Assessment Model for Rapid Suppression of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission under Government Control.

The rapid suppression of SARS-CoV-2 transmission remains a priority for maintaining public health security throughout the world, and the agile adjustment of government prevention and control strategies according to the spread of the epidemic is crucial for controlling the spread of the epidemic. Thus, in this study, a multi-agent modeling approach was developed for constructing an assessment model for the rapid suppression of SARS-CoV-2 transmission under government control. Different from previous mathematical models, this model combines computer technology and geographic information system to abstract human beings in different states into micro-agents with self-control and independent decision-making ability; defines the rules of agent behavior and interaction; and describes the mobility, heterogeneity, contact behavior patterns, and dynamic interactive feedback mechanism of space environment. The real geospatial and social environment in Taiyuan was considered as a case study. In the implemented model, the government agent could adjust the response level and prevention and control policies for major public health emergencies in real time according to the development of the epidemic, and different intervention strategies were provided to improve disease control methods in the simulation experiment. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model is widely applicable, and it can not only judge the effectiveness of intervention measures in time but also analyze the virus transmission status in complex urban systems and its change trend under different intervention measures, thereby providing scientific guidance to support urban public health safety.

Epidemics and the Military: Responding to COVID-19 in Uganda.

The UN Security Council's response to Ebola in 2014 legitimised militarised responses. It also influenced responses to COVID-19 in some African countries. Yet, little is known about the day-to-day impacts for ordinary citizens of mobilising armies for epidemic control. Drawing on 18 months ethnographic research, this article analyses militarised responses to COVID-19 during, and following, two lockdowns at contrasting sites in Uganda: a small town in Pakwach district and a village in Kasese district. Both field sites lie close to the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Although the practice of health security varied between sites, the militarised response had more impact than the disease in these two places. The armed forces scaled back movement from urban conurbations to rural and peri-urban areas; while simultaneously enabling locally based official public authorities to use the proclaimed priorities of President Museveni's government to enhance their position and power. This led to a situation whereby inhabitants created new modes of mutuality to resist or subvert the regulations being enforced, including the establishment of new forms of cross-border movement. These findings problematise the widely held view that Uganda's response to COVID-19 was successful. Overall, it is argued that the on-going securitisation of global health has helped to create the political space to militarise the response. While this has had unknown effects on the prevalence of COVID-19, it has entrenched unaccountable modes of public authority and created a heightened sense of insecurity on the ground. The tendency to condone the violent practice of militarised public health programmes by international and national actors reflects a broader shift in the acceptance of more authoritarian forms of governance.

Alternatives

The inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines that we see today must be situated within the historical context of colonialism, global capitalism, and the othering of the Global South. The effects of these structural factors have resulted in an exclusive preoccupation with profitmaking through vaccine manufacturing at the expense of humanitarian concern. The deliberate neglect in the vaccination of those in the Global South will enable the virus to survive and mutate in marginalized parts of the world. Notably, in our globally-connected world, this neglect will provide opportunities for new variants to flourish and spread, thus contributing to the likely emergence of new pandemic threats in the future. This paper is part of the SPE Theme on the Political Economy of COVID-19.

Risk management of Covid-19 epidemic spread in urban rail transit based on SEIR model

In order to better realize the management of urban rail transit in the normalization of the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, study the dynamic characteristics of the spread of this pandemic in subway cars, use Python to simulate the improved SEIR, and analyze personnel protection The impact on the spread of the epidemic. Put forward the concept of public health security defense, and build a three-level defense system, including a passive security defense layer, a static security barrier layer, and an active security defense layer. Propose suggestions on the safe operation of urban rail transit under public health incidents from three levels. © 2022 SPIE. All rights reserved.

Crowding perception predicts subway passengers' behavioral decision making during COVID-19 via risk awareness and safety perception

We studied the prediction mechanism of the effects of the crowding perception, risk awareness, and safety perception of subway passengers on their behavioral decision making in the context of COVID-19 as a public health safety crisis. We conducted a survey of 305 subway passengers in Zhejiang Province, China, and used structural equation modeling for data analysis. The results show that the crowding perception of the passengers did not directly predict their behavioral decision making. Rather, risk awareness and safety perception played a chain mediating role between the crowding perception and behavioral decision making of passengers. We further explored the theoretical and practical implications of our findings. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Behavior & Personality: an international journal is the property of Society for Personality Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Global public health security and justice for vaccines and therapeutics in the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Lancet Commission for COVID-19 task force is shaping recommendations to achieve vaccine and therapeutics access, justice, and equity. This includes ensuring safety and effectiveness harmonized through robust systems of global pharmacovigilance and surveillance. Global production requires expanding support for development, manufacture, testing, and distribution of vaccines and therapeutics to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Global intellectual property rules must not stand in the way of research, production, technology transfer, or equitable access to essential health tools, and in context of pandemics to achieve increased manufacturing without discouraging innovation. Global governance around product quality requires channelling widely distributed vaccines through WHO prequalification (PQ)/emergency use listing (EUL) mechanisms and greater use of national regulatory authorities. A World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution would facilitate improvements and consistency in quality control and assurances. Global health systems require implementing steps to strengthen national systems for controlling COVID-19 and for influenza vaccinations for adults including pregnant and lactating women. A collaborative research network should strive to establish open access databases for bioinformatic analyses, together with programs directed at human capacity utilization and strengthening. Combating anti-science recognizes the urgency for countermeasures to address a global-wide disinformation movement dominating the internet and infiltrating parliaments and local governments.