total of 81 regions of Russia and several large cities, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod, were included in the study. Results. A strong positive direct correlation (r>0.7) was found between the number of smell-related queries in Yandex new cases of COVID-19 in 59 out of 85 Russian regions and large cities (70%). During the "first" peak of COVID-19 incidence in Russia (April-May 2020), the increase in the number of smell-related queries outpaced the increase in the number of new cases by 1-2 weeks in 23 out of 59 regions of Russia. During the "second" peak of COVID-19 incidence in Russia (October-December 2020), the increase in the number of smell-related queries outpaced the increase in the number of new cases by 1-2 weeks in 36 regions of Russia, including Moscow. We also estimated the increase in the query/new case ratio during the "second" peak of incidence for 45 regions. It was found that the query/new case ratio increased by more than 100% in 24 regions. The regions where the increase in queries was more than 160% compared to new infection cases during the "second" peak of incidence demonstrated significantly higher search activity related to levofloxacin than the regions where the increase in queries was lower than 160% compared to the increase in new infection cases. Conclusion. The sudden interest in smell impairment and growing frequency of online queries among the population can be used as an indicator of the spread of coronavirus infection among the population as well as for evaluation of the effectiveness of COVID-19 epidemic control measures. Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, Yandex.Wordstat, correlation, query, sense of smell.

Author(s):  
Ting Wan Tan ◽  
Han Ling Tan ◽  
Man Na Chang ◽  
Wen Shu Lin ◽  
Chih Ming Chang

(1) Background: The implementation of effective control measures in a timely fashion is crucial to control the epidemic outbreak of COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to analyze the control measures implemented during the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as evaluating the responses and outcomes at different phases for epidemic control in Taiwan. (2) Methods: This case study reviewed responses to COVID-19 and the effectiveness of a range of control measures implemented for epidemic control in Taiwan and assessed all laboratory-confirmed cases between 11 January until 20 December 2020, inclusive of these dates. The confirmation of COVID-19 infection was defined as the positive result of a reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction test taken from a nasopharyngeal swab. Test results were reported by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. The incidence rate, mortality rate, and testing rate were compiled, and the risk ratio was provided to gain insights into the effectiveness of prevention measures. (3) Results and Discussion: This study presents retrospective data on the COVID-19 incidence rate in Taiwan, combined with the vital preventive control measures, in a timeline of the early stage of the epidemic that occurred in Taiwan. The implementation of multiple strategy control measures and the assistance of technologies to control the COVID-19 epidemic in Taiwan led to a relatively slower trend in the outbreak compared to the neighboring countries. In Taiwan, 766 confirmed patients were included, comprised of 88.1% imported cases and 7.2% local transmission cases, within the studied period. The incidence rate of COVID-19 in Taiwan during the studied period was 32 per million people, with a mortality rate of 0.3 per million people. Our analysis showed a significantly raised incidence risk ratio in the countries of interest in comparison to Taiwan during the study period; in the range of 1.9 to 947.5. The outbreak was brought under control through epidemic policies and hospital strategies implemented by the Taiwan Government. (4) Conclusion: Taiwan’s preventive strategies resulted in a drastically lower risk for Taiwan nationals of contracting COVID-19 when new pharmaceutical drug or vaccines were not yet available. The preventive strategies employed by Taiwan could serve as a guide and reference for future epidemic control strategies.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 806
Author(s):  
Ali A. A. Mekdad ◽  
Mostafa M. Rady ◽  
Esmat F. Ali ◽  
Fahmy A. S. Hassan

Field trials for two seasons (2018/2019 and 2019/2020) were conducted to investigate the influence of the addition of three levels of potassium (K) (K1 = 60, K2 = 120, and K3 = 180 kg K2O ha−1) and/or sulfur (S) (S1 = 175, S2 = 350, and S3 = 525 kg CaSO4 ha−1) to the soil, as well as the sowing date (the 1st of September, D1; or the 1st of October, D2) on the potential improvement of physiology, growth, and yield, as well as the quality characteristics of sugar beet yield under soil salinity conditions. With three replicates specified for each treatment, each trial was planned according to a split-split plot in a randomized complete block design. The results revealed that early sowing (D1) led to significant improvements in all traits of plant physiology and growth, in addition to root, top, and biological yields and their quality, gross and pure sugar, and K- and S-use efficiencies based on root yield (R-KUE and R-SUE). The K3 level (180 kg K2O ha−1) positively affected the traits of plant physiology, growth, yield and quality, and R-SUE, and reduced the attributes of impurities, impurity index, and R-KUE. Additionally, the S3 level (525 kg CaSO4 ha−1) affirmatively affected plant physiology, growth, yield and quality traits, and R-KUE, and decreased impurity traits, impurity index, and R-SUE. The interaction of D1 × K3 × S3 maximized the yield of roots (104–105 ton ha−1) and pure sugar (21–22 ton ha−1). Path coefficient analysis showed that root yield and pure sugar content had positive direct effects with 0.62 and 0.65, and 0.38 and 0.38 in both studied seasons, respectively, on pure sugar yield. Significant (p ≤ 0.01) positive correlations were found between pure sugar yield and root yield (r = 0.966 ** and 0.958 **). The study results recommend the use of the integrative D1 × K3 × S3 treatment for sugar beet to obtain maximum yields and qualities under salt stress (e.g., 8.96 dS m−1) in dry environments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4703
Author(s):  
Renato Andara ◽  
Jesús Ortego-Osa ◽  
Melva Inés Gómez-Caicedo ◽  
Rodrigo Ramírez-Pisco ◽  
Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia ◽  
...  

