Social distancing among people is vital in minimizing spread of COVID-19 within community and can be effective in flattening the outbreak. This research work focuses on developing a close contact proximity detection s...Social distancing among people is vital in minimizing spread of COVID-19 within community and can be effective in flattening the outbreak. This research work focuses on developing a close contact proximity detection system among smartphone users, particularly of COVID-19 patient, using Bluetooth signal to identify and analyze close contact proximity and social distancing from other anonymous smartphone users in their surroundings. Covering a physical space of six feet, a mandatory safety measure in shopping centers, schools, and other crowded areas, is a social solution advocated by World Health Organization (WHO) officials in this COVID-19. Everyone is concerned about their safety in the COVID-19 environment, so we came up with the concept of producing this new equipment. Most of the time, our attention is drawn to those in front of us and to our sides, but we are unable to keep track of those behind us. The major goal of this project is to keep individuals at a safe distance from one another. PIR sensor is used in this proposed work. Why did the World Health Organization (WHO) put 6 feet as a social distancing? When someone coughs or sneezes, small droplets are spread from the cough or sneeze. If you are in close proximity, you can breathe in those droplets, which may contain the COVID-19 virus, according to the World Health Organization. Vanderbilt University infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner said the “6 feet distance” rule comes from studies of respiratory physiology. Schaffner explains that even “without a cough or sneeze, the exhaled air mixes with the surrounding air within a distance of 3 to 6 feet, which is known as the breathing zone.” Schaffner continues: “If you are standing 3 to 6 feet away from me, you may inhale droplets that spread through coughing or sneezing. Of course, if I am infected with the virus, these droplets will contain the virus.”展开更多
The novel coronavirus(COVID-19)that emerged from Wuhan city of China in late December 2019 continue to pose devastating public health and economic challenges across the world.Although the community-wide implementation...The novel coronavirus(COVID-19)that emerged from Wuhan city of China in late December 2019 continue to pose devastating public health and economic challenges across the world.Although the community-wide implementation of basic non-pharmaceutical intervention measures,such as social distancing,quarantine of suspected COVID-19 cases,isolation of confirmed cases,use of face masks in public,contact tracing and testing,have been quite effective in curtailing and mitigating the burden of the pandemic,it is universally believed that the use of a vaccine may be necessary to effectively curtail and eliminating COVID-19 in human populations.This study is based on the use of a mathematical model for assessing the impact of a hypothetical imperfect anti-COVID-19 vaccine on the control of COVID-19 in the United States.An analytical expression for the minimum percentage of unvaccinated susceptible individuals needed to be vaccinated in order to achieve vaccine-induced community herd immunity is derived.The epidemiological consequence of the herd immunity threshold is that the disease can be effectively controlled or eliminated if the minimum herd immunity threshold is achieved in the community.Simulations of the model,using baseline parameter values obtained from fitting the model with COVID-19 mortality data for the U.S.,show that,for an anti-COVID-19 vaccine with an assumed protective efficacy of 80%,at least 82%of the susceptible US population need to be vaccinated to achieve the herd immunity threshold.The prospect of COVID-19 elimination in the US,using the hypothetical vaccine,is greatly enhanced if the vaccination program is combined with other interventions,such as face mask usage and/or social distancing.Such combination of strategies significantly reduces the level of the vaccine-induced herd immunity threshold needed to eliminate the pandemic in the US.For instance,the herd immunity threshold decreases to 72%if half of the US population regularly wears face masks in public(the threshold decreases to 46%if everyone w展开更多
Travel restrictions and physical distancing have been implemented across the world to mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,but studies are needed to understand their effectiveness across regions and...Travel restrictions and physical distancing have been implemented across the world to mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,but studies are needed to understand their effectiveness across regions and time.Based on the population mobility metrics derived from mobile phone geolocation data across 135 countries or territories during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020,we built a metapopulation epidemiological model to measure the effect of travel and contact restrictions on containing COVID-19 outbreaks across regions.We found that if these interventions had not been deployed,the cumulative number of cases could have shown a 97-fold(interquartile range 79–116)increase,as of May 31,2020.However,their effectiveness depended upon the timing,duration,and intensity of the interventions,with variations in case severity seen across populations,regions,and seasons.Additionally,before effective vaccines are widely available and herd immunity is achieved,our results emphasize that a certain degree of physical distancing at the relaxation of the intervention stage will likely be needed to avoid rapid resurgences and subsequent lockdowns.展开更多
Background Social distancing is an effective way to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Many students and researchers have already attempted to use computer vision technology to automatically detect human beings...Background Social distancing is an effective way to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Many students and researchers have already attempted to use computer vision technology to automatically detect human beings in the field of view of a camera and help enforce social distancing.However,because of the present lockdown measures in several countries,the validation of computer vision systems using large-scale datasets is a challenge.Methods In this paper,a new method is proposed for generating customized datasets and validating deep-learning-based computer vision models using virtual reality(VR)technology.Using VR,we modeled a digital twin(DT)of an existing office space and used it to create a dataset of individuals in different postures,dresses,and locations.To test the proposed solution,we implemented a convolutional neural network(CNN)model for detecting people in a limited-sized dataset of real humans and a simulated dataset of humanoid figures.Results We detected the number of persons in both the real and synthetic datasets with more than 90%accuracy,and the actual and measured distances were significantly correlated(r=0.99).Finally,we used intermittent-layer-and heatmap-based data visualization techniques to explain the failure modes of a CNN.Conclusions A new application of DTs is proposed to enhance workplace safety by measuring the social distance between individuals.The use of our proposed pipeline along with a DT of the shared space for visualizing both environmental and human behavior aspects preserves the privacy of individuals and improves the latency of such monitoring systems because only the extracted information is streamed.展开更多
