Towards psychological herd immunity: Cross-cultural evidence for two prebunking interventions against COVID-19 misinformation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Roozenbeek ◽  
Sarah Dryhurst
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Effect Size ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cultural Contexts ◽  
Societal Challenge ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

<p>Misinformation about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pressing societal challenge. Across two studies, one preregistered (n = 1,771 and n = 1,777), we assess the efficacy of two “prebunking” interventions aimed at improving people’s ability to spot manipulation techniques commonly used in COVID-19 misinformation, across three different cultural contexts (English, French, and German). We find that Go Viral!, a novel 5-minute “prebunking” browser game, (a) increases the perceived manipulativeness of misinformation about COVID-19, (b) improves people’s confidence in their ability to spot misinformation, and (c) reduces self-reported willingness to share misinformation with others. The first two effects remain significant for at least one week after gameplay. We also find that reading real-world infographics from UNESCO improve people’s ability and confidence in spotting COVID-19 misinformation (albeit with a smaller effect size than the game). </p>

scholarly journals Towards psychological herd immunity: Cross-cultural evidence for two prebunking interventions against COVID-19 misinformation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 205395172110138
Author(s):  
Melisa Basol ◽  
Jon Roozenbeek ◽  
Manon Berriche ◽  
Fatih Uenal ◽  
William P. McClanahan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fake News ◽  
Societal Challenge ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Misinformation about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a pressing societal challenge. Across two studies, one preregistered ( n1 = 1771 and n2 = 1777), we assess the efficacy of two ‘prebunking’ interventions aimed at improving people’s ability to spot manipulation techniques commonly used in COVID-19 misinformation across three different languages (English, French and German). We find that Go Viral!, a novel five-minute browser game, (a) increases the perceived manipulativeness of misinformation about COVID-19, (b) improves people’s attitudinal certainty (confidence) in their ability to spot misinformation and (c) reduces self-reported willingness to share misinformation with others. The first two effects remain significant for at least one week after gameplay. We also find that reading real-world infographics from UNESCO improves people’s ability and confidence in spotting COVID-19 misinformation (albeit with descriptively smaller effect sizes than the game). Limitations and implications for fake news interventions are discussed.

scholarly journals Assessment of Anti-SARS CoV-2 seroprevalence in habitants of Assam (AASSHA): report of the first serosurvey in Assam

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 2490
Author(s):  
Jyotismita Pathak ◽  
Mridusmita Das ◽  
Khalil Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Background: Today, there is a pressing need to identify the proportion of people immune to the infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) so that public health policies can be formulated accordingly for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping this in mind, we designed a serosurvey in Assam with aims to estimate the prevalence of infection as well as the infection to case ratio of the novel coronavirus in Assam.Methods: A total of 9 districts belonging to three different strata of districts were randomly selected for the study. In these selected districts, blood samples were collected from a sample of population and were checked for the antibodies (IgG type). Those testing reactive for the mentioned antibodies were considered to have been infected ever before the onset of the study.Results: A total of 2390 study subjects were tested for the presence of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2. The proportion of people harboring antibodies against the infection was found to be 23.7 percent.Conclusions: The serosurvey revealed that the proportion of people having antibodies was lower than that required for attaining herd immunity levels in a population. The case to infection ratios reveal that there is a large chunk of population who didn’t know about their infection.

scholarly journals Impact of Vaccination on the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from U.S. States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Chen ◽  
Hanwei Huang ◽  
Jiandong Ju ◽  
Ruoyan Sun ◽  
Jialiang Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Sir Model ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Vaccination Programs ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Governments worldwide are implementing mass vaccination programs in an effort to end the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccination program and predicted the path to herd immunity in the U.S. We estimated that vaccination reduced the total number of new cases by 4.4 million (from 33.0 to 28.6 million), prevented approximately 0.12 million hospitalizations (from 0.89 to 0.78 million), and decreased the population infection rate by 1.34 percentage points (from 10.10–8.76%). We built a Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model with vaccination to predict herd immunity. Our model predicts that the U.S. can achieve herd immunity by the last week of July 2021, with a cumulative vaccination coverage of 60.2%. Herd immunity could be achieved earlier with a faster vaccination pace, lower vaccine hesitancy, and higher vaccine effectiveness. These findings improve our understanding of the COVID-19 vaccination and can inform future public health policies.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies in Poznań, Poland, after the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 541
Author(s):  
Dagny Lorent ◽  
Rafal Nowak ◽  
Carolina Roxo ◽  
Elzbieta Lenartowicz ◽  
Aleksandra Makarewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

