scholarly journals Use of Internet data to track Chinese behavior and interest in COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tengteng Wang ◽  
XIude Chen ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Xunbo Jin

Background: During the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) outbreak, the internet became the main channel for the public to access all kinds of information. Through search engines and other media, people can aquire information about the epidemic situation in real time. Baidu, currently the top online search tool in China, has developed an internet search trends gathering and analysis tool called Baidu Index. The aim of this study was to understand the public’s focus on the epidemic and their most pressing needs through analysis of the Chinese internet usage during the first month of the outbreak, which was also the most severe period. Method: The data period selected was from January 23, 2020 to February 22, 2020. Through Baidu index, we identified hot search terms related to COVID-19 which were grouped into four categories. Searching trend analysis was obtained depicting the quantities with which each category was searched. Next, we selected the category with the highest search volume, and obtained data regarding geographic and demographic characteristics. Finally, we explored Wuhan residents’ interest in COVID-19 by tracking their online seeking behavior. Results: The public was most concerned about news of "latest developments of epidemic". The remaining categories in descending order of attention received were "basic information of disease", "extended information" and "diagnosis and treatment of the novel coronavirus pneumonia". The mobile search volume was dominant. People searching for "latest developments of epidemic" mostly came from economically developed regions with a large floating population. The group with the maximum concern were men aged 20-49. The most searched terms by Wuhan residents were "how to use a thermometer", "n95 mask", "testing kit" and "nucleic acid testing". Conclusion: Through big data from internet, we can accurately understand public concerns and needs during the epidemic. If this data is used in media coverage, public health policy decision-making, and personal epidemic prevention education, it will certainly play an important role. Other countries and regions in the early stages of the epidemic can also benefit from China's experience.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 462-468
Author(s):  
Latika kothari ◽  
Sanskruti Wadatkar ◽  
Roshni Taori ◽  
Pavan Bajaj ◽  
Diksha Agrawal

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a communicable infection caused by the novel coronavirus resulting in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV). It was recognized to be a health crisis for the general population of international concern on 30th January 2020 and conceded as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. India is taking various measures to fight this invisible enemy by adopting different strategies and policies. To stop the COVID-19 from spreading, the Home Affairs Ministry and the health ministry, of India, has issued the nCoV 19 guidelines on travel. Screening for COVID-19 by asking questions about any symptoms, recent travel history, and exposure. India has been trying to get testing kits available. The government of India has enforced various laws like the social distancing, Janata curfew, strict lockdowns, screening door to door to control the spread of novel coronavirus. In this pandemic, innovative medical treatments are being explored, and a proper vaccine is being hunted to deal with the situation. Infection control measures are necessary to prevent the virus from further spreading and to help control the current situation. Thus, this review illustrates and explains the criteria provided by the government of India to the awareness of the public to prevent the spread of COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Maksim Leonidovich Maksimov ◽  
Albina Ayratovna Zvegintseva ◽  
Lyudmila Yurievna Kulagina ◽  
Albina Zainutdinovna Nigmedzyanova ◽  
Elvina Ramisovna Kadyseva

A review article is based on current foreign sources. The level of cytokines in the peripheral blood can be increased in many diseases, but in some cases there may be an excess of their normal concentration in tens, hundreds or more times with the development of a peculiar clinical picture, which is based on a systemic inflammatory reaction. In the literature this condition has received the figurative name «cytokine storm», which highlights an extremely violent reaction of the immune system with an unknown (often unfavorable) outcome. Close attention of the scientific world and the public to the problem of extremely high levels of cytokines in the peripheral blood (hypercytokinemia) was drawn due to the high frequency of the cytokine storm in the novel coronavirus infection.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0260399
Author(s):  
Perla Werner ◽  
Aviad Tur-Sinai

Efforts to control the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic include drastic measures such as isolation, social distancing, and lockdown. These restrictions are accompanied by serious adverse consequences such as forgoing of healthcare. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and correlates of forgone care for a variety of healthcare services during a two-month COVID-19 lockdown, using Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Healthcare Utilization. A cross-sectional study using computerized phone interviews was conducted with 302 Israeli Jewish participants aged 40 and above. Almost half of the participants (49%) reported a delay in seeking help for at least one needed healthcare service during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Among the predisposing factors, we found that participants aged 60+, being more religious, and reporting higher levels of COVID-19 fear were more likely to report forgone care than younger, less religious and less concerned participants. Among need factors, a statistically significant association was found with a reported diagnosis of diabetes, with participants with the disease having a considerably higher likelihood of forgone care. The findings stress the importance of developing interventions aimed at mitigating the phenomenon of forgoing care while creating nonconventional ways of consuming healthcare services. In the short term, healthcare services need to adapt to the social distancing and isolation measures required to stanch the epidemic. In the long term, policymakers should consider alternative ways of delivering healthcare services to the public regularly and during crisis without losing sight of their budgetary consequences. They must recognize the possibility of having to align medical staff to the changing demand for healthcare services under conditions of health uncertainty.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-32
Author(s):  
Nagisa Moritoki Škof

Addresses made by heads of government reflect their views and opinions. This article presents a quantitative content analysis of public addresses made by heads of government of the five countries, namely Japan, the USA, New Zealand, Germany, and Slovenia, which were done in response to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19). Word frequency analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to identify the content specifics of these addresses.  The comparative analysis of speeches concerning the novel coronavirus enables us to determine how these addresses reflect the speakers’ perspectives and political orientation and what they attempted to convey to the public.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492110587
Author(s):  
Andrew D. Redd ◽  
Lauren S. Peetluk ◽  
Brooke A. Jarrett ◽  
Colleen Hanrahan ◽  
Sheree Schwartz ◽  
...  

The public health crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a deluge of scientific research aimed at informing the public health and medical response to the pandemic. However, early in the pandemic, those working in frontline public health and clinical care had insufficient time to parse the rapidly evolving evidence and use it for decision-making. Academics in public health and medicine were well-placed to translate the evidence for use by frontline clinicians and public health practitioners. The Novel Coronavirus Research Compendium (NCRC), a group of >60 faculty and trainees across the United States, formed in March 2020 with the goal to quickly triage and review the large volume of preprints and peer-reviewed publications on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 and summarize the most important, novel evidence to inform pandemic response. From April 6 through December 31, 2020, NCRC teams screened 54 192 peer-reviewed articles and preprints, of which 527 were selected for review and uploaded to the NCRC website for public consumption. Most articles were peer-reviewed publications (n = 395, 75.0%), published in 102 journals; 25.1% (n = 132) of articles reviewed were preprints. The NCRC is a successful model of how academics translate scientific knowledge for practitioners and help build capacity for this work among students. This approach could be used for health problems beyond COVID-19, but the effort is resource intensive and may not be sustainable in the long term.


European View ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-163
Author(s):  
Nad’a Kovalčíková ◽  
Ariane Tabatabai

As governments and citizens around the world have struggled with the novel coronavirus, the information space has turned into a battleground. Authoritarian countries, including Russia, China and Iran, have spread disinformation on the causes of and responses to the pandemic. The over-abundance of information, also referred to as an ‘infodemic’, including manipulated information, has been both a cause and a result of the exacerbation of the public health crisis. It is further undermining trust in democratic institutions, the independent press, and facts and data, and exacerbating the rising tensions driven by economic, political and societal challenges. This article discusses the challenges democracies have faced and the measures they have adopted to counter information manipulation that impedes public health efforts. It draws seven lessons learned from the information war and offers a set of recommendations on tackling future infodemics related to public health.


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