Risk factors and strategies for prevention of depression, anxiety and eating disorders among adolescents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: a review

The purpose of this review is to identify prevalent trends and risk factors in depression,anxiety,and eating disorders in the adolescent population in the post coronavirus disease 2019(COvID-19)scenario.We examined the literature published on adolescent mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic.We chose to summarize studies published from 2019 to 2022,using bibliographic search tools.We developed criteria for selecting articles for our review using diagnostic indicators and keywords.Mental health conditions such as depression,anxiety and eating disorders are commonly prevalent in this population and have shown increasing rates in the past three years.Some risk factors associated with these diagnoses include reduction in social interaction,increased workloads,routine shifts,sleep quality,social media usage and parental involvement.Routines,sleep cycles,physical activity,and social media should all be considered as a part of prevention in this population.Approaches that seem to be successful include maintaining social ties and avoiding negative social media usage with harmful content.Increased global public awareness,as well as parental awareness,through media campaigns,is critical to slowing the spread of mental health challenges in adolescents and teenagers in the post-COvID-19 era.

Global pattern and determinants of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccine coverage and progression:a global ecological study

Background:Understanding and minimizing existing global coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)vaccination disparities is critical to global population health and eliminating health inequities.The study aims to investigate the disparities of vaccination coverage and progression and the associated economic and educational determinants to inform global COVID-19 vaccination strategies.Methods:COVID-19 vaccination coverage data from 206 countries used in the study were derived from“Our World in Data”website.After obtaining the vaccination coverage indicators,we fitted the progression indicators for vaccination.Correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used to examine the effects of gross domestic product(GDP)per capita,Gini index,education,and their interactions on the coverage and progression of the COVID-19 vaccination.Results:The coverage of COVID-19 vaccination ranged from less than 30 doses to more than 150 doses per hun­dred people,from less than 15%to more than 75%for proportion of people vaccinated,from less than 15%to more than 60%for proportion of people fully vaccinated.Similarly,the progression of vaccination ranged from less than 0.1 to more than 0.6 for progression of total number of doses,from less than 0.1 to more than 0.3 for progression of proportion of people vaccinated,and from less than 0.1 to more than 0.4 for progression of propor­tion of people fully vaccinated.GDP per capita and education were positively associated with the coverage and progression,while Gini index was negatively associated with the coverage and progression.Negative interaction between GDP per capita and education was also observed for coverage(0=-0.012 to-0.011,P<0.05)and progression(0=-0.012 to-0.011,P<0.05).Conclusions:Substantial geographic disparities existed for the coverage and progression of COVID-19 vaccination.

The origin, transmission and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) outbreak——an update on the status

An acute respiratory disease,caused by a novel coronavirus(SARS-CoV-2,previously known as 2019-nCoV),the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has spread throughout China and received worldwide attention.On 30 January 2020,World Health Organization(WHO)officially declared the COVID-19 epidemic as a public health emergency of international concern.The emergence of SARS-CoV-2,since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARSCoV)in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV)in 2012,marked the third introduction of a highly pathogenic and large-scale epidemic coronavirus into the human population in the twenty-first century.As of 1 March 2020,a total of 87,137 confirmed cases globally,79,968 confirmed in China and 7169 outside of China,with 2977 deaths(3.4%)had been reported by WHO.Meanwhile,several independent research groups have identified that SARS-CoV-2 belongs toβ-coronavirus,with highly identical genome to bat coronavirus,pointing to bat as the natural host.The novel coronavirus uses the same receptor,angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)as that for SARS-CoV,and mainly spreads through the respiratory tract.Importantly,increasingly evidence showed sustained human-tohuman transmission,along with many exported cases across the globe.The clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients include fever,cough,fatigue and a small population of patients appeared gastrointestinal infection symptoms.The elderly and people with underlying diseases are susceptible to infection and prone to serious outcomes,which may be associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)and cytokine storm.Currently,there are few specific antiviral strategies,but several potent candidates of antivirals and repurposed drugs are under urgent investigation.In this review,we summarized the latest research progress of the epidemiology,pathogenesis,and clinical characteristics of COVID-19,and discussed the current treatment and scientific advancements to combat the epidemic novel coronavirus.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and global mental health

