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Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice
June 8, 2021
Changes in Methadone Program Practices and Fatal Methadone Overdose Rates in Connecticut during COVID-19
A statewide survey of opioid treatment programs (OPTs) in Connecticut found no increases in methadone-involved fatalities relative to other opioid-involved fatalities, despite dramatic changes in practices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of multiple programmatic changes, the percentage of patients receiving 28-day take-home doses for methadone treatment increased from 0.1% to…
June 4, 2021
COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in the US, 2020
A cross-sectional study of contact tracing programs in 13 US health departments and 1 Indian Health Service Unit across 11 states found that 2 out of 3 individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection (N=74,185) were either not reached for interview or named no contacts when interviewed. A mean of 0.7 contacts per case were reached by telephone…
Variant-of-Concern-Attributable Health and Health System-Related Outcomes a Population-Level Propensity-Score Matched Cohort Study
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A population-based propensity-score matched cohort study of all incident laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Ontario, Canada found that SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are associated with a higher odds of hospitalization (OR=2.3), ICU admission (OR=3.3), and mortality among persons hospitalized (OR=1.6) and not hospitalized (OR=1.8) for COVID-19 relative to earlier wild-type strains. The findings…
June 2, 2021
Changes in Patterns of Hospital Visits for Acute Myocardial Infarction or Ischemic Stroke During COVID-19 Surges
Hospitalization rates for heart attack declined up to 41% during the COVID-19 surge in Spring 2020 (2.82 to 1.66 cases per 100,000 person-weeks) but subsequently returned to 2019 rates, according to an analysis of weekly hospitalization rates of persons presenting to Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) between January 2020 to January 2021. Heart attack was…
The COVID-19 Pandemic Shifted the Veterans Affairs System toward Being a Payer and Virtual Care Provider Is It Sustainable
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] In-person care at facilities managed by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) declined from 63% of all visits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to just 33% during the pandemic, according to an analysis of all encounters paid for or provided by the VA between January 2019 and February 2021. However, total visits of…
Economic Burden of Lives Lost Due to COVID-19 in New York State
The average years of potential life lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic was 12.72 and 15.13 years in New York State and New York City, respectively, according to an analysis of state and local health department data from February 2020 to March 2021 and Social Security administrative data on life expectancies. Corresponding economic burden due…
The Potential Impact of Vaccine Passports on Inclination to Accept COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United Kingdom Evidence from a Large Cross-Sectional Survey and Modelling Study
[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] Introduction of vaccine passports could increase vaccination hesitancy among those who have not yet had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a large-scale national survey in the United Kingdom conducted in April 2021 (n=17,611). After adjusting for baseline vaccination intent, negative impacts of vaccine passports were reported to be more…
May 28, 2021
Evaluating Data Types: A Guide for Decision Makers Using Data to Understand the Extent and Spread of COVID-19
A rapid consultation produced by a panel of experts from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine identified 7 data types used as indicators for evaluating local course of COVID-19 and 5 criteria to assess the reliability and validity of each data type. The 7 data types include confirmed cases, hospitalizations, emergency department visits,…
May 27, 2021
Racial/Ethnic, Social, and Geographic Trends in Overdose-Associated Cardiac Arrests Observed by US Emergency Medical Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Overdose-associated cardiac arrests requiring activation of emergency medical services (EMS) were 42% higher in 2020 compared to levels from 2018 and 2019 (60 vs 42 cardiac arrests per 100,000 EMS activations). The highest percentage increases were seen among Latinx and African American individuals (50% increase) and among individuals living in more impoverished neighborhoods (46% increase)….
May 26, 2021
Decline in Influenza Cases in Mexico after the Implementation of Public Health Measures for COVID-19
A review of sentinel surveillance data on influenza-like illness in Mexico found a marked decrease in influenza diagnoses in outpatient clinics and public hospitals, influenza positivity rates, and confirmed severe influenza cases in the 10 weeks following implementation of lockdown measures in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The authors conclude that measures…
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