Epicenter Of COVID-19 Research Articles

High transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Amazonia, Brazil: an epidemiological strategy to contain severe cases of COVID-19.

We followed the COVID-19 pandemic in Manaus, one of the epicenters of COVID-19 in Brazil, using an epidemiological mathematical model and made five main conclusions. First, in early 2022, the actual cases exceed officially reported data by up to 8 times. Second, despite vaccination campaigns, the collective immunity threshold necessary was insufficient to contain severe cases of COVID-19. Next, the low observed mortality demonstrated the effectiveness of vaccination. Next, the drop in the vaccination rate combined with immune escape by the Omicron sub-variants (BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5) resulted in new wave after November 2022. Finally, to minimize severe cases of COVID-19, we need to raise vaccination thresholds above 90-95% of the entire population including children aged 6months and older and require booster doses at least in four-month intervals. This approach would help to prevent severe cases of COVID-19 that cause hospitalizations and deaths.

Predictors of health preventive behavior among university students in the post-COVID-19 era in Wuhan via TikTok journeying

TikTok has become increasingly popular among young people in China and there is growing number of young people who start to pay great attention to their health through this platform. Wuhan is a significant location for this study, since it was the initial epicenter of COVID-19. However, little is known about the extent to which university students in Wuhan, China, rely on TikTok for health-related information and how this affects their preventive health actions in the post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, it is crucial to look into the direct effects of TikTok users' search for health information and their actions to protect their health, as well as the mediating functions of e-health literacy and COVID-19 risk perception. The impact of TikTok as a social media platform on the health-related behaviors of university students was examined using the Media Dependency Theory which explains how media use can have significant effects on individuals' attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. 426 questionnaires were gathered by cluster sampling from a sample of Wuhan university students. Mplus8 was used to perform structural equation modelling, which looked at the relationships between these variables. The results showed a positive correlation between users' TikTok health information seeking and their health preventive behavior (β = 0.303, p < 0.001). Furthermore, it was discovered that this relationship is mediated by e-health literacy and COVID-19 risk perception in series (β = 0.029, p < 0.001). The findings demonstrate how TikTok functions as a platform that supports university students' efforts to protect their health. The results also imply that students’ post-COVID-19 preventive measures for health in search of health information on TikTok are significantly influenced by their e-health literacy as well as their perception of COVID-19 danger. By obtaining more accurate health-related information, university students are equipped with more health skills and have correct attitude towards the disease. In summary, these results advance the knowledge of how TikTok, a social media platform, affects the health-related behaviors of university students.

Evaluation of the New York City COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing program: a cascade of care analysis

BackgroundNew York City (NYC) was the first COVID-19 epicenter in the United States and home to one of the country’s largest contact tracing programs, NYC Test & Trace (T2). Understanding points of attrition along the stages of program implementation and follow-up can inform contact tracing efforts for future epidemics or pandemics. The objective of this study was to evaluate the completeness and timeliness of T2 case and contact notification and monitoring using a “cascade of care” approach.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included all SARS-CoV-2 cases and contacts reported to T2 from May 31, 2020 to January 1, 2022. Attrition along the “cascade of care” was defined as: (1) attempted, (2) reached, (3) completed intake (main outcome), (4) eligible for monitoring, and (5) successfully monitored. Timeliness was assessed: (1) by median days from a case’s date of testing until their positive result was reported to T2, (2) from result until the case was notified by T2, and (3) from a case report of a contact until notification of the contact.ResultsA total of 1.45 million cases and 1.38 million contacts were reported to T2 during this period. For cases, attrition occurred evenly across the first three cascade steps (~-12%) and did not change substantially until the Omicron wave in December 2021. During the Omicron wave, the proportion of cases attempted dropped precipitously. For contacts, the largest attrition occurred between attempting and reaching (-27%), and attrition rose with each COVID-19 wave as contact volumes increased. Attempts to reach contacts discontinued entirely during the Omicron wave. Overall, 67% of cases and 49% of contacts completed intake interviews (79% and 57% prior to Omicron). T2 was timely, with a median of 1 day to receive lab results, 2 days to notify cases, and < 1 day to notify contacts.ConclusionsT2 provided a large volume of NYC residents with timely notification and monitoring. Engagement in the program was lower for contacts than cases, with the largest gap coming from inability to reach individuals during call attempts. To strengthen future test-and-trace efforts, strategies are needed to encourage acceptance of local contact tracer outreach attempts.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies and Associated Factors in Bamako, Mali: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study in September 2022.

