scholarly journals Public Health Guidance and Research Strategies to Combat the Next COVID Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Reed Cooper ◽  
Mark Crowder
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Political Commentary ◽  
Novel Virus ◽  
Prevention Methods ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Health Experts

COVID-19 has severely disrupted the lives of many with respect to health, economic security, and social behaviors. By analyzing the U.S. response to COVID-19, strategies for dealing with the next pandemic can be established. Analyses on the politicization of science reveal the ineffectiveness of political commentary in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, as seen through heterogenous behavioral patterns throughout the U.S. in regard to pandemic prevention measures, such as social distancing. Economic data reveal the importance of financially prioritizing small businesses over large ones and how to ensure individuals are motivated to return to work. The mask mandate was not widely respected throughout the U.S. and was a primary reason for the pandemic's prolonged effects. Due to a lack of trust in the leading health experts, non-pharmaceutical prevention methods were not as effective as they could have been. By analyzing vaccine data, it is clear that pharmaceuticals can and should be developed prior to the next pandemic. Based on the principle of cross-immunity, vaccines that incorporate genomic similarities between virus groups can be researched and administered, which will theoretically reduce the immune system’s reaction to the next novel virus. Overall, the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic had effective and ineffective components. By studying public health procedures and results from this pandemic, recommendations can be made to improve the response to the next pandemic. 

scholarly journals “My Husband Thinks I’m Crazy”: COVID-19-Related Conflict in Couples with Young Children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica McCrory Calarco ◽  
Emily Victoria Meanwell ◽  
Elizabeth Anderson ◽  
Amelia Knopf
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Paid Work ◽  
Health Decision Making ◽  
Health Decision ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
The U.S

Objective: We examine how disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic are creating conflicts for couples with young children. Background: National polls suggest that COVID-19 has led to increased conflict for couples in the U.S. Although scholars have not examined the source of these new conflicts, pre-pandemic research suggests that pandemic-related disruptions may create conflicts around paid work and parenting, economic security, politics, and health decision-making. Method: This study uses the Pandemic Parenting Study, a mixed-methods study of Southern Indiana mothers, conducted April-May 2020, and involving surveys (N=139), diary entries (N=104), and in-depth interviews (N=65). We examine mothers’ reports of pandemic-related changes in their frustrations with their partners and how those changes vary with the disruptions couples have experienced during the pandemic. We then use qualitative data to understand how pandemic-related disruptions are generating conflicts for couples and what consequences those conflicts have.Results: A substantial minority of mothers (39%) report pandemic-related increases in their frustrations with their partners. These frustrations are particularly common among mothers whose partners are (reportedly) providing insufficient support with pandemic parenting or dismissing mothers’ concerns about COVID-19. Mothers blame themselves for these conflicts and feel responsible for reducing them, including by leaving the workforce, beginning use of antidepressants, or ignoring their own concerns about COVID-19.Conclusion: The pandemic has exacerbated longstanding sources of conflict (related to partners’ insufficient support with parenting) and created new sources of conflict (related to partners’ dismissals of mothers’ concerns about COVID-19), with serious implications for mothers, families, and public health.

SARS-CoV-2 Biochemistry, Transmission, Clinical Manifestations, and Prevention

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-311
Author(s):  
Gundu H. R. Rao
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
World Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The Us ◽  
Novel Virus ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Experts

