Result for
Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions
April 7, 2020
Effectiveness of Surgical and Cotton Masks in Blocking SARS–CoV-2: A Controlled Comparison in 4 Patients
This experiment compared surgical masks to reusable cloth masks by measuring viral loads after patients coughed while wearing no mask, a surgical mask and a cloth mask. All swabs from the outer mask surfaces were positive for SARS–CoV-2, whereas most swabs from the inner mask surfaces were negative. Neither surgical nor cotton masks effectively filtered…
April 6, 2020
Widespread use of face masks in public may slow the spread of SARS CoV-2: an ecological study
In this ecological study, the authors found that countries that promoted widespread face mask usage had lower cumulative numbers of COVID-19 diagnosis after controlling for testing intensity and age of the epidemic. While cautioning about the ecological fallacies, the study supports widespread usage of face masks in public in addition to the full package of…
April 3, 2020
Flattening the Curve for Incarcerated Populations — Covid-19 in Jails and Prisons
To flatten the curve of COVID-19 among incarcerated populations, the article lists the following interventions: (1) releasing offenders who are least likely to commit additional crimes and suspend arresting for low-level crimes, (2) isolating and separating infected incarcerated people, (3) hospitalizing those who are seriously ill, and (4) identifying infected correctional staff and healthcare providers…
April 2, 2020
Disparities in Age-Specific Morbidity and Mortality from SARS-CoV-2 in China and the Republic of Korea
The authors analyze morbidity and mortality data from China and South Korea by age and sex. Results showed a normal distribution in China with peak morbidity at ages 50-59, and a bimodal distribution in Korea with the highest peak morbidity at ages 20-29 and a second peak at ages 50-59. The study suggests that poor…
Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 transmission suggests epidemic control with digital contact tracing.
The authors conclude that viral spread of SARS-CoV-2 is too fast to be contained by manual contact tracing, but could still be controlled with a more efficient contact tracing app. Widespread implementation of such an app, especially if combined with improved early testing, could play a critical role in reducing the need for lockdown measures….
A phased lift of control: a practical strategy to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19 at the country level.
The authors discuss a phased lift of stringent interventions, allowing for gradual herd immunity while keeping the number of cases within the limits of health care systems. The paper acknowledges that this would be most feasible in smaller countries with robust healthcare systems, but that larger countries could implement this approach in specific regions. Vlas…
March 26, 2020
An international comparison of the second derivative of COVID-19 deaths after implementation of social distancing measures.
This study suggests that early adoption of social distancing is more effective than delayed implementation, even of highly restrictive measures, implying that there may be a threshold of public health interventions after which a decline in death rates begins to occur. This method may be helpful in planning for and monitoring the relaxation of social…
March 25, 2020
Social distancing strategies for curbing the COVID-19 epidemic
Using a mathematical model, the authors suggest that one-time social distancing intervention may be insufficient to maintain COVID-19 prevalence within the critical care capacity of the US. Intermittent social distancing may be necessary into 2022 in the absence of additional interventions like new therapeutics, vaccines or aggressive contact tracing and quarantine. Kissler et al. (March…
COVID-19: Active measures to support community-dwelling older adults.
The authors advocate for practical information to be provided to community-dwelling adults to help maintain appropriate community action levels. Elderly community-dwelling adults are at elevated risk for social isolation, and may suffer adverse effects without maintained social ties. Kuwahara et al. (March 20, 2020). COVID-19: Active measures to support community-dwelling older adults. Travel Med Infect…
March 23, 2020
The Effectiveness of Social Distancing in Mitigating COVID-19 Spread: a modelling analysis
By adapting an established simulation model based on the infection history of individual cases, the authors find that application of 4 social distancing interventions (school closure, workplace non-attendance, increased case isolation and community contact reduction) is highly effective in flattening the epidemic curve. These interventions were found to be effective even 10 weeks after the…
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