scholarly journals ‘Lessons from the Front-Line’ Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Mohamed Buheji ◽  
Dunya Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Performance Review ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Knowledge Share ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Right ◽  
Time Limitations

There has been great learning accumulated within the national and the international healthcare workers and COVID-19 pandemic risk mitigation professionals that are at the front line, facing the disease from different positions and at throughout its various stages. This paper aims to explore the type of learning and knowledge assets from all the multidiscipline perspectives through the observations capture by the front liners. The context deployed in this paper led to selecting different disciplines at the front-line with the pandemic in the WHO-EMRO region.While there have been many publications relevant to the different experiences faced by the healthcare staff with the disease, the implication of this study is that it provides a holistic approach of the type of accumulated learning that could be achieved if all the disciplines involved integrate their knowledge, share it and then re-capture it in one setting in the form of guidelines or protocols.Many of the learning could be a source for future initiatives and projects that would lead to strengthening the preparedness of the health systems, both regionally and globally. A framework is suggested for future collection of the lesson learned by the front line stakeholders to ensure the flow of the knowledge within the community at the right time. Limitations of the paper are discussed along with recommendations for further studies. The paper could be an excellent reference to WHO and public health authorities practices and performance review in relevant to the COVID-9 or similar public emergencies.

scholarly journals Assessment of Environmental and Occupational Risk Factors for the Mitigation and Containment of a COVID-19 Outbreak in a Meat Processing Plant

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Walshe ◽  
Meheal Fennelly ◽  
Stig Hellebust ◽  
John Wenger ◽  
John Sodeau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Meat Processing ◽  
Occupational Risk Factors ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, meat processing plants have been vulnerable to outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Transmission of the virus is difficult to control in these settings because of a combination of factors including environmental conditions and the specific nature of the work. This paper describes a retrospective outbreak investigation in a meat processing plant, a description of the measures taken to prevent or contain further outbreaks, and insights on how those with specific knowledge of the working environment of these plants can collaborate with public health authorities to ensure optimal outbreak control. The plant experienced 111 confirmed positive asymptomatic cases in total with an estimated attack rate of 38% during a five-week period. Four weeks after the first case, mass screening of all workers was conducted by the public health authorities. Thirty-two workers tested positive, of which 16 (50%) worked in one particular area of the plant, the boning hall (n=60). The research team prepared and carried out semi-structured interviews with the plant personnel who were charged with COVID control within the plant. They carried out assessments of operational risk factors and also undertook air quality monitoring in the boning hall and abattoir. The air quality measurements in the boning hall showed a gradual build-up of carbon dioxide and aerosol particles over the course of a work shift, confirming that this poorly ventilated area of the plant had an environment that was highly favourable for aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Assessment of operational conditions incorporated visual surveys of the plant during the working day. Prior to and during the first two weeks of the outbreak, multiple measures were introduced into the plant by management, including physical distancing, provision of educational material to workers, visitor restrictions, and environmental monitoring. After the implementation of these measures and their progressive refinement by plant management, the factory has not had any further linked cases (clusters) or outbreaks to date. The tailored approach to risk mitigation adopted in this meat processing plant shows that generic risk mitigation measures, as recommended by public health authorities, can be successfully adapted and optimized by designated plant emergency response teams.

scholarly journals Assessment of Environmental and Occupational Risk Factors for the Mitigation and Containment of a COVID-19 Outbreak in a Meat Processing Plant

