scholarly journals The importance of sustained compliance with physical distancing during COVID-19 vaccination rollout

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Teslya ◽  
Ganna Rozhnova ◽  
Thi Mui Pham ◽  
Daphne A van Wees ◽  
Hendrik Nunner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccination Campaigns

Mass vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2 are ongoing in many countries with increasing vaccination coverage enabling relaxation of lockdowns. Vaccination rollout is frequently supplemented with advisory from public health authorities for continuation of physical distancing measures. Compliance with these measures is waning while more transmissible virus variants such as Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Delta (B.1.617.2) have emerged. In this work, we considered a population where the waning of compliance depends on vaccine coverage. We used a SARS-CoV-2 transmission model which captures the feedback between compliance, infection incidence, and vaccination coverage to investigate factors that contribute to the increase of the prevalence of infection during the initial stages of the vaccination rollout as compared to no vaccination scenario. We analysed how the vaccine uptake rate affects cumulative numbers of new infections three and six months after the start of vaccination. Our results suggest that the combination of fast waning compliance in non-vaccinated population, low compliance in vaccinated population and more transmissible virus variants may result in a higher cumulative number of new infections than in a situation without vaccination. These adverse effects can be alleviated if vaccinated individuals do not revert to pre-pandemic contact rates, and if non-vaccinated individuals remain compliant with physical distancing measures. Both require convincing, clear and appropriately targeted communication strategies by public health authorities.

scholarly journals The importance of sustained compliance with physical distancing during COVID-19 vaccination rollout

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Teslya ◽  
Ganna Rozhnova ◽  
Thi Mui Pham ◽  
Daphne van Wees ◽  
Hendrik Nunner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccination Campaigns ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Mass vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2 are under way in many countries with the hope that increasing vaccination coverage will enable reducing current physical distancing measures. Compliance with these measures is waning, while more transmissible virus variants such as B.1.1.7 have emerged. Using SARS-CoV-2 transmission model we investigated the impact of the feedback between compliance, the incidence of infection, and vaccination coverage on the success of a vaccination programme in the population where waning of compliance depends on vaccine coverage. Our results suggest that the combination of fast waning compliance, slow vaccination rates, and more transmissible variants may result in a higher cumulative number of infections than in a situation without vaccination. These adverse effects can be alleviated if vaccinated individuals do not revert to pre-pandemic contact rates, and if non-vaccinated individuals remain compliant with physical distancing measures. Both require convincing, clear and appropriately targeted communication strategies by public health authorities.

scholarly journals The importance of sustained compliance with physical distancing during COVID-19 vaccination rollout

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Teslya ◽  
Ganna Rozhnova ◽  
Thi Mui Pham ◽  
Daphne van Wees ◽  
Hendrik Nunner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccination Campaigns ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Mass vaccination campaigns against SARS-CoV-2 are under way in many countries with the hope that increasing vaccination coverage will enable reducing current physical distancing measures. Compliance with these measures is waning, while more transmissible virus variants such as B.1.1.7 have emerged. Using SARS-CoV-2 transmission model we investigated the impact of the feedback between compliance, the incidence of infection, and vaccination coverage on the success of a vaccination programme in the population where waning of compliance depends on vaccine coverage. Our results suggest that the combination of fast waning compliance, slow vaccination rates, and more transmissible variants may result in a higher cumulative number of infections than in a situation without vaccination. These adverse effects can be alleviated if vaccinated individuals do not revert to pre-pandemic contact rates, and if non-vaccinated individuals remain compliant with physical distancing measures. Both require convincing, clear and appropriately targeted communication strategies by public health authorities.

scholarly journals A cluster of measles linked to an imported case, Finland, 2017

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (33) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina Seppälä ◽  
Viktor Zöldi ◽  
Sakari Vuorinen ◽  
Satu Murtopuro ◽  
Ulpu Elonsalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
International Public Health ◽  
Imported Case ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Raising Awareness ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Close Cooperation

One imported and five secondary cases of measles were detected in Finland between June and August 2017. The measles sequences available for five laboratory-confirmed cases were identical and belonged to serotype D8. The large number of potentially exposed Finnish and foreign individuals called for close cooperation of national and international public health authorities and other stakeholders. Raising awareness among healthcare providers and ensuring universally high vaccination coverage is crucial to prevent future clusters and outbreaks.

scholarly journals Reported COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Associated Factors among Members of Athens Medical Association: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1134
Author(s):  
Georgios Marinos ◽  
Dimitris Lamprinos ◽  
Panagiotis Georgakopoulos ◽  
Georgios Patoulis ◽  
Georgia Vogiatzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Association ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vaccination Uptake ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

