Decision Making at a Time of Crisis
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Emergence of Highly Infectious SARS-Cov-2 Variants in Bangladesh
Hasan et al. Trop Med Health (2021) 49:69 https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-021-00360-w Tropical Medicine and Health LETTER TO THE EDITOR Open Access Emergence of highly infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants in Bangladesh: the need for systematic genetic surveillance as a public health strategy Mohammad Mehedi Hasan1,2, Ian Christopher N. Rocha3, Kimberly G. Ramos3, Trisha Denise D. Cedeño3, Ana Carla dos Santos Costa4, Christos Tsagkaris5, Md. Masum Billah6, Shoaib Ahmad7 and Mohammad Yasir Essar8* Abstract Bangladesh, a low-middle-income country in South Asia is facing one of its worst public health emergencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in the number of cases from the disease, since the second half of March 2021, can potentially cause the health system overload, and has, as one of the main reasons, the non-compliance with measures of social distance and the emergence of the variants of concern in the country. This increase in the contagion curve can also provide a favorable environment for the occurrence of more mutations in the structure and genome of the virus. Therefore, there is an urge to carry out genomic surveillance programs in order to identify, moni- tor and characterize these variants, and understand whether the vaccines currently used are efective against them. Keywords: Bangladesh, SARS-CoV-2 variants, Public health, Genetic surveillance Dear editor, in the country began to increase during the middle of Te ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) March 2021. Initially, there was a drop in the number of pandemic is a major burden to health systems world- cases during February 2021, in which the lowest monthly wide, constituting the worst health crisis in history. -
Scientific Divisions on Covid-19: Not What They Might Seem Tropical Medicine, London, UK It Is Not Whether We Should Open up Or Lock Down
VIEWS AND REVIEWS BMJ: first published as 10.1136/bmj.m4024 on 19 October 2020. Downloaded from 1 London School of Hygiene and Scientific divisions on covid-19: not what they might seem Tropical Medicine, London, UK It is not whether we should open up or lock down. Rather, it’s how we can break the chain of 2 Carlo F Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, transmission, argue Martin McKee and David Stuckler Bocconi University. Milan, Italy Martin McKee, 1 David Stuckler2 [email protected] Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m4024 A new theme has emerged in the media discourse on shared with many of those who are portrayed as being http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m4024 covid-19 in the UK. We are told that the scientific in opposition to them. It is difficult to imagine that Published: 19 October 2020 community is divided, between those who advocate anyone would consider the damage to education, to stringent lockdowns even at the cost of widespread incomes, and to mental and physical health as collateral damage to mental and physical health, and acceptable.9 Yet, it is also unacceptable to allow the those who propose returning rapidly to life as normal, virus to proceed unchecked even if there was some allowing the virus to spread through the population.1 way of protecting the “vulnerable.” Yet this is a false dichotomy. Most experts who If these two statements are accepted, then it suggests support restrictions do so as a last resort, only to that many have been asking the wrong question. -
Medical JOUR
RHODE ISLAND M EDiCAL J ournal ZOOM – It’s a Match! Virtual National Match Day is largest on record See page 75 R SPECIAL SECTION, PART II BIOMEDICAL/TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH in RI GUEST EDITORS: JAMES PADBURY, MD; BONGSUP CHO, PhD ApRiL 2021 VOLUME 104 • NUMBER 3 iSSN 2327-2228 REINVENTING WHAT YOU EXPECT FROM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY PROVIDER. With Coverys, you can reduce the distractions that come between diagnosis and outcomes. By leveraging claims data and analytics plus innovative educational resources, we’re helping doctors and administrators reduce distractions and focus on improving clinical, operational, and financial outcomes.Visit coverys.com Insurance products issued by ProSelect® Insurance Company (NE, NAIC 10638) and Preferred Professional Insurance Company® (NE, NAIC 36234). RHODE ISLAND M EDICAL J OURNAL 15 Translational Research: The Time is Now JAMES F. PADBURY, MD BONGSUP P. CHO, PhD GUEST EDITORS James F. Padbury, MD Bongsup Cho, PhD 17 The Time is NOW: Filling the Gaps in Treatment of Opioid-Exposed Infants: A Prospective, Pragmatic, Randomized Control Drug Trial ADAM J. CZYNSKI, DO; ABBOT R. LAPTOOK, MD 22 COBRE on Opioid and Overdose: A Collaborative Research-Based Center Addressing the Crises in Rhode Island and Beyond TRACI C. GREEN, PhD, MSc; ELIANA KAPLOWITZ, BA; KIRSTEN LANGDON, PhD; JACLYN M.W. HUGHTO, PhD, MPH; WILLIAM C. GOEDEL, PhD; ADAM J. CZYNSKI, DO; GAYLE FRASER, BS; JOSIAH RICH, MD, MPH 27 Brown University COBRE Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation PETER M. MONTI, PhD; JENNIFER W. TIDEY, PhD; JASJIT S. AHLUWALIA, MD 32 The Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) for Perinatal Biology – Accomplishments, Impact, and Long-term Results SUNIL K. -
