A general urban spreading pattern of COVID-19 and its underlying mechanism

Currently, the global situation of COVID-19 is aggravating, pressingly calling for efficient control and prevention measures. Understanding the spreading pattern of COVID-19 has been widely recognized as a vital step for implementing non-pharmaceutical measures. Previous studies explained the differences in contagion rates due to the urban socio-political measures, while fine-grained geographic urban spreading pattern still remains an open issue. Here, we fill this gap by leveraging the trajectory data of 197,808 smartphone users (including 17,808 anonymous confirmed cases) in nine cities in China. We find a general spreading pattern in all cities: the spatial distribution of confirmed cases follows a power-law-like model and the spreading centroid human mobility is time-invariant. Moreover, we reveal that long average traveling distance results in a high growth rate of spreading radius and wide spatial diffusion of confirmed cases in the fine-grained geographic model. With such insight, we adopt the Kendall model to simulate the urban spreading of COVID-19 which can well fit the real spreading process. Our results unveil the underlying mechanism behind the spatial-temporal urban evolution of COVID-19, and can be used to evaluate the performance of mobility restriction policies implemented by many governments and to estimate the evolving spreading situation of COVID-19.

A general urban spreading pattern of COVID-19 and its underlying mechanism

Currently, the global situation of COVID-19 is aggravating, pressingly calling for efficient control and prevention measures. Understanding the spreading pattern of COVID-19 has been widely recognized as a vital step for implementing non-pharmaceutical measures. Previous studies explained the differences in contagion rates due to the urban socio-political measures, while fine-grained geographic urban spreading pattern still remains an open issue. Here, we fill this gap by leveraging the trajectory data of 197,808 smartphone users (including 17,808 anonymous confirmed cases) in nine cities in China. We find a general spreading pattern in all cities: the spatial distribution of confirmed cases follows a power-law-like model and the spreading centroid human mobility is time-invariant. Moreover, we reveal that long average traveling distance results in a high growth rate of spreading radius and wide spatial diffusion of confirmed cases in the fine-grained geographic model. With such insight, we adopt the Kendall model to simulate the urban spreading of COVID-19 which can well fit the real spreading process. Our results unveil the underlying mechanism behind the spatial-temporal urban evolution of COVID-19, and can be used to evaluate the performance of mobility restriction policies implemented by many governments and to estimate the evolving spreading situation of COVID-19.

For COVID-19, what are the priorities of normalized prevention and control strategies?

The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the world for three years. Most countries have adjusted policies and strategies in response to the burden of COVID-19. The severity of COVID-19 seems to be diminishing as the case fatality rate has declined and the number of vaccinated people has increased markedly. Given the large population worldwide, we need to pay attention to the continuing COVID-19 burden. Globally, the number of cases remains at a certain level, and the number of cases is still increasing in China. We also need to deal with shortages of medical resources, antipyretics, and home nursing facilities. SARS-CoV-2 will coexist with humans for a long time, and predicting viral mutations and pandemic trends will be difficult. The reform of the whole public health system is imperative. A comprehensive surveillance system should be created to determine the proportion of various pathogens and to guard against mixed infections of respiratory infectious diseases. A comprehensive response mechanism, including preventive measures and medical treatments, should be created as soon as possible to monitor the status of the epidemic and to deal with the long-term health burden of SARS-CoV-2.

The normalization of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control calls for patriotic health campaign inherit and innovation

In order to summarize the experience of COVID-19 prevention and control, review the glorious course of the 70th anniversary of China's patriotic health campaign, and realize the Healthy China. This paper summarizes the great achievements of China's patriotic health campaign in the past 70 years, and reviews the trend of sustainable vector management, especially the progress of China and Zhejiang Province in the construction of patriotic health campaign organization, vector monitoring, early warning, informatization, prevention and control and research work in the last 10 years. The results found that the patriotic health campaign has significantly improved the health level of the Chinese people. Zhejiang Province has demonstrated and led the comprehensive monitoring of vector and vector infectious diseases, and exploration of sustainable vectors management in rural area, first to carry out the "construction of eliminate four vector villages focusing on mosquito-free and fly-free", and promoted the patriotic health campaign at a high level. The paper considers that the patriotic health campaign is a successful practice of our Party's mass line to health prevention. The experience of COVID-19 prevention and control shows that, Prevention and control the communicable disease needs the concept of patriotic health campaign and the support of public health, all for the people's health, The Times call for a patriotic health campaign with Inheritance of history, rich connotation and innovative methods. We must re-understand the extreme importance of communicable disease prevention and control, pay more attention to the potential harm of vectors in the cross-species transmission of communicable diseases, give full play to the unique role of patriotic health campaign in disease prevention and control and safeguarding people's health, and accelerate the Healthy China action.

