scholarly journals The Outcome and Implications of Public Precautionary Measures in Taiwan–Declining Respiratory Disease Cases in the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (13) ◽  
pp. 4877 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Chia Hsieh ◽  
Chih-Hao Lin ◽  
William Yu Chung Wang ◽  
David J. Pauleen ◽  
Jengchung Victor Chen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Major Purpose ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Government

With the rapid development of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are trying to cope with increasing medical demands, and, at the same time, to reduce the increase of infected numbers by implementing a number of public health measures, namely non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). These public health measures can include social distancing, frequent handwashing, and personal protective equipment (PPE) at the personal level; at the community and the government level, these measures can range from canceling activities, avoiding mass gatherings, closing facilities, and, at the extreme, enacting national or provincial lockdowns. Rather than completely stopping the infectious disease, the major purpose of these NPIs in facing an emerging infectious disease is to reduce the contact rate within the population, and reduce the spread of the virus until the time a vaccine or reliable medications become available. The idea is to avoid a surge of patients with severe symptoms beyond the capacity of the hospitals’ medical resources, which would lead to more mortality and morbidity. While many countries have experienced steep curves in new cases, some, including Hong Kong, Vietnam, South Korea, New Zealand, and Taiwan, seem to have controlled or even eliminated the infection locally. From its first case of COVID-19 on the 21 January until the 12 May, Taiwan had 440 cases, including just 55 local infections, and seven deaths in total, representing 1.85 cases per 100,000 population and a 1.5% death rate (based on the Worldometer 2020 statistics of Taiwan’s population of 23.8 million). This paper presents evidence that spread prevention involving mass masking and universal hygiene at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a 50% decline of infectious respiratory diseases, based on historical data during the influenza season in Taiwan. These outcomes provide potential support for the effectiveness of widely implementing public health precaution measures in controlling COVID-19 without a lockdown policy.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on Food Systems and Rural Livelihoods in Tanzania – Round 1 Report

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gideon Boniface ◽  
C.G. Magomba
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Government ◽  
Local Government Officials

The first case of COVID-19 in Tanzania was confirmed in March 2020. The government immediately imposed restrictions on mass gatherings, suspended international flights and established special medical camps for COVID-19 patients. They also published guidelines and health measures to be followed by citizens and emphasised these through media and physically through local government officials located across the country.

scholarly journals Evolutionary trends of the COVID-19 epidemic and effectiveness of government interventions in Nigeria: A data-driven analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwakemi O Odukoya ◽  
Ismaila A Adeleke ◽  
Chris S Jim ◽  
Brenda C Isikekpei ◽  
Chiamaka M Obiodunukwe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Moving Average ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Moving Averages ◽  
Public Health Interventions ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Imported Case ◽  
First Case ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
The Government

SummaryBackgroundNigeria became the first sub Saharan African country to record a case of COVID-19 after an imported case from Italy was confirmed on February 27, 2020. Moving averages and the Epidemic Evaluation Indices (EEI) are two important but complementary methods useful in monitoring epidemic trends, they can also serve as a useful guide for policy makers and inform the timing of decisions on preventive measures. The objectives of this paper are to graphically depict the trends of new COVID-19 cases nationally and in two key States (Lagos and Kano) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) using the moving averages and the EEI. In addition, we examined the effects of government’s public health interventions on the spread of COVID-19 and appraise the progress made so far in addressing the challenges of COVID-19 in Nigeria.MethodsWe used data on new cases of COVID-19 from public sources released by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) from the 27th February 2020, when the first case was recorded, to 11th May, 2020, one week after the lockdowns in Lagos and the FCT were lifted. We computed moving averages of various orders, the log transformations of the moving averages and then the EEIs of new COVID-19 cases for Nigeria as a whole, and then for two of the most affected states i.e. Lagos and Kano, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Then, we plotted graphs to depict these indices and show the epidemic trends for COVID-19 in each scenario.ResultsNationally, the number of new cases of COVID-19 showed an initial gradual rise from the first reported case on the 27th February 2020. However, by the second week in April, these numbers began to show a relatively sharper increase and this trend has continued till date. Similar trends were observed in Lagos state and the FCT. The rate of growth of the logarithm-transformed moving average in the period leading to, and including the lockdowns reduced by a factor of 0.65. This suggests that the policies put in place by the government including the lockdown measures in Lagos and the FCT may have had a positive effect on the development of new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Nationally and in Lagos, the EEIs of the COVID-19 cases started off on very high notes, however, the effects of the lockdown gradually became evident by the end of April and early May 2020, as the EEIs headed closer to 1.0. In all case scenarios, the EEIs are still above 1.0.Conclusions and recommendationsThe number of new cases of COVID-19 has been on a steady rise since the first reported case. In Nigeria especially across the two states and the FCT, public health interventions including the lockdown measures appear to have played a role in reducing the rate of increase of new infections. The EEIs are still above 1.0, suggesting that despite the progress that appears to have been made, the epidemic is still evolving and Nigeria has not yet reached her peak for COVID-19 cases. We recommend that aggressive public health interventions and restrictions against mass gatherings should be sustained.

