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BACKGROUND: No clear evidence exists regarding the effects of the different periods and magnitude of spread of the COVID-19 infection on cancer treatments. This study investigated the effects of the different periods and magnitude of COVID-19 infection spread on in-hospital cancer operations. METHODS: Medical claims data from 17 hospitals where in-hospital operations for patients with malignant neoplasms were performed between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2021 in Yamagata were extracted and analyzed. The critical time points as exposure used to evaluate the impact of different COVID-19 infection spread periods on cancer operations were (1) April 2020 (emergency declaration introduced by the government) and (2) December 2020 (the second wave). From April to November 2020 and December 2020 to March 21, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 130 and 840, respectively. The 17 hospitals were classified into intervention or control groups based on whether in-hospital treatments for patients with COVID-19 were provided. RESULTS: The interrupted time series analysis reported that the difference in the trend of pre-COVID-19 and postsecond wave (March 2020 to December 2020) periods was statistically significant between groups, with 50.67 fewer operations (95% confidence interval [CI] = 12.19-89.15) performed per month in the intervention group compared with the control group. Moreover, the immediate change in the number of operations in April 2020 (beginning of the first wave) was statistically significant between groups, with 80.14 operations (95% CI = 39.62-120.67) less immediately after the first wave in the intervention group compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that a statement of emergency by the government and the COVID-19 infection spread are both associated with the number of cancer operations performed in the Yamagata prefecture during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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OBJECTIVES: The association between toothbrushing and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections is unknown. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the change in time and frequency of toothbrushing is associated with having COVID-19 symptoms. METHODS: In this 8-month retrospective cohort study, we used the data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS; N = 22,366), which was conducted between August and September 2020. The logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) of having the 3 main COVID-19 symptoms (high fever, cough, and taste and smell disorder). Confounders were age, sex, educational attainment, equivalised income level, self-rated health, health literacy, and living area. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 49 years (SD = ±17.3), and 49.2% were male. Overall 2704 (12.1%) participants changed (increased or decreased) the time and frequency of toothbrushing, whilst 19,662 (87.9%) did not change. Only 60 participants (0.3%) had the 3 main COVID-19 symptoms. All logistic regression models showed that those who had a change in time and frequency of toothbrushing had higher odds of having the 3 main COVID-19 symptoms compared to those who had unchanged time and frequency of toothbrushing. The ORs ranged from 6.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.60-9.99) in the crude model to 4.08 (95% CI, 2.38-6.98) in the fully adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: The change in time and frequency of toothbrushing from before to after the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with having the 3 main COVID-19 symptoms.
ABSTRACT
The influence of different types of information sources on individual preventive behaviors remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations between individual information usage to obtain information about COVID-19 and compliance with preventive behaviors. This longitudinal study was based on an Internet survey conducted in August-September 2020 and February 2021. We used compliance with four preventive behaviors for COVID-19, "wearing a mask", "ventilation", "social distancing", and "avoiding crowds" as outcome variables, and 20 types of information sources based on people or institutions (Medical worker, Government, etc.) and media (TV news, Twitter, etc.) as predictors. Absolute differences and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using generalized estimating equations adjusted for possible confounders. Among the 18,151 participants aged 20-79, the mean age was 51.7 (SD = 15.9) in 2020, and 51.3% were male. In total, compliance with "wearing a mask", "ventilation", "social distancing", and "avoiding crowds" was seen in 86.2%, 46.9%, 45.4%, and 62.6% of individuals in 2020, and 89.3%, 38.2%, 47.2%, and 61.6% of individuals in 2021, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, "medical workers", "professionals", "the government", "Twitter", "news websites", and "TV news" were positively associated with compliance with two or more preventive behaviors (p < 0.05). The type of information source may play an important role in providing information for COVID-19 prevention.
ABSTRACT
To deal with the risk of emerging diseases with many unknowns, close and timely collaboration and communication between science experts and policymakers are crucial to developing and implementing an effective science-based intervention strategy. The Expert Meeting, an ad hoc medical advisory body, was established in February 2020 to advise Japan's COVID-19 Response Headquarters. The group played an important role in the policymaking process, promoting timely situation awareness and developing science-based proposals on interventions that were promptly reflected in government actions. However, this expert group may have been overly proactive in taking on the government's role in crisis management. For the next stage of managing the coronavirus disease pandemic and future pandemics, the respective roles of the government and its advisory bodies need to be clearly defined. Leadership and strategic risk communication by the government are key.