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Topic: Public Health Policy and Practice
April 23, 2020
Surveying Tenants of Permanent Supportive Housing in Skid Row about COVID-19
Survey results collected from about 550 permanent supportive housing (PSH) tenants in Los Angeles, CA show that nearly all were aware of COVID-19, and that 65% considered it to be a very serious threat. The authors suggest that in order to continue supportive services while maintaining social distance, PSH providers should consider telehealth and find…
The association between age, COVID-19 symptoms, and social distancing behavior in the United States
Findings from an online survey of 4,676 US adults show that: about 52% adults went out of their home the previous day, and on average had close contact with 1.9 non-household members; older people have significantly fewer close contacts than younger people; people experiencing shortness of breath are practicing more intense social distancing; and those…
April 21, 2020
SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection of hospital isolation wards hygiene monitoring during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 outbreak in a Chinese hospital
This study monitored the presence of detectable SARS-Cov-2 among hospital environment surfaces, sewage, and PPE of staff in isolation wards. All 36 environmental and 9 PPE samples were negative. All 3 sewage samples from the inlet preprocessing pool were positive, however samples from the outlet of the last disinfection pool were negative. Findings suggest that…
Positive result of Sars-Cov-2 in faeces and sputum from discharged patient with COVID-19 in Yiwu, China
Follow-up testing of 13 discharged COVID-19 patients revealed 2 patients continuously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 even though sputum was negative, and 4 patients had positive sputum samples 5-14 days after discharge. Under present discharge criteria, the high presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA indicates potential infectivity. The authors recommend adding a negative result from fecal testing to…
April 20, 2020
Impacts of healthcare worker shift scheduling on workforce preservation during the COVID-19 pandemic
Kluger et al modeled various inpatient rotation schedules of physicians and nurses to determine patterns associated with optimal workforce preservation and lower nosocomial infections in settings with inadequate PPE availability. Results from Monte-Carlo simulations showed that alternative staffing methods, in which groups of physicians and nurses share rotations that are at least 3 consecutive days…
April 17, 2020
A COVID-19 Risk Assessment for the US Labor Force
Using data from the National Health Information Survey and Quarterly Census of Earnings and Wages, Maher et al estimate the proportion of the U.S. workforce at-risk for COVID-19 complications across regions, counties and industries, and share that: (1) Nearly 80% of all workers have at least one health risk and 11% are over 60 with…
BCG Vaccines may not Reduce COVID-19 Mortality Rates
The authors argue that BCG vaccination may not be the primary cause for lower infection and case fatality rates (CFR) observed in select countries with universal BCP policies. They believe the large variation in CFR could be resulting from underlying population characteristics, such as age, co-morbidities and genetics, and from different SARS-CoV-2 strains circulating in…
April 16, 2020
Smoking is Associated with COVID-19 Progression: A Meta-Analysis
From a meta-analysis of 12 published papers with a total of 9,025 COVID-19 patients, this study identifies smoking as a risk factor for progression of COVID-19. Smokers had significantly higher odds (OR=2.25) of COVID-19 progression than never smokers. Physicians and public health professionals should collect data on smoking and e-cigarette use as part of clinical…
April 15, 2020
How do environmental, economic and health factors influence regional vulnerability to COVID-19?
Tahmasebi et al studied the correlations between twelve environmental, economic and health variables, and fatality rate of COVID-19 in 14 countries. Results indicate that diabetes prevalence and the proportion of aged population (>65+) in each country were correlated most strongly with the total number of deaths in them. This study highlights the importance of integrating…
Public perceptions and experiences of social distancing and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: A UK-based focus group study
Williams et al explored the perceptions and experiences of the UK public on social distancing and isolation measures against COVID-19 pandemic. They report that these measures had substantial negative impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of the public, especially those in low-paid or precarious employment. They recommend that it is necessary to mitigate the…
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