Influencing factor of COVID-19 vaccination trust and hesitancy in Wonju city, South Korea.

Social capital (SC) has been documented to effectively reduce the spread of diseases, including COVID-19; however, research pertaining to SC and COVID-19 vaccination in Korea is lacking. This cross-sectional study conducted in the city of Wonju, Gangwon Province, Korea (n = 1,096) examined the differences in COVID-19 vaccine trust and hesitancy considering individual characteristics and investigated the effects of SC on COVID-19 vaccine trust and hesitancy. SC was measured based on 14 items pertaining to social trust, network, and norms. Responses regarding COVID-19 screening history, vaccine trust, and vaccine hesitancy were also assessed. SC scores did not differ between sexes, but differed significantly according to age and household income; thus, adults aged 70-79 years had the highest SC scores, and mean SC score increased significantly with income. COVID-19 vaccine trust differed significantly according to age, average household income, social organization involvement, and SC score. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy differed significantly with age, SC score, and COVID-19 screening history. In univariate logistic regression, age, average household income, social organization involvement, and SC score were significant predictors of vaccine trust; in multivariable analysis, however, the identified predictors were age and SC. In particular, people with an SC score ≥50 were 2.660 times more likely to trust COVID-19 vaccines than those with lower scores. In multivariable analysis, age and SC were significant predictors of vaccine hesitancy. In particular, people with an SC score ≥50 were 1.400 times more likely not to be hesitant about receiving COVID-19 vaccines than people with lower scores. These results indicate that prioritizing policies to increase SC and trust in the government could boost the COVID-19 vaccination rate.

Compressed Deep Learning to Classify Arrhythmia in an Embedded Wearable Device.

The importance of an embedded wearable device with automatic detection and alarming cannot be overstated, given that 15-30% of patients with atrial fibrillation are reported to be asymptomatic. These asymptomatic patients do not seek medical care, hence traditional diagnostic tools including Holter are not effective for the further prevention of associated stroke or heart failure. This is likely to be more so in the era of COVID-19, in which patients become more reluctant on hospitalization and checkups. However, little literature is available on this important topic. For this reason, this study developed efficient deep learning with model compression, which is designed to use ECG data and classify arrhythmia in an embedded wearable device. ECG-signal data came from Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul, Korea, with 28,308 unique patients (15,412 normal and 12,896 arrhythmia). Resnets and Mobilenets with model compression (TensorFlow Lite) were applied and compared for the diagnosis of arrhythmia in an embedded wearable device. The weight size of the compressed model registered a remarkable decrease from 743 MB to 76 KB (1/10000), whereas its performance was almost the same as its original counterpart. Resnet and Mobilenet were similar in terms of accuracy, i.e., Resnet-50 Hz (97.3) vs. Mo-bilenet-50 Hz (97.2), Resnet-100 Hz (98.2) vs. Mobilenet-100 Hz (97.9). Here, 50 Hz/100 Hz denotes the down-sampling rate. However, Resnets took more flash memory and longer inference time than did Mobilenets. In conclusion, Mobilenet would be a more efficient model than Resnet to classify arrhythmia in an embedded wearable device.

Depression in public officials during the COVID-19 pandemic in Paraguay: a web-based study.

BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created situations that have a negative effect on people and threaten their mental health. Paraguay announced the Estado de Emergencia Sanitaria (Presidential Decree No. 3456) on March 16, 2020, which was followed by the imposition of a 24-h restriction on movement order on March 21. Self-quarantine at home may have been the most effective method of preventing the spread of infectious diseases; however, with the global pandemic becoming more prolonged and the consequent lengthening of the 24-h self-quarantine period, it is highly probable that both physical and psychological problems will arise. METHODS: In this study, a web-based cross-sectional method was used to analyze the factors influencing COVID-19-induced depressive feelings in Paraguayan public officials. RESULTS: Public officials reported a high level of depressive symptoms with a high level of apprehension in early stage of COVID-19. In addition, this study identified that when the self-quarantine period increased, levels of depressive feelings also increased. Since self-quarantine is characterized by the requirement that individuals endure an undetermined period within a confined area, it may have caused stress and anxiety, as well as the consequent experience of depressive feelings. CONCLUSIONS: Paraguayan government should develop a program for the delivery of mental health care and services to public officials in COVID-19 Pandemic period. Moreover, a program is required for people facing deteriorating mental health due to social isolation and loneliness caused by social distancing during the prolonged period of self-quarantine. Finally, mental health care programs should be organized in a community-focused way by utilizing online systems to enhance the effectiveness of mental health recovery.

