ABSTRACT
From the Introduction: Effective surveillance of an emerging infectious disease such as COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] poses unique challenges. Public health agencies have had to significantly increase their disease surveillance capacities to be able to rapidly identify new COVID-19 patients, follow up with their contacts, monitor disease trends over time, and identify hot spots of disease transmission, often with limited testing. Despite this increase in COVID-19 surveillance capacities, gaps remain. It's essential, therefore, to outline the main goals of COVID-19 surveillance and address key challenges to its effective implementation.COVID-19 (Disease);Public health surveillance;Epidemiology
ABSTRACT
From the Introduction: Whether your community has been hit hard by COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] or has been relatively unscathed so far, one thing has remained constant. Messages from government leaders and even public health officials have been all over the map, leaving in their wake much confusion and anxiety. One reason for this: Principles of crisis communication have often been ignored by officials, experts, journalists, and other commentators during this early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key points like 'Don't over-reassure,' 'Proclaim uncertainty,' and 'Admit mistakes' make for good leadership during infectious disease outbreaks and help us all cope. These principles are fairly well established. Not that there is hard evidence to support them all. Much like public health experts, crisis communication experts must often lean on intuition and experience, making claims that are plausible (and fervently espoused) despite lack of hard proof. But it is safe to say that most crisis communication professionals would agree with the six principles detailed below, though some might disagree with our specific critiques of how so many COVID-19 communicators have flouted these principles.COVID-19 (Disease);Communication in crisis management;Communication in public health
ABSTRACT
From the Introduction: Testing for SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2]--the virus that causes COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]--is one part of the complex system required to address the pandemic. Testing is essential to confirm infection in cases and contacts, guide patient care, inform our understanding of transmission dynamics, prepare the health system for case surges, and inform the level of economic activity consistent with public health goals for limiting SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Technology to conduct molecular, antigen, and serology tests is now available, and additional technologies will be made available soon. The requirements for SARS-CoV-2 testing are unprecedented in both their urgency and the need for scalability, which present both technical and policy challenges. Current plans for clinical and public health laboratory testing do not sufficiently address the infrastructure needed to perform such tests. Critical guidance and coordination at the federal level is needed to meet the SARS-CoV-2 testing demand.COVID-19 (Disease);Disaster response--Plans
ABSTRACT
From the Introduction: In situations involving major outbreaks or high rates of endemic disease, contact tracing is most effective either early in the course of an outbreak or much later in the outbreak when other measures have reduced disease incidence to low levels. In the latter instance, contact tracing is more manageable and can be used to eliminate remaining small foci of infection. Contact tracing, for example, was key in the late stages of the smallpox eradication program and has played an important role toward global polio eradication. [...] While contact tracing can be a valuable public health tool, its success depends on certain characteristics of the pathogen;the epidemiology of the disease involved;the thoroughness and follow-up of the contacts identified;the availability of rapid testing, preventive treatment and/or a vaccine;and the acceptance and effectiveness of quarantine for those potentially incubating an infection and of isolation for those found to be infected. Characteristics of the pathogen that influence the potential success of contact tracing include the routes of transmission (such as via aerosol, contaminated surfaces, or bodily fluids), the incubation period, the serial interval (the time between contact with a primary case and development of symptoms in a secondary case), the asymptomatic ratio (the percentage of infected people who remain completely asymptomatic during the course of their illness), the timeframe that people can transmit the disease before they develop symptoms, and the degree to which asymptomatic people can transmit the pathogen.Public health;Public health surveillance;Epidemiology;COVID-19 (Disease)