There are limited data on the prevalence and determinants of COVID-19 vaccination coverage among physicians. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, online study was conducted among the members of the Athens Medical Association (I.S.A.) over the period 25 February to 13 March 2021. All members of I.S.A. were invited to participate in the anonymous online survey. A structured, anonymous questionnaire was used. Overall, 1993 physicians participated in the survey. The reported vaccination coverage was 85.3%. The main reasons of no vaccination were pending vaccination appointment followed by safety concerns. Participants being informed about the COVID-19 vaccines by social media resulted in lower COVID-19 vaccination coverage than health workers being informed by other sources. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that no fear over COVID-19 vaccination-related side effects, history of influenza vaccination for flu season 2020–2021, and the perception that the information on COVID-19 vaccination from the national public health authorities is reliable, were independent factors of reported COVID-19 vaccination coverage. Our results demonstrate a considerable improvement of the COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Greek physicians. The finding that participants reported high reliability of the information related to COVID-19 vaccination provided by the Greek public health authorities is an opportunity which should be broadly exploited by policymakers in order to combat vaccination hesitancy, and further improve COVID-19 vaccination uptake and coverage among physicians/HCWs, and the general population.

scholarly journals Comparative effectiveness of allocation strategies of COVID-19 vaccines and antivirals against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in East Asia and Pacific region

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Leung ◽  
Mark Jit ◽  
Gabriel M Leung ◽  
Joseph T Wu
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Primary Vaccination ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Pacific Region ◽  
Additional Dose ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Allocation Strategies

Background We aimed to evaluate the impact of various allocation strategies of COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral such that the pandemic exit strategy could be tailored to risks and preferences of jurisdictions in the East Asia and Pacific region (EAP) to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Methods Vaccine efficacies were estimated from the titre distributions of 50% plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT50), assuming that PRNT50 titres of primary vaccination decreased by 2-10 folds due to antibody waning and emergence of VOCs, and an additional dose of vaccine would increase PRNT50 titres by 3- or 9-fold. We then used an existing SARS-CoV-2 transmission model to assess the outcomes of vaccine allocation strategies with and without the use of antivirals for symptomatic patients in Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam. Findings Increasing primary vaccination coverage was the most important contributing factor in reducing the total and peak number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, especially when population vaccine coverage or vaccine uptake among older adults was low. Providing antivirals to 50% of symptomatic infections only further reduced total and peak hospitalizations by 10-13%. The effectiveness of an additional dose of vaccine was highly dependent on the immune escape potential of VOCs and antibody waning, but less dependent on the boosting efficacy of the additional dose. Interpretation Increasing primary vaccination coverage should be prioritised in the design of allocation strategies of COVID-19 vaccines and antivirals in the EAP region. Heterologous vaccination with any available vaccine as the additional dose could be considered when planning pandemic exit strategies tailored to the circumstances of EAP jurisdictions.

scholarly journals Measles outbreak in Styria, Austria, March-May 2009

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (40) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Kasper ◽  
H Holzmann ◽  
S W Aberle ◽  
M Wassermann-Neuhold ◽  
H Gschiel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Epidemiological Investigation ◽  
Rubella Vaccine ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Measles Outbreak ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Vaccination Campaigns

In the last week of March 2009, five measles cases among students of an anthroposophic school were reported to the public health authorities in the Austrian province of Styria where only five cases had been reported in the whole of 2008. A descriptive epidemiological investigation of the measles outbreak was performed. Between 2 March and 10 May 2009, 37 cases of measles were identified in Styria: 33 confirmed outbreak cases and four probable outbreak cases. The measles outbreak spread from the general population (12 cases) to an anthroposophic community (25 cases). Cases outside of the anthroposophic community were mostly over 10 years of age (10/12). Thirty-five cases were unvaccinated, and two of the 37 had received one dose of measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. Following a measles outbreak in Salzburg in 2008 with 394 cases, this outbreak reemphasises the continued need for additional vaccination campaigns in population groups over the age of 10 years.