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Walshe ◽  
Mehael Fennelly ◽  
Stig Hellebust ◽  
John Wenger ◽  
John Sodeau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Meat Processing ◽  
Occupational Risk Factors ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, meat processing plants have been vulnerable to outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Transmission of the virus is difficult to control in these settings because of a combination of factors including environmental conditions and the specific nature of the work. This paper describes a retrospective outbreak investigation in a meat processing plant, a description of the measures taken to prevent or contain further outbreaks, and insights on how those with specific knowledge of the working environment of these plants can collaborate with public health authorities to ensure optimal outbreak control. The plant experienced 111 confirmed positive asymptomatic cases in total with an estimated attack rate of 38% during a five-week period. 4 weeks after the first case, mass screening of all workers was conducted by the public health authorities. Thirty-two workers tested positive, of which 16 (50%) worked in one particular area of the plant, the boning hall (n = 60). The research team prepared and carried out semi-structured interviews with the plant personnel who were charged with COVID control within the plant. They carried out assessments of operational risk factors and also undertook air quality monitoring in the boning hall and abattoir. The air quality measurements in the boning hall showed a gradual build-up of carbon dioxide and aerosol particles over the course of a work shift, confirming that this poorly ventilated area of the plant had an environment that was highly favorable for aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Assessment of operational conditions incorporated visual surveys of the plant during the working day. Prior to and during the first 2 weeks of the outbreak, multiple measures were introduced into the plant by management, including physical distancing, provision of educational material to workers, visitor restrictions, and environmental monitoring. After the implementation of these measures and their progressive refinement by plant management, the factory had no further linked cases (clusters) or outbreaks for the following 198 days. The tailored approach to risk mitigation adopted in this meat processing plant shows that generic risk mitigation measures, as recommended by public health authorities, can be successfully adapted and optimized by designated plant emergency response teams.

The system, the virus and the law

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-137
Author(s):  
John Finch
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Legal Liability ◽  
Institutional Framework ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Right

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic progresses, with no visible end in sight, healthcare practitioners may ask whether the measures taken by public health authorities in the UK are going in the right direction. Who is legally responsible? John Finch looks at the institutional framework in which practitioners work and at the place of legal liability in healthcare delivery and management

Sacraments and the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 3-5
Author(s):  
Marie Hilliard ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Canon Law ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Life Threatening Illness ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
The Right ◽  
To Receive

It is the right of the Catholic faithful to receive the sacraments when appropriate. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges in dispensing the sacraments, particularly to the sick who often need them most. Canon law dictates who can dispense the sacraments as well as where this can happen. Many dioceses have sought to find creative ways to reach those in need of the sacraments while keeping to the guidelines laid out by Canon law and public health authorities. Anointing of the Sick presents particular challenges while also being vitally important to Catholics who suffer from a life-threatening illness. Special precautions must be taken to ensure that communicable diseases are not spread during the administering of this sacrament, but it is essential that it be administered at the appropriate time.

scholarly journals Predicting regional influenza epidemics with uncertainty estimation using commuting data in Japan

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250417
Author(s):  
Taichi Murayama ◽  
Nobuyuki Shimizu ◽  
Sumio Fujita ◽  
Shoko Wakamiya ◽  
Eiji Aramaki
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Models ◽  
Predictive Accuracy ◽  
Prediction Interval ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Convolutional Network ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Medical Institutions ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
And Performance

Obtaining an accurate prediction of the number of influenza patients in specific areas is a crucial task undertaken by medical institutions. Infections (such as influenza) spread from person to person, and people are rarely confined to a single area. Therefore, creating a regional influenza prediction model should consider the flow of people between different areas. Although various regional flu prediction models have previously been proposed, they do not consider the flow of people among areas. In this study, we propose a method that can predict the geographical distribution of influenza patients using commuting data to represent the flow of people. To elucidate the complex spatial dependence relations, our model uses an extension of the graph convolutional network (GCN). Additionally, a prediction interval for medical institutions is proposed, which is suitable for cyclic time series. Subsequently, we used the weekly data of flu patients from health authorities as the ground-truth to evaluate the prediction interval and performance of influenza patient prediction in each prefecture in Japan. The results indicate that our GCN-based model, which used commuting data, considerably improved the predictive accuracy over baseline values both temporally and spatially to provide an appropriate prediction interval. The proposed model is vital in practical settings, such as in the decision making of public health authorities and addressing growth in vaccine demand and workload. This paper primarily presents a GCN as a useful means for predicting the spread of an epidemic.

scholarly journals Impact of 21st Century Cures Act on Breakpoints and Commercial Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Systems: Progress and Pitfalls