The mental health effects of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic may shape population health for many years to come.Failure to address the mental health issues stemming from the pandemic is likely to prolong its impact.The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant global challenge and,in lower-income countries,even a disruption of mental health services.Given our experience with previous pandemics,the present COVID-19 crisis can be expected to cause psychological trauma,and steps are needed to address this issue proactively.Policies focusing on the long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 may equal the importance of those currently seeking to mitigate its physical effects.The implications of the GOVID-19 pandemic for mental health call for a greater focus on the needs of those with mental disorders and on mental health issues affecting health care workers and the general public.Timely preventive and therapeutic mental health care is essential in addressing the psychosocial needs of populations exposed to the pandemic.In addition to specialist care,"task-shifting"and digital technologies may provide cost-effective means of providing mental health care in lower-income countries worldwide as well as in higher-income countries with mental health services overwhelmed by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.In view of the ever-increasing pressure on global health systems resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,adopting and adapting"task-shifting",i.e.,the delegation of psychotherapeutic interventions to trained non-specialists,as an element of the provision of mental health services,is overdue.Digital technologies can be used to enhance social support and facilitate resilience to the detrimental mental health effects of the pandemic;they may also offer an efficient and cost-effective way to provide easy access to mentalhealth care.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: how countries shouldbuild more resilient health systems for preparedness and response

Objective: A resilient health system plays a crucial role in pandemic preparedness and response. Althoughthe World Health Organization (WHO) has required all states parties to strengthen core capacities to respondto public health emergencies under the International Health Regulations (2005), the actions of most countriesto combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has showed that they are not well-prepared. This crosssectionalstudy aimed to examine the health system resilience of selected countries and analyze their strategiesand measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This study selected five countries including the Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea (South Korea), the U.K.,and the U.S., based on the severity of the national epidemic, the geographical location, and the developmentlevel. Cumulative number of death cases derived from WHO COVID-19 dashboard was used to measure theseverity of the impact of the pandemic in each country;WHO State Parties Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR)Scores and Global Health Security (GHS) Index were applied to measure the national health system resilience;and research articles and press materials were summarized to identify the strategies and measures adopted bycountries during response to COVID-19. This study applied the resilient health systems framework to analyzehealth system resilience in the selected countries from five dimensions, including awareness, diversity, selfregulation,integration and adaptation.Results: The SPAR Scores and GHS Index of the four developed countries, Japan, South Korea, the U.K. and theU.S. were above the global and regional averages;the SPAR Scores of Iran were above the global average whilethe GHI Index lain below the global average. In terms of response strategies, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. investedmore health resources in the treatment of severe patients, while South Korea and Iran had adopted a strategyof extensive testing and identification of suspected patients. In terms of specific measures, all the five countriesadopted measures such as restrictions on entry and international travel, closure of schools and industries,lockdown and quarantine. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of implementing these measures varied acrosscountries, based on the response strategies.Conclusion: Although SPAR Scores and GHS Index have evaluated the national core capacities for preparednessand response, the actions to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fact that most countries stilldo not build resilient health systems in response to public health emergencies. Health system strengtheningand health security efforts should be pursued in tandem, as part of the same mutually reinforcing approach todeveloping resilient health systems.

Early stage risk communication and community engagement(RCCE)strategies and measures against the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic crisi

Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has proven to be tenacious and shows that the global commu nity is still poorly prepared to handling such emerging pandemics.Enhancing global solidarity in emergency preparedness and response,and the mobilization of conscience and cooperation,can serve as an excellent source of ideas and measures in a timely manner.The article provides an overview of the key components of risk communication and community engagement(RCCE)strategies at the early stages in vulnerable nations and populations,and highlight contextual recommendations for strengthening coordinated and sustainable RCCE preventive and emergency response strategies against COVID-19 pandemic.Global solidarity calls for firming govemance,abundant community participation and enough trust to boost early pandemic preparedness and response.Promoting public RCCE response interventions needs crucially improving government health systems and security proactiveness,community to individual confinement,trust and resilience solutions.To better understand population risk and vulnerability,as well as COVID-19 transmission dynamics,it is important to build intelligent systems for monitoring isolation/quarantine and tracking by use of artificial intelligence and machine learning systems algorithms.Experiences and lessons learned from the international community is crucial for emerging pandemics prevention and control programs,especially in promoting evidence-based decision-making,integrating data and models to inform effective and sustainable RCCE strategies,such as local and global safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and mass immunization programs.

