Preschoolers' screen time in China before and during COVID-19 lockdown: a parental survey.

OBJECTIVES: Since COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the disease has spread rapidly across the country. To reduce the spread of infection, schools including kindergartens were closed. Prolonged home confinement can affect children's behaviour. Therefore, we investigated the change of preschoolers' total daily screen time during the COVID-19 lockdown in China. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: In the parental survey, 1121 preschoolers, whose parents or grandparents completed an online survey from 1 June 2020 to 5 June 2020, were enrolled. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Total daily screen time. Multivariable modelling was performed to identify factors associated with increased screen time. RESULTS: The results showed that preschoolers' total daily screen time during lockdown(median 2.5 hours, IQR 2.5 hours) was significantly longer than it was before lockdown (median 1.5 hours, IQR 1.0 hour). Older age (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.48), higher annual household income (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.34),and decrease of moderate-vigorous physical activity (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.66) were independently associated with increased screen time. CONCLUSIONS: Preschoolers' total daily screen time significantly increased during lockdown.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Children and Adolescents Aged 5-17 Years and Parental Intent to Vaccinate Their Children - National Immunization Survey-Child COVID Module, United States, December 2020-September 2022.

Some racial and ethnic groups are at increased risk for COVID-19 and associated hospitalization and death because of systemic and structural inequities contributing to higher prevalences of high-risk conditions and increased exposure (1). Vaccination is the most effective prevention intervention against COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality*; ensuring more equitable vaccine access is a public health priority. Differences in adult COVID-19 vaccination coverage by race and ethnicity have been previously reported (2,3), but similar information for children and adolescents is limited (4,5). CDC analyzed data from the National Immunization Survey-Child COVID Module (NIS-CCM) to describe racial and ethnic differences in vaccination status, parental intent to vaccinate their child, and behavioral and social drivers of vaccination among children and adolescents aged 5-17 years. By August 31, 2022, approximately one third (33.2%) of children aged 5-11 years, more than one half (59.0%) of children and adolescents aged 12-15 years, and more than two thirds (68.6%) of adolescents aged 16-17 years had received ≥1 COVID-19 vaccine dose. Vaccination coverage was highest among non-Hispanic Asian (Asian) children and adolescents, ranging from 63.4% among those aged 5-11 years to 91.8% among those aged 16-17 years. Coverage was next highest among Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) children and adolescents (34.5%-77.3%). Coverage was similar for non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black), non-Hispanic White (White), and non-Hispanic other race† or multiple race (other/multiple race) children and adolescents aged 12-15 and 16-17 years. Among children aged 5-11 years, coverage among Black children was lower than that among Hispanic, Asian, and other/multiple race children. Enhanced public health efforts are needed to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage for all children and adolescents. To address disparities in child and adolescent COVID-19 vaccination coverage, vaccination providers and trusted messengers should provide culturally relevant information and vaccine recommendations and build a higher level of trust among those groups with lower coverage.

Interrupted-time-series analysis of the immediate impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on preterm birth in China.

Preliminary evidence from China and other countries has suggested that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation measures have caused a decline in preterm births, but evidence is conflicting. Utilising a national representative data of 11,714,947 pregnant women in China, we explored the immediate changes in preterm birth rates during the COVID-19 mitigation period using an interrupted-time-series analysis. We defined the period prior to February 1, 2020 as the baseline, followed by the COVID-19 mitigation stage. In the first month of the COVID-19 mitigation, a significant absolute decrease in preterm birth rates of 0.68% (95%CI:-1.10% to -0.26%) in singleton, and of 2.80% (95%CI:-4.51% to -1.09%) in multiple births was noted. This immediate decline in Wuhan was greater than that at the national level among singleton births [-2.21% (95%CI:-4.09% to -0.34% vs. -0.68%)]. Here we report an immediate impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on preterm birth in China.

STIMULATE-ICP-CAREINEQUAL (Symptoms, Trajectory, Inequalities and Management: Understanding Long-COVID to Address and Transform Existing Integrated Care Pathways) study protocol: Defining usual care and examining inequalities in Long Covid support.

