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Tag: public health
August 25, 2020
Primary Indicators to Systematically Monitor COVID-19 Mitigation and Response — Kentucky
The Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) developed the Indicator Monitoring Report (IMR), which provides daily analysis of 5 key state-level indicators, including new cases, health care capacity data, and contact tracing capacity. IMR review by KDPH during May 19 – July 15 led to successful county-level hotspot identification and mitigation, suggesting that the IMR…
August 24, 2020
Risk for Severe COVID-19 Illness Among Teachers and Adults Living With School-Aged Children
A nationally representative survey in the US shows that 40% of teachers have “definite” risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness (according to CDC criteria) and 51% have “definite” or “possible” risk factors, based on results from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey. Among adults living with school-aged children, 41% have definite and 54% have definite…
Prevalence and Social Determinants of Food Insecurity among College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Among 502 students at three state-funded college campuses in Texas, 35% reported experiencing food insecurity in the previous 30 days. The strongest predictors of food insecurity were change in current living arrangement (OR = 2.7), being furloughed (OR = 3.2), laid off (OR = 4.1), or losing part-time work (OR = 5.7) due to the…
Perceived Discrimination and Mental Distress Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence From the Understanding America Study
Liu et al. report that the overall percentage of American adults experiencing COVID-19-associated discrimination more than doubled from 4% to 10% between March and April of 2020. In particular, non-Hispanic Black and Asian people were more likely to report experiencing discrimination, as were people who reported wearing facemasks in public. Experiencing COVID-19-associated discrimination was associated…
SARS-CoV-2 Community Transmission Disproportionately Affects Latinx Population during Shelter-in-Place in San Francisco
Chamie et al. tested 3,953 people who live or work within a census block in San Francisco and found a point prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (by PCR) of 2% and an estimated cumulative incidence (by antibody testing) of 6%. Among those with positive PCR tests, 95% were Latinx and 53% were asymptomatic when tested. Among…
Epidemiology of COVID-19 Among Incarcerated Individuals and Staff in Massachusetts Jails and Prisons
As of July 8, 1,032 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported among incarcerated individuals (n=664) and staff (n=368) in state and county jails and prisons in Massachusetts. The incidence of 44.3 cases per 1000 people is 2.9-fold higher than among the Massachusetts general population and 4.8-fold higher than the US general population. Many county facilities…
August 21, 2020
A Rapid Qualitative Assessment of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Racially/Ethnically Diverse Sample of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in the US South
• [pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A racially diverse cohort of HIV+ gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in the American South was interviewed about the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhodes et al. identified themes related to knowledge about the pandemic, information sources, personal impact on health and behaviors, and general…
Health Inequalities in the Use of Telehealth in the United States in the Lens of COVID-19
• Disparities in accessing telehealth appointments since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic were identified in a retrospective cohort study using a database linking insurance claims with patient-reported data. There was a rise in telehealth use from 0.2% to 2% in March 2020 compared to a similar time period in 2019. Adults over 45 were…
August 20, 2020
Public Health Student Response to COVID-19
• Burns et al. identified that by July 31, 2020, 30 schools and programs of public health in the US were supporting public health agencies in response to COVID-19, primarily through the provision of surge capacity (n=20, 67%), contact tracing (n=19, 63%), and training (n=11, 37%). The authors suggest that future funding should explicitly link…
Information given by Websites Selling Home Self-Sampling COVID-19 Tests An Analysis of Accuracy and Completeness
• [Preprint, not peer-reviewed] Taylor-Phillips et al. reviewed 27 websites selling home self-sampling and testing kits for COVID-19 (39 tests in UK and 2 tests in US), of which 23 offered molecular virus testing services and 18 offered antibody testing services. They report that 22% tests were provided with the name or manufacturer, 76% included…
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