Covering the Distance: A Study of Parent and Teen Attitudes on COVID-19 Mitigation Measures During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background The Unity® Consortium surveyed teens and parents and guardians of teens across the country at three distinct time points or waves during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess participant attitudes and beliefs regarding COVID-19 mitigation guidelines, such as mask-wearing and physical distancing. Methodology A third-party market research company conducted 15-minute, online surveys from nationally representative panels. Surveys were conducted at three distinct time points or waves (August 2020, February 2021, and June 2021) with 300 teens aged 13-18 years in each wave and 593/531/500 parents and guardians of teens aged 13-18 years in each wave, respectively. Participants responded using a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree) on their COVID-19 experiences, including the perceived importance of strictly following mask-wearing and/or social distancing guidelines and the perceived effectiveness of mask-wearing and social distancing in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Data were analyzed for differences across waves and demographic variables. Statistical analyses included frequencies, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and t-tests/z-tests. Results While significantly more parents and teens in Waves 2 and 3 knew someone who was hospitalized or died due to COVID-19 compared to Wave 1, significantly fewer in Wave 3 reported experiencing a lot or some stress and worry regarding the pandemic. By Wave 3, 58% of teens and 56% of parents had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Despite changes in experiences over time, a significant majority of parents and teens consistently agreed on the importance and effectiveness of social distancing and masking guidelines against the spread of COVID-19. In Wave 3, the demographic variables significantly associated with agreement on importance included race (Black (92%) > White (80%)), community type (urban (91%) > suburban (79%) and rural (73%)), and positive vaccination status of parents and teens (92%/89%) > not vaccinated (73%/73%), respectively). The demographic variables significantly associated with agreement on effectiveness included race (Black (91%) > White (81%)), community type (urban (89%) > suburban (83%) and rural (71%)), and positive vaccination status of parents and teens (94%/90% > not vaccinated (72%/70%), respectively). Conclusions This study into the perceived importance and perceived effectiveness of mitigation strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed differences in attitudes among sociodemographic groups. Understanding these differences can help shape how adherence to public health guidelines in a pandemic is promoted.

Implications of the Improvement in Atmospheric Fine Particles: A Case Study of COVID-19 Pandemic in Northern Taiwan

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in northern Taiwan led to the implementation of Level 3 alert measures during 2021 and thereby impacted the air quality significantly, which provided an unprecedented opportunity to better understand the control strategies on air pollutants in the future. This study investigated the variations in sources, chemical characteristics and human health risks of PM2.5 comprehensively. The PM2.5 mass concentrations decreased from pre-alert to Level 3 alert by 49.4%, and the inorganic ions, i.e., NH4+, NO3- and SO42-, dropped even more by 71%, 90% and 52%, respectively. Nonetheless, organic matter (OM) and elemental carbon (EC) simply decreased by 36% and 13%, which caused the chemical composition of PM2.5 to change so that the carbonaceous matter in PM2.5 dominated instead of the inorganic ions. Correlation-based hierarchical clustering analysis further showed that PM2.5 was clustered with carbonaceous matter during the Level 3 alert, while that clustered with inorganic ions during both pre-alert and post-alert periods. Moreover, 6 sources of PM2.5 were identified by positive matrix factorization (PMF), in which secondary nitrate (i.e., aging traffic aerosols) exhibited the most significant decrease and yet primary traffic-related emissions, dominated by carbonaceous matter, changed insignificantly. This implied that secondary traffic-related aerosols could be easily controlled when traffic volume declined, while primary traffic source needs more efforts in the future, especially for the reduction of carbonaceous matter. Therefore, cleaner energy for vehicles is still needed. Assessments of both carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic risk induced by the trace elements in PM2.5 showed insignificant decrease, which can be attributed to the factories that did not shut down during Level 3 alert. This study serves as a metric to underpin the mitigation strategies of air pollution in the future and highlights the importance of carbonaceous matter for the reduction in PM2.5.