Virtual healthcare services and digital health technologies deployed during coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic in South Africa:a systematic review

Aims:To identify virtual healthcare services and digital health technologies deployed in South Africa during coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)and the challenges associated with their use.Metiiods:To determine the status of digital health utilization during COVID-19 in South Africa,the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses model was used to perform a systematic and in-depth critical analysis of previously published studies in well-known and trusted online electronic databases using specific search keywords words that are relevant to this study.We selected published peer-reviewed articles available from the onset of COVID-19 to July 2021.Results:Total of 24 articles were included into this study.This study revealed that South Africa adopted digital technologies such as SMS-based solutions,mobile health applications,telemedicine and telehealth,WhatsApp-based systems,artificial intelligence and chatbots and robotics to provide healthcare services during COVID-19 pandemic.These innovative technologies have been used for various purposes including screening infectious and non-infectious diseases,disease surveillance and monitoring,medication and treatment compliance,creating awareness and communication.The study also revealed that teleconsultation and e-prescription,telelaboratory and telepharmacy,teleeducation and teletraining,teledermatology,teleradiology,telecardiology,teleophthalmology,teleneurology,telerehabilitation,teleoncology and telepsychiatry are among virtual healthcare services delivered through digital health technologies during COVID-19 in South Africa.However,these smart digital health technologies face several impediments such as infrastructural and technological barriers,organization and financial barriers,policy and regulatory barriers as well as cultural barriers.Conclusion:Although COVID-19 has invigorated the use of digital health technologies,there are still some shortcomings.The outbreak of pandemics like COVID-19 in the future is not inevitable.Therefore,we recommend increasing community networks in rural areas to bridge the digital divide and the modification of mHealth policy to advocate for the effective use of innovative technologies in healthcare and the development of sustainable strategies for resources mobilization through private-public partnerships as well as joining available international initiatives advocating for smart digital health.

Occupational health protection for health workers during the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic:6P-approach in China

Health workers(HW)are on the frontline fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic,they are exposed to multiple occupational hazards.This article analyzed the comprehensive measures of protecting HWs during the COVID-19 response in China.Occupational health protection of HWs was one of the key strategies of the public health measures adopted against the COVID-19 outbreak from the earliest stage in China.This prioritization of HWs health protection was based on the technical and policy guidance of WHO and International Labor Organization as well as the experiences from previous outbreaks in China.The comprehensive measures in China can be summarized as‘6P-approach’:public health emergency response,prompt learning from lessons,proactive measures of occupational health,precaution strategies against occupational hazards,personal protective equipment and medical devices supply,and professional networking.Through this 6P-approach,China was able to minimize the incidence of COVID-19 infection among HWs,while successfully containing the outbreak dxuing the first quarter of 2020.Although the COVID-19 vaccines have been rolled out,however,the COVID-19 pandemic is still under rapidly evolving situation.Experiences from China may provide other countries with an example of prioritizing and incorporating occupational health protection of HWs in their public health measures responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global health governance for travel health: lessons learned from thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreaks in large cruise ships