In comparison to other European countries, during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Poland reported a relatively low number of confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. To estimate the scale of the pandemic in Poland, a serosurvey of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was performed after the first wave of COVID-19 in Europe (March–May 2020). Within this study, we collected samples from 28 July to 24 September 2020 and, based on the ELISA results, we found that 1.67% (25/1500, 95% CI 1.13–2.45) of the Poznan (Poland) metropolitan area’s population had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after the first wave of COVID-19. However, the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies was confirmed with immunoblotting in 56% (14/25) samples, which finally resulted in a decrease in seroprevalence, i.e., 0.93% (14/1500, 95% CI 0.56–1.56). The positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG results were associated with age, occupation involving constant contact with people, travelling abroad, non-compliance with epidemiological recommendations and direct contact with the novel coronavirus. Our findings confirm the low SARS-CoV-2 incidence in Poland and imply that the population had little herd immunity heading into the second and third wave of the pandemic, and therefore, that herd immunity contributed little to preventing the high numbers of SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19-related deaths in Poland during these subsequent waves.

scholarly journals Invincibility threatens vaccination intentions during a pandemic

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258432
Author(s):  
James M. Leonhardt ◽  
Garret Ridinger ◽  
Yu Rong ◽  
Amir Talaei-Khoe
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Cultural Factors ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Personal Risk ◽  
Preventative Health ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Level Analysis

Some people feel they are invincible to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). They believe that being infected with COVID-19 would not be a serious threat to their health. While these people may or may not be correct in their personal risk assessment, we find that such perceived invincibility may undermine community efforts to achieve herd immunity. Multi-level analysis of survey respondents across 51 countries finds that perceived invincibility from COVID-19 is negatively associated with believing there is a need to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in one’s community (n = 218,956) and one’s willingness to inoculate against the disease (n = 71,148). These effects are most pronounced among individuals from countries lower in cultural collectivism (e.g., USA, UK, Canada) and highlight the need to consider the interplay of individual and cultural factors in our efforts to understand, predict, and promote preventative health behavior during a pandemic.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in Moscow: prognoses and scenarios

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. Tamm
Keyword(s):  
Critically Ill ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Published Data ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Epidemic Control ◽  
Slow Development ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Aim: to present a mathematical model of the development of COVID-19 in Moscow along with the analysis of some scenarios of epidemic control and possible epidemic consequences.Materials and Methods. The modeling of the epidemics was based on the extended SEIR model proposed lately in the group of Prof. R. Neher and realized as a freely available software program. The authors based the choice of the parameters of modeling on published data on the epidemiological properties of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and open access data on the registered cases of COVID-19 in Moscow for 8-27 March 2020.Results. Five potential scenarios of the development of COVID-19 epidemics are studied. The scenarios are differed by the levels of the control measures: Null Scenario corresponded to the lack of protective measures, Scenario A – mild measures of the epidemic control (closing of schools and universities, recommendations for senior citizens to stay inside), Scenario B – medium level of control (closing of all public places, recommendation for the citizens to stay inside), Scenarios C and D – complete lockdown (from the beginning of May 2020 within Scenario C and from the beginning of April 2020 within Scenario D). It was shown that within the Null Scenario, the lethality from the novel coronavirus in Moscow will exceed 100 thousand people, and the number of critically ill patients on the peak of the epidemics will exceed the capacities of the system of healthcare. Scenarios A and B did not provide for a radical decrease in the fatality rate, and the number of critically ill patients at the peak of epidemics will still exceed the capacities of the system of healthcare. Besides, within Scenario B, the epidemics will last for more than a year. Scenarios C and D will allow for the control of epidemics and a significant decrease in the rate of letha lity (by 30 and 400 times, respectively). At the same time, these two scenarios prevent the population from developing herd immunity, which would result in the population susceptibility to repeated epidemics outbreaks. Conclusion. The scenarios intended for the slow development of herd immunity in the conditions of epidemic control would not bring sufficient results: the lethality would remain unacceptably high, the capacities of the system of healthcare would be overloaded, and the time of limiting measures would be unacceptably long. Such measures as complete lockdown would stop the present epidemics. The earlier they are introduced, the more efficient will be the results. To prevent further repeated outbreaks of the epidemics, it is necessary to establish a system of available, quick, and efficient testing in combination with point isolation of the infected patients and their contacts. 

scholarly journals What Happens to the Immune System after Vaccination or Recovery from COVID-19?

