The association between COVID-19 cases and deaths and web-based public inquiries.

BACKGROUND: Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in December 2019 and rapidly spread globally. Since there is still no specific treatment available, prevention of disease spread is crucial to manage the pandemic. Adequate public information is very important. To assess the optimal timing, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between web-based interest and new cases and deaths due to COVID-19. METHODS: Web-based interest for queries related to 'coronavirus' was assessed between 1 January and 19 June 2020, using Google Trends in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Reliability analysis of the used search terms was performed using the intraclass correlation coefficient. To investigate the association between web-based interest and new COVID-19 cases or deaths, the relative search volume was analysed for correlation with new cases and deaths. RESULTS: Reliability analysis revealed excellent reliability for COVID-19 search terms in all countries. Web-based interest peaked between 23 February and 5 April 2020, which was prior to the peak of new infections and deaths in most included countries. There was a moderate to strong correlation between COVID-19 related queries and new cases or new deaths. CONCLUSION: Web-based interest in COVID-19 peaked prior to the peak of new infections and deaths in most countries included. Thus, monitoring public interest via Google Trends might be useful to select the optimal-timing of web-based disease-specific information and preventive measures.

Domestic violence against women amidst the pandemic: coping strategies disseminated by digital media.

OBJECTIVE: to know the strategies to cope with domestic violence against women disseminated by digital media at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: a documentary study with a qualitative approach. The search took place from March 11 to April 30, 2020, from four sources: newspapers and online portals, social network, official government pages and third sector portals. Thematic content analysis of the findings was performed. RESULTS: seventy-seven strategies were identified in the journalistic press, 93 in the social network, 45 in government portals and 40 in third sector organizations. From analysis, three empirical categories emerged: Strategies for communication with women; Strategies adopted by customer service; Strategies to inform the population. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: most of strategies were adaptations of existing services, centered on the reporting of violence by women.

COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions and Online Media Consumption in Germany.

The lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to increased stress levels and feelings of anxiety in the general population. Problematic usage of certain online applications is one frequent way to compensate for negative feelings and stress. The current study investigated changes of online media consumption during the lockdown in Germany. Gender and age specific differences in specific online activities were assessed. n = 3245 subjects participated in an online survey conducted between the 8th April and the 11th May 2020. Participants' age ranged between 18 and >55 years. A considerably high percentage (71.4%) of participants reported increased online media consumption during the lockdown. Male participants were more likely to increase their consumption of gaming and erotic platforms, while female participants reported a higher increase in the engagement in social networks, information research, and video streaming than males. The findings revealed an increased usage of all online applications during the lockdown. For the clarification whether the increase might present a risk for elevated Internet-use disorders or can be regarded as a functional and time-limited phenomenon, further studies, assessing changes in these online activities after the end of the pandemic, are needed.

Intersection of the Web-Based Vaping Narrative With COVID-19: Topic Modeling Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak was designated a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The relationship between vaping and contracting COVID-19 is unclear, and information on the internet is conflicting. There is some scientific evidence that vaping cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient in cannabis that is obtained from the hemp plant, or other substances is associated with more severe manifestations of COVID-19. However, there is also inaccurate information that vaping can aid COVID-19 treatment, as well as expert opinion that CBD, possibly administered through vaping, can mitigate COVID-19 symptoms. Thus, it is necessary to study the spread of inaccurate information to better understand how to promote scientific knowledge and curb inaccurate information, which is critical to the health of vapers. Inaccurate information about vaping and COVID-19 may affect COVID-19 treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Using structural topic modeling, we aimed to map temporal trends in the web-based vaping narrative (a large data set comprising web-based vaping chatter from several sources) to indicate how the narrative changed from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We obtained data using a textual query that scanned a data pool of approximately 200,000 different domains (4,027,172 documents and 361,100,284 words) such as public internet forums, blogs, and social media, from August 1, 2019, to April 21, 2020. We then used structural topic modeling to understand changes in word prevalence and semantic structures within topics around vaping before and after December 31, 2019, when COVID-19 was reported to the World Health Organization. RESULTS: Broadly, the web-based vaping narrative can be organized into the following groups or archetypes: harms from vaping; Vaping Regulation; Vaping as Harm Reduction or Treatment; and Vaping Lifestyle. Three archetypes were observed prior to the emergence of COVID-19; however, four archetypes were identified post-COVID-19 (Vaping as Harm Reduction or Treatment was the additional archetype). A topic related to CBD product preference emerged after COVID-19 was first reported, which may be related to the use of CBD by vapers as a COVID-19 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our main finding is the emergence of a vape-administered CBD treatment narrative around COVID-19 when comparing the web-based vaping narratives before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results are key to understanding how vapers respond to inaccurate information about COVID-19, optimizing treatment of vapers who contract COVID-19, and possibly minimizing instances of inaccurate information. The findings have implications for the management of COVID-19 among vapers and the monitoring of web-based content pertinent to tobacco to develop targeted interventions to manage COVID-19 among vapers.