Background: The outbreak and global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) attracts a great deal ofattentions to the problem of travel health. Cruise tourism is increasingly popular, with an estimated 30 millionpassengers transported on cruise ships worldwide each year. Safeguarding the health of cruise travelers duringthe entire travel is of ultimate importance for both the industry and global public health.Objective: This study aimed to explore the challenges and opportunities in travel health from the perspective ofglobal health governance.Methods: The global governance framework including problems, values, tools or regulations, and actors relatedto travel health were used to analyze the issues involved.Results: Up to April 2020, nearly thirty cruise ship voyages reported COVID-19 cases. The Diamond Princess,Grand Princess and Ruby Princess cruise ship had over 1,400 total reported COVID-19 cases, and more than 30deaths. A community with a common future in travel health is the core value of global health governance fortravel health. The travel-related international regulations, including the International Health Regulation (IHR[2005]), United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the International Maritime Organization(IMO) conventions should be further updated to deal with the travel health problems. The roles andresponsibilities and the cooperation mechanisms of different actors are not clear in relation to the public healthemergencies during the travel.Conclusion: Travel health transcends national borders and involves multilevel actors, thus needs globalcooperation and governance. Regulations and legislation at global and country level are required to preventlarge-scale humanitarian crisis on travel health. Multilateral coordination, cooperation and collaborationmechanisms between governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations andindustry are needed to build a better community of common destiny for travel health.

Expanding telemedicine to reduce the burden on the healthcare systems and poverty in Africa for a post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reformation

The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)global public health emergency,has exposed the fragility of health systems.Access to healthcare became a scarce commodity as healthcare providers and resource-poor popula­tions became victims of the novel corona virus.Therefore,this study focuses on Africa’s readiness to integrate telemedicine into the weak health systems and its adoption may help alleviate poor healthcare and poverty after COVID-19.We conducted a narrative review through different search strategies in Scopus on January 20,2021,to identify available literature reporting implementation of various telemedicine modes in Africa from January 1,2011 to December 31,2020.We summarized 54 studies according to geographies,field,and implementation methods.The results show a willingness to adopt telemedicine in the resource-poor settings and hard-to-reach populations,which will bring relief to the inadequate healthcare systems and alleviate poverty of those who feel the burden of healthcare cost the most.With adequate government financing,telemedicine promises to enhance the treating of communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as support health infrastructure.It can also alleviate poverty among vulnerable groups and hard-to-reach communities in Africa with adequate government financing.However,given the lack of funding in Africa,the challenges in implementing telemedicine require global and national strategies before it can yield promising results.This is especially true in regards to alleviating the multidimensionality of poverty in post-COVID-19 Africa.

Public health preparedness and responses to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic in South Asia:a situation and policy analysis

Like rest of the world,the South Asian region is facing enormous challenges with the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic.The socio-economic context of the eight South Asian countries is averse to any longterm lockdown program,but the region still observed stringent lockdown close to two months.This paper analyzed major measures in public health preparedness and responses in those countries in the pandemic.The research was based on a situation analysis to discuss appropriate plan for epidemic preparedness,strategies for prevention and control measures,and adequate response management mechanism.Based on the data from March 21 to June 26,2020,it appeared lockdown program along with other control measures were not as effective to arrest the exponential growth of fortnightly COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan,Bangladesh,India,Nepal and Pakistan.However,Bhutan,Maldives and Sri Lanka have been successfully limiting the spread of the disease.The in-depth analysis of prevention and control measures espoused densely populated context of South Asia needs community-led intervention strategy,such as case containment,in order to reverse the growing trend,and adopt the policy of mitigation instead of suppression to formulate COVID-19 action plan.On the other hand,mechanism for response management encompassed a four-tier approach of governance to weave community-led local bodies with state,national and international governance actors for enhancing the countries’emergency operation system.It is concluded resource-crunch countries in South Asia are unable to cope with the disproportionate demand of capital and skilled health care workforce at the time of the pandemic.Hence,response management needs an approach of governance maximization instead of resource maximization.The epidemiologic management of population coupled with suitable public health prevention and control measures may be a more appropriate strategy to strike a balance between economy and population health during the time of pandemic.

