scholarly journals The Heterogeneity of National Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Mixed-method Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ying Chen ◽  
Yibeltal Assefa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
National Comparison ◽  
Actual Response

Abstract Background: COVID-19 has quickly spread to all corners of the world since its emergence in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. The disease burden has been heterogeneous across regions of the world, with Americas leading in cumulative cases and deaths, followed by Europe, Southeast Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa and Western Pacific. Initial responses to COVID-19 also varied between governments, ranging from proactive containment to delayed intervention. Understanding these variabilities allow high burden countries to learn from low burden countries on ways to create more sustainable response plans in the future.Methods: This study used a mixed-method approach to perform cross-country comparisons of pandemic responses. The chosen countries for this study were the US, Brazil, Germany, Australia, South Korea and Thailand; they were selected based on their income level, relative COVID-19 burden and geographic location. To rationalize the clinical variability between these six countries, a list of 14 indicators was established to systematically assess the countries’ preparedness, actual response, and overall socioeconomic and demographic profile in the context of COVID-19.Results: As of December 1st , 2020, the US had the highest cases per million, followed by Brazil, Germany, Australia, South Korea and Thailand. The same ranking was observed for the countries’ deaths per million statistics. Cross-national comparison suggests that there were nine indicators to explain epidemiological differences between the countries, and they were 1) leadership, governance and coordination of response, 2) communication, 3) community engagement, 4) multisectoral actions, 5) public health capacity, 6) universal health coverage, 7) medical services and hospital capacity, 8) demography and 9) burden of non-communicable diseases.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic manifests varied outcomes due to differences in countries’ vulnerability, preparedness and response. Our study rationalizes why South Korea, Thailand, Australia and Germany performed better than the US and Brazil. By identifying the strengths of low burden countries and weaknesses of hotspot countries, we elucidate specific factors constituting an effective pandemic response that can be adopted by leaders in preparation for re-emerging public health threats.

scholarly journals The heterogeneity of the COVID-19 pandemic and national responses: an explanatory mixed-methods study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ying Chen ◽  
Yibeltal Assefa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has quickly spread to all corners of the world since its emergence in Wuhan, China in December of 2019. The disease burden has been heterogeneous across regions of the world, with Americas leading in cumulative cases and deaths, followed by Europe, Southeast Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Africa and Western Pacific. Initial responses to COVID-19 also varied between governments, ranging from proactive containment to delayed intervention. Understanding these variabilities allow high burden countries to learn from low burden countries on ways to create more sustainable response plans in the future. Methods This study used a mixed-methods approach to perform cross-country comparisons of pandemic responses in the United States (US), Brazil, Germany, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, New Zealand, Italy and China. These countries were selected based on their income level, relative COVID-19 burden and geographic location. To rationalize the epidemiological variability, a list of 14 indicators was established to assess the countries’ preparedness, actual response, and socioeconomic and demographic profile in the context of COVID-19. Results As of 1 April 2021, the US had the highest cases per million out of the nine countries, followed by Brazil, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and China. Meanwhile, Italy ranked first out of the nine countries’ total deaths per million, followed by the US, Brazil, Germany, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, China and Thailand. The epidemiological differences between these countries could be explained by nine indicators, and they were 1) leadership, governance and coordination of response, 2) communication, 3) community engagement, 4) multisectoral actions, 5) public health capacity, 6) universal health coverage, 7) medical services and hospital capacity, 8) demography and 9) burden of non-communicable diseases. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic manifests varied outcomes due to differences in countries’ vulnerability, preparedness and response. Our study rationalizes why South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, Australia and China performed better than the US, Italy and Brazil. By identifying the strengths of low burden countries and weaknesses of hotspot countries, we elucidate factors constituting an effective pandemic response that can be adopted by leaders in preparation for re-emerging public health threats.

scholarly journals Differential behavior of COVID-19 in Multi-Country Journey: Challenges for Drug Intervention