The association between COVID-19 cases and deaths and web-based public inquiries.

BACKGROUND: Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in December 2019 and rapidly spread globally. Since there is still no specific treatment available, prevention of disease spread is crucial to manage the pandemic. Adequate public information is very important. To assess the optimal timing, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between web-based interest and new cases and deaths due to COVID-19. METHODS: Web-based interest for queries related to 'coronavirus' was assessed between 1 January and 19 June 2020, using Google Trends in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Reliability analysis of the used search terms was performed using the intraclass correlation coefficient. To investigate the association between web-based interest and new COVID-19 cases or deaths, the relative search volume was analysed for correlation with new cases and deaths. RESULTS: Reliability analysis revealed excellent reliability for COVID-19 search terms in all countries. Web-based interest peaked between 23 February and 5 April 2020, which was prior to the peak of new infections and deaths in most included countries. There was a moderate to strong correlation between COVID-19 related queries and new cases or new deaths. CONCLUSION: Web-based interest in COVID-19 peaked prior to the peak of new infections and deaths in most countries included. Thus, monitoring public interest via Google Trends might be useful to select the optimal-timing of web-based disease-specific information and preventive measures.

COVID-19 and 'immune boosting' on the internet: a content analysis of Google search results.

OBJECTIVE: The spread of misinformation has accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, including topics such as immune boosting to prevent COVID-19. This study explores how immune boosting is portrayed on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Content analysis. METHODS: We compiled a dataset of 227 webpages from Google searches in Canada and the USA using the phrase 'boost immunity' AND 'coronavirus' on 1 April 2020. We coded webpages for typology and portrayal of immune boosting and supplements. We recorded mentions of microbiome, whether the webpage was selling or advertising an immune boosting product or service, and suggested strategies for boosting immunity. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between webpages that appeared in the searches in Canada and the USA. The most common types of webpages were from news (40.5%) and commercial (24.7%) websites. The concept of immune boosting was portrayed as beneficial for avoiding COVID-19 in 85.5% of webpages and supplements were portrayed as beneficial in 40% of the webpages, but commercial sites were more likely to have these portrayals. The top immune boosting strategies were vitamin C (34.8%), diet (34.4%), sleep (34.4%), exercise (30.8%) and zinc (26.9%). Less than 10% of the webpages provide any critique of the concept of immune boosting. CONCLUSIONS: Pairing evidence-based advice for maintaining one's health (eg, healthy diet, exercise, sleep) with the phrase immune boosting and strategies lacking in evidence may inadvertently help to legitimise the concept, making it a powerful marketing tool. Results demonstrate how the spread of misinformation is complex and often more subtle than blatant fraudulent claims.

Surveillance of early stage COVID-19 clusters using search query logs and mobile device-based location information.

Two clusters of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were confirmed in Hokkaido, Japan, in February 2020. To identify these clusters, this study employed web search query logs of multiple devices and user location information from location-aware mobile devices. We anonymously identified users who used a web search engine (i.e., Yahoo! JAPAN) to search for COVID-19 or its symptoms. We regarded them as web searchers who were suspicious of their own COVID-19 infection (WSSCI). We extracted the location of WSSCI via a mobile operating system application and compared the spatio-temporal distribution of WSSCI with the actual location of the two known clusters. In the early stage of cluster development, we confirmed several WSSCI. Our approach was accurate in this stage and became biased after a public announcement of the cluster development. When other cluster-related resources, such as detailed population statistics, are not available, the proposed metric can capture hints of emerging clusters.

