Preventive Health Measures Research Articles

Politicizing Mask-Wearing: Predicting the Success of Behavioral Interventions Among Republicans and Democrats

Scientists and policymakers seek to choose effective interventions that promote preventative health measures. We evaluated whether academics, behavioral science practitioners, and laypeople (N = 1,034) were able to forecast the effectiveness of seven different messages compared to a baseline message for Republicans and Democrats separately. These messages were designed to nudge mask-wearing attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. When examining prediction error across political parties, forecasters predicted larger effects than those observed for Democrats compared to Republicans and made more accurate predictions for Republicans compared to Democrats. These results are partly driven by a lack of nudge effects on Democrats, as reported in Gelfand et al. (2021). Academics and practitioners made more accurate predictions compared to laypeople. Although forecasters' predictions were correlated with the nudge interventions, all groups overpredicted the observed results. We discuss how accurate forecasts of behavioral intervention outcomes provide insight that can help save resources and increase the efficacy of interventions by updating the accuracy of forecasters’ beliefs.

Development of an application prototype for mobile devices about pregnancy and syphilis in pregnancy as a health education strategy

Introduction: Syphilis is a systemic sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It has chronic evolution and is subject to flare-ups and latency periods when untreated, which can produce the acquired or congenital forms of the disease. It has been acknowledged in 2016 as an epidemic in Brazil. Objective: To identify the information needs of pregnant women regarding syphilis during pregnancy and congenital syphilis, aiming to assist in the development of a technology-mediated educational resource as a strategy to promote health and fight the syphilis epidemic. Methods: The prior knowledge of pregnant women assisted in high-risk prenatal care at the Maternity of Divino Amor in Parnamirim/RN was investigated, in order to identify the information needs of this population and support the development of a prototype of an educational resource in prenatal care services that use technological mediation, education and communication as distance health education strategies. Results: Forty-six pregnant women who demonstrated to have gaps in knowledge about syphilis were assessed with regard to: signs and symptoms of the disease, prevention measures, and vertical transmission. Conclusion: These findings supported the development of a prototype educational resource that intends to be an important source of information for the adoption of preventive health measures, contributing to the learning process of pregnant women, to the improvement of health indicators in this population and the reduction of congenital syphilis cases.

Is the Unequal COVID-19 Burden in Canada Due to Unequal Levels of Citizens’ Discipline Across Provinces?

The unequal burden from the COVID-19 crisis (e.g., in terms of infection and death rates) across Canadian provinces is important and puzzling. Some have speculated that differences in levels of citizen compliance with public health preventive measures are central to understanding cross-provincial differences in pandemic outcomes. However, there has been no systematic empirical test of this hypothesis. In this research, we make use of an exceptionally large dataset including 23 survey waves (N=22,610) fielded in Canada across twelve months (April 2020 to April 2021) to answer the question: is there evidence of substantial cross-provincial differences in citizen compliance with basic public health measures designed to prevent the spread of infection? We find that regional differences are few and very modest, suggesting that inter-provincial differences in COVID-19 related health outcomes have little to do with differences in citizen compliance. These results have important implications. While it is crucial that we understand regional variations related to the COVID-19 burden, public officials from health agencies, pundits and politicians should be cautious when musing about the role of citizen compliance as the primary explanation of inter-provincial pandemic health outcomes.

Recent advances in caries prevention – A review article

Dental caries is a preventable infectious disease, and the early identification of risk factors and implementation of oral health preventive measures at a young age can reduce or even avoid this lesion progression. Some of the important changes that have taken place over the last few years that have influenced caries prevention are changes in disease level among different populations, increased understanding of caries pathogenesis process, material and operative technique development. We have a variety of new agents, which can be used to prevent dental caries, but the application of these agents in clinical trials is still limited in the developing countries. Moreover, dental caries is multifactorial and all preventive measures should be evaluated properly in human trials so that they can be introduced at the community level for the prevention of dental caries.