Equity Lens Protocol: Reflecting on Harms From the COVID-19 Response and Mitigation Strategies Implemented in a Local Public Health System.

This report describes an Equity Lens Protocol and its use to guide partners' systematic reflection on harms and mitigation strategies of the COVID-19 response in a local public health system. This process evaluation tool is based on the Guidance document for assuring an equitable response to COVID-19 prepared by the Pan American Health Organization. We used a participatory approach to engage public health partners in systematically reflecting on harms, mitigation strategies, and lessons learned and implications for practice. Outputs from using this tool included identified: (a) specific harms (e.g., loss of income and challenges to learning) related to particular COVID-19 response measures (e.g., home confinement and school closure) and (b) mitigation strategies implemented to reduce harms. In response to the protocol's guiding questions, partners also identified lessons learned and practice recommendations for strengthening equity work in public health responses (e.g., an equitable response requires an investment in people, structures, and relationships before a crisis). This report-and accompanying protocol-illustrates use of a practical method for systematic reflection on public health responses through an equity lens.

COVID-19 outbreak: Impact on global economy.

COVID-19 has been considered the most significant threat since World War II and the greatest global health disaster of the century. Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, reported a new infection affecting residents in December 2019. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been named by the World Health Organization (WHO). Across the globe, it is spreading rapidly, posing significant health, economic, and social challenges for everyone. The content of this paper is solely intended to provide a visual overview of COVID-19 global economic impact. The Coronavirus outbreak is causing a global economic collapse. Most countries have implemented full or partial lockdown measures to slow the spread of disease. The lockdown has slowed global economic activity substantially, many companies have reduced operations or closed down, and people are losing their jobs at an increasing rate. Service providers are also affected, in addition to manufacturers, agriculture, the food industry, a decline in education, the sports industry, and of entertainment sector also observed. The world trade situation is expected to deteriorate substantially this year.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy the United States

Vaccines have been proven to be an effective public health measure in reducing the morbidity and mortality of many infectious diseases. The reduction in the occurrence of vaccine-preventable illnesses is one of the most noteworthy public health accomplishments of the past 100 years. Research indicates that the current COVID-19 vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are safe and effective;however, many young adults are still unvaccinated or are hesitant to get vaccinated. Many reasons, including myths and disinformation about vaccines, explain their hesitancy toward vaccination. To address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, it is crucial to understand what factors play into it and their sources. The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention has developed strategies to assist public health professionals, community leaders, employers, and providers in reducing vaccine hesitancy to help increase vaccine confidence and uptake. Many states have adapted these strategies based on their realities on the ground;however, others have taken unprecedented moves by passing legislation preventing vaccinations of any kind and refusing to apply any recommendations from the federal level, causing conflict regarding vaccines between states and the federal government. © TheEditor(s) (ifapplicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021, 2022.

The reaction of secondary school and university students toward COVID-19-induced lockdown.

Background: The Coronavirus pandemic triggered a worldwide partial lockdown. The lockdown instigated the school's shutdown making the students follow their courses in the virtual modalities while staying at home. Methods: The data were collected using an online survey using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study involved anonymous as well as voluntary 77 secondary schools (Grades 9th to 12th) and 132 university students (class standing 1st to 5th year). Results: The lockdown introduced excruciating experiences for most of the students; however, it also created unanticipated opportunities to learn new skills and develop insights on how to mitigate unforeseen crises while remaining reasonably productive. The steps taken to reduce exposure to the coronavirus infection showed a gender discrepancy. Accordingly, males were disproportionately taken risks regardless of the curfew imposed, while females were deeply concerned about the lockdown-induced break of social connections. Students who were attending public schools, presumably from low-income families were found to be more productive during the lockdown compared to their private school counterparts. This shows that, in some instances, the Coronavirus pandemic is a blessing in disguise. The lockdown created mixed feelings; accordingly, the students reported significantly varied responses towards it. This also introduced some inconsistencies in the response of the students. Perceptions about the lockdown and its impact in most instances significantly varied among students, which unlocked the opportunities to learn new lessons on how to manage unprecedented crises. Conclusion: Policymakers need to take into account gender and living standard while developing strategies to mitigate unprecedented challenges.