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Archana Gupta ◽  
Anjali Priyadarshini ◽  
Manoj Kumar Yadav ◽  
Arpana Vibhuti ◽  
V. Samuel Raj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Differential Behavior ◽  
The Us ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
The World ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Spread Of Infection ◽  
Potential Challenge ◽  
Ongoing Phase ◽  
Existing Data

COVID-19, a pandemic is different as it is in an ongoing phase. We need to understand how the pandemic is developing across the globe. All the existing data and research on the virus are preliminary; researchers are rapidly learning more about new and evolving problems. There is always an underlying mystery that can unfold by studying the available data on this emerging problem and especially to provide an understanding of what can and cannot be said based on this available knowledge. It has been seen that large outbreaks are in China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, Spain, and France, with the US and UK seeing rapidly increasing numbers. But most countries in the world have reported very few to number cases of COVID-19. This is surprising because the trajectory of the COVID-19 outbreak has been said to follow the exposure due to travel, and the areas with low incidence must be having other reasons. The primary factor resulting in the spread of infection is trans country and continent movement of people. The geographical distribution and pattern of COVID 19 infection show a very interesting feature, the tropical countries having a high incidence of Malaria and have undergone the chloroquine regimen show less spike in COVID19 infection. And one of the reasons may be that the virus has not yet reached and started localized transmission in every country, despite these countries having strong travel, migration, or trade relationships with China and the rest of the world. This observation raises various questions. Is the virus not reaching or establishing infections due to some measures taken and the transmission is controlled? The differential behavior of this virus might pose a potential challenge for the development of a suitable intervention that can be useful in all scenarios.

Face Mask Policies in South Korea in Response to COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 497-499
Author(s):  
Seungwon Yu ◽  
Suhee Kim ◽  
Junmo Kang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Specific Policy ◽  
Korean Government ◽  
The World ◽  
Emergency Stabilization ◽  
The Face ◽  
Stabilization Policies

All over the world, the critical shortage of face masks has been evident during the COVID-19 outbreak. No specific policy to solve the shortage has been shared among public health scholars and practitioners. Recently, the Korean government implemented noteworthy policies to stabilize the face mask market. This article examines the three government initiatives (Emergency Stabilization Policies) using participant observation, and what the effects of the Emergency Stabilization Policies are.

Delivering care around the world

2021 ◽  
pp. 361-372
Author(s):  
Julia Downing ◽  
Joan Marston
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Different Parts

Children’s Palliative Care (CPC) is a relatively new and emerging field with great potential for helping children and families who are living with life-limiting conditions (LLC) globally. There is a growing recognition of the need to develop services for these children, but the overall picture remains one of huge variance in different parts of the world and even within countries. The evidence base is still small, there is a great need for more education, and considerable scope for further development. Broader awareness of the values and philosophy of CPC, its history and development, and its place in society will help promote CPC further. As the field increases, we will need to enhance the international roles of our own local children’s organizations, and continue to develop paediatric networks, as well as link into global priorities in healthcare such as public health, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The Content and Efficacy of Environmental Public Health Journal Homepages

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine S. Lindars ◽  
Jeff T. Spickett
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Environmental Health Sciences ◽  
Environmental Public Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Public Money ◽  
Health Journal ◽  
High Degree

The information on several environmental public health journal homepages has been assessed for its quality and quantity, using selected key criteria. These criteria included the extent of text available, the ability to search the website, the table of contents free via email, and the presence of hyper-links. A high degree of variability is seen, with services and facilities offered ranging from none to the entire journal available for no fee. The journal homepages that are the most comprehensive are those that are associated with major institutions and hence financed by contributions from their members or public money, i.e. the British Medical Association, the World Health Organisation and the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The journal homepages associated with these institutions offered full text of both current and archived issues as well as additions such as the ability to search other sites, web links, and in some cases hyper-linked references and information on related articles. The provision of text on the Internet should be an essential aim for all journal Homepages, to ensure fast and effective conveyance of information to health professionals. Asia Pac J Public Health 2000;12(1): 32-36

scholarly journals Introduction

2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (Supl.4) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Xóchitl Castañeda ◽  
Gudelia Rangel ◽  
Luis Humberto-Fabila ◽  
João B Ferreira-Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Immigration Reform ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Immigration Laws ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Transnational Migrants