Independent SAGE Statement on 2M Vs 1M Social Distance Guidance in Indoor Settings
Independent SAGE statement on 2m vs 1m social distance guidance in indoor settings The Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has considered all the public health evidence, including laboratory-based studies, in coming to its recommendation that reducing social distancing from 2 metres (approximately 6 feet) to 1 metre (approximately 3 feet) is not appropriate at this stage in the Covid-19 pandemic with current levels of infection. Moreover, as we detail here, there are additional behavioural reasons to be concerned at such a reduction. As of now, and until there is compelling evidence to the contrary, Independent SAGE advises against any reduction in social distancing in indoor settings. As with all decisions during the pandemic, the issue is about balancing risks - in this case between the benefits of social interaction and increasing the operating flexibility of businesses, schools etc. and the hazards of transmitting infection. We also know that transmission indoors is much more likely than transmission outdoors. Since the Government’s proposed reduction to 1 metre (3 feet) is motivated by opening up indoor spaces such as schools, offices, shops, restaurants, pubs, cinemas, and so on, we concentrate on the risks of reducing physical (‘social’) distancing guidelines indoors. The basic principle is that the closer the contact and the greater the length of time of contact 1 between people, the greater the risk of virus transmission – especially in indoor environments . Indoor environments, for instance, account for over 97% of “super-spreading” events across 2 the world . However, this risk will be reduced if very few people in the community have the virus, which would be reflected in a very low rate of new infections over several weeks. -
Snowdon Quillette Response
QUILLETTE ARTICLE FIXED IN RED: I am no lockdown junkie. I’d like to get that straight before I explain why the most extreme variant of lockdown scepticism is rebarbative and destructive. I will never forgive the government for dragging out the first lockdown for 14 weeks, pointlessly exhausting the public’s patience and sowing the seeds of the non-compliance we see today. I think the second lockdown was an unnecessary overreaction to a surge in cases in the north-west that was being dealt with by local restrictions. I think the 10pm curfew was counter-productive and the tier system was clumsy and unfair. I always thought “circuit breakers” caused unnecessary hardship and had no chance of nipping the problem in the bud, as their advocates claimed. It was criminal to not reopen the schools in June and I’m not entirely convinced they should be closed now. I scorn the likes of Piers Morgan and “Independent” SAGE who would have had us in lockdown all year if they’d had a chance. No amount of comparing Sweden to its immediate neighbours will persuade me that the Swedes didn’t have a better 2020 than most Europeans. Contrary to folk wisdom, you can put a price on life and it can’t be denied that most of the people who die of COVID have had a good innings. I mention all this in the hope of establishing that I am not some wobbly-lipped pantry boy who’s scared of a bit of flu. I am a libertarian at a free market think tank who has spent most of his working life critiquing the excesses of the nanny state. -
Assessing SARS-Cov-2 Circulation, Variants of Concern, Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions and Vaccine Rollout in the EU/EEA, 15Th Update 10 June 2021
RISK ASSESSMENT Assessing SARS-CoV-2 circulation, variants of concern, non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccine rollout in the EU/EEA, 15th update 10 June 2021 Summary Although SARS-CoV-2 transmission remains widespread in large parts of the EU/EEA, most countries report declining trends in 14-day COVID-19 notification rates, hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy, and mortality. Many countries have initiated partial lifting of different non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) that aim to reduce the degree of citizens physical contact and mobility. Since January 2021, EU/EEA countries have reported an increase in the number and proportion of SARS-CoV-2 cases of variants of concern (VOC) associated with increasing transmissibility and/or severity, with Alpha (B.1.1.7) the current dominant variant across the EU/EEA. Estimates across the region show that a large proportion of the population across Europe still remains susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and that population immunity is far from being reached. As of 3 June, the median cumulative vaccine uptake in the EU/EEA adult population (aged 18 years and older) had reached 46.2% for at least one vaccine dose and 22.3% for the full vaccination course. The highest level of vaccine uptake was observed among the elderly aged over 80, in which the uptake reached 80.5% for at least one dose and 66.3% for full vaccination coverage. For healthcare workers, the median level of at least one dose uptake was 87% and the median uptake for the full vaccination course was 65.2%. Increased vaccine supply has allowed countries to expand eligibility for vaccination to younger age groups. -