Impact of natural disasters and pandemics on blood supply: A systematic review

Background: Natural disasters and pandemics can be highly challenging to blood supply chains. This review aimed to assess the impacts of pandemics and natural disasters on blood donation globally, appraise any similarities and differences, and provide an overview of the mitigation strategies and optimizations applied as well as risks modelling undertaken. Method(s): Full text, peer-reviewed articles that studied the impact of any pandemic and natural disaster on blood donation, blood supply management, and modelling searchable in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library between Jan 1980 and Jan 2023, inclusive were included. We performed quality assessments and summarised potential lessons learned. Result(s): Overall, 98 studies were identified and assessed in this review, of which 58 were related to pandemics and 17 related to natural disasters. 97% of the studies on pandemics and blood donation were on COVID-19, while 88% of studies on natural disasters were on earthquakes. We confirmed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, blood donation numbers decreased compared to the pre-pandemic period, while just after an earthquake, blood donation numbers tended to increase, which in both cases put the blood supply chain under pressure (creating shortage or wastage). The increase of first-time donors was higher after a sudden destructive earthquake than after the COVID-19 pandemic. Public awareness campaigns, donors transportation, home visits, measures to minimize wastage of blood components, activation of contingency plans, and altering donor eligibility criteria were implemented to help the blood supply chain to respond to the demand and reduce wastage. However, no pandemic plans, per se were identified highlighting the lack of an emergency plan in collaboration with health authorities. Several optimization models were developed to help the blood supply chain reduce costs and identify faster transportation in times of earthquake, however, optimization models targeting a pandemic were lacking, as were risk modelling analyses for both events. Conclusion(s): Optimization models, risk modelling, serosurveillance and haemovigilance should be combined with infectious diseases case surveillance to better prepare the whole supply chain logistics to safely attend the demand. Findings on blood donor demographics were inconclusive during or after major events, which highlight the need for further investigations.Copyright © 2023 The Authors

Education and Public Support for COVID-19 Mitigation Measures.

Governments around the world have adopted many mitigation strategies to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Public support for these strategies varies widely. In this visualization the authors examine whether college education might play a role in support for various COVID-19 mitigation strategies. To do so, they leverage original data from surveys conducted across six countries. The authors find that the association between education and support for COVID-19 restrictions varies considerably in direction, both by restriction type and by country. Given this finding, in many contexts, the educational status of the intended audience should be considered in how public health messaging campaigns are developed and targeted.

Reducing the spread of COVID-19 transmission through analysis of the evolving building ventilation systems guidance

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how data from the World Health Organization, United States Environmental Protection Agency and Center for Disease Control have evolved with relation to engineering controls for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems to mitigate the spread of spread of aerosols (specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic) in occupied buildings. Design/methodology/approach: A document analysis of the pandemic-focused position documents from the aforementioned public health agencies and national HVAC authorities was performed. This review targeted a range of evidence from recommendations, best practices, codes and regulations and peer-reviewed publications and evaluated how they cumulatively evolved over time. Data was compared between 2020 and 2021. Findings: This research found that core information provided early in the pandemic (i.e. early 2020) for engineering controls in building HVAC systems did not vary greatly as knowledge of the pandemic evolved (i.e. in June of 2021). This indicates that regulating agencies had a good, early understanding of how airborne viruses spread through building ventilation systems. The largest evolution in knowledge came from the broader acceptance of building ventilation as a transmission route and the increase in publications and ease of access to the information for the general public over time. Originality/value: The promotion of the proposed controls for ventilation in buildings, as outlined in this paper, is another step toward reducing the spread of COVID-19 and future aerosol spread viruses by means of ventilation. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Assessing strategies to mitigate the impacts of a pandemic in apparel supply chains