Double Jeopardy: Maintaining Livelihoods or Preserving Health? The Tough Choices Sex Workers Faced during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health preventive measures such as lockdown and home confinement have posed unique challenges to female sex workers (FSW) globally, including in Canada where the sex trade is not formally recognized. In this commentary, we discuss the unintended consequences the pandemic has had on various social determinants of health among FSW. We draw on a review of scholarly and grey literature, complemented by our experience with the Exit Doors Here program, a sex work exiting program implemented in Toronto, Canada. Due to COVID-19, many FSW suddenly lost their main source of income, work conditions became riskier, and sheltering-in-place presented challenges for women with no safe housing. The slowdown of social and health care services also meant FSW were not receiving the required attention. We make recommendations for intersectoral mitigation strategies to limit the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on FSW health and livelihoods. Recommendations focus on addressing women’s marginalizing circumstances and speak to a gender transformative approach to the COVID-19 recovery. Our recommendations are relevant to FSW and other marginalized groups, in the current context and in the context of future health, social, and economic crises.

Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards COVID-19 Public Health Preventive Measures Among Patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital.

BackgroundCOVID-19 has become a major global health challenge, with Uganda reporting over 20,000 cases. There is, however, a scarcity of data on the perception of patients in Uganda towards the highly infectious disease. We aimed to assess the awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 preventive measures among patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH), Uganda.MethodsA cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted in August, 2020, among patients in surgical and medical wards at MNRH. An interviewer-administered, pre-validated questionnaire was used to collect data that was entered into Google Forms and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and STATA 16. Descriptive statistics was used to present data from univariate analysis. Patients whose knowledge and practice scores were greater or equal to the average score were regarded to have good knowledge and practices respectively. Chi-square, Fisher’s Exact tests and binary logistic regression were used to assess factors associated with COVID-19 knowledge and practices. A P<0.05 was statistically significant.ResultsOverall, 114 patients were approached and 102 consented to participate. Most were females (53.8%), aged above 45 years (31.4%) with 40.2% reporting primary level as the highest level of education. About 55.9% (n=57) had adequate knowledge for COVID-19 and its related practices, and 52% (n=53) had good COVID-19 related practices. Knowledge significantly differed by marital status at bivariate analysis (P=0.020), however this lost significance at logistic regression. Female patients were thrice more likely to have good COVID-19 prevention practices compared to males (COR: 2.59, 95% CI: 1.2 to 5.8, P=0.020). Some 47 (46.1%) participants perceived that COVID-19 preventive measures were not difficult at all to observe.ConclusionAbout half of the patients at Mulago National Referral Hospital lack adequate knowledge and practice on COVID-19 prevention. Continued patient education is required to increase knowledge which will in turn improve adherence to COVID-19 preventive practices.

Development of leading indicators for the assessment of occupational health performance using Reason's Swiss cheese model.

BACKGROUND:The Swiss cheese model of accident causation is a model used in risk analysis and risk management, including aviation safety, engineering, healthcare, and emergency service organizations, and as the principle behind layered security, as used in computer security and defense in-depth. This study aimed to develop and weight the occupational health leading indicators using the Swiss cheese model.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The present study was a descriptive, cross-sectional study; occupational health performance assessment indicators were classified into five main groups of chemical, physical, ergonomic, psychosocial, and biological harmful agents. In addition, potential hazards and their prevention methods were identified using the Swiss cheese model. The leading performance measurement indicators (n = 64) were developed based on preventive methods and were weighted and rated by fuzzy analytic hierarchy process.RESULTS:Thirty-six out of 64 indicators were related to the management measures, 25 indicators were related to exposure to harmful occupational agents, and the remaining indicators were occupational-related illnesses and diseases rate. Considering the importance and frequency of indicators, psychological agents were the most important indicators (40%) and physical agents had the greatest frequency (59%).CONCLUSIONS:Process of indicators' development has demonstrated that the major occupational health prevention measures in the oil and gas industry are concentrated on physical, psychological, and chemical agents, respectively. Thus, to provide protection for employees against occupational diseases and improve health performance indicators, paying special attention to mentioned agents is essential in the oil and gas industry.

The covid-19 pandemic in vulnerable communities: the responses of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas

This article analyses the effectiveness of public-health and economic-policy responses of the Brazilian government to the pandemic during the year 2020. We show that prevention, following WHO guidelines, is more easily adopted by the middle class. In low-income groups, housing conditions, lack of sanitation and informality limit the effectiveness of prevention. Governance problems in the relationship between the federal government and the states and municipalities have reduced the effectiveness of these measures. Brazil continues to fight the world’s second-highest number of deaths, after the United States. In this context, the article focuses on the responses of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas to the pandemic during and after the lockdown. With no specific policy on the part of the Brazilian government, this vulnerable population, supported by social organization present in the communities, adopted health preventive measures and benefited from donations of food and hygiene products that minimized the announced tragedy.