Doctors' Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article Doctors’ Mental Health in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Work Demands and Recovery Experiences 1,2, 1, , 3 Mohd Fadhli Mohd Fauzi y , Hanizah Mohd Yusoff * y, Rosnawati Muhamad Robat , Nur Adibah Mat Saruan 1,2 , Khairil Idham Ismail 1,2 and Ahmad Firdaus Mohd Haris 4 1 Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia; [email protected] (M.F.M.F.); [email protected] (N.A.M.S.); [email protected] (K.I.I.) 2 Ministry of Health Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya 62590, Malaysia 3 Occupational and Environmental Health Unit, Selangor State Health Department, No 1, Wisma Sunway, Jalan Tengku Ampuan Zabedah C 9/C, Seksyen 9, Shah Alam, Selangor 40100, Malaysia; [email protected] 4 Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, Perak State Health Department, Jalan Koo Chong Kong, Ipoh 30000, Perak, Malaysia; ahmad.fi[email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +60-3-9145-5904 These authors contributed equally to this work. y Received: 18 September 2020; Accepted: 5 October 2020; Published: 8 October 2020 Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic potentially increases doctors’ work demands and limits their recovery opportunity; this consequently puts them at a high risk of adverse mental health impacts. This study aims to estimate the level of doctors’ fatigue, recovery, depression, anxiety, and stress, and exploring their association with work demands and recovery experiences. This was a cross-sectional study among all medical doctors working at all government health facilities in Selangor, Malaysia. -
Social Distancing and Supply Disruptions in a Pandemic∗
Social Distancing and Supply Disruptions in a Pandemic∗ Martin Bodenstein Giancarlo Corsetti Luca Guerrieri Federal Reserve Board University of Cambridge Federal Reserve Board June 18, 2020 Abstract Drastic public health measures such as social distancing or lockdowns can reduce the loss of human life by keeping the number of infected individuals from exceeding the capacity of the health care system but are often criticized because of the social and economic costs they entail. We question this view by combining an epidemiological model, calibrated to capture the spread of the COVID-19 virus, with a multisector model, designed to capture key characteristics of the U.S. Input Output Tables. Our two-sector model features a core sector that produces intermediate inputs not easily replaced by inputs from the other sector, subject to minimum-scale requirements. We show that, by affecting workers in this core sector, the high peak of an infection not mitigated by social distancing may cause very large upfront economic costs in terms of output, consumption and investment. Social distancing measures can reduce these costs, especially if skewed towards non-core industries and occupations with tasks that can be performed from home, helping to smooth the surge in infections among workers in the core sector. JEL classifications: E1, E3, I1. Keywords: infectious disease, epidemic, recession, COVID-19. ∗ The views expressed in this paper are solely the responsibility of the authors and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or of any other person associated with the Federal Reserve System. -
IHP News 610 : Perseverance
IHP news 610 : Perseverance ( 26 Feb 2021) The weekly International Health Policies (IHP) newsletter is an initiative of the Health Policy unit at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium. Dear Colleagues, When the first vaccine doses distributed by COVAX landed in Ghana earlier this week, it felt a bit like the Perseverance’s landing on Mars. Ouf! At last. Neil Armstrong probably also nodded approvingly from heaven, when hearing some of the rhetoric: “Wonderful words from @UNICEF Covax Coordinator Gian Gandhi as the first ACTA flight hits the ground in Ghana: « A short flight, and small step to reduce inequities in vaccine access... but a huge achievement that’s been almost 10 months in the making». Anyway, encouraging and great news, not a day too soon. Still, the picture on global vaccine equity remains bleak in the short term, for the reasons you know. Yes, there is a growing movement behind vaccine equity, as dr. Tedros claimed last week, and multilateralism made a cautious comeback at the G7 summit (with Covax getting a (much needed) shot in the arm). WHO officials can now be (a bit) more optimistic about successfully getting around 2 billion vaccine doses to at least 20% of the populations of 92 lower-income economies by the end of 2021. But they shouldn’t get carried away too soon, as this (excellent) COVAX “state of affairs” piece in Stat argued: “more is needed to ensure global vaccine access”. A quote from Kenneth Shadlen put things in perspective: “It would be great if COVAX can help us avoid a worst-case scenario of poor countries having no vaccines until 2022 or later. -
Issues and Recommendations Concerning COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