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught global businesses that a pandemic can put business dynamics in unforeseeable turbulence. The disruptions created by the pandemic in the apparel industry exposed the vulnerabilities of apparel supply chains (SCs). To recover the supply chain impacts (SCIs) during an unprecedented event such as the COVID-19 pandemic, apparel SCs need a robust framework that can identify, measure, and mitigate the severity of SCIs by assessing effective mitigation strategies. This study identifies 12 critical SCIs in apparel SCs during a pandemic and 17 mitigation strategies. To assess SCIs and mitigation strategies, a modified grey-based bi-level analytical network process (ANP) is proposed to deal with the complex relationship between the SCIs and mitigation strategies. A real-life case study is conducted from an apparel supply chain for validation purposes. The findings suggest that policymakers in apparel SCs should prioritize implementing government policies and financial aid to deal with increased material and operational costs, the sudden surge in the unemployment rate, cancellation of orders and delayed payment, and increased transportation costs during a pandemic. This study also contributes to the literature by providing a robust decision-making framework for practitioners to deal with the complexity of SCs during future pandemics.

COVID-19 transmission in U.S. transit buses: A scenario-based approach with agent-based simulation modeling (ABSM)

The transit bus environment is considered one of the primary sources of transmission of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Modeling disease transmission in public buses remains a challenge, especially with uncertainties in passenger boarding, alighting, and onboard movements. Although there are initial findings on the effectiveness of some of the mitigation policies (such as face-covering and ventilation), evidence is scarce on how these policies could affect the onboard transmission risk under a realistic bus setting considering different headways, boarding and alighting patterns, and seating capacity control. This study examines the specific policy regimes that transit agencies implemented during early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in USA, in which it brings crucial insights on combating current and future epidemics. We use an agent-based simulation model (ABSM) based on standard design characteristics for urban buses in USA and two different service frequency settings (10-min and 20-min headways). We find that wearing face-coverings (surgical masks) significantly reduces onboard transmission rates, from no mitigation rates of 85% in higher-frequency buses and 75% in lower-frequency buses to 12.5%. The most effective prevention outcome is the combination of KN-95 masks, open window policies, and half-capacity seating control during higher-frequency bus services, with an outcome of nearly 0% onboard infection rate. Our results advance understanding of COVID-19 risks in the urban bus environment and contribute to effective mitigation policy design, which is crucial to ensuring passenger safety. The findings of this study provide important policy implications for operational adjustment and safety protocols as transit agencies seek to plan for future emergencies. © 2023

COVID-19 Workplace Mitigation Strategies and Employee Leave Policies Implemented during the Height of the Pandemic, United States, Fall 2020 and 2021.

COVID-19 workplace mitigation strategies implemented within US businesses have been effective at preventing disease and protecting workers, but the extent of their use is not well understood. We examined reported COVID-19 workplace mitigation strategies by business size, geographic region, and industry using internet panel survey data from US adult respondents working full- or part-time outside the home (fall 2020, N = 1168) andfull- or part-time, inside or outside the home (fall 2021, N = 1778). We used chi-square tests to assess the differences in the strategies used (e.g., masking and COVID-19 screening) and ANOVA tests to examine the group differences on a mitigation strategies summative score. Fewer COVID-19 mitigation strategies were reported by respondents in fall 2021 (compared to fall 2020) across businesses of different sizes and regions. The participants in microbusinesses (1-10 employees) reported significantly (p < 0.05) lower mitigation scores than all other business sizes, and the respondents in these businesses were significantly less likely (p < 0.05) to have paid leave than those in enterprises with >10 employees. The healthcare and education sectors had the highest reported mean score of COVID-19 workplace mitigation strategies. Small and essential businesses are critical to the US economy. Insight is needed on their use of mitigation strategies to protect workers during the current and future pandemics.

Multi-mitigation strategies in medical supplies for epidemic outbreaks.

The outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) highlights the importance of sufficient medical supplies stockpiling at the pre-event stage. In contrast, the potential disadvantages of maintaining adequate items at strategic locations (i.e., reserves) are considerable inventory-related costs. Unpredicted demand leads to a high degree of uncertainty. Efforts to mitigate the uncertainty should rely not only on prepositioning supplies at reserves but also on integrating various channels of medical materials. This paper proposes multi-mitigation strategies in medical supplies to ensure uninterrupted supply for hospitals and significant savings by introducing two-type suppliers, reserving and manufacturing suppliers. Thus, each hospital with uncertain demand is enabled to be served by various channels during pandemics: prepositioning in reserves, backups served by reserving suppliers, and medical commodities produced by manufacturing suppliers. Stochasticity is also incorporated into the raw materials available to produce. This research aims to develop an emergency response application that integrates preparedness action (reserve location, inventory level, and contract supplier's selection) with post-event operations (allocating medical materials from various channels). We formulate a two-stage stochastic mixed integer program to determine prepositioning strategy, including two-type suppliers' selection, and post-event allocation of multiple sources. A branch-and-Benders-cut method is developed for this problem and significantly outperforms both the classical Benders decomposition and Gurobi in the solution time. Different-sized test instances also verify the robustness of the proposed method. Based on a realistic and typical case study (inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, China), significant savings, an increase in inventory utilization and an increase in demand fulfilment are obtained by our approach.

SARS-CoV-2 emerging Omicron subvariants with a special focus on BF.7 and XBB.1.5 recently posing fears of rising cases amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron versions have been the sole one circulating for quite some time. Subvariants BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, and BA.5 of the Omicron emerged over time and through mutation, with BA.1 responsible for the most severe global pandemic between December 2021 and January 2022. Other Omicron subvariants such as BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BA.4.6, BF.7, BA.2.75.2, XBB.1 appeared recently and could cause a new wave of increased cases amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There is evidence that certain Omicron subvariants have increased transmissibility, extra spike mutations, and ability to overcome protective effects of COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies through immunological evasion. In recent months, the Omicron BF.7 subvariant has been in the news due to its spread in China and a small number of other countries, raising concerns about a possible rebound in COVID-19 cases. More recently, the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant has captured international attention due to an increase in cases in the United States. As a highly transmissible sublineage of Omicron BA.5, as well as having a shorter incubation time and the potential to reinfect or infect immune population, BF.7 has stronger infection ability. It appears that the regional immunological landscape is affected by the amount and timing of previous Omicron waves, as well as the COVID-19 vaccination coverage, which in turn determines whether the increased immune escape of BF.7 and XBB.1.5 subvariants is sufficient to drive new infection waves. Expanding our understanding of the transmission and efficacy of vaccines, immunotherapeutics, and antiviral drugs against newly emerging Omicron subvariants and lineages, as well as bolstering genomic facilities for tracking their spread and maintaining a constant vigilance, and shedding more light on their evolution and mutational events, would help in the development of effective mitigation strategies. Importantly, reducing the occurrence of mutations and recombination in the virus can be aided by bolstering One health approach and emphasizing its significance in combating zoonosis and reversal zoonosis linked with COVID-19. This article provides a brief overview on Omicron variant, its recently emerging lineages and subvairants with a special focus on BF.7 and XBB.1.5 as much more infectious and highly transmissible variations that may once again threaten a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases globally amid the currently ongoing pandemic, along with presenting salient mitigation measures. © 2022, Editorial board of Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 transmission in U.S. transit buses: A scenario-based approach with agent-based simulation modeling (ABSM)