The first human case of COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus, was reported by health officials in the city of Wuhan, China, in December of 2019. The virus was identified as a novel coronavirus in early January 2020, and its genetic sequence was shared publicly on January 11, 2020. The novel virus, previously called 2019-novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is currently designated as the severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). On January 23, Wuhan was locked down, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a “public health emergency of international concern.” The viral genome of SARS-CoV-2 is around 29.8 kilobase, containing six major open reading frames. The most common clinical symptoms were fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, dyspnea, muscle ache, headache, chest pain, vomiting, sore throat, and sputum production. The main mode of transmission is through respiratory particles. The incubation period is 3 to 7 days. Both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients seem to be infectious. Spike (S) proteins of SARS-CoV-2 seem to have a 10- to 20-fold higher affinity to the human angiotensin enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor than that of SARS-CoV. The high affinity of S protein to theACE2 receptor, and the additional advantages offered by the transfection facilitators Furin and Neutropilin-1, likely, contributes to the rapid spreading of this novel virus. Since these receptors are highly expressed on a variety of cells, including vascular endothelial cells and adipose tissue, individuals with compromised function of these tissues drive greater infection and severity in patients with COVID-19. Global health experts estimate that one in five individuals worldwide could be at risk for severe COVID-19, due to underlying health conditions. There is a great need for a rapid, specific, cost-effective test for monitoring the infected individuals. Even though a 15- minute, antigen test was made available by Abbott recently, it seems that the schools, colleges, and business establishments lack the ability to use these tests effectively to keep their businesses open safely. Management of the infected individuals seems to be based on clinical symptoms that manifest as the disease progresses. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), has created a special emergency program for possible therapies, the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program (CTAP). The program uses every available method to move new and emerging treatments as quickly as possible, keeping in mind the safety and efficacy of such therapies. According to the WHO report, there are currently more than 150 COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development. Several vaccines are in Phase 3 clinical trials. In an unprecedented effort, one of the experimental monoclonal antibody cocktails of Regeneron was used for therapeutic purposes when the US president was tested positive for COVID-19. There are no drugs or other therapeutics approved by the US FDA to prevent or treat COVID-19. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have published interim guidelines for the medical management of COVID-19. In the absence of a cure, the only choice we all have is to follow the best practices recommended by the public health experts—use of face masks (coverings), frequent hand washing with soap, contact tracing of infected individuals, and quarantining COVID-19 positive individuals, till they are free of the highly infectious virus.

scholarly journals Do COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory Beliefs Form a Monological Belief System?

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne M. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Belief System ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
School Life ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Home Work ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Health Experts

Along with criticisms of the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruptions to home, work, and school life resulting from social distancing orders recommended by public health experts, as well as the uncertainty about how long the disruptions will be necessary and when (if ever) we will have a vaccine, have come COVID-19 conspiracy theories (CTs).

scholarly journals Emerging Health Security Threats and Impact of Bioterrorism on the U.S. National Security

2020 ◽  
Vol V (I) ◽  
pp. 94-103
Author(s):  
Rubina Ali ◽  
Inamullah Jan ◽  
Muhammad Shoaib Malik
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
National Security ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Deliberate Release ◽  
The U.S

Bioterrorism fear increases after the deliberate release of biological agents at the end of the twentieth century. Letters containing anthrax powder were posted through the U.S. postal system which produces fear among the population. The anthrax assaults after 9/11 made the nation conscious that the public health system is ill-prepared to administer a large-scale emergency. Bioterrorism issue is associated with the deliberate spreading of dangerous diseases thus how comprehensive bioterrorism prevention measures should be taken. Hence, the emergence of bioterrorism has enforced the US administration to transform its national security policy against nontraditional threats. The article shows how bioterror remains a credible threat and poses substantial challenges to the U.S. public health system. Additionally, analysis reveals how resilient public health infrastructure is dominant not only to shielding and enhancing the publics health security but also crucial for the nations security.

scholarly journals Partisan polarization and resistance to elite messages: Results from survey experiments on social distancing

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syon P. Bhanot ◽  
Daniel J. Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Online Surveys ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Partisan Polarization ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
Party Decline ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Health Experts

COVID-19 compelled government officials in the U.S. and elsewhere to institute social distancing policies, shuttering much of the economy. At a time of low trust and high polarization, Americans may only support such disruptive policies when recommended by same-party politicians. A related concern is that some may resist advice from “elite” sources such as government officials or public health experts. We test these possibilities using novel data from two online surveys with embedded experiments conducted with approximately 2,000 Pennsylvania residents each, in spring 2020 (Study 1 in April and Study 2 in May-June). We uncover partisan differences in views on several coronavirus-related policies, which grew larger between surveys. Yet overall, Study 1 respondents report strong support for social distancing policies and high trust in medical experts. Moreover, an experiment in Study 1 finds no evidence of reduced support for social distancing policies when advocated by elites, broadly defined. A second experiment in Study 2 finds no backlash for a policy described as being backed by public health experts, but a cross-party decline in support for the same policy when backed by government officials. This suggests that, in polarized times, public health experts might be better advocates for collectively beneficial public policies during public health crises than government officials.

scholarly journals How Right-Leaning Media Coverage of COVID-19 Facilitated the Spread of Misinformation in the Early Stages of the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Motta ◽  
Dominik Stecula ◽  
Christina E. Farhart
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Health Consequences ◽  
Fox News ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Automated Content Analysis ◽  
Pandemic Response ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Health Experts