Effects of social prescribing pilot project for the elderly in rural area of South Korea during COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Older adults-classified as a high-risk group-are highly likely to experience increased loneliness due to the implementation of various policies designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Accordingly, this study aims to examine the effects of a pilot social prescribing project for elderly people in rural area of South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Using the PRECEDE-PROCEED model, the effectiveness of the pilot project was verified through pre- and post-impact and outcome evaluation. RESULTS: According to the results of the impact evaluation, loneliness reduced significantly, while the social participation attitude score increased. Although the average score of self-efficacy increased, it was not statistically significant. Moreover, it was found that self-esteem increased significantly. In the outcome evaluation, depression reduced considerably. CONCLUSION: To conclude, the pilot social prescribing project was effective in reducing depression and loneliness for the elderly in rural areas of Korea. It was also confirmed that there is potential to develop a new health promotion project that can improve the self-esteem of the elderly, and expand their social activities. Second, the pilot project was carried out in an integrated manner by utilizing resources in communities with good accessibility. Therefore, it is expected to be used as a new "Integrated community care model" to improve the mental health of the elderly in rural areas. Third, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the elderly tend to experience increasing feelings of depression, isolation, and loneliness due to "social distancing." Therefore, it is expected that social prescribing programs for the elderly in rural areas would become a new alternative for relieve mental disorder of the seniors.

Analysis of personal and national factors that influence depression in individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a web-based cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Previous studies of infectious diseases showed that infectious diseases not only cause physical damage to infected individuals but also damage to the mental health of the public. Therefore this study aims to analyze the factors that affected depression in the public during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide evidence for COVID-19-related mental health policies and to emphasize the need to prepare for mental health issues related to potential infectious disease outbreaks in the future. RESULTS: This study performed the following statistical analyses to analyze the factors that influence depression in the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, to confirm the level of depression in the public in each country, the participants' depression was plotted on a Boxplot graph for analysis. Second, to confirm personal and national factors that influence depression in individuals, a multi-level analysis was conducted. As a result, the median Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score for all participants was 6. The median was higher than the overall median for the Philippines, Indonesia, and Paraguay, suggesting a higher level of depression. In personal variables, depression was higher in females than in males, and higher in participants who had experienced discrimination due to COVID-19 than those who had not. In contrast, depression was lower in older participants, those with good subjective health, and those who practiced personal hygiene for prevention. In national variables, depression was higher when the Government Response Stringency Index score was higher, when life expectancy was higher, and when social capital was higher. In contrast, depression was lower when literacy rates were higher. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that depression was higher in participants living in countries with higher stringency index scores than in participants living in other countries. Maintaining a high level of vigilance for safety cannot be criticized. However, in the current situation, where coexisting with COVID-19 has become inevitable, inflexible and stringent policies not only increase depression in the public, but may also decrease resilience to COVID-19 and compromise preparations for coexistence with COVID-19. Accordingly, when establishing policies such as social distancing and quarantine, each country should consider the context of their own country.

COVID-19 screening center models in South Korea.

In a recent report, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) introduced South Korea's measures to manage COVID-19 as role model for the world. Screening centers serve as frontiers for preventing community transmission of infectious diseases. COVID-19 screening centers in Korea operate 24 h a day, always open for individuals with suspected COVID-19 symptoms. South Korea concentrated COVID-19 screening centers around cities with high population density. Advanced screening centers (models C, D, and E) proved more effective and efficient in the prevention of COVID-19 than the traditional screening centers (models A and B). Particularly, screening centers at Incheon Airport in South Korea prevent transmission through imported cases effectively. It will be important elsewhere, as in South Korea, to establish an infectious disease delivery system that can lead to 'Test-Treat-Track' using an adequate model of screening centers.

The Relationship between the COVID-19 Prevalence Trend and Transportation Trend in South Korea

Objective World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic on March 12th, 2020. Several studies indicate that these densely populated urban environments and the heavy dependence on traffic could increase the potential spread of COVID-19. This study investigated the association between changes in traffic volume and the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea. Methods This study analyzed the daily national traffic and traffic trend for 3 months from January 1st, 2020. Traffic data was measured by the 6,307 vehicle detection system (VDS). This study analyzed the traffic gap between 2019 and 2020. And non-linear regression was performed to analyze the change in traffic trend in 2020. The relationship between traffic and COVID-19 confirmed cases was analyzed using single linear regression. Results The mean daily nationwide in 2020 was 143,655,563 vehicles, which was 9.7% lower than the same period in 2019 (159,044,566 vehicles). All regions showed a decreasing trend for traffic in February, which shifted to an increasing trend from March. In Incheon, there only was a positive but insignificant (β = 43,146, p = .056) linear relationship with the increasing numbers of new confirmed cases associated with increased traffic. Conclusions New confirmed COVID-19 patients have been decreasing since March, while the traffic has been increasing. Particularly, the fact that traffic is increasing indicates greater contact between people, which in turn increases the risk of COVID-19 spread. Therefore, the government will need to devise suitable policies, such as total social distancing.