ABSTRACT
Background: Although COVID-19 vaccines have been developed, the number of people willing to receive the vaccine has not yet reached the level for herd immunity. Using the health belief model with governmental information support, this study examined private self-consciousness in combination with other factors that influence the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Materials and methods: The perceived susceptibility to and perceived seriousness of COVID-19, perceived benefits of and perceived barriers to the COVID-19 vaccine, governmental information support, private self-consciousness, and the intention to receive the vaccine were examined in 523 adults. The data were analyzed with partial least squares regression. Results: The results indicate that private self-consciousness reduces the effect of perceived susceptibility on the intention to receive the vaccine and the negative effect of the perceived barriers to receiving it on intention. Conclusion: The information provided by the public health department should focus on perceived seriousness and perceived benefits because they are not affected by private self-consciousness.
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused large scale of people in danger of infection and death during early outbreak period. Precise screening of the new coronal virus through PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing on the nasal or oral sample becomes very critical for epidemic control. This study proposes the idea of using a robotic remote manipulation platform for oral and nasal specimen collection operated by medical staffs. The oral cavity image was captured by a compact camera and then displayed on the human machine interface for the medical staffs to confirm the target region for sample collection. The wiping action of the robot was accomplished with a force control with force sensing the contact force between the cotton swab and soft tissue. A prototype of the swabbing robot has been implemented to verify the feasibility and safety of the remote robot-assisted specimen collection. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
In December 2019, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic emerged in Wuhan city, China and it quickly spread to across the world. Many experts suggest that wearing medical masks is a good protection against this disease. To help citizens obtain face masks, Taiwanese government instituted a name-based mask rationing system. This study intends to construct a research model which based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in the context of using the face mask ordering system to buy face masks. The research factors in the study include measurements of perceived usefulness of online face mask ordering system, perceived ease of use of online face mask ordering system, and the users' behavioral intention to use online face mask ordering system. Responses from a total of 120 users of the face mask ordering system were collected. After all, this study has identified important factors in perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of this mask distribution system. It may provide the Minister of Health with implications for factors in users' intention to use this system. Understanding these factors may help the government increase users' willingness to use this online service when buying face masks. © 2020 IEEE.