Global impact of COVID-19 on non-communicable disease management: descriptive analysis of access to FRAX fracture risk online tool for prevention of osteoporotic fractures.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and its management, is markedly impacting the management of osteoporosis as judged by access to online FRAX fracture risk assessments. Globally, access was 58% lower in April than in February 2020. Strategies to improve osteoporosis care, with greater use of fracture risk assessments, offer a partial solution. INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant detrimental impact on the management of chronic diseases including osteoporosis. We have quantified the global impact by examining changes in the usage of online FRAX fracture risk assessments before and after the declaration of the pandemic (11 March 2020). METHODS: The study comprised a retrospective analysis using GoogleAnalytics data on daily sessions on the FRAX® website ( www.sheffield.ac.uk/FRAX ) from November 2019 to April 2020 (main analysis period February-April 2020), and the geographical source of that activity. RESULTS: Over February-April 2020, the FRAX website recorded 460,495 sessions from 184 countries, with 210,656 sessions in February alone. In March and April, the number of sessions fell by 23.1% and 58.3% respectively, a pattern not observed over the same period in 2019. There were smaller reductions in Asia than elsewhere, partly related to earlier and less-marked nadirs in some countries (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Vietnam). In Europe, the majority of countries (24/31, 77.4%) reduced usage by at least 50% in April. Seven countries showed smaller reductions (range - 2.85 to - 44.1%) including Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Finland. There was no significant relationship between the reduction in FRAX usage and measures of disease burden such as COVID-attributed deaths per million of the population. CONCLUSION: This study documents a marked global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of osteoporosis as reflected by FRAX online fracture risk assessments. The analysis suggests that impact may relate to the societal and healthcare measures taken to ameliorate the pandemic.

Online Public Attention During the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Infoveillance Study Based on Baidu Index.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a global public health event, attracting worldwide attention. As a tool to monitor public awareness, internet search engines have been widely used in public health emergencies. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to use online search data (Baidu Index) to monitor the public's attention and verify internet search engines' function in public attention monitoring of public health emergencies. METHODS: We collected the Baidu Index and the case monitoring data from January 20, 2020, to April 20, 2020. We combined the Baidu Index of keywords related to COVID-19 to describe the public attention's temporal trend and spatial distribution, and conducted the time lag cross-correlation analysis. RESULTS: The Baidu Index temporal trend indicated that the changes of the Baidu Index had a clear correspondence with the development time node of the pandemic. The Baidu Index spatial distribution showed that in the regions of central and eastern China, with denser populations, larger internet user bases, and higher economic development levels, the public was more concerned about COVID-19. In addition, the Baidu Index was significantly correlated with six case indicators of new confirmed cases, new death cases, new cured discharge cases, cumulative confirmed cases, cumulative death cases, and cumulative cured discharge cases. Moreover, the Baidu Index was 0-4 days earlier than new confirmed and new death cases, and about 20 days earlier than new cured and discharged cases while 3-5 days later than the change of cumulative cases. CONCLUSIONS: The national public's demand for epidemic information is urgent regardless of whether it is located in the hardest hit area. The public was more sensitive to the daily new case data that represents the progress of the epidemic, but the public's attention to the epidemic situation in other areas may lag behind. We could set the Baidu Index as the sentinel and the database in the online infoveillance system for infectious disease and public health emergencies. According to the monitoring data, the government needs to prevent and control the possible outbreak in advance and communicate the risks to the public so as to ensure the physical and psychological health of the public in the epidemic.

Increased Internet Searches for Insomnia as an Indicator of Global Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multinational Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Real-time global mental health surveillance is urgently needed for tracking the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to use Google Trends data to investigate the impact of the pandemic on global mental health by analyzing three keywords indicative of mental distress: "insomnia," "depression," and "suicide." METHODS: We examined increases in search queries for 19 countries. Significant increases were defined as the actual daily search value (from March 20 to April 19, 2020) being higher than the 95% CIs of the forecast from the 3-month baseline via ARIMA (autoregressive integrated moving average) modeling. We examined the correlation between increases in COVID-19-related deaths and the number of days with significant increases in search volumes for insomnia, depression, and suicide across multiple nations. RESULTS: The countries with the greatest increases in searches for insomnia were Iran, Spain, the United States, and Italy; these countries exhibited a significant increase in insomnia searches on more than 10 of the 31 days observed. The number of COVID-19-related deaths was positively correlated to the number of days with an increase in searches for insomnia in the 19 countries (ρ=0.64, P=.003). By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the number of deaths and increases in searches for depression (ρ=-0.12, P=.63) or suicide (ρ=-0.07, P=.79). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests that insomnia could be a part of routine mental health screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Increased Internet Searches for Insomnia as an Indicator of Global Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multinational Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Real-time global mental health surveillance is urgently needed for tracking the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to use Google Trends data to investigate the impact of the pandemic on global mental health by analyzing three keywords indicative of mental distress: "insomnia," "depression," and "suicide." METHODS: We examined increases in search queries for 19 countries. Significant increases were defined as the actual daily search value (from March 20 to April 19, 2020) being higher than the 95% CIs of the forecast from the 3-month baseline via ARIMA (autoregressive integrated moving average) modeling. We examined the correlation between increases in COVID-19-related deaths and the number of days with significant increases in search volumes for insomnia, depression, and suicide across multiple nations. RESULTS: The countries with the greatest increases in searches for insomnia were Iran, Spain, the United States, and Italy; these countries exhibited a significant increase in insomnia searches on more than 10 of the 31 days observed. The number of COVID-19-related deaths was positively correlated to the number of days with an increase in searches for insomnia in the 19 countries (ρ=0.64, P=.003). By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the number of deaths and increases in searches for depression (ρ=-0.12, P=.63) or suicide (ρ=-0.07, P=.79). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests that insomnia could be a part of routine mental health screening during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gender Divides in Engagement With COVID-19 Information on the Internet Among U.S. Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: Gender and age disparities in older adults' exposure to pandemic stressors may create different needs for engaging with COVID-19 information, yet mitigation strategies to curb spreading COVID-19 inhibit their access to preferred in-person information networks. To inform the design of Internet-based interventions for older adults, the current study of U.S. older adults examines gender and age divides in searching for and sharing COVID-19 information on the Internet. METHOD: A secondary analysis of survey data from the Pew Research Center fielded March 19-24, 2020. Bivariate probit regressions jointly estimated how searching for and sharing information on the Internet about COVID-19 were associated with the age and gender of U.S. older adults (50 or older), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Consistent with previous research, younger older adults (50-64) were more likely than their older counterparts (65 or older) to search for and share information about COVID-19 and men, regardless of age, were less likely than women to share information. While men are usually more likely than women to search for information, women who are younger older adults were most likely to search for COVID-19 information. DISCUSSION: Internet-based interventions for older adults should consider how gender shapes their exposure to pandemic stressors. Men, who were already at risk of social isolation before the pandemic, may be candidates for interventions encouraging social uses of the Internet. Women between 50 and 64 were most likely among adults to provide care for another adult before the pandemic, which may be shaping their online information needs.