In recent weeks, several academic and journalistic outlets have documented widespread misinformation about the origins and potential treatment for COVID-19. This misinformation could have important public health consequences if misinformed people are less likely to heed the advice of public health experts. While some have anecdotally tied the prevalence of misinformation to misleading or inaccurate media coverage of the pandemic in its early stages, few have rigorously tested this claim empirically. In this paper, we report the results of an automated content analysis showing that right-leaning news outlets (e.g., Fox News, Breitbart) were more than 2.5 times more likely than mainstream outlets to discuss COVID-19 misinformation during the early stages of the U.S. pandemic response. In a nationally representative survey (N = 8,914) conducted from 3/10-3/16, we then show that people who consumed more right-leaning news during this timeframe were more than twice as likely to endorse COVID-related misinformation. Alarmingly, survey data further suggest that misinformation endorsement has negative public health consequences, as misinformed people are more likely to believe that the CDC is exaggerating COVID-related health risks.

ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF СOVID-19, SARS-COV-2 VIRUS AND THE DISEASE

2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (6) ◽  
pp. 15-31
Author(s):  
A.A. Korenkova ◽  
◽  
E.M. Mayorova ◽  
V.V. Bahmetjev ◽  
M.V. Tretyak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Significant Problem ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Optimal Therapy ◽  
The World ◽  
Public Health Challenge ◽  
Coronavirus Infection

The new coronavirus infection has posed a major public health challenge around the world, but new data on the disease raises more questions than answers. The lack of optimal therapy is a significant problem. The article examines the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the pathogenesis of COVID-19, special attention is paid to features of pathological processes and immune responses in children. COVID-19 leads to a wide diversity of negative outcomes, many of which can persist for at least months. Many of the consequences have yet to be identified. SARS-CoV-2 may provoke autoimmune reactions. Reinfection, herd immunity, vaccines and other prevention measures are also discussed in this review.

HIV

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Sharfstein
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Research Process ◽  
National Institutes Of Health ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Act Up ◽  
The U.S

The emergence of AIDS in the early 1980s caused a profound crisis for federal health agencies, particularly the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Activists in ACT UP, charging that these agencies were failing patients with AIDS, initiated a series of escalating protests. NIH officials, led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, began to talk with the advocates and make major changes in the research process. However, over at the FDA, a protest involving the arrest of hundreds of AIDS activists undermined the agency’s public health image. Eventually, under a new commissioner, the FDA earned back the trust of activists.

scholarly journals A Panel Evaluation of the Changes in the General Public’s Social-Media-Following of United States’ Public Health Departments during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272199545
Author(s):  
Areej Khokhar ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Zuhair Niazi ◽  
Sikander Ailawadhi ◽  
Rami Manochakian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
The Social ◽  
The U.S

Importance: Social media is widely used by various segments of society. Its role as a tool of communication by the Public Health Departments in the U.S. remains unknown. Objective: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media following of the Public Health Departments of the 50 States of the U.S. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were collected by visiting the Public Health Department web page for each social media platform. State-level demographics were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention was utilized to collect information regarding the Governance of each State’s Public Health Department. Health rankings were collected from “America’s Health Rankings” 2019 Annual report from the United Health Foundation. The U.S. News and World Report Education Rankings were utilized to provide information regarding the public education of each State. Exposure: Data were pulled on 3 separate dates: first on March 5th (baseline and pre-national emergency declaration (NED) for COVID-19), March 18th (week following NED), and March 25th (2 weeks after NED). In addition, a variable identifying the total change across platforms was also created. All data were collected at the State level. Main Outcome: Overall, the social media following of the state Public Health Departments was very low. There was a significant increase in the public interest in following the Public Health Departments during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: With the declaration of National Emergency, there was a 150% increase in overall public following of the State Public Health Departments in the U.S. The increase was most noted in the Midwest and South regions of the U.S. The overall following in the pandemic “hotspots,” such as New York, California, and Florida, was significantly lower. Interesting correlations were noted between various demographic variables, health, and education ranking of the States and the social media following of their Health Departments. Conclusion and Relevance: Social media following of Public Health Departments across all States of the U.S. was very low. Though, the social media following significantly increased during the early course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it still remains low. Significant opportunity exists for Public Health Departments to improve social media use to engage the public better.

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