Article Summary
February 2, 2021
Promoting Mask Use on TikTok: A Descriptive Study on Unconventional Approach to Public Health Education
Videos promoting mask use posted on the social media platform TikTok with the hashtag #WearAMask (n=100) received almost 10 times as many cumulative views as videos by the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote mask use (n=32). Most of the #WearAMask videos used humor and dance to garner almost 500 million views. In contrast, the…
February 1, 2021
New Guidelines for Children Returning to Sports after Covid-19
The American Academy of Pediatrics updated guidelines December 17, 2020 for children returning to athletic activities, including recommendations for cloth face mask use during all indoor sports, except for swimming and diving, cheerleading, gymnastics, and wrestling. Cloth masks are also recommended for people on the sidelines, in locker rooms, and in training sessions. The guidelines…
High Prevalence of Elder Abuse During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Risk and Resilience Factors
A survey of older adults (n=897) sheltering in place during the pandemic found the prevalence of self-reported elder abuse was 21.3%, an 83% increase from the pre-pandemic period. Increased risk of elder abuse was associated with greater pandemic-related financial hardship, while reduced risk was associated with having a strong sense of community (OR = 0.89)…
Association Between Receipt of Unemployment Insurance and Food Insecurity Among People Who Lost Employment During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States
Unemployment insurance was associated with a 35% relative reduction in food insecurity and a 48% relative reduction in eating less due to financial constraints among people in low- and middle-income households in the US who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. 37% of the study population (n= 2319 adults) reported food insecurity and 39%…
The Impact of Vaccination on COVID-19 Outbreaks in the United States
A modeling study evaluating the impact of a 2-dose COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the US showed that over a period of 300 days, vaccinating 40% of the population in sequential priority groups reduced the overall attack rate from 9% (without vaccination) to 4.6%, with the greatest relative reductions among those aged 65 and older. Modeled…
Changes in Sexual Behavior, PrEP Adherence, and Access to Sexual Health Services Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic among a Cohort of PrEP-Using MSM in the South
One fifth of men who have sex with men using HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the Southern US (n = 56) between October 2019 to July 2020 reported discontinuing or changing the frequency of PrEP use due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five participants (9%) reported discontinuing PrEP, eight experienced difficulties obtaining PrEP medication (16%), and…
Exploring Factors Associated with Alcohol and/or Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic
More than one third of adult survey respondents (n=1,405) in the US and Canada reported utilizing alcohol or substances as a source of support during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020. Higher utilization of social media was related to higher alcohol and/or substance use, with participants reporting feeling overwhelmed by information…
Quantification of Occupational and Community Risk Factors for SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity Among Health Care Workers in a Large U.S. Health Care System
Adjusted SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was estimated to be 3.8% among healthcare workers (n=10,275) at a large Atlanta health care center who participated in a survey from April-June 2020. Odds of infection were higher among those with community contact with a person known or suspected to have COVID-19 (aOR = 1.9), community COVID-19 incidence (aOR = 1.5),…
Pre-Pandemic Psychiatric Disorders and Risk of COVID-19: A UK Biobank Cohort Analysis
A cohort study using data from the UK Biobank and Public Health England found an increased risk of COVID-19 infection (OR = 1.44), hospitalization (OR = 1.55), and death (OR = 2.03) among individuals with psychiatric conditions diagnosed before the pandemic, including depression, stress-related disorder, and substance use. The associations were stronger among individuals who…
Impact of Age Gender Ethnicity and Prior Disease Status on Immunogenicity Following Administration of a Single Dose of the BNT162b2 MRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Real-World Evidence from Israeli Healthcare Workers December-January 2020
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Among 514 healthcare workers in Israel who received a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (majority Pfizer), 92% had detectable IgG antibodies 21 days post-vaccination. There was no statistically significant difference in antibody titers between males and females or by ethnicity, but titers decreased with increasing age. Individuals with prior COVID-19 who received the vaccine had…
Previous page Next page