INTRODUCTION: Individuals with Long Covid represent a new and growing patient population. In England, fewer than 90 Long Covid clinics deliver assessment and treatment informed by NICE guidelines. However, a paucity of clinical trials or longitudinal cohort studies means that the epidemiology, clinical trajectory, healthcare utilisation and effectiveness of current Long Covid care are poorly documented, and that neither evidence-based treatments nor rehabilitation strategies exist. In addition, and in part due to pre-pandemic health inequalities, access to referral and care varies, and patient experience of the Long Covid care pathways can be poor. In a mixed methods study, we therefore aim to: (1) describe the usual healthcare, outcomes and resource utilisation of individuals with Long Covid; (2) assess the extent of inequalities in access to Long Covid care, and specifically to understand Long Covid patients' experiences of stigma and discrimination. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A mixed methods study will address our aims. Qualitative data collection from patients and health professionals will be achieved through surveys, interviews and focus group discussions, to understand their experience and document the function of clinics. A patient cohort study will provide an understanding of outcomes and costs of care. Accessible data will be further analysed to understand the nature of Long Covid, and the care received. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from South Central-Berkshire Research Ethics Committee (reference 303958). The dissemination plan will be decided by the patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) group members and study Co-Is, but will target 1) policy makers, and those responsible for commissioning and delivering Long Covid services, 2) patients and the public, and 3) academics.

Expected Rates of Select Adverse Events After Immunization for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine Safety Monitoring.

Using meta-analytic methods, we calculated expected rates of 20 potential adverse events of special interest (AESI) that would occur after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination within 1-, 7-, and 42-day intervals without causal associations. Based on these expected rates, if 10 000 000 persons are vaccinated, (1) 0.5, 3.7, and 22.5 Guillain-Barre syndrome cases, (2) 0.3, 2.4, and 14.3 myopericarditis cases, (3) and 236.5, 1655.5, and 9932.8 all-cause deaths would occur coincidentally within 1, 7, and 42 days postvaccination, respectively. Expected rates of potential AESI can contextualize events associated temporally with immunization, aid in safety signal detection, guide COVID-19 vaccine health communications, and inform COVID-19 vaccine benefit-risk assessments.

Persistence of Bacteriophage Phi 6 on Porous and Nonporous Surfaces and the Potential for Its Use as an Ebola Virus or Coronavirus Surrogate.

The infection of health care workers during the 2013 to 2016 Ebola outbreak raised concerns about fomite transmission. In the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, investigations are ongoing to determine the role of fomites in coronavirus transmission as well. The bacteriophage phi 6 has a phospholipid envelope and is commonly used in environmental studies as a surrogate for human enveloped viruses. The persistence of phi 6 was evaluated as a surrogate for Ebola virus (EBOV) and coronaviruses on porous and nonporous hospital surfaces. Phi 6 was suspended in a body fluid simulant and inoculated onto 1-cm2 coupons of steel, plastic, and two fabric curtain types. The coupons were placed at two controlled absolute humidity (AH) levels: a low AH of 3.0 g/m3 and a high AH of 14.4 g/m3 Phi 6 declined at a lower rate on all materials under low-AH conditions, with a decay rate of 0.06-log10 PFU/day to 0.11-log10 PFU/day, than under the higher AH conditions, with a decay rate of 0.65-log10 PFU/h to 1.42-log10 PFU/day. There was a significant difference in decay rates between porous and nonporous surfaces at both low AH (P < 0.0001) and high AH (P < 0.0001). Under these laboratory-simulated conditions, phi 6 was found to be a conservative surrogate for EBOV under low-AH conditions in that it persisted longer than Ebola virus in similar AH conditions. Additionally, some coronaviruses persist longer than phi 6 under similar conditions; therefore, phi 6 may not be a suitable surrogate for coronaviruses.IMPORTANCE Understanding the persistence of enveloped viruses helps inform infection control practices and procedures in health care facilities and community settings. These data convey to public health investigators that enveloped viruses can persist and remain infective on surfaces, thus demonstrating a potential risk for transmission. Under these laboratory-simulated Western indoor hospital conditions, we assessed the suitability of phi 6 as a surrogate for environmental persistence research related to enveloped viruses, including EBOV and coronaviruses.