The sero-epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Mali are not yet well understood. This study assessed SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence and factors associated with antibody responses in the general population of Bamako, the capital city and epicenter of COVID-19, to assess the magnitude of the pandemic and contribute to control strategy improvements in Mali. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in September 2022 to collect sociodemographic information, clinical characteristics, comorbid factors, and blood samples. ELISA was performed to determine anti-Spike (anti-S) and anti-RBD antibody levels. A total of 3601 participants were enrolled in REDCap. R-Studio was used for the statistical analysis. The chi-squared (χ2) test was used to compare the proportions across different groups. Logistic regression models were used to elucidate factors associated with antibody responses. The sex ratio for female-to-male was 3.6:1. The most representative groups were the 20-29-year-olds (28.9%, n = 1043) and the 30-39-year-olds (26.9%, n = 967). The COVID-19 vaccine coverage among the participants was 35.8%, with vaccines from Covishield AstraZeneca (13.4%), Johnson & Johnson (16.7%), Sinovac (3.9%), and BioNTech Pfizer (1.8%). Overall, S protein and RBD antibody seroprevalences were remarkably high in the study population (98% and 97%, respectively). Factors such as youth (1-9 years old) and male sex were associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses, whereas COVID-19 vaccinations were associated with increased antibody responses. This serosurvey demonstrated the high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and highlighted the factors influencing antibody responses, while clearly underlining an underestimation of the pandemic in Mali.

Correlation the Urban Mobility and COVID-19 Case in Yogyakarta City

COVID-19 is an outbreak that spreads mainly due to human interaction. Transmission is greater when there is a potential crowd. So, the main policy in dealing with the spread of COVID-19 is to limit interactions. Interaction restrictions are carried out in various ways from social distancing to mobility restrictions. Mobility restriction means reducing the movement of the population for various purposes of movement. The less movement the number of transmissions of COVID-19 cases will also decrease. However, in various studies it turns out that this is not always the case. Reducing movement does not necessarily reduce the number of positive cases. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find the correlation between population mobility and the spreading of COVID-19 cases in Yogyakarta City. Yogyakarta is one of the cities in Indonesia that is the epicentre of COVID-19. This research uses descriptive quantitative method and correlation analysis technique. The population mobility was obtained from primary data in the form of questionnaires, while COVID-19 cases were obtained from secondary data which provided by the Municipality of Yogyakarta City. The results of the analysis show that there is no correlation between the transportation mode choice and frequency of travel, and COVID-19 spreading. However, the travel time has a positive and significant correlation with the spreading of COVID-19.

Revealing the evolution of global energy trade patterns amidst the COVID-19 epicenter storm

As the driving force of modern economic development, the evolution of the global energy patterns during major emergencies deserves attention. This study aims to uncover changes in global energy patterns during the COVID-19 epicenter storm. The results reveal concentrated energy trade volume in a few flows, with high-income countries holding greater influence. Amid the epicenter storm, there was a contraction in global energy trade volume, and trading patterns underwent significant shifts: (1) the global natural gas trading center shifted from the Middle East to western Africa initially, then to the United States and Russia; (2) Brazil, a crucial crude oil exporter, saw a weakened position in global crude oil exports; and (3) in the coal trading network, Australia and Russia maintained their position as trading centers throughout the storm. Swift policy adaptation is crucial for resilience and stability amid evolving global energy patterns.

Young Adults at the National Epicenter of the COVID-19 Outbreak: Understanding the Impact and Future Challenges of Social Distancing on Mental Health Outcomes.

To understand the role and future implications of social distancing on mental health and substance use in young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 living in high-disease-prevalent areas of New York. Participants completed a self-administered online survey through Qualtrics. 43.9% of the sample met criteria for moderate or severe anxiety, and 53.1% of the sample met criteria for moderate to severe depression. 76.1% of the sample experienced both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Despite this, the rates of lifetime mental health diagnoses, treatment, and access to mental health services were low. Rates of depression and anxiety differed across socio-demographic variables (gender, income, sexuality, education, and insurance status). Experiencing severe symptoms of the COVID-19 virus, poor coping skills, loneliness, increased alcohol use, and sleep disturbances were linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, or both. As the first epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States, New York represents an important location for prevention researchers to learn about how COVID-19 affected a diverse population of young adults. It is essential that researchers and practitioners proactively develop early and appropriate interventions to address the ongoing mental health crisis and also plan for future crises.