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. e00139-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romney M. Humphries ◽  
Mary Jane Ferraro ◽  
Janet A. Hindler
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽  
Susceptibility Test ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
History Of ◽  
21St Century Cures Act

ABSTRACT Antimicrobial resistance is the most pressing medical challenge of the past decade. At the front line are clinical laboratories, which are responsible for accurately reporting antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results to clinicians and public health authorities. The ability of the laboratory to detect resistance has been hampered by several factors. In 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law, marking an important step toward resolving many regulatory dilemmas that hampered development and updates to commercial AST systems (cASTs). We describe the pathway and history of U.S. regulation of cASTs and outline both the rewards and unmet needs possible from the 21st Century Cures Act.

scholarly journals Surveillance for COVID-19 in the English Football League 2019-2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhashis Basu ◽  
Richard Higgins ◽  
Aneil Malhotra ◽  
Imtiaz Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Medical Surveillance ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Isolation Requirements ◽  
Positive Results

Medical surveillance and risk mitigation protocols to reduce viral transmission have underpinned the return of elite football during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the evidence-informed approach and surveillance findings from the English Football League across a 9-week period at the end of the 2019-20 season. Protocols were devised by the lead EFL Medical Advisor with specialist occupational medicine input. Isolation requirements for cases and contacts were in-line with UK Government regulations, with external contact tracing conducted by local public health authorities. Quantitative PCR testing was conducted twice weekly and within 72 hours of fixtures. 43 individuals, including 18 players returned positive tests. No positive results were returned after week 5 (round 10). Our findings support those from other leagues that with appropriate compliance, elite football can continue safely during this pandemic. We recommend that protocols and compliance should be revised as necessary according to community prevalence and changes in viral transmission dynamics.

scholarly journals Sentimental Analysis of COVID-19 Tweets Using Deep Learning Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-339
Author(s):  
Nalini Chintalapudi ◽  
Gopi Battineni ◽  
Francesco Amenta
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
False News ◽  
Mining Algorithms

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic with large global attention. However, spreading false news on social media sites like Twitter is creating unnecessary anxiety towards this disease. The motto behind this study is to analyses tweets by Indian netizens during the COVID-19 lockdown. The data included tweets collected on the dates between 23 March 2020 and 15 July 2020 and the text has been labelled as fear, sad, anger, and joy. Data analysis was conducted by Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) model, which is a new deep-learning model for text analysis and performance and was compared with three other models such as logistic regression (LR), support vector machines (SVM), and long-short term memory (LSTM). Accuracy for every sentiment was separately calculated. The BERT model produced 89% accuracy and the other three models produced 75%, 74.75%, and 65%, respectively. Each sentiment classification has accuracy ranging from 75.88–87.33% with a median accuracy of 79.34%, which is a relatively considerable value in text mining algorithms. Our findings present the high prevalence of keywords and associated terms among Indian tweets during COVID-19. Further, this work clarifies public opinion on pandemics and lead public health authorities for a better society.

scholarly journals Surveillance for COVID-19 in the English Football League 2019-2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUBHASHIS BASU ◽  
Richard Higgins ◽  
Aneil Malhotra ◽  
Imtiaz Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Medical Surveillance ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Isolation Requirements ◽  
Positive Results

Medical surveillance and risk mitigation protocols to reduce viral transmission have underpinned the return of elite football during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the evidence-informed approach and surveillance findings from the English Football League across a 9-week period at the end of the 2019-20 season. Protocols were devised by the lead EFL Medical Advisor with specialist occupational medicine input. Isolation requirements for cases and contacts were in-line with UK Government regulations, with external contact tracing conducted by local public health authorities. Quantitative PCR testing was conducted twice weekly and within 72 hours of fixtures. 43 individuals, including 18 players returned positive tests. No positive results were returned after week 5 (round 10). Our findings support those from other leagues that with appropriate compliance, elite football can continue safely during this pandemic. We recommend that protocols and compliance should be revised as necessary according to community prevalence and changes in viral transmission dynamics.

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