November 27, 2020 The Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) The Independent SAGE Report 25 Issues and recommendations concerning COVID-19 vaccine rollout www.independentSAGE.org Submitted to The UK Government and the People of Great Britain @independentSAGE & Northern Ireland by Sir David King, former Chief Scientific Adviser, YouTube: IndependentSAGE UK Government, Chair of Independent SAGE Issues and recommendations concerning COVID-19 vaccine rollout Summary and recommendations Preliminary results from clinical trials indicate that there are at least three vaccines that could play an important part in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a very major advance in our fight against the virus. The following report identifies some of the key determinants of the most effective use of these vaccines in the future and presents some preliminary recommendations. The following recommendations have been developed from consideration of factors likely to influence how far vaccine roll out meets the goal of combating COVID-19. Accountability 1. Ensure transparent, publicly accountable, independent assessment of vaccine trial data to guide UK regulatory approval. 2. Beyond the issue of regulatory approval, set up a fully independent evaluation programme that has full access to trial data and a direct route to dissemination of findings to the public without censorship. 3. Build problem detection and troubleshooting into the implementation programme from the start. Communication 4. Use honest, clear, and targeted communication about the vaccine and its effectiveness and side effects to inform and build trust in the general population and key stakeholders. 5. Anticipate, monitor, and address disinformation campaigns, and avoid fuelling these campaigns by exaggerated or questionable reporting in press releases, and academic papers. -
Strategy for COVID-19: Maximum Suppression Or Mere Containment? the Independent SAGE Report 38
February 26, 2021 The Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) The Independent SAGE Report 38 Strategy for COVID-19: Maximum Suppression or Mere Containment? www.independentSAGE.org Submitted to The UK Government and the People of Great Britain @independentSAGE & Northern Ireland by Sir David King, former Chief Scientific Adviser, YouTube: IndependentSAGE UK Government, Chair of Independent SAGE Strategy for COVID-19: Maximum Suppression or Mere Containment? We welcome the following features of the UK Government’s Roadmap for England for Spring 2021: (a) Measures introduced in 5-week phases, with time gaps built-in for data-informed reviews against four tests (relating to vaccination rollout and efficacy – and viral spread and mutation). (b) Prioritising school opening and then outdoor activity, the latter being associated with at least 20x less risk than indoor activity. However, there are clear deficits in the approach, which endanger its overall ambition of ensuring that the route out of lockdown is ‘one-way’ and irreversible. These include: 1. The absence of an overall strategy for pandemic control over and above vaccination 2. Opening of schools and colleges on a single date (March 8th) without sufficient mitigating or compensatory measures 3. Insufficient focus on addressing inequality, thus risking turning COVID into a disease of the poor. This paper addresses these three areas with links to Independent SAGE’s previous report, which sets out recommendations for a sustainable suppression strategy for keeping society open. 1. The overall strategy for pandemiC control The Prime Minister and Chief Medical Officer made clear that that the strategy was one of containment, rather than one of maximum suppression as advocated in Scotland and Wales—one which would result in thousands of avoidable deaths from COVID each year. -
Since January 2020 Elsevier Has Created a COVID-19 Resource Centre with Free Information in English and Mandarin on the Novel Coronavirus COVID- 19
Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID- 19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website. Elsevier hereby grants permission to make all its COVID-19-related research that is available on the COVID-19 resource centre - including this research content - immediately available in PubMed Central and other publicly funded repositories, such as the WHO COVID database with rights for unrestricted research re-use and analyses in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for free by Elsevier for as long as the COVID-19 resource centre remains active. Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 4 (2021) 100114 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/journals/ current-research-in-green-and-sustainable-chemistry/2666-0865 Natural products as environmentally safe and green approach to combat Covid-19 Dheeraj Singh Chauhan a,b, Shailendra Yadav c, M.A. Quraishi d,* a Center for Research Excellence in Desalination and Water Treatment, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia b Modern National Chemicals, Second Industrial City, Dammam, 31421, Saudi Arabia c Department of Chemistry, Basic Science, AKS University, Satna, Madhya Pradesh, 485001, India d Interdisciplinary Research Center for Advanced Materials, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: The Covid-19 pandemic is a major catastrophe in recent times that has taken a toll over the global scale in terms of Covid-19 the casualties, economic impact, and human beings' lifestyle.