This comparative study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on motorized mobility in eight large cities of five Latin American countries. Public institutions and private organizations have made public data available for a better understanding of the contagion process of the pandemic, its impact, and the effectiveness of the implemented health control measures. In this research, data from the IDB Invest Dashboard were used for traffic congestion as well as data from the Moovit© public transport platform. For the daily cases of COVID-19 contagion, those published by Johns Hopkins Hospital University were used. The analysis period corresponds from 9 March to 30 September 2020, approximately seven months. For each city, a descriptive statistical analysis of the loss and subsequent recovery of motorized mobility was carried out, evaluated in terms of traffic congestion and urban transport through the corresponding regression models. The recovery of traffic congestion occurs earlier and faster than that of urban transport since the latter depends on the control measures imposed in each city. Public transportation does not appear to have been a determining factor in the spread of the pandemic in Latin American cities.


Author(s):  
Josefine Atzendorf ◽  
Stefan Gruber

AbstractEpidemic control measures that aim to introduce social distancing help to decelerate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their consequences in terms of mental well-being might be negative, especially for older adults. While existing studies mainly focus on the time during the first lockdown, we look at the weeks afterward in order to measure the medium-term consequences of the first wave of the pandemic. Using data from the SHARE Corona Survey, we include retired respondents aged 60 and above from 25 European countries plus Israel. Combining SHARE data with macro-data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker allows us to include macro-indicators at the country level, namely the number of deaths per 100,000 and the number of days with stringent epidemic control measures, in addition to individual characteristics. The findings show that both macro-indicators are influential for increased feelings of sadness/depression, but that individual factors are crucial for explaining increased feelings of loneliness in the time after the first lockdown. Models with interaction terms reveal that the included macro-indicators have negative well-being consequences, particularly for the oldest survey participants. Additionally, the results reveal that especially those living alone had a higher risk for increased loneliness in the time after the first COVID-19 wave.


1970 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-14
Author(s):  
B Thapa ◽  
D Karn ◽  
K Mahat

Background Surgical wound infection is a common problem among patients who undergo operation. Several factors play important role in this infection process including endemic nosocomial infection without proper infection control measures. Objectives To study the occurrence of the pathogens in post-operative wound infections, their antibiotic resistance patterns, and comparison with published reports. Methods Various specimens obtained from the surgical wound during a period of four months were processed for bacteriological culture in the Department of Microbiology, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test for pathogens isolated. The relevant literatures were searched and compared with the present study. Results Among 79 culture positive cultures, Citrobacter sp. (n=23) was most frequently isolated from surgical wound infection. Twenty strains were multidrug resistant. In comparison with other studies, this study highlights the emergence multi-drug resistant Citrobacter sp. as a leading cause of surgical wound infection. E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus sp., and Enterobacter sp. were also isolated from 19, 13, 10, 8, 2, 2, and 2 cultures, respectively. More than 50% of these pathogens were resistant to most of the β-lactam antibiotics tested and most of them were multi-drug resistant while these pathogens showed variable level of resistance to fluroquinolones and amino glycosides. Conclusion The frequent isolation of multi-drug resistant nosocomial strains of Citrobacter sp. in surgical wound infection is a remarkable trend. This pathogen and their resistant genes could be endemic to the institution and can cause difficult-to-treat infection if infection control committee is not revitalized and infection control strategies are not implemented. Key words Citrobacter sp.; Multi-drug resistant; surgical wound infection. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njdvl.v9i1.5762 NJDVL 2010; 9(1): 10-14