Both people living in the COVID-19 epicenter and those who have recently left are at a higher risk of loneliness

There is little empirical data on the heightened risk of loneliness among individuals residing in the COVID-19 epicenter or those who have recently left. This study compared the risk of loneliness in individuals residing in Wuhan, the COVID-19 epicenter in China, and those who had recently left during the initial outbreak period to those living in non-epicenter regions. During the COVID-19 outbreak in China in 2020, three samples were obtained using snowball sampling. The samples included 2882 epicenter residents, 1028 left residents, and 2963 non-epicenter residents. Loneliness was assessed using the six-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, with a score of two or more indicating the presence of loneliness. 53.5% and 55.2% of epicenter and recently left residents, respectively, experienced loneliness, which was significantly higher than the 43.9% observed in non-epicenter residents. After adjusting for covariates, the risk of loneliness remained statistically significant for both epicenter and left residents (OR = 1.35, P < 0.001 and OR = 1.20, P = 0.017, respectively), when compared to non-epicenter residents. Individuals residing in the COVID-19 epicenter, as well as those who have recently left, are at a heightened risk of loneliness during the outbreak. These individuals need psychosocial support to mitigate their risk of loneliness and promote their psychological wellbeing.

Unequal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on researchers: evidence from Chile and Colombia

The adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientific work and outputs have been a growing global concern after significant and varied effects have been reported in the United States and Europe. Looking to gain insight into the impact of the pandemic in Latin America, we designed and administered an anonymous online survey to researchers based in Chile or Colombia. The survey was implemented in July–August 2020, as the continent was declared the epicentre of COVID-19, and total lockdowns were enacted in both countries. We aimed to understand the overall impact of this situation on research time, exploring unequal effects by discipline and individual characteristics. Results based on 3257 responses indicate that, after accounting by discipline, individual-level differences related to gender and care responsibilities explain the more significant gaps. Specifically, we find that being a woman is linked to higher reductions of time devoted to research, followed by a parenthood penalty for those with children under 12 at home. We also tested a possible relationship between time devoted to research and personal beliefs about gender roles. We found that women who support traditional gender roles and have children reduced their research time more than any other group. Also, men who support progressive views are more impacted than their conservative peers. We conclude that given the heterogeneous impact of the pandemic on researchers, universities and research centres should target specific populations when creating policies aiming to mitigate its effects.

Loneliness in older Chinese adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Prevalence and associated factors.

Data on loneliness among older adults in China during the COVID-19 pandemic are still scarce. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of loneliness and identify its associated factors among older Chinese adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 1268 older Chinese adults (aged 50+ years) were recruited through snowball sampling. The Chinese version of the validated six-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale was used to assess participants' recent feelings of loneliness, and a cut-off score of two or more was used to indicate the presence of loneliness. Loneliness was experienced by 37.9% of the participants in recent days. Factors significantly associated with loneliness included male sex (vs. female, OR: 1.62, p < .001), an education level of middle school and below (vs. college and above, OR: 1.50, p = .007), residing in the COVID-19 epicenter (vs. other provinces, OR: 1.48, p = .004), concern about contracting COVID-19 (OR: 1.68, p = .001), poor knowledge of COVID-19 (OR: 2.39, p = .012), and physical health problems (OR: 1.65, p < .001). Loneliness is common among older Chinese adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted intervention programs may be more effective in reducing loneliness among older adults who are worried about contracting COVID-19, have poor COVID-19 knowledge, and experience physical health problems.

Anxiety and Insomnia Mediate the Association of Fear of Infection and Fatigue: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Nurses Deployed to a COVID-19 Epicenter in China.

This study aimed to test the mediating role of anxiety and insomnia in the association between fear of infection and fatigue. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on the nurses deployed to Heihe. A serial multiple mediation model was established to determine the role of anxiety and insomnia in the association between fear of infection and fatigue. Over half (53.0%) of the study participants reported experiencing fear of infection despite stringent personal protection measures. The scores of anxiety (11.87±5.19), insomnia (16.33±5.95), and fatigue (45.94±12.93) were moderately correlated, with a Pearson correlation coefficient ranging from 0.501 to 0.579. Anxiety, either alone or in combination with insomnia, mediated the association between fear of infection and fatigue. The findings suggest that anxiety and insomnia play a mediating role in the relationship between fear of infection and fatigue. These results emphasize the importance of implementing targeted mental health interventions and work arrangements to address the well-being of healthcare professionals.