1499. Incidence of Community Acquired Pneumonia by Age and Comorbid Conditions in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

BackgroundCommunity acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Risk factors for CAP are often grouped as moderate- (e.g., diabetes mellitus, chronic liver, lung, or heart disease) and high-risk (e.g., immunosuppressive) conditions, which in turn influences preventative strategies, notably pneumococcal vaccination. Here, we use the national VHA databases to assess the risk of CAP among adults, expanding on previous work by using administrative data to assess the incidence of CAP among people with > 1 moderate risk conditionMethodsWe used the national VHA databases merged with claims summaries from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to identify patients receiving clinical care in the VHA without clinical Medicare claims in 2016-2017. Within this population, we identified CAP cases defined by the presence of a diagnostic code for pneumonia, chest X-ray, and antibiotics as well as the absence of healthcare exposure or antibiotics in prior 90 days. We determined the total patient years at risk and calculated incidence rates by age group and by moderate- and high-risk comorbid conditions.ResultsWe identified 37,348 CAP cases in 7.9 million person-years at risk and observed similar annual rates in 2016 and 2017 (468.9 and 472.2 cases/100,000 person-years, respectively). The prevalence of high-risk conditions and incidence of CAP increased with age whereas the prevalence of >1 moderate-risk condition peaked for ages 50-64 and 65-74 years (Table). The incidence of CAP among those with > 1 moderate-risk condition exceeded that of patients with high-risk conditions across all age strata (Figure).Table Figure ConclusionAge-adjusted analysis revealed that the greatest burden of CAP occurs in patients with > 1 moderate-risk condition, even compared to those with a high-risk condition. Our analysis of CAP based on national VHA data suggest that additional preventative health measures directed at individuals older than 50 years with > 1 moderate-risk condition may help to reduce the burden of CAP and limit its morbidity and mortality.Disclosures Robin Jump, MD, PhD, Accelerate (Grant/Research Support)Merck (Grant/Research Support)Pfizer (Grant/Research Support, Advisor or Review Panel member)Roche (Advisor or Review Panel member) Federico Perez, MD, MS, Accelerate (Research Grant or Support)Merck (Research Grant or Support)Pfizer (Research Grant or Support)

Perfil epidemiológico de pacientes HIV positivos coinfectados com o Toxoplasma gondii, Citomegalovírus e Trypanosoma cruzi

Este trabalho teve como objetivo determinar o perfil epidemiológico e características associadas de pacientes HIV positivos coinfectados com o Toxoplasma gondii, Citomegalovírus e Trypanosoma Cruzi, cadastrados e/ou acompanhados no Serviço de Assistência Especializada (SAE). Um estudo descritivo transversal, por meio de análise documental das anotações de consultas realizadas e documentadas em prontuário pela equipe multiprofissional de 323 prontuários cadastrados e/ou em acompanhamento, provenientes de dez municípios pertencentes a Regional de Saúde, com cadastro no SAE de um município do Sudoeste Goiano, com coleta de dados entre os meses de junho e novembro de 2016 no Serviço de Assistência Especializada. Do total de sorologias analisadas, observou-se prevalência de coinfecção de 70% (226) para Toxoplasma gondii, 87% (281) citomegalovírus e 1,9% (06) Trypanosoma Cruzi. As coinfecções estiveram relacionadas ao gênero, faixa etária e estado civil. Os resultados desta investigação poderão contribuir no planejamento e implementação de ações de saúde, orientando medidas preventivas para grupos vulneráveis à coinfecção.

Personal Protective Equipment in COVID-19: Impacts on Health Performance, Work-Related Injuries, and Measures for Prevention.