Influenza vaccination coverage in a population-based cohort of Australian-born Aboriginal and non-Indigenous older adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amalie Dyda ◽  
Surendra Karki ◽  
Marlene Kong ◽  
Heather F Gidding ◽  
John M Kaldor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Vaccination Coverage ◽  
Torres Strait Islander ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
P Value ◽  
Healthy Weight ◽  
Medical Risk ◽  
Torres Strait

Background: There is limited information on vaccination coverage and characteristics associated with vaccine uptake in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander adults. We aimed to provide more current estimates of influenza vaccination coverage in Aboriginal adults. Methods: Self-reported vaccination status (n=559 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander participants, n=80,655 non-Indigenous participants) from the 45 and Up Study, a large cohort of adults aged 45 years or older, was used to compare influenza vaccination coverage in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander adults with coverage in non-Indigenous adults. Results: Of Aboriginal and non-Indigenous respondents aged 49 to <65 years, age-standardised influenza coverage was respectively 45.2% (95% CI 39.5–50.9%) and 38.5%, (37.9–39.0%), p-value for heterogeneity=0.02. Coverage for Aboriginal and non-Indigenous respondents aged ≥65 years was respectively 67.3% (59.9–74.7%) and 72.6% (72.2–73.0%), p-heterogeneity=0.16. Among Aboriginal adults, coverage was higher in obese than in healthy weight participants (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.38, 95%CI 1.44–3.94); in those aged <65 years with a medical risk factor than in those without medical risk factors (aOR=2.13, 1.37–3.30); and in those who rated their health as fair/poor compared to those who rated it excellent (aOR=2.57, 1.26–5.20). Similar associations were found among non-Indigenous adults. Conclusions: In this sample of adults ≥65 years, self-reported influenza vaccine coverage was not significantly different between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous adults whereas in those <65 years, coverage was higher among Aboriginal adults. Overall, coverage in the whole cohort was suboptimal. If these findings are replicated in other samples and in the Australian Immunisation Register, it suggests that measures to improve uptake, such as communication about the importance of influenza vaccine and more effective reminder systems, are needed among adults.

scholarly journals Users’ Beliefs Toward Physical Distancing in Facebook Pages of Public Health Authorities During COVID-19 Pandemic in Early 2020

2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812110144
Author(s):  
Soon Guan Tan ◽  
Aravind Sesagiri Raamkumar ◽  
Hwee Lin Wee
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Belief Model ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
Health Belief ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Belief Model ◽  
The Health Belief Model

This study aims to describe Facebook users’ beliefs toward physical distancing measures implemented during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic using the key constructs of the health belief model. A combination of rule-based filtering and manual classification methods was used to classify user comments on COVID-19 Facebook posts of three public health authorities: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States, Public Health England, and Ministry of Health, Singapore. A total of 104,304 comments were analyzed for posts published between 1 January, 2020, and 31 March, 2020, along with COVID-19 cases and deaths count data from the three countries. Findings indicate that the perceived benefits of physical distancing measures ( n = 3,463; 3.3%) was three times higher than perceived barriers ( n = 1,062; 1.0%). Perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 ( n = 2,934; 2.8%) was higher compared with perceived severity ( n = 2,081; 2.0%). Although susceptibility aspects of physical distancing were discussed more often at the start of the year, mentions on the benefits of intervention emerged stronger toward the end of the analysis period, highlighting the shift in beliefs. The health belief model is useful for understanding Facebook users’ beliefs at a basic level, and it provides a scope for further improvement.

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

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.

scholarly journals Indoor Environmental Quality in Dwellings and Lifestyle Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Russian Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 5975
Author(s):  
Vladimir Reshetnikov ◽  
Oleg Mitrokhin ◽  
Elena Belova ◽  
Victor Mikhailovsky ◽  
Maria Mikerova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Environmental Quality ◽  
Indoor Environmental Quality ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Contagious Diseases ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Isolation Index ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, and as a response, public health authorities started enforcing preventive measures like self-isolation and social distancing. The enforcement of isolation has consequences that may affect the lifestyle-related behavior of the general population. Quarantine encompasses a range of strategies that can be used to detain, isolate, or conditionally release individuals or populations infected or exposed to contagious diseases and should be tailored to circumstances. Interestingly, medical students may represent an example of how the COVID-19 pandemic can form new habits and change lifestyle behaviors. We conducted a web-based survey to assess changes in lifestyle-related behavior of self-isolated medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then we analyzed the sanitary-hygienic regulations of the Russian Federation to determine the requirements for healthy buildings. Results showed that during the pandemic, the enforcement of isolation affects medical students’ lifestyle-related behavior and accompanies an increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and healthy buildings are cutting-edge factors in preventing COVID-19 and NCDs. The Russian sanitary-hygienic regulations support improving this factor with suitable requirements for ventilation, sewage, waste management, and disinfection. Herein, assessing isolation is possible through the hygienic self-isolation index.

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