The transit bus environment is considered one of the primary sources of transmission of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Modeling disease transmission in public buses remains a challenge, especially with uncertainties in passenger boarding, alighting, and onboard movements. Although there are initial findings on the effectiveness of some of the mitigation policies (such as face-covering and ventilation), evidence is scarce on how these policies could affect the onboard transmission risk under a realistic bus setting considering different headways, boarding and alighting patterns, and seating capacity control. This study examines the specific policy regimes that transit agencies implemented during early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic inUSA, in which it brings crucial insights on combating current and future epidemics. We use an agent-based simulation model (ABSM) based on standard design characteristics for urban buses in USA and two different service frequency settings (10-min and 20-min headways). We find that wearing face-coverings (surgical masks) significantly reduces onboard transmission rates, from no mitigation rates of 85% in higher-frequency buses and 75% in lower-frequency buses to 12.5%. The most effective prevention outcome is the combination of KN-95 masks, open window policies, and half-capacity seating control during higher-frequency bus services, with an outcome of nearly 0% onboard infection rate. Our results advance understanding of COVID-19 risks in the urban bus environment and contribute to effective mitigation policy design, which is crucial to ensuring passenger safety. The findings of this study provide important policy implications for operational adjustment and safety protocols as transit agencies seek to plan for future emergencies.

Impacts and Supply Chain Resilience Strategies to Cope with COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review

Coronavirus COVID-19 is an extraordinary event that can be categorized as a subcategory of Supply Chain (SC) disruptions. This pandemic has impacted supply chains differently, depending on the produced item, the industry, and the role of firms along the supply chains. Several studies, that emerged during the last 2 years, have analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains and firms, and the strategies adopted to cope with the pandemic. In addition to several resilience strategies, papers also highlighted the key role of digitalization to support firms in building more effective resilience strategies. The literature on the topic is however still fragmented. To overcome this fragmentation, our chapter offers a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), which investigates, in particular, the impacts of COVID-19 on Supply Chain Management (SCM) areas and actors, the SC resilience strategies which can enable firms to cope with the pandemic, and the role of digitalization. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Campuses Respond to COVID: “Pandemia” Not Making the Science Grades

In this chapter, we turn our gaze to campus reopening plans and COVID mitigation strategies enacted by colleges and universities in the early months of the pandemic. We found that higher education administrators’ pandemic responses were consistent with concerns for institutions’ bottom line, expressed largely in fears of losing enrollment, rather than the concern for the well-being of their students, their employees, and the community at large. We examine the dual response of colleges and universities ready to embrace public health solutions on the one hand, and stubborn refusals to heed science in favor of political conformity on the other, even when that repudiation is at odds with the best science, with the will of the faculty, and at the urging of student leaders. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A comparative in-vitro study on antimicrobial efficacy of on-market alcohol-based hand washing sanitizers towards combating microbes and its application in combating Covid-19 global outbreak.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has created endless social, economic, and political fear in the global human population. Measures employed include frequent washing hands and using alcohol-based hand sanitisers and hand rubs as instant hand hygiene products. Due to the need to mitigate the pandermic, there is an increase in the local production of alcohol-based hand sanitisers, whose quality and efficacy against germs and the virus are questionable. Therefore, the current study investigated the in-vitro antimicrobial efficacy of on-market alcohol-based handwashing sanitizers used to mitigate the Covid-19 global outbreak toward combating enveloped bacteria such as E. Coli, P. aeroginosa, S. aureus, and a fungus C. albicans. The antimicrobial effectiveness of alcohol-based hand sanitizer was performed by the agar well diffusion method, and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was used for statistical analysis. Results indicate that alcohol hand-based sanitizers were more effective in inhibiting P. aeroginosa, with a mean zone of inhibition of 12.47 mm, followed by E. coli, a gram-negative bacterium with a mean zone of inhibition of 12.13 mm than both S. aureus and C. albicans as gram-positive bacteria, and fungi respectively had the same inhibition average of 11.40 mm. The overall mean diameter of inhibition was statistically significantly different among the fifteen tested products. Only one brand of alcohol-based hand sanitizers was the most effective in inhibiting microbes. Less effective sanitizers may impair Covid 19 mitigation efforts and put the population at risk instead of protecting it. Indicating the need for all materials used to mitigate Covid 19 pandermic, including alcohol-based hand sanitizers, to be evaluated and monitored to ensure public health safety.