scholarly journals Controlling the COVID-19 Pandemic in Vietnam: Lessons From a Limited Resource Country

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 161-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duc Minh Duong ◽  
Vui Thi Le ◽  
Bui Thi Thu Ha
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Limited Resource ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
The Government ◽  
Operation Case

The lessons learned from Vietnam, a country that the world acclaimed for its management of the fight against COVID-19, could stand out as an example of how to do more with less. The Vietnamese government has acted swiftly at the very early stage of the pandemic with a focus on containment efforts and extensive public health measures, particularly (1) the commitment from the government with a multisectoral approach; (2) a timely, accurate, and transparent risk communication; (3) active surveillance and intensive isolation/quarantine operation, case management with tracing all new arrivals and close contact up to three clusters; and (4) suspension of flights, shutting schools, and all nonessential services.

scholarly journals Early-Stage Modelling and Forecast of COVID-19 Outbreak in Burkina Faso using a Bayesian SIR Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-156
Author(s):  
Somda S.M.A. ◽  
Dabone E.B.A. ◽  
Doulougou M. ◽  
Bationo C.S. ◽  
Galboni K.T.M.
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Bayesian Approach ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Good Prediction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The Government

In this article, we propose a Bayesian approach for estimating and predicting the magnitude of the coronavirus epidemic in Burkina Faso in its early stage. Our approach is inspired by the work of Wang et al. but adapted to the Burkinabe context. Two models are presented: a simple Bayesian SIR approach and another Bayesian SIR which takes into account the public health measures undertaken by the government of Burkina Faso. The approach was implemented at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Burkina Faso, covering the period from March 9 to April 30, 2020. The results of the analyses will allow a good prediction of COVID-19 infections and deaths in the early days of the epidemic, considering government policies.

A Control Approach to Guide Nonpharmaceutical Interventions in the Treatment of COVID-19 Disease Using a SEIHRD Dynamical Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-346
Author(s):  
Fernando Pazos ◽  
◽  
Flavia E. Felicioni ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Control Law ◽  
Parametric Uncertainties ◽  
Social Unrest ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Optimal Intensity ◽  
Nonpharmaceutical Interventions

The recent worldwide epidemic of COVID-19 disease, for which there are no medications to cure it and the vaccination is still at an early stage, led to the adoption of public health measures by governments and populations in most of the affected countries to avoid the contagion and its spread. These measures are known as nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), and their implementation clearly produces social unrest as well as greatly affects the economy. Frequently, NPIs are implemented with an intensity quantified in an ad hoc manner. Control theory offers a worthwhile tool for determining the optimal intensity of the NPIs in order to avoid the collapse of the healthcare system while keeping them as low as possible, yielding concrete guidance to policymakers. A simple controller, which generates a control law that is easy to calculate and to implement is proposed. This controller is robust to large parametric uncertainties in the model used and to some level of noncompliance with the NPIs.

scholarly journals A New Era of Epidemiology: Digital Epidemiology for Investigating the COVID-19 Outbreak in China

10.2196/21685 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. e21685
Author(s):  
Zonglin He ◽  
Casper J P Zhang ◽  
Jian Huang ◽  
Jingyan Zhai ◽  
Shuang Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Digital Epidemiology