Author(s):  
Shadia Bint Najib Al - Otaibi

The study aimed to:  - Identifying with the degree of The practice of heads educational management for type of transference leadership from the views of supervisors. - Acquaintance with the level of job satisfaction of educational supervisors in Afif Educational management. - Recognizing the statistical significance relation between the practice of heads educational management degrees' in Afif Educational management for the style of transference leadership and job satisfaction of educational Study Methodology: The researcher used the descriptive method (survey ) & descriptive method (Correlative) Study Population and Sample: The study population consists of all heads educational department and educational supervisor whether they are mails or females in Educational Management of AFIF. Study Tool: The researcher built tow questionnaires, the first questionnaire to measure using of the transference leadership and it consist of two parts one is personal information anther is phrases for measuring the practice of heads educational management degrees' in Afif Educational management from the points of view of educational supervisors , also it contain forth transference leadership diminutions( typical effective, mental- excitation, personal considerations, accusatory motivation) in (39) sentences. The second questionnaire to measure the level of educational supervisors' job satisfaction in (28) sentences. Moreover, the researcher used the fifth Grading scale to measure the responses of study sample. Study Results: the results of the study can firmed the following: - The overall average of total to the degree of transference leadership applying for Heads Department (4,10) , so this is the mean between fourth category which indicated to high degree. - The general average of the responses of the study sample at the axis of educational supervisors job satisfaction for in Educational management in AFIF that is mean (3,85 over 5) indicated to (high) degree of study tool. The results proved that there is connective, direct, strong relation & statistical function at (0,01) between the practice of heads educational management degrees' in Afif Educational management for the style of transference leadership and job satisfaction of educational. Also, the result show that connective the relation between general degree of the measure of transference leadership and general degree of the measure of job satisfaction is (0,56) , so it is positive direct relation. Study Recommendations: - Encouraging and training the Heads of educational management to be attention in knowing the weakness points about their work which is hinder the transference leadership practice. - Caring of training and qualifying staff who have primitive readiness for having transference leadership properties and characters. - Necessity of hold periodical specialist courses to create leaders and trine them about modern administrative styles that make job satisfaction for personnel.


Author(s):  
Aditi Sharma ◽  
Rajashri Kolte ◽  
Abhay Kolte

Aim: The aim was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of dental students concerning infection control measures and to check the correlation, if any, among knowledge, attitude and behaviour of dental students concerning infection control measures in dental setups. Materials and Methods: A total of 1200 students from first to final year and interns from three different colleges were included in the study. Results: A total of 95.83% think isolation is important. Only 4.1% have been vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine and 95% with tetanus vaccine. Conclusion: The level of knowledge and behaviour of infection control measures was average, for which the reasons could be inadequate training, supply of protective equipments and mainly carelessness. Key Words- Infection control, Vaccination, Isolation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richmond Takyi Hinneh ◽  
Alex Barimah Owusu

Abstract BackgroundIn an era of the global pandemic and social media dominance, trying to control the narrative on COVID-19 has been a challenging task for most governments particularly with news about the disease on various social media platforms. There have even been instances where people have sent false information about the number of confirmed cases, precautionary measures, drugs that boost the immune system which can threaten the lives of some users who are accessing this false information and misconceptions.Method This study analyzed spatial differences in Twitter misinformation on COVID-19 across 16 regions of Ghana by scraping 1,167 tweets from Twitter using API access. A total of 514 tweets were analyzed. The data were categorized into three namely; accurate information, misinformation, and other information. ResultsThe study results show that 72% of the tweets were accurate, 14% were misinformation and 14% represented other information. Among the regions, Greater Accra had the highest number of accurate information (45 tweets), and the Upper West Region recording the highest number of misinformation (12 tweets).ConclusionSpatial monitoring and management of information dissemination are useful for target setting and achievement of direct results in terms of diffusing misinformation and propagating accurate information. We, therefore, recommend official usage of Twitter for COVID-19 information dissemination as this usage will help offset possible misinformation from unformed individuals.


Author(s):  
Omer Soner ◽  
Metin Celik

An enclosed space poses a serious risk to workers since its atmosphere can be oxygen-deficient, polluted or contain flammable and/or toxic gases or vapours. Hence, it is important to keep in mind that an enclosed space should not be entered unless it is absolutely necessary. However, many processes often need the worker to be present in an enclosed space. At this point, great attention should be paid to create and maintain safe working conditions, when entering enclosed space is required. Even though studies have investigated several aspects of enclosed space entry, further research is required to explore the human element role. This is urgently needed, considering that human errors are one of the main reasons for enclosed space entry accidents. Hence, this study has investigated the human element role during an enclosed space entry operation via the enhanced SOHRA method. Three scenarios have been developed to assess HEP values. Beyond that, systematic control measure assignment is provided to reduce HEP values. Hierarchy of control measures are considered to improve entering enclosed space operational safety. Elimination (drone-assisted survey), substitution (IoT), engineering (permit control system-PCS), and administrative control measures (electronic permit) have been proposed. Further, this study results can also provide useful insight for other industries (petrochemical, oil, refinery, gas, agriculture, construction etc.), where the accidents in enclosed spaces taking place. Therefore, the study provides not only a theoretical insight but also practical application to improve the safety of seafarers.


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