Rapid antigen testing as a reactive response to surges in nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 outbreak risk

Healthcare facilities are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 introductions and subsequent nosocomial outbreaks. Antigen rapid diagnostic testing (Ag-RDT) is widely used for population screening, but its health and economic benefits as a reactive response to local surges in outbreak risk are unclear. We simulate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a long-term care hospital with varying COVID-19 containment measures in place (social distancing, face masks, vaccination). Across scenarios, nosocomial incidence is reduced by up to 40-47% (range of means) with routine symptomatic RT-PCR testing, 59-63% with the addition of a timely round of Ag-RDT screening, and 69-75% with well-timed two-round screening. For the latter, a delay of 4-5 days between the two screening rounds is optimal for transmission prevention. Screening efficacy varies depending on test sensitivity, test type, subpopulations targeted, and community incidence. Efficiency, however, varies primarily depending on underlying outbreak risk, with health-economic benefits scaling by orders of magnitude depending on the COVID-19 containment measures in place.

Evidence of Air and Surface Contamination with SARS-CoV-2 in a Major Hospital in Portugal

As the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Portugal, it forced the country to reintroduce lockdown measures due to hospitals reaching their full capacities. Under these circumstances, environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in different areas of one of Portugal’s major Hospitals was assessed between 21 January and 11 February 2021. Air samples (n = 44) were collected from eleven different areas of the Hospital (four COVID-19 and seven non-COVID-19 areas) using Coriolis® μ and Coriolis® Compact cyclone air sampling devices. Surface sampling was also performed (n = 17) on four areas (one COVID-19 and three non-COVID-19 areas). RNA extraction followed by a one-step RT-qPCR adapted for quantitative purposes were performed. Of the 44 air samples, two were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA (6575 copies/m3 and 6662.5 copies/m3, respectively). Of the 17 surface samples, three were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA (200.6 copies/cm2, 179.2 copies/cm2, and 201.7 copies/cm2, respectively). SARS-CoV-2 environmental contamination was found both in air and on surfaces in both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 areas. Moreover, our results suggest that longer collection sessions are needed to detect point contaminations. This reinforces the need to remain cautious at all times, not only when in close contact with infected individuals. Hand hygiene and other standard transmission-prevention guidelines should be continuously followed to avoid nosocomial COVID-19.

Global Disparities in Hepatitis B Elimination—A Focus on Africa

In 2016, WHO member states at the World Health Assembly adopted a Global Health Sector Strategy that included a policy of eliminating viral hepatitis. Clear targets were established to assist in achieving this by 2030. The strategy, while achievable, has exposed existing global disparities in healthcare systems and their ability to implement such policies. Compounding this, the regions with most disparity are also those where the hepatitis B prevalence and disease burden are the greatest. Foundational to hepatitis B elimination is the identification of both those with chronic infection and crucially pregnant women, and primary prevention through vaccination. Vaccination, including the birth dose and full three-dose coverage, is key, but complete mother-to-child transmission prevention includes reducing the maternal hepatitis B viral load in the third trimester where appropriate. Innovations and simplified tools exist in order to achieve elimination, but what is desperately required is the will to implement these strategies through the support of appropriate investment and funding. Without this, disparities will continue.

Assessing the forecasting model ability in measuring the prevention transmission of COVID-19 pandemic: An application of visibility analysis using Inductive logic

Forecasting is an integral approach due to its ability to make informed act decisions and develop data-driven strategies. It's also used to make decisions related to current circumstances and predictions on future conditions. An integral part has been developed using visibility analysis for COVID-19 Outbreak, a lesson from Indonesia. The author identified that its topic has limited attention, especially in assessing the forecasting models. The issue comes from predicted results that are questionable or cannot be trusted without applying the visibility analysis in the forecasting model. The visibility analysis is required to assess the model's ability to forecast future events. In conjunction with the issue, this paper introduces the analysis of visibility error with the different concepts during model development for the transmission prevention measures in making the decision. This study applied a statistical approach to assess the visibility error of forecasting performance in determining how long periods of forecasting and deciding for transmission prevention measures COVID-19 pandemics. Also, we developed the visibility error of time-variant using inductive logic. The result indicated that the number of data required to perform forecasting work on the basis of forecasting model specifications. In conclusion, this study has been completed to develop the statistical formula for identifying the largest time horizon in forecasting model N = V + 2. Also, this developed model can assist the stakeholder in forecasting the number of transmission prevention and making the decision in case of COVID-19 pandemic.