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1152
Author(s):  
Bruna T. Tiyo ◽  
Gabriela J. H. Schmitz ◽  
Marina M. Ortega ◽  
Laís T. da Silva ◽  
Alexandre de Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Human Immune System ◽  
Disease Treatment ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Virus Exposure ◽  
Review Reports ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Due to its leading role in fighting infections, the human immune system has been the focus of many studies in the context of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In a worldwide effort, the scientific community has transitioned from reporting about the effects of the novel coronavirus on the human body in the early days of the pandemic to exploring the body’s many immunopathological and immunoprotecting properties that have improved disease treatment and enabled the development of vaccines. The aim of this review is to explain what happens to the immune system after recovery from COVID-19 and/or vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease. We detail the way in which the immune system responds to a SARS-CoV-2 infection, including innate and adaptive measures. Then, we describe the role of vaccination, the main types of COVID-19 vaccines and how they protect us. Further, we explain the reason why immunity after COVID-19 infection plus a vaccination appears to induce a stronger response compared with virus exposure alone. Additionally, this review reports some correlates of protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection. In conclusion, we reinforce that vaccination is safe and important in achieving herd immunity.

Who Do You Trust? The Consequences of Partisanship and Trust for Public Responsiveness to COVID-19 Orders

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Daniel A. N. Goldstein ◽  
Johannes Wiedemann
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Behavioral Measure ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Difference In Differences ◽  
Heterogeneous Effects ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Roll Out

Non-uniform compliance with public policy by citizens can undermine the effectiveness of government, particularly during crises. Mitigation policies intended to combat the novel coronavirus offer a real-world measure of citizen compliance, allowing us to examine the determinants of asymmetrical responsiveness. Analyzing county-level cellphone data, we leverage staggered roll-out to estimate the causal effect of stay-at-home orders on mobility using a difference-in-differences strategy. We find movement is significantly curtailed, and examination of descriptive heterogeneous effects suggests the key roles that partisanship and trust play in producing irregular compliance. We find that Republican-leaning counties comply less than Democratic-leaning ones, which we argue underlines the importance of trust in science and acceptance of large-scale government policies for compliance. However, this partisan compliance gap shrinks when directives are given by Republican leaders, suggesting citizens are more trusting of co-partisan leaders. Furthermore, we find that higher levels of social trust increase compliance; yet these gains attenuate or intensify depending upon community-level partisan sentiments. Our study provides a real-world, behavioral measure that demonstrates the influence of partisanship, social trust, and their interaction on citizen welfare. Finally, we argue that our results speak to how trust in government may impact successful containment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Unraveling COVID-19: a large-scale characterization of 4.5 million COVID-19 cases using CHARYBDIS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Prieto-Alhambra ◽  
Kristin Kostka ◽  
Talita Duarte-Salles ◽  
Albert Prats-Uribe ◽  
Anthony Sena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Great Utility ◽  
Scale Characterization ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background: Routinely collected real world data (RWD) have great utility in aiding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic response [1,2]. Here we present the international Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) [3] Characterizing Health Associated Risks, and Your Baseline Disease In SARS-COV-2 (CHARYBDIS) framework for standardisation and analysis of COVID-19 RWD.Methods: We conducted a descriptive cohort study using a federated network of data partners in the United States, Europe (the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Germany, France and Italy) and Asia (South Korea and China). The study protocol and analytical package were released on 11th June 2020 and are iteratively updated via GitHub [4]. Findings: We identified three non-mutually exclusive cohorts of 4,537,153 individuals with a clinical COVID-19 diagnosis or positive test, 886,193 hospitalized with COVID-19, and 113,627 hospitalized with COVID-19 requiring intensive services. All comorbidities, symptoms, medications, and outcomes are described by cohort in aggregate counts, and are available in an interactive website: https://data.ohdsi.org/Covid19CharacterizationCharybdis/. Interpretation: CHARYBDIS findings provide benchmarks that contribute to our understanding of COVID-19 progression, management and evolution over time. This can enable timely assessment of real-world outcomes of preventative and therapeutic options as they are introduced in clinical practice.

scholarly journals Estimating the Number of Infected by COVID-19 in Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro H.P. Cintra ◽  
Felipe N. Fontinele
Keyword(s):  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Seir Model ◽  
The Real ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Italy suffered heavily with the new pandemic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Given the low number of tests performed on the early stages of the outbreak, Italy lost track of most of infections. We use a modified SEIR model to reconstruct the most realistic infection curve using the hospitalization curve of the registered data. Using this method we estimated that, by the end of the first infection wave, about 3-4% of the population will have been infected by the virus. Following the same process, the number of deaths is projected to be between 100000 to 115000. We also find a significant correlation between the number of tests performed, the fraction of undocumented infections and the rate of change dI/dt of the real infection curve. We conclude that herd immunity is not enough to contain further spread of the disease inside the country.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document