Association Between Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scores and Online Activity Among US Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Evidence from past pandemics suggests that fear, uncertainty, and loss of control during large-scale public health crises may lead to increased pandemic-related information seeking, particularly among persons predisposed to high anxiety. In such groups, a greater consumption of information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic may increase anxiety. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examine the association between online activity and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scores in the United States. METHODS: We recruited participants for an online survey through advertisements on various platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Reddit. A total of 406 adult US participants with moderate to severe (≥10) GAD-7 scores met the inclusion criteria and completed the survey. Anxiety levels measured using the GAD-7 scale formed our primary outcome. Our key independent variables were average daily time spent online and average daily time spent online searching about COVID-19 within the past 14 days. We used as controls potential confounders of the relation between our key independent variables and GAD-7 scores, namely, sleep quality, the COVID-19 Fear Inventory scale, binge drinking, substance use, prescription drug abuse, and sociodemographic attributes. RESULTS: Linear multivariate regression analyses showed that GAD-7 scores were higher among those who spent >4 hours online (per day) searching for information about COVID-19 (coefficient 1.29, P=.002), controlling for all other covariates. The total time spent online was not statistically associated with GAD-7 scores. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study indicate that limiting pandemic-related online information seeking may aid anxiety management in our study population.

Mapping of Health Literacy and Social Panic Via Web Search Data During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Infodemiological Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a type of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus that was discovered in 2019. As of May 6, 2020, 84,407 cases and 4643 deaths have been confirmed in China. The Chinese population has expressed great concern since the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, an average of 1 billion people per day are using the Baidu search engine to find COVID-19-related health information. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to analyze web search data volumes related to COVID-19 in China. METHODS: We conducted an infodemiological study to analyze web search data volumes related to COVID-19. Using Baidu Index data, we assessed the search frequencies of specific search terms in Baidu to describe the impact of COVID-19 on public health, psychology, behaviors, lifestyles, and social policies (from February 11, 2020, to March 17, 2020). RESULTS: The search frequency related to COVID-19 has increased significantly since February 11th. Our heat maps demonstrate that citizens in Wuhan, Hubei Province, express more concern about COVID-19 than citizens from other cities since the outbreak first occurred in Wuhan. Wuhan citizens frequently searched for content related to "medical help," "protective materials," and "pandemic progress." Web searches for "return to work" and "go back to school" have increased eight-fold compared to the previous month. Searches for content related to "closed community and remote office" have continued to rise, and searches for "remote office demand" have risen by 663% from the previous quarter. Employees who have returned to work have mainly engaged in the following web searches: "return to work and prevention measures," "return to work guarantee policy," and "time to return to work." Provinces with large, educated populations (eg, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong) have been focusing on "online education" whereas medium-sized cities have been paying more attention to "online medical care." CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that web search data may reflect changes in health literacy, social panic, and prevention and control policies in response to COVID-19.