Upaya Peningkatan Partisipasi Masyarakat dalam Pencegahan Penularan Covid-19 dan Optimalisasi Adaptasi Kebiasaan Baru

Since the start of the pandemic, the number of positive COVID-19 cases in DIY has been steadily increasing. This includes the Kasihan 2 Health Center in Bantul's work area. UMY Thematic Health KKN students identified several Covid-19-related issues. Based on the root cause analysis, four programs have been identified: (1) IT-based assistance and monitoring programs for COVID-19 survivors, (2) comorbid screening programs for the elderly population, (3) mentoring programs for COVID-19 survivors who have recovered, and (4) Covid-19 transmission prevention programs, vaccinations, and the implementation of new adaptations for health cadres and community volunteers. With this activity, it is hoped that patients will be able to live a happy isolation period, without appearing to be isolated and feeling cared for, so that immunity can be maintained and healed without sequelae, there is an increase in the knowledge of post-recovery patients so that they do not become infected again, and they can also become reliable educators and motivators for other communities. , the gathering of information on the elderly with comorbidities. Furthermore, it is hoped that by optimizing the empowerment of health cadres and community volunteers, public awareness of the importance of adhering to health protocols during the new life during the COVID-19 pandemic will increase. Door-to-door comorbid screening activities cannot be carried out optimally because, according to the Covid-19 task force, they are too dangerous for students. In general, all activities went off without a hitch, with nearly 100% participation.

READY TO ADAPT TO NEW HABITS COVID-19 PANDEMIC INVOLVING HEALTH CADRES

Adaptation to New Habits is an act of implementing a new life order needed to maintain productivity during the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing transmission prevention behaviors or COVID-19 health protocols. This community service is an activity that aims to improve the knowledge and skills of health cadre in helping to improve family health by emphasizing the Adaptation of New Habits during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Kebonsari Surabaya. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited the activities of health cadre in the community so that it needs to be refreshed regarding health materials in the hope that through the health cadre, the adaptation of new habits during the covid-19 pandemic will be well socialized in the community. The method used in this community service activity is the provision of health education related to Adaptation to New Habits and a review of the skills of health cadre in providing health education to the community. The media used is a flipchart. The result of this community service activity is an increase in cadre knowledge by 30% regarding the material for adapting new habits during the covid_19 pandemic. Education through flipchart media is one way to increase knowledge.

Measurement push and pull forces on automatic liquid dispensers

<span lang="EN-US">Since the COVID-19 pandemic, automated liquid dispensers have been increasingly developed to assist transmission prevention. However, data availability of automatic liquid dispenser mechanism's technical characteristics is not yet widely available. This causes frequent over or under design in its development. Therefore, we specifically measure push and pull forces engineering characteristics generated by the automatic liquid dispenser mechanism. A wire mechanism-based automatic liquid dispenser apparatus was used to experiment. A load-cell sensor was used to detect the force that occurs from a servo motor controlled by a microcontroller. The force data (push and pull) will be sent directly to the database server cloud with a recording </span><span lang="EN-US">frequency of every second. Three types of fluid treatment levels are used i.e. water, liquid soap, and hand sanitizer gel. Three types of fluid volume treatment levels used were 50 ml, 150 ml, and 250 ml. Each treatment level combination is carried out at the servo motors rotation steps 180</span><span lang="EN-US">°</span><span lang="EN-US">, 150</span><span lang="EN-US">°</span><span lang="EN-US">, 120</span><span lang="EN-US">°</span><span lang="EN-US">, 90</span><span lang="EN-US">°</span><span lang="EN-US">, 60</span><span lang="EN-US">°</span><span lang="EN-US">, and 30</span><span lang="EN-US">°</span><span lang="EN-US">. The results show that no significant differences were found in maximal forces required to release the water, liquid soap, and hand-sanitizer gel. It is also known that the volume of the fluid has a very significant effect on the amount of push and pull forces generated.</span>

Indonesian Uncertainty on Tourism Components in the New Normal Period and the Ability to Travel Soon

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia, one of the most-impacted industries was its tourism sector. After the government developed various transmission prevention policies, a press release from the Indonesian president in May 2020 established the new normal terms. These new terms sought to allow Indonesians to return to travel as soon as possible with several protocols in place. However, the post-pandemic situation has made some Indonesians feel an intolerance towards the uncertainty of changes in the tourism component. Through a descriptive quantitative approach using the theory of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU), this study aimed to determine what Indonesians feel about uncertainty, how they feel about it, and how to reduce these feelings in Camilleri’s five components of tourism. The results showed that Indonesians feel uncertainty in every component of tourist destinations, with accommodation being the most significant factor, followed by financial, protocol readiness, and health factors, particularly the threat of contracting the virus and the number of cases. Therefore, appropriate handling to eliminate the number of affected cases and the uncertainty of crowds in the destination can significantly contribute to creating the ideal situation awaited by most Indonesians before they decide to return to travel.

Applications of Technological Solutions in Primary Ways of Preventing Transmission of Respiratory Infectious Diseases—A Systematic Literature Review

With the growing concern about the spread of new respiratory infectious diseases, several studies involving the application of technology in the prevention of these diseases have been carried out. Among these studies, it is worth highlighting the importance of those focused on the primary forms of prevention, such as social distancing, mask usage, quarantine, among others. This importance arises because, from the emergence of a new disease to the production of immunizers, preventive actions must be taken to reduce contamination and fatalities rates. Despite the considerable number of studies, no records of works aimed at the identification, registration, selection, and rigorous analysis and synthesis of the literature were found. For this purpose, this paper presents a systematic review of the literature on the application of technological solutions in the primary ways of respiratory infectious diseases transmission prevention. From the 1139 initially retrieved, 219 papers were selected for data extraction, analysis, and synthesis according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results enabled the identification of a general categorization of application domains, as well as mapping of the adopted support mechanisms. Findings showed a greater trend in studies related to pandemic planning and, among the support mechanisms adopted, data and mathematical application-related solutions received greater attention. Topics for further research and improvement were also identified such as the need for a better description of data analysis and evidence.