Levels of economic developement and the spread of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)in 50 U.S.states and territories and 28 European countries:an association analysis of aggregated data

Background:The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)became a global pandemic within several months after it was first reported at the end of December,2019.Countries in the Northern Hemisphere have been affected the most,including the United States and European countries.Contrary to the common knowledge that infectious diseases are more prevalent in low-and middle-income countries,COVID-19 appears to affect wealthy countries more.This paper attempts to quantify the relationship between COVID-19 infections and levels of economic development with data from the U.S.and Europe.Methods:Public domain data on the confirmed COVID-19 cases during January 1 and May 31,2020 by states and territories in the U.S.and by countries in Europe were included.Incidence rate was estimated using the 2019 total population.COVID-19 cases were associated with 2019 gross domestic product(GDP)using regression models after a logarithmic transformation of the data.The U.S.data and European data were analyzed separately,considering significant heterogeneity between the two.Results:A total of 2451691 COVID-19 cases during a 5-month period were analyzed,including 1787414 from 50 U.S.states and territories and 664277 from 28 European countries.The overall incidence rate was 5.393/1000 for the U.S.and 1.411/1000 for European countries with large variations.Lg(total cases)was significantly associated with lg(GDP)for U.S.states(=1.2579,P<0.001)and European countries(=0.7156,P<0.001),respectively.Conclusion:This study demonstrated a positive correlation between COVID-19 case incidence and GDP in the United States and 28 European countries.Study findings suggest a potential role of high-level development in facilitating infectious disease spread,such as more advanced transportation system,large metropolitan cities with high population density,better domestic and international travel for businesses,leisure,and more group activities.These factors must be considered in controlling the COVID-19 epidemic.This study focuses on the impact of economic development,many other factors might also have contributed to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in these countries and states,such as differences in national and statewide anti-epidemic strategies,people's behavior,and healthcare systems.Besides,low-and middle-income countries may have an artificially low COVID-19 case count just due to lack of diagnostic capabilities.Findings of this study also encourage future research with individual-level data to detect risk factors at the personal level to understand the risk of COVID-19.

Discussion on application of food-medicine homologous traditional Chinese medicine in prevention prescriptions for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

From sorting out and statistical analysis of 172 prevention prescriptions for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) put forward by government departments, medical institutions and TCM clinical experts in various provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, the results showed that food-medicine homologous traditional Chinese medicine (abbreviated as"food-medicine materials") such as honeysuckle, licorice, agastache, tangerine peel, fresh reed rhizome, perilla and platycodon are used most frequently. Combined with TCM theory and modern pharmacology analysis, not only deeper understandin/g of the application value of food-medicine materials, but also reference value of their daily use and development of related products reference in the future is expected to be acquired.

Fragility and challenges of health systems in pandemic: lessons from India's second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The unprecedented healthcare demand due to sudden outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has almost collapsed the health care systems especially in the developing world. Given the disastrous outbreak of COVID-19 second wave in India, the health system of country was virtually at the brink of collapse. Therefore, to identify the factors that resulted into breakdown and the challenges, Indian healthcare system faced during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, this paper analysed the health system challenges in India and the way forward in accordance with the six building blocks of world health organization (WHO). Applying integrated review approach, we found that the factors such as poor infrastructure, inadequate financing, lack of transparency and poor healthcare management resulted into the overstretching of healthcare system in India. Although health system in India faced these challenges from the very beginning, but early lessons from first wave should have been capitalized to avert the much deeper crisis in the second wave of the pandemic. To sum-up given the likely future challenges of pandemic, while healthcare should be prioritized with adequate financing, strong capacity-building measures and integration of public and private sectors in India. Likewise fiscal stimulus, risk assessment, data availability and building of human resources chain are other key factors to be strengthened for mitigating the future healthcare crisis in country.