Do spatial and sociodemographic factors affect the transmission pattern of COVID-19? Evidence from Surabaya City, Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic has attracted the attention of researchers from different disciplines, including urban studies. Researchers have revealed different spatial and sociodemographic factors affecting both the transmission of COVID-19 and the number of cases and deaths. This study aims to understand the association between regional spatial and sociodemographic characteristics and the dynamics of COVID-19 in Surabaya city, Indonesia, a COVID-19 epicenter. The analysis is based on the COVID-19 cumulative cases per 100,000 population from March to December 2020. To investigate the spatial and sociodemographic factors affecting the transmission of COVID-19, spatial autocorrelation and nonparametric correlation analyses were used. The Moran's I index results revealed that COVID-19 cases are clustered in specific parts of Surabaya. Significant agglomerations were found between high-case regions and low-case regions. In addition, 14 sub-districts were identified as hotspots in the southern Surabaya. The association between spatial and sociodemographic factors and COVID-19 cases was explored using Spearman rank correlation and Kendall tau analysis. The study found that population density, distance to hotspot, distance to airport, and distance to bus station had negative correlation, while the total area and distance to port had a positive correlation with the cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in Surabaya.

Impact of the single site order in LTC: exacerbation of an overburdened system

BackgroundThe long-term care (LTC) sector has been at the epicentre of COVID-19 in Canada. This study aimed to understand the impact that the Single Site Order (SSO) had on staff and leadership in four LTC homes in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada.MethodsA mixed method study was conducted by analyzing administrative staffing data. Overtime, turnover, and job vacancy data were extracted and analyzed from four quarters before (April 2019 – March 2020) and four quarters during the pandemic (April 2020 – March 2021) using scatterplots and two-part linear trendlines across total direct care nursing staff and by designation (i.e., registered nurses (RNs), licenced practical nurses (LPNs) and care aids (CAs)). Virtual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of leadership (10) and staff (18) from each of the four partner care homes (n = 28). Transcripts were analyzed in NVivo 12 using thematic analysis.ResultsQuantitative data indicated that the total overtime rate increased from before to during the pandemic, with RNs demonstrating the steepest rate increase. Additionally, while rates of voluntary turnover showed an upward trend before the pandemic for all direct care nursing staff, the rate for LPNs and, most drastically, for RNs was higher during the pandemic, while this rate decreased for CAs. Qualitative analysis identified two main themes and sub-themes: (1) overtime (loss of staff, mental health, and sick leave) and (2) staff turnover (the need to train new staff, and gender/race) as the most notable impacts associated with the SSO.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that the outcomes due to COVID-19 and the SSO are not equal across nursing designations, with the RN shortage in the LTC sector highly evident. Quantitative and qualitative data underscore the substantial impact the pandemic and associated policies have on the LTC sector, namely, that staff are over-worked and care homes are understaffed.

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Health Care Workers at a Tertiary Hospital in Vietnam COVID-19 Epicenter: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Among Health Care Workers at a Tertiary Hospital in Vietnam COVID-19 Epicenter: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Achieving herd immunity in South America

South America, once an epicenter of COVID-19, has stayed on the road of continued management of the pandemic. The region initially struggled to cope with the pandemic as it experienced spiraling numbers of infections and overwhelmed public health systems. South America has risen in its pandemic response to be the region with the highest global vaccination rate. The region posed a strong vaccination drive, with over 76% of its population fully vaccinated with the initial protocol. South America leveraged its deeply rooted vaccination culture and public health confidence among its population. Herd immunity is an integral concept in population infectious disease management. Attaining herd immunity is presently not feasible with available vaccines, but the high vaccination rate in the region depicts the acceptance of vaccination as a strategy for population protection. The availability of effective transmission-blocking vaccines, the continuous implementation of strategies that will enable the undisrupted supply of the vaccines, equity in access to the vaccines, improved vaccine acceptance, and trust in the vaccination and public health systems will help shepherd the region towards herd immunity. Local vaccine production backed with investment in infrastructure and international collaboration for research and knowledge development will also drive population safety.