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that there are over 200 million individuals worldwide living outside their countries of birth, also referred as transnational migrants. Issues concerning migration are thus at the top of political agendas around the world. As this volume goes to press, politicians in the United States are proposing reforms to the nation’s immigration laws. Since certain immigrant groups in the US do not qualify for care under the nation’s health system, from both a public health perspective and humanitarian perspective, any new immigration reform must consider questions of health service delivery and access to care for all immigrants...

Global Health Diplomacy and Management Mechanisms of US-China Public Health Collaborations in China: Lessons for Emerging Markets

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew David Brown
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Health Diplomacy ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Control And Prevention

China is the largest emerging market in the world. It is also on the front lines of health diplomacy, where the tools of diplomatic statecraft are being employed by public health professions of both the US and China to help improve the practice of public health. This article examines the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) and the US Centers for Control and Prevention (US CDC) in China, describes critical features of the Chinese health system, presents two examples of US-China collaborations, and describes common management mechanisms and strategies supporting both. This examination will help inform other global health collaborations between the US and China as well as lessons for supporting global health collaborations in other middle income countries.

scholarly journals SUN-LB6 Characterization of PCOS Among Flo App Users Around the World

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Galic ◽  
Dannielle Brown ◽  
Olivia Ruth Negris ◽  
Liudmila Zhaunova ◽  
Anna Klepchukova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World

Abstract Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common gynecological endocrine disorder associated with menstrual irregularity and androgen excess. The worldwide prevalence of PCOS among women of reproductive age ranges from 5-20%. Mobile menstrual cycle apps, such as Flo, provide an opportunity to gather data on the characteristics of PCOS in a globally representative and medically unbiased population. The objective of this study was to report PCOS symptomatology relative to country in order to better characterize PCOS and its differing phenotypes among users around the world. A questionnaire on PCOS related symptoms and previous PCOS diagnosis was available to Flo users during one month (2019). The geographical location of the user was estimated based on the IP address. Study inclusion criteria included women aged 18-44 years seeking to track their cycle or to conceive, who were not pregnant, on active contraception, or in stabilization mode after pregnancy and had Flo app running in English. All users in the study had agreed to the use of their de-identified and aggregated data for research purposes.The highest number of Flo app users who completed the PCOS questionnaire were coming from the following top 5 countries: United States (US) (n=240,732), United Kingdom (UK) (n=67,696), India (n=40,171), the Philippines (n=35,097), and Australia (n=28,946). The percentage of self-reported PCOS in these countries was 14.4% with higher percentages in India, the Philippines, and Australia (22.6%, 20.0%, 15.9, respectively) and lower in the US and UK (12.2% and 13.71%, respectively). In the US, UK, and Australia, the most common self-reported symptoms of PCOS positive women were bloating, hirsutism, and irregular cycles. In India and the Philippines, the most common symptoms of women with PCOS were bloating, baldness, and irregular cycles. Hirsutism, high glucose and high levels of both cholesterol and glucose are the three top symptoms increasing the probability of PCOS in all studied countries. The percentage of self-reported PCOS increases 3.04 times among users that reported hirsutism compared to all users that positively responded to the PCOS self-assessment question. Probability of PCOS among users that report hirsutism increases 3.85 times for Australia and 4.24 times for India. Australia and India had higher percentages of self-reported PCOS among those who reported experiencing nearly all PCOS related symptoms. Using Flo’s software, we are able to determine that geographic location has an effect on the phenotypic presentation of PCOS. Understanding the distribution of PCOS symptomology around the world will help to better characterize PCOS and improve diagnosis and treatment on both an individual and global scale.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document