Hospitals’responsibility in response to the threat of infectious disease outbreak in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic:implications for low-and middle-income countries

The WHO declared the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern on January 30,2020,and then a pandemic on March 11,2020.COVID-19 affected over 200 countries and territories worldwide,with 25,541,380 confirmed cases and 852,000 deaths associated with COVID-19 globally,as of September 1,2020.1 While facing such a public health emergency,hospitals were on the front line to deliver health care and psychological services.The early detection,diagnosis,reporting,isolation,and clinical management of patients during a public health emergency required the extensive involvement of hospitals in all aspects.The response capacity of hospitals directly determined the outcomes of the prevention and control of an outbreak.The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost all nations and territories regardless of their development level or geographic location,although suitable risk mitigation measures differ between developing and developed countries.In low-and middle-income countries(LMICs),the consequences of the pandemic could be more complicated because incidence and mortality might be associated more with a fragile health care system and shortage of related resources.2-3 As evidenced by the situation in Bangladesh,India,Kenya,South Africa,and other LMICs,socioeconomic status(SES)disparity was a major factor in the spread of disease,potentially leading to alarmingly insufficient preparedness and responses in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.4 Conversely,the pandemic might also bring more unpredictable socioeconomic and long-term impacts in LMICs,and those with lower SES fare worse in these situations.This review aimed to summarize the responsibilities of and measures taken by hospitals in combatting the COVID-19 outbreak.Our findings are hoped to provide experiences,as well as lessons and potential implications for LMICs.

Barriers to vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)control:experience from the United States

To date,the United States(U.S.)has been the most heavily impacted country by the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).By November 30,2020,when this paper was written,13.5 million cases were reported in the U.S.with over 268000 deaths.Historically,vaccines have been one of the most effective and efficient technical tools for controlling a communicable disease.While the development of these vaccines has certainly been a challenge,it could be more challenging to achieve robust vaccine uptake because of many barriers.In this review,we focused on two types of barriers documented from long-term experience in the U.S.:structural and attitudinal.Structural barriers are systemic issues that impact one's ability to access a service,and they include time,transportation,cost,and clinic or outlet location;while attitudinal barriers are beliefs or perceptions that impact the willingness of at-risk individuals to seek out and/or accept a service.In the context of vaccination they include beliefs about the communicable disease,beliefs about vaccines,fear,and trust in healthcare and governmental agencies.Of the attitudinal barriers,public trust is a barrier that is of particular importance.In addition to affecting reception of vaccines,it may exacerbate disparities and reduce the likelihood of success of a vaccination program.Recommendations are made to overcome attitudinal barriers to help improve the effectiveness of vaccination programs for COVID-19 control in the U.S.,such as building public support through bipartisan endorsements and leveraging social media platforms to promote vaccination.

Determining the environmental and atmospheric effects of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)quarantining by studying the total aerosol optical depth,black carbon,organic matter,and sulfate in Blida City of Algeria

Background:To study,estimate and discuss the variations of the aerosol optical depth(AOD),black carbon,sulfate and organic matter,in the atmosphere in Blida City of Algeria,which was greatly affected by COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:We analyzed the effects of changes in the total AOD,black carbon,sulfate,and organic matter in the atmosphere(λ=550 nm)in the same period of 2019 and 2020,following the COVID-19 epidemic in Blida City,which was the most-affected city in Algeria.Results:The quarantine that was enacted to limit the spread of COVID-19 resulted in side effects that were identifiable in the total AOD and in some of its atmospheric components.Comparing these variables in 2019 and 2020(in the months during the quarantine)revealed that in April,the BCAOD values were much lower in 2020than in 2019.Conclusion:Based on the effects of the emerging COVID-19,the research listed the changes received from the AOD,and is considered as a comparative study and represents a significant side effect of the quarantine that was mainly designed to limit COVID-19.

Prevalence and associated factors of depression,anxiety and stress among coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)patients in Herat,Afghanistan

Objectives:Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has been associated with a great level of psychological distresses in people around the world.This study aims to assess the prevalence of depression,anxiety and stress among COVID-19 patients and identify the associated factors,in Herat Province of Afghanistan.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted on 459 hospitalized patients between May and September 2021.Data was collected with a structured questionnaire on depression,anxiety and stress scale,which was the validated Dari-version.Chi-square test was adopted to analyze the associations of the prevalence of the mental disorders and the factors.Results:The mean age of participants was 38.05;51.9%(238/459)were male and 84.1%(386/459)were married.Median scores for depression,anxiety and stress were 5.0,8.0,and 10.0,respectively.Gender,general health condition,nutritional status,COVID-19 clinical manifestation and concurrent comorbidities(except diabetes and hypertension)were significantly associated with mental disorders;while association between marital status and these psychological disorders was not significant.Moreover,a significant difference was observed in the level of anxiety between healthcare workers and other respondents.Conclusion:This is the first study to report the high prevalence of depression,anxiety and stress among COVID-19 patients in Herat,which indicates the negative effect of mental health for COVID-19 patients globally and highlights the need for urgent and appropriate interventions to improve mental health of people during the pandemic.