Objective:To assess impact of personal protective equipment (PPE) on healthcare providers (HCPs) in caring for COVID-19 patients.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted over 50 hospitals in China. Descriptive analyses and Chi-square tests were performed on the collected data.Results:All 104 frontline HCPs report negative impacts of PPE on their clinical performance, 97% of them experienced discomfort and injuries caused by wearing PPE for long hours. Frontline HCPs provided suggestions to alleviate the negative impacts and to enhance communication between healthcare staff and patients. Two hundred eighty two non-frontline HCPs also revealed similar problems; however, we recorded a few discrepancies between answers given by frontline and non-frontline HCPs.Conclusions:Wearing PPE for long hours degrades health performance. Measures were suggested to improve the design of PPE for protecting HCPs and enhancing their services to COVID patients.

Review on Q Fever: Epidemiology, Public Health Importance and Preventive Measures

Review on Q Fever: Epidemiology, Public Health Importance and Preventive Measures

Learning By Suffering?

AbstractAn annual flu vaccination is one of the least controversial and most widely recommended preventive health measures. However, only a fraction of those who are suggested to get a flu vaccinat...

A Curiosity of Cabinets: Collections Care as Community Care

As museum and library doors shuttered in response to COVID-19, digital portals opened new possibilities for centering collections as an antidote to social isolation. A joint effort between the University of Kansas’s (KU) Spencer Museum of Art and KU Libraries demonstrates how the constraints of physical distancing as a preventive health measure prompted the creation of a “hands-off,” yet interactive series of programs about preventive conservation strategies to apply to collections at home. The goal was to sustain a sense of community with Friends of the Museum and Friends of the Libraries by triangulating among institutional collections, examples from staff members’ homes, and the invitation for Friends to share their collections. As the series evolved with the pandemic, the role and messaging of collections care shifted as an act of community care. This article will discuss the process, challenges, and impact of this collaboration.

Pathology of Coronavirus Infections: A Review of Lesions in Animals in the One-Health Perspective.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are worldwide distributed RNA-viruses affecting several species, including humans, and causing a broad spectrum of diseases. Historically, they have not been considered a severe threat to public health until two outbreaks of COVs-related atypical human pneumonia derived from animal hosts appeared in 2002 and in 2012. The concern related to CoVs infection dramatically rose after the COVID-19 global outbreak, for which a spill-over from wild animals is also most likely. In light of this CoV zoonotic risk, and their ability to adapt to new species and dramatically spread, it appears pivotal to understand the pathophysiology and mechanisms of tissue injury of known CoVs within the "One-Health" concept. This review specifically describes all CoVs diseases in animals, schematically representing the tissue damage and summarizing the major lesions in an attempt to compare and put them in relation, also with human infections. Some information on pathogenesis and genetic diversity is also included. Investigating the lesions and distribution of CoVs can be crucial to understand and monitor the evolution of these viruses as well as of other pathogens and to further deepen the pathogenesis and transmission of this disease to help public health preventive measures and therapies.

Two Solitudes or All in the Same Boat? Citizens’ Levels of Compliance with COVID-19 Preventive Measures in Quebec and the Rest of Canada

In Canada, the province of Quebec has been disproportionally affected by COVID-19 both in terms of cases and deaths. Why is that so? Some have speculated that Quebecers are less disciplined and less likely to comply with public health preventive measures. However, there has been no systematic empirical test of this hypothesis. In this paper, we use the Imperial College London and YouGov dataset that includes 12,280 observations from Canadians surveyed across seven months (April to October 2020) to test whether Quebecers comply less with preventive measures than other Canadians. Our results show that the differences between Quebec and the rest of Canada are few. Moreover, when there is a gap, the differences are modest. That is, there is no systematic nor substantial difference between Quebec and the rest of Canada in terms of citizens’ level of compliance with preventive measures. These findings have important implications. While it is crucial that we understand why Quebec has been hit so hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, it should be clear that this is not due to different levels of compliance with preventive measures in Quebec.

Findings of a Cross-Sectional Survey on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about COVID-19 in Uganda: Implications for Public Health Prevention and Control Measures.

Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) morbidity is rising in Uganda. However, data are limited about people's knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Objective To determine knowledge about COVID-19, attitudes towards presidential directives and Ministry of Health (MoH) guidelines, and adherence to practicing public health preventive measures (KAP) in Uganda. Methods This cross-sectional survey was conducted between April 28 and May 19, 2020. Data were collected using online social media platforms, websites, and popular media outlets. We descriptively summarized data and categorized KAP scores as knowledgeable about COVID-19, positive attitude towards presidential directives and MoH guidelines, and adherent to public health preventive measures, respectively. We tested sex differences in KAP using tests of significance and established independently associated factors using modified Poisson regression analysis, reported using adjusted prevalence risk ratio (aPR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results We studied 362 participants with the following sociodemographic characteristics: 86 (23.8%) aged 25-29 years, 212 (58.6%) males, 270 (74.6%) with tertiary or university levels of education, and 268 (74.0%) urban residents. Of the 362 participants, 264 (93.9%) were knowledgeable about COVID-19 (94.1% males and 93.8% females), 51.3% had positive attitudes towards presidential directives and MoH guidelines (51.0% male and 51.8% female), and 175 (48.3%) were adherent to practicing public health preventive measures (42.9% males and 56.0% females). Compared to males, our data shows that females were more adherent to practicing public health preventive measures (aPR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.01-1.53), knowledgeable about COVID-19 (aPR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.95-1.07), and had positive attitudes towards directives and guidelines (aPR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.82-1.25). Conclusions This study shows that public health prevention efforts should be directed to closing the identified gaps in KAP among Ugandans in order to halt the spread of COVD-19 in Uganda as well as the East African region.

الإهمال الوقائی الصّحی وأثره عند انتشار الأوبئة جائحـة کورونا نموذجاً دراسة تأصیلیّة فقهیّة

الإهمال الوقائي الصحي وأثره عند انتشار الأوبئة -جائحة کورونا نموذجا دراسة تأصيلية فقهية عبد الله علي سعود کليب العازمي، زايد الهبي زيد العازمي قسم الدراسات الإسلامية، کلية التربية الأساسية، الهيئة العامة للتعليم التطبيقي والتدريب، الکويت. البريد الإلکتروني: aa.alazmy@paaet.edu.kw ملخص البحث: لما کان الإهمال في الأمور الوقائية الصحية من الأمور الخطيرة ‏جدا في الواقع، ‏ولا سيما في حال انتشار الأمراض والأوبئة الخطيرة، ‏مثل انتشار فايروس کرونا المستجد ‏في الوقت الراهن. حاول الباحث ‏النظر في آثار الإهمال الوقائي ‏في حال انتشار ‏الأوبئة ‏من ناحية الأصولية والفقيه، ‏وقد تناولت الدراسة في المطلب الأول ‏التصور العام لمعنى الإهمال ‏الوقائي ‏من جهة اللغة والاصطلاح، ‏ثم تناولت الدراسة ‏في المطلب الثاني الإهمال ‏من الناحية التأصيلية ‏مع النظر في نصوص القرآن والسنة في ذلک، ‏ثم قام الباحث. ‏في المطلب الثالث باستعراض أهم صور الإهمال الوقائي في جائحة کورونا ‏وبيان الأحکام الشرعية في تلک الصور، ‏ثم ‏قام الباحث بالختام في ذکر أهم النتائج والتوصيات. Neglecting Health Prevention and its Consequences in time of Epidemics COVID- 19 Pandemic as a Model An Originating Juristic Study By: Abdallah Ali Saud Koleib Al-Azmy&Zayed Al-Habei Zaied Al-Azmi Assistant Professor of Jurisprudence & its Fundamentals The Public Authority of Applied education and Training Department of Islamic Studies Faculty of Basic Education Kuwait E-mail: aa.alazmy@paaet.edu.kw Abstract Neglecting health preventive measures is in a fact a serious matter especially when a disease or dangerous epidemic breaks out. Currently, corona virus is an example of such dangerous diseases. Hence, the researchers have discussed the consequences of neglecting health preventive measures in time of epidemics from an originating juristic perspective. The first requirement of the study is a synopsis of the general meaning of neglecting health preventive measures from a linguistic perspective. The second requirement handles the same issue from an originating perspective observing the texts of the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah. In the third requirement, the research has displayed the most important forms of preventive negligence in the pandemic of corona virus with specific reference to the jurisprudential provisions of those forms. Finally, the researchers have drawn attention to the most important findings of the research as well as the recommendations.