A novel pneumonia-like coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 has swept across China and the world. Public health measures that were effective in previous infection outbreaks (eg, wearing a face mask, quarantining) were implemented in this outbreak. Available multidimensional social network data that take advantage of the recent rapid development of information and communication technologies allow for an exploration of disease spread and control via a modernized epidemiological approach. By using spatiotemporal data and real-time information, we can provide more accurate estimates of disease spread patterns related to human activities and enable more efficient responses to the outbreak. Two real cases during the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrated the application of emerging technologies and digital data in monitoring human movements related to disease spread. Although the ethical issues related to using digital epidemiology are still under debate, the cases reported in this article may enable the identification of more effective public health measures, as well as future applications of such digitally directed epidemiological approaches in controlling infectious disease outbreaks, which offer an alternative and modern outlook on addressing the long-standing challenges in population health.

scholarly journals Time Course of COVID-19 Cases in Austria

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanns Moshammer ◽  
Michael Poteser ◽  
Kathrin Lemmerer ◽  
Peter Wallner ◽  
Hans-Peter Hutter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Average Duration ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Reproduction Rate ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Major Outbreak ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a novel coronavirus, which first appeared in China in late 2019, and reached pandemic distribution in early 2020. The first major outbreak in Europe occurred in Northern Italy where it spread to neighboring countries, notably to Austria, where skiing resorts served as a main transmission hub. Soon, the Austrian government introduced strict measures to curb the spread of the virus. Using publicly available data, we assessed the efficiency of the governmental measures. We assumed an average incubation period of one week and an average duration of infectivity of 10 days. One week after the introduction of strict measures, the increase in daily new cases was reversed, and the reproduction number dropped. The crude estimates tended to overestimate the reproduction rate in the early phase. Publicly available data provide a first estimate about the effectiveness of public health measures. However, more data are needed for an unbiased assessment.

scholarly journals Response2covid19, a dataset of governments’ responses to COVID-19 all around the world

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Porcher
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Economic Decision Making ◽  
The World ◽  
Robust Evidence

AbstractFollowing the COVID-19 outbreak, governments all around the world have implemented public health and economic measures to contain the spread of the virus and to support the economy. Public health measures include domestic lockdown, school closures and bans on mass gatherings among others. Economic measures cover wage support, cash transfers, interest rates cuts, tax cuts and delays, and support to exporters or importers. This paper introduces ‘Response2covid19’, a living dataset of governments’ responses to COVID-19. The dataset codes the various policy interventions with their dates at the country-level for more than 200 countries from January 1 to October 1, 2020 and is updated every month. The production of detailed data on the measures taken by governments can help generate robust evidence to support public health and economic decision making.

scholarly journals Could nasal irrigation and oral rinse reduce the risk for COVID-19 infection?

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 205873842094175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuele Casale ◽  
Vittorio Rinaldi ◽  
Lorenzo Sabatino ◽  
Antonio Moffa ◽  
Massimo Ciccozzi
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Viral Load ◽  
Antimicrobial Agents ◽  
Nasal Irrigation ◽  
Oral Rinse ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Nasal Cavities ◽  
Oral Fluids ◽  
And Control

Public health measures are essential to protect against COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The nose and the mouth represent entry portals for the COVID 19. Saline Nasal Irrigations (SNIs) can reduce the viral load in the nasal cavities. Oral rinse with antimicrobial agents is efficacious in reducing the viral load in oral fluids. We advocate the inclusion of SNIs and ethanol oral rinses as additional measures to the current public health measures, to prevent and control the transmission of any respiratory infectious disease, including COVID-19.

scholarly journals Vietnamese Public Health Practices in the Advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Developing Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 163-164
Author(s):  
Jeconiah Louis Dreisbach
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents a great challenge to developing countries with limited access to public health measures in grassroots communities. The World Health Organization lauded the Vietnamese government for its proactive and steady investment in health facilities that mitigate the risk of the infectious disease in Vietnam. This short communication presents cases that could benchmark public health policies in developing countries.

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