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Objectives: The public's stated preference for public health and social measures (PHSMs), and levels of pandemic fatigue are insufficiently fixed. We aim to quantify the public's preferences for varied PHSMs, and measure population's pandemic fatigue. Method(s): We conducted a cross-sectional, nationwide sampling, survey-based experiment to assess public preference for and attitudes towards PHSMs. A set of psychometric scales, specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic fatigue scale (CPFS), was used to screen fatigue levels in the respondents. The multinomial logit model (MNL) and latent class model (LCM) were utilized for choice tasks analysis, and Mann-Whitney tests were used for CPFS statistical analysis. Result(s): There were 689 respondents, who completed the survey, and were included in the study after quality control. The discrete choice experiments revealed that respondents attached the greatest importance to the risk of COVID-19 infection within three months (45.53%), followed by loss of income within three months (30.69%). Vulnerable populations (lower-income and older respondents) are more sensitive to the risk of infection, and younger respondents are more sensitive to income loss and prefer non-suspension of socialization and transportation. Migrants, and respondents with a higher level of fatigue, have less acceptance of the mandatory booster vaccination and suspension of transportation. Additionally, a higher fatigue level was observed in females, younger respondents, migrants, and relatively lower-income respondents. Conclusion(s): Fatigue and fear of COVID-19 infection contributed to the public's mental health problem. Hence, at the late-stage pandemic, policymakers should consider reducing people's mental burden via relieving people's fear of infection when PHSMs are being relaxed. And this also provides insights for the outbreaks' PHSMs implementation in the future.Copyright © 2023
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Introduction: Some healthcare staff observed an increase in their blood pressures (BP) after the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, thus Hospital Pulau Pinang (HPP) began collecting vital signs during the second dose of the vaccination. We aimed to compare the changes in BP after vaccination. Method(s): This was an observational study using secondary data collected as part of the SARSCoV- 2 vaccination in HPP. Changes in BP immediately after and 15-30 minutes post vaccination were compared with baseline using paired t-tests. Result(s): A total of 4906 staffs received 2 doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Most subjects did not report any adverse effects. Common adverse effects were redness, pain or swelling at the injection site, tiredness, fever, chills, headache and myalgia. Mean pre-vaccination systolic and diastolic BPs were 130.1 (SD 17.38) mmHg and 80.2 (SD 11.62) mmHg, respectively. BP was increased in more than half of the subjects immediately and 15-30 minutes post vaccination however, the mean increases were small. Among those with hypertension (n=244), only increases in diastolic blood pressure were significant. Overall, 58 (1.02%) were admitted into the observation room either due to hypertensive urgency or complaints of giddiness. Conclusion(s): Overall, the increases were relatively small and may not prevail over the benefits offered by vaccination. However, monitoring of BP may be warranted to prevent any unexpected serious events.
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Objectives: In the integrated management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), health education plays an important role and directly affects patients' blood glucose level control, pregnancies, and neonatal outcomes. The rapid growth of the internet has ushered in an era of big data and the rational use of the internet. Meanwhile, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, onsite education has been forced to adapt to online programs, including the health education of GDM. Methods: We developed an innovative mobile application (app) that combines a teaching model of the flipped classroom and GDM management, which allows pregnant women to learn knowledge about GDM and prevent GDM to a certain degree. It turns passive learners into active learners, leads them to preview before class, and takes the lead in the classroom, mobilizing learners' enthusiasm to achieve good teaching results. Results: The implementation of the online gestational diabetes flipped classroom is an innovative attempt in this field. The described approach is especially relevant in the context of the ongoing global pandemic, accelerates knowledge transfer, improves patients' learning motivation, has a health promotion effect, and boosts patients' self-management efficiency. This app can overcome the treatment barriers for those patients that cannot go to the hospital, enhance health promotion efforts, and improve GDM management. Mobile healthcare promotes doctor-patient interaction, facilitates the monitoring of and feedback on conditions, and facilitates the adjustment of patient treatment plans. Conclusions: This model of combining gestational diabetes health education with a mobile app is an exemplary approach now, and it can be promoted to other disciplines.
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Objectives: To explore the medical human resource needs of Chinese health professionals duringthe COVID-19 pandemic and provide evidence-based support for the national medical workforce allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A mathematical model was established with two scenarios (under control and intermittent outbreak) for predicting the health professionals’ human resource needs. The model inputs were based on the data obtained from the National Health Commission (NHC) of the PRCand the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Results: The medical workforce supply is 10.78 million during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Due to the decrease in the number of patients in outpatient and elective surgery, there are excess human resources in most clinical specialties. The demand for professionals during the COVID-19 epidemic in under control and outbreak circumstances will be 8.00 million and 8.42 million, respectively. Around 1.5–2 million of the workforce supply could be reallocating human resources to the shortage of specialties or services (for example, a massive screening program for COVID-19 in the community). Conclusions: The total number of health professionals is adequate during the COVID-19 pandemic (under control and intermittent outbreak) in China. However, due to the massive screening program for COVID-19 in the community, the needs of professionals for extensive screening programs are increased, and the reallocation of human resources to specialties with shortages is needed.
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Objectives: To investigate the psychological and behavioral responses of pregnant women to COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional web-based survey was carried out between Feb 13-16, 2020, where 1908 pregnant women responded. Participants were pregnant women who had registered with the Banmi Online Maternity School, one of the largest national online platforms for maternity college in China. This study used linear and logistic regression to evaluate the influence of demographic factors on psychological and behavioral responses of pregnant women in China to COVID-19 outbreak, and used structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the relative strength of associations between psychological and behavioral responses assessed by PCL-C, EPDS and, stress level as well as preventive behavioral adjustment scales in a sample of 1908 pregnant women in China. Results: Among the 1908 respondents, 1099 met criteria for a positive screening for postpartum depression, and 287 met the criteria for a positive screening for PTSD, where 264 women exceeds the cut-off points for both. We found that women with lower educational level tended to have higher scores of PCL-C, and EPDS scales as well as stress level and behavioral adjustment;and more were regarded as suspected PTSD and probable PPD. Moreover, the SEM analysis showed the highest effect of psychological responses on behavioral responses in the pregnant women was exerted on stress (coefficient =0.376, P<0.001), and Fear of infection (coefficient =-0.747, P<0.001). Conclusions: The psychological states of pregnant women under the COVID-19 epidemic was lower-estimated, and psychoeducation as well as other psychological intervention may be needed to equip both the affected pregnant women and family members with healthy problem-solving and communication skills and provide education and resources about the mental health condition that the pregnant women is experiencing.
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Objectives: Since the first case of novel coronavirus-caused pneumonia was identified in December 2019, the number of new cases has been increasingly reported across China and the world. Therefore, this study investigated the associations of meteorological factors with the daily new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in nine Asian cities. Methods: Pearson correlation and generalized additive modeling were performed to assess the relationships between daily new COVID-19 cases and meteorological factors (daily average temperature and relative humidity). Results: The Pearson correlation showed that daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were found to correlated with the average temperature and relative humidity. Moreover, generalized additive modeling analysis showed that generally, the number of daily new cases was positively associated with both average temperature and relative humidity. However, the results were inconsistent across cities and lagged time, which suggested an greater odds that the meteorological factors were unlikely to greatly influence the COVID-19 epidemic. Conclusions: The associations between meteorological factors and the number of COVID-19 daily cases are inconsistent across cities and time. Large-scale public health measures are still required before vaccine is available.