Abstract PO-008: mHealth for smoking cessation: Development of a bilingual messenger chat to engage young adult smokers

Abstract Background: Quitxt is an evidence-based mobile text messaging service for smoking cessation promoted in South Texas via social media advertising. A group analysis of 798 Quitxt participants with a mean age of 29.3 found that 21% of the enrollees reported abstinence at 7 months. This confirmed that a text and mobile media service specifically designed for young adults provides a feasible, potentially cost- effective approach to promoting cessation. Quitxt is tailored to reach Latino, non- Latino white and African American young smokers. Objective: We present the design, development process and preliminary results of a theory-based, bilingual, interactive Facebook Messenger Chat to promote smoking cessation among young adults in Texas. Methods: We conducted focus groups (2) and an online survey (200) with young adult smokers aged 18-30 to assess images, video testimonials, and messages for social media and updated webpages linked to in Quitxt text messages. Feedback from focus group and online survey participants informed the development of the Facebook Messenger Chat prototype. The Chat was pretested multiple times to identify and fix technical issues and improve its functionality. Results: Formative research participants positively reviewed the images, messages, and videos within the Quitxt mobile program, with the suggested addition of more information on negative consequences of smoking. Participants listed Facebook as the most popular social media platform, adding credibility to the conversion of the Quitxt text messaging program into a Facebook Messenger Chat version. This platform also enabled additional graphic content to make the messages more appealing to young adults. After beta-testing, we refined the Messenger Chat prototype and resolved technical issues. The Quitxt communication team designed Facebook ads with a “quit smoking for a New Year’s resolution” theme and began enrollment in late December 2019. Based on past social media recruitment, we expected to recruit up to 300 participants during the 2-week campaign, but we exceeded expectations and enrolled 2,347 in the Messenger Chat version of Quitxt. Additional promotional campaigns in 2020 for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and as a preventive health measure amid the rise of COVID-19 produced a total of 5,344 enrollments. 73.8% were Spanish speakers, 55.2% were aged 18-29; 74% were males, 81.7% self- identified as Hispanic/Latino, most were light/medium smokers (mean 11.8 cig/day), and 51% were ready to quit the next day. About 14% reported cessation at 1 month. Conclusions: We followed an iterative design process to develop a bilingual, culturally tailored and interactive Facebook Messenger Chat prototype to deliver our Quitxt smoking cessation program. Preliminary results showed that the Facebook Messenger Chat version may be a successful strategy to deliver smoking cessation services to young adult smokers. The anticipated outcome is a scalable, evidence- based, easily disseminated smoking cessation intervention. Citation Format: Alfred L. McAlister, Edgar Muñoz, Cliff Despres, Pramod Sukumaran, Illeana Tiemann, Bianca Gutierrez, Sahak Kaghyan, Rahul Mundlamuri, David Akopian, Amelie G. Ramirez, Patricia Chalela. mHealth for smoking cessation: Development of a bilingual messenger chat to engage young adult smokers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-008.

Сhallenge of COVID-19 and Priorities of Economic Development of the Republic of Korea

The article analyzes the South Korean experience of dealing with the crisis phenomena that most countries faced at the national and global levels in 2020. The fact that the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the previously negative internal and external trends has made the problems of socio-economic development of the Republic of Korea more acute. Among them – the chronic difficulties of South Korean small and medium-sized businesses, the pressure by the president Trump’s protectionist measures in the US-South Korean and international trade in general, the consequences of the aggravation of the USChina standoff. The key challenges associated with the imposition of negative external factors on existing internal imbalances are evaluated. The analysis of the state policy to counteract the spread of the COVID-19 virus is carried out. The article examines the prerequisites for the stability of the national economy and the anti-crisis measures taken to resist internal and external challenges in the context of the pandemic, and assesses the prospects for correcting the development course that has developed in the Republic of Korea in recent years. The role of the created complex of innovative industries and modern medical support system is emphasized. The importance of public confidence in the government’s preventive health measures is noted. It shows, on the one hand, the importance of international value chains as a possible source of instability risk in the context of a pandemic, and, on the other hand, the potential of medical-related industries to maintain the dynamics of foreign economic relations. The importance of coordinating anti-crisis measures with China for the Republic of Korea in creating conditions that limit the spread of COVID-19 while maintaining the stable operation of major industries is noted. The prospects for Seoul’s participation in regional projects are evaluated, as an example, the activation of exports to ASEAN member countries of medical equipment and technologies aimed at combating the pandemic is given.