Hubungan Pengetahuan Covid19 Dengan Perilaku Pencegahan Penularan Di Masa Pandemi Pada Siswa SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik Lampung Timur Tahun 2021

ABSTRACT: THE RELATIONSHIP OF COVID-19 KNOWLEDGE WITH TRANSMISSION PREVENTION BEHAVIOR IN PANDEMIC TIMES IN STUDENTS OF SMPN 1 SEKAMPUNG UDIK EAST LAMPUNG IN 2021. Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new form of Coronavirus that causes an infectious disease. The number of persons infected with this virus is continuing to rise, and it can affect everyone from children to the elderly. Because there is currently no known remedy for this sickness, the government can only promote it by imposing a large-scale social restriction (PSBB) policing scheme. The impact of public awareness of Covid-19 and knowledge of health protocols on the PSBB's successful implementation cannot be separated. According to the results of a pre-survey done at SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik, East Lampung, which included an interview with one of the teachers, there were five teachers who tested positive for COVID-19 and There were still a lot of students who didn't follow the school's health regulations.Objective: To find out the relationship between knowledge of Covid-19 and transmission prevention behavior in students at SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik, East Lampung.Methods: This type of quantitative research was carried out at SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik, East Lampung, using an analytical observational research design using a cross sectional method. The participants in this study were all 651 students from SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik in East Lampung. With stratified random sampling and then accidental sampling, a minimum sample of 249 respondents was produced. Data was gathered through the use of a Google Forms questionnaire that was distributed to responders. The data was analyzed in two ways: univariate (frequency distribution) and bivariate (chi square).Results: Based on the results of statistical tests, it is known that 135 (54.2%) respondents with poor knowledge and 130 (52.2%) negative behavior. The p-value is 0.022, with an Odd Ratio of 1.862.Conclusion: There is a relationship between knowledge of covid-19 and behavior to prevent transmission during the pandemic for students of SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik, East Lampung in 2021. It is recommended for schools to further increase counseling about preventing transmission of covid-19 to students so as to minimize the incidence of covid-19. Keywords: knowledge, behavior, Covid-19INTISARI: HUBUNGAN PENGETAHUAN COVID-19 DENGAN PERILAKU PENCEGAHAN PENULARAN DI MASA PANDEMI PADA SISWA SMPN 1 SEKAMPUNG UDIK LAMPUNG TIMUR TAHUN 2021 Pendahuluan: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) ialah penyakit menular yang disebabkan oleh virus jenis baru. Peningkatan kasus oleh virus ini terus meningkat, berbagai masyarakat dari anak-anak sampai dengan lansia pun dapat terjangkit virus ini. Sampai dengan saat ini belum diketahui obat dari penyakit ini sehingga pemerintah hanya dapat melakukan upaya promotif dengan memberlakukan kebijakan pembatasan sosial berskala besar (PSBB). Berjalannya PSBB dengan baik tidak lepas dari pengaruh pengetahuan masyarakat tentang Covid-19 dan pengetahuan tentang protokol kesehatan. Berdasarkan hasil pra survey yang dilakukan di SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik Lampung Timur dengan mewawancarai salah satu guru didapatkan ada 5 guru yang sudah dinyatakan positif terjangkit COVID-19 dan masih banyak para siswa yang tidak mematuhi protokol kesehatan di sekolah.Tujuan: Diketahui hubungan antara pengetahuan Covid-19 dengan perilaku pencegahan penularan pada siswa di SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik Lampung Timur.Metode: Jenis penelitian kuantitatif, rancangan penelitian ini analytical observational dengan pendekatan cross sectional, telah dilakukan di SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik Lampung Timur. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh siswa SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik Lampung Timur yang berjumlah 651 siswa. Sampel minimum yang didapatkan berjumlah 249 responden dengan teknik stratified random sampling lalu accidental sampling. Pengambilan data menggunakan kuisioner google form yang dibagikan kepada responden. Analisa data secara univariat (distribusi frekuensi) dan bivariat (chi square).Hasil: Berdasarkan hasil uji statistik, diketahui 135 (54,2%) responden dengan pengetahuan tidak baik dan 130 (52,2%) perilaku negatif. Didapatkan p-value 0,022, dengan Odd Ratio 1,862.Kesimpulan: Ada hubungan antara pengetahuan covid-19 dengan perilaku pencegahan penularan di masa pandemi pada siswa SMPN 1 Sekampung Udik Lampung Timur Tahun 2021. Bagi pihak sekolah disarankan untuk lebih meningkatkan penyuluhan tentang pencegahan penularan covid-19 terhadap siswa sehingga dapat meminimalisir angka kejadian covid-19. Kata Kunci : pengetahuan, perilaku, Covid-19