Community-level survey of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preventive measures in Kwara State, Nigeria: good knowledge vs poor attitude

Background:The public knowledge and adherence to the established coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)precautionary measures are crucial to Nigeria’s war against the pandemic.Public health education on its preventive practices at the grassroots level was initially crucial to achieving a lower COVID-19 incidence in Kwara State,Nigeria.Methods:We assessed the knowledge of,and adherence to COVID-19 precautionary measures at the community level among 795 respondents from the three senatorial zones of Kwara State.Results:54.5%(433/795)of the respondents were aged between 21 and 40 years,and 45.9%(365/795)of the respondents had a bachelor’s degree or higher.Study participants had a good knowledge of COVID-19,its symptoms,and its mode of transmission.91.8%of the respondents(730/795)had a positive perception of the COVID19 preventive measures while 96.1%(763/795)of the respondents agreed that maintaining social distance was important in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic.However,only 38%(302/795)of them used face masks and only 25.7%(204/795)of the respondents used hand sanitizers.In addition,only 31.9%(253/795)of the respondents isolated themselves when they were ill.Multi-variable logistic regression analysis revealed that education,occupation,gender,and ethnicity were significantly associated with positive COVID-19 preventive practices among residents of Kwara State.Civil servants were more likely(AOR:3.14;95%confidence interval[CI]:0.67 to 14.82;P=0.034)to have positive preventive attitudes than other respondents.Study participants with tertiary education and those that were Yoruba(ethnicity)were 14.81 times more likely(95%CI:4.29 to 51.05;P=0.001)and 5.19 times more likely(95%CI:1.82 to 14.84;P=0.007)to have positive attitudes towards the laid-down COVID-19 preventive measures respectively.Conclusion:The poor community adherence to the COVID-19 preventive practices could pre-dispose Kwara to more COVID-19 cases.More community engagement activities are needed to fully curb the spread of the COVID19.Public health education should focus on preventive measures,vaccine acceptance,and community monitoring of COVID-19.

Psychological impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) social distancing mandates on trauma survivors

Objective:Despite recognition that coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic created an unprecedented impact on global mental health,information on the psychological health among trauma survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic is rare.We sought to examine psychological outcomes among individuals with preexisting traumatic experiences during COVID-19.Methods:We sampled 1242 adults in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States under a state-issued Phase 1 stay-at-home mandate to examine associations between pre-pandemic trauma exposure as measured by the Brief Trauma Questionnaire(BTQ)and anxiety and depression,as measured by the Patient Reported Outcome Scale Anxiety and Depression(PROMIS-A and PROMIS-D).Results:Pre-pandemic trauma exposure among the sample was reported,with 281(22.6%)participants identifying as experiencing one trauma,209(16.8%)reporting two,and 468(37.7%)reporting three or more.As reported experiences of trauma increased,so did participant anxiety and depressive symptomatology.One-way Analysis of Variance indicated that reported trauma was significantly positively correlated with anxiety(P<0.01)and depressive symptomatology(P<0.01).Conclusion:Findings highlight the immense psychological toll of the COVID-19 pandemic,specifically with individuals who were previously exposed to trauma.Public health officials can encourage physicians,employers,and universities to screen patients,employees,and students to assess previous trauma,psychological functioning,and risk factors.Collaboration between physicians and mental health providers including psychiatrists,psychologists,counselors,and social workers to provide evidence informed rapid coordination of care can better meet the global mental health crisis that is arising as a result of this unprecedented global trauma.