Colonias, Water, and Extractable Bodies: COVID19’s impact on the Rio Grande Valley

This paper develops the concept of “extractible bodies” and extends it to apply to Latinxs' experience in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) subject to structural problems and predatory market practices before and during the pandemic. The RGV has had more COVID cases than counties of equal population size. Through a mixed-methods approach, this paper describes, in detail, how racist state practices, structural inadequacies, poor administration, and predatory capitalism effectively explain why the RGV was the epicenter of COVID-19 in the State of Texas in 2020. We introduce a concept, extractable bodies, to show how Mexican Americans provide limitless opportunities for exploitation while, at the same time, lacking basic public services and shouldering the blame for such circumstances. We focus our analysis on Latinx “essential workers” in an area challenged by health issues, high obesity rates, inadequate infrastructure, the situation in las colonias, and how these factors contributed to the COVID crisis. KEYWORDS: COVID 19, Latinxs, Mixed Methods, Health Disparity, Racism, South Texas

Modeling time to event for epicenters of the pandemic COVID-19

The epidemic of COVID-19 has been the most mathematically informative pandemic. The unprecedented information gives rise to some unprecedented models, problems, and discussions. One of these new matters is modeling the epicenters of a pandemic. The present paper is the first attempt to model the waiting time to introduce a new epicenter during a pandemic. This modeling is conducted in terms of time-to-event, the number of epicenters, and the normalized time. We model the waiting time data by an exponential distribution, therefore, the number of epicenters can be represented through a Poisson process. Then, the parameters are estimated by the method of moments and maximum likelihood method. All the simulations are the result of 10,000 runs conducted on MATLAB R2015b. It is expected to encounter 12 and 14 (with probability 95%, 3-24 and 7-23) epicenters from 15th May to 13th June and from June 14 to July 12, 2020, respectively. We forecast that the cumulative number of confirmed cases for coming epicenters is over 10,000 when they join the existing epicenters. The paper suggests that the time to epicenter is a suitable criterion to compare the spreading speed of an epidemic in different periods or even different epidemics. Highlights The study aims to model the time to the next epicenters during the pandemic COVID-19. The study introduces the time to epicenter as a criterion to study of spreading speed of an epidemic in different periods or compare different epidemics. The study deals with the number of cumulative confirmed cases at the time that a region become epicenter. The study proposes the Poisson process as the model to describe the number of epicenters. The study suggests that exponential distribution can model the time to event for the epicenters of COVID-19.

Scars from a Previous Epidemic: Social Proximity to Zika and Fertility Intentions during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We examine whether women's social proximity to Zika during the Zika epidemic predicts intentions to avoid a pregnancy because of the COVID-19 pandemic either directly or indirectly via subjective assessments of the pandemic. We apply path models on unique microdata from Brazil, the country most affected by Zika and an epicenter of COVID-19, to understand whether a novel infectious disease outbreak left lasting imprints shaping fertility intentions during a subsequent novel infectious disease outbreak. Findings show that Zika social proximity is associated with fertility intentions through an indirect path related to subjective assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings emerged regardless of whether a woman herself had or suspected she had Zika and speak to the transformative consequences of novel infectious disease outbreaks that go beyond mortality and health.

Association of Meteorological Factors With COVID-19 During Harmattan in Nigeria.

Harmattan is a season of dry, cold, dusty wind, and haze that is peculiar to West Africa. This season and COVID-19 share common conditions such as malaise and respiratory issues like as runny nose, cough and sneezing, and raise a question of a possible relationship that begs to be answered. This study investigated whether the meteorological factors of humidity and wind speed during harmattan have association with COVID-19 incidence and mortality in the 2 major COVID-19 epicenters of Lagos state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in southern and northern geopolitical regions of Nigeria respectively. Data used were from March, 2020 to February, 2022, which corresponded to the period of 2 years after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Nigeria. Correlation analysis was performed using incidence or mortality data on COVID-19 over the duration of 2 years and during the harmattan periods, as well as the humidity and wind speed data for the corresponding periods. Our results showed that there was no significant correlation between the humidity or wind speed and COVID-19 daily incidence or mortality during the harmattan and non-harmattan periods in Lagos state. In the FCT however, there was a significant positive correlation between humidity and COVID-19 incidence, as well as a negative correlation between wind speed and COVID-19 incidence. No significant correlation existed between humidity or wind speed and daily mortality. Taken together, the findings of this study show that weather components of the harmattan season have association with COVID-19 incidence but not mortality, and the association could vary depending on location.

On the epicenter of COVID-19 and the origin of the pandemic strain.

On the epicenter of COVID-19 and the origin of the pandemic strain.