From SARS to the Omicron variant of COVID-19: China's policy adjustments and changes to prevent and control infectious diseases.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest public health crisis in a century. Since it was initially reported in 2019, the duration and intensity of its impacts are still in serious question around the world, and it is about to enter its third year. The first public health revolution failed to achieve its ultimate targets, as previously contained infectious diseases seem to have returned, and new infectious diseases continue to emerge. The prevention and control of infectious diseases is still a public health priority worldwide. After SARS, China adjusted a series of its infectious disease policies. In order to ensure the effectiveness and implementation of prevention and control interventions, the government should integrate the concept of public health. Perhaps we need a global public health system at the government level to fight the potential threat of infectious disease. This system could include multifaceted strategies, not just specific prevention and control interventions, and it could also be a comprehensive system to ensure unimpeded communication and cooperation as well as sustainable development.

Discussion on the construction of disease prevention and control system in the post-COVID-19 epidemic era

In order to summarize the experience and lessons of the disease prevention and control system in dealing with COVID-19 and other public health emergencies, the weak links of the public health emergency management system were found. This paper analyzes the contribution of the public health system to people's health, reviews the historical process of the establishment, development, impact, transformation and reform of the disease prevention and control system, analyzes the difficulties and problems existing in the disease prevention and control system, and puts forward the next reform suggestions. At present, the mixed epidemic of new and old infectious diseases poses new and huge challenges to the public health system. There are a series of difficulties and challenges in disease prevention and control institutions, such as insufficient funding, unclear functions and responsibilities, serious separation of "medical" and "prevention", insufficient total number of public health personnel, low level of treatment guarantee, weak network, aging team, and weakened prevention and control of acute infectious diseases. Therefore, we must keep in mind the Chinese communist party's original heart of wholeheartedly striving for the people's health, attach importance to prevention first, strengthen the construction of disease prevention and control system, solve the weakness of acute infectious disease prevention and control function of CDC institutions from the institutional mechanism, increase the investment in infectious disease prevention and control of CDC institutions, improve the monitoring and early warning, improve the field epidemiological investigation ability, make up for the weakness of disinfection and vector control, speed up the implementation of medical prevention integration, and improve the ability of disease control institutions to undertake emergency public health work.

What is always necessary throughout efforts to prevent and control COVID-19 and other infectious diseases? A physical containment strategy and public mobilization and management.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world. As many countries have entered the postpandemic period, current efforts to prevent and control COVID-19 have gradually been normalized in many countries. Although the focus is on vaccines to achieve herd immunity, conventional physical containment strategies should be reassessed as part of efforts to prevent and control infectious diseases. Continued respiratory protective measures such as social distancing and the wearing of masks have been extensively accepted by the public in most countries. A point worth noticing is that the activities of influenza and other respiratory diseases have decreased as these strategies have been implemented. Public mobilization and large-scale campaigns to promote health are also important to interrupting the transmission of pathogens. A good example can be found in the achievements of China's Patriotic Public Health Campaign. These practices underscore the importance of enhancing physical containment strategies and public mobilization and management, with support from the legal system, to respond to any potential emerging infectious diseases.

Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Outbreak in 2019: Computed Tomographic Findings in Two Cases.

Since the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV or officially named by the World Health Organization as COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in 2019, there have been a few reports of its imaging findings. Here, we report two confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV pneumonia with chest computed tomography findings of multiple regions of patchy consolidation and ground-glass opacities in both lungs. These findings were characteristically located along the bronchial bundle or subpleural lungs.