Objective:To assess knowledge,attitude,and practice of medical students towards coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods:A self-designed questionnaire was developed and given to the students of a government medical ...Objective:To assess knowledge,attitude,and practice of medical students towards coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods:A self-designed questionnaire was developed and given to the students of a government medical college in Uttarakhand.The demographics,mean knowledge,attitude,and practice of the participants were investigated,and the scores were calculated.t-test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.Results:Out of the total participants(n=354),50.3%were male and 54.5%were 21-23 years.Almost all the participants(96.6%)increase the frequency of washing hands under the influence of COVID-19.Although no significant relationship was found between different religions,age-categories in terms of knowledge,the participants who were aged 21-23 years had higher knowledge.In addition,gender had a significant impact on practice scores(P<0.05)while no demographic variable was found to have a significant relation with attitude score(P>0.05).Conclusions:The majority of the participants had good knowledge,positive attitude,and sufficient practice.Females and males have significantly different practices.Although the results are very positive,it is suggested that people should continue to strengthen knowledge,attitude,and practice towards COVID-19,so that India can win the battle against the disease.展开更多
Teaching skills depend to a large extent on their “didactization” characterized, in the case of physical and sports education, erected in law and compulsory at school, by a body practice often favoring contacts in e...Teaching skills depend to a large extent on their “didactization” characterized, in the case of physical and sports education, erected in law and compulsory at school, by a body practice often favoring contacts in extramural. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic marked by the cessation then the resumption of classes, physical distancing injunctions and the use of detergent products, masks, etc. it seems logical to question the positions of the actors, the feasibility of the Physical Education and Sports (P.E.S.) and the controversies generated by community particularly in the colleges of the Pikine-Guédiawaye Academy Inspectorate and apprehended thanks to mixed methods. In fact, we used participant observation, semi-structured interviews with administrative, pedagogical and community actors and the questionnaire survey addressed to a sample of 115 students drawn according to the quota technique. The objective was to understand the contradictions of the actors concerned. They were manifested by the practice of physical and sports activities at the beach instead of the forbidden Physical Education and Sports (P.E.S.) like all other school subjects, by the exclusion and then the reintegration of the subject with controversies relating to interests different from the administrative and PEPS, by the difficult acceptance of health measures and physical distancing variously manifested, by the question of the adaptation of P.E.S. to the realities of the numbers and spaces leading to lessons at several speeds, by the demotivation of middle school students who no longer experience hedonism in the field and finally by the diversity of the objectives of the authorities who want to save the year, teachers defending their discipline, students deprived of their agitation moments and parents skeptical and fearful of these moments who can expose their children to the disease.展开更多
Background: Stigma of mental illness is often examined in social psychology and psychiatric rehabilitation using attitude studies. Participants of these studies are among health professionals and general public member...Background: Stigma of mental illness is often examined in social psychology and psychiatric rehabilitation using attitude studies. Participants of these studies are among health professionals and general public members. A common measure of stigma is using validated scale which measures the opinion on mental illness. Method: A cross-sectional survey was presented to 208 registered nurses. Principal component analyses (with oblique rotation) were used to identify underlying dimensionality in the correlations of items for social distancing. Subscale score variations were analysed across nurse type and ethnicity to examine the discriminant validity of the subscale. Results: Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed one dimension accounting for 43.5% of the variations within items for social distancing. Developed as scale, termed Stigma towards Psychiatric Patients (STPP), reliability analysis indicated high internal consistency with respective alpha coefficient of 0.8. Chinese general nurses scored highest on social distancing than the other three groups: Chinese psychiatric nurses, Anglo general and Anglo psychiatric nurses. Conclusion: Psychometric evaluation of the Stigma Scale (STPP) suggests it is a reliable instrument for measuring social distancing attitudes towards mental illness. The effect of ethnicity on stigmatising attitudes is not entirely accounted for by exposure to people with mental illness.展开更多
The new Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 is a contagious viral/immunological systemic disorder with predominantly respiratory features caused by human infection with SARS-CoV-2, which is rapidly spreading from person-t...The new Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 is a contagious viral/immunological systemic disorder with predominantly respiratory features caused by human infection with SARS-CoV-2, which is rapidly spreading from person-to-person all around the world as a pandemic. As long as there is no effective vaccine available to prevent this disease and no definitive treatment is provided to cure it, it is better to prevent this disease by following a series of principles, which are: home quarantine of asymptomatic to mild COVID-19 patients and hospitalization of severe cases, physical distancing, staying at home, handwashing, cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces, face-mask using, cough and sneeze covering, healthy nutritious diet along with the routine life activities and daily exercise, video communication by phone/online with family, and finally practice to relieve stress/anxiety.展开更多
<strong>Background:</strong> A large percentage of deaths in an epidemic or pandemic can be due to overshoot of population (herd) immunity, either from the initial peak or from planned or unplanned exit fr...<strong>Background:</strong> A large percentage of deaths in an epidemic or pandemic can be due to overshoot of population (herd) immunity, either from the initial peak or from planned or unplanned exit from lockdown or social distancing conditions. <strong>Objectives:</strong> We study partial unlock or reopening interaction with seasonal effects in a managed epidemic to quantify overshoot effects on small and large unlock steps and discover robust strategies for reducing overshoot. <strong>Methods:</strong> We simulate partial unlock of social distancing for epidemics over a range of replication factor, immunity duration and seasonality factor for strategies targeting immunity thresholds using overshoot optimization. <strong>Results:</strong> Seasonality change must be taken into account as one of the steps in an easing sequence, and a two-step unlock, including seasonal effects, minimizes overshoot and deaths. It may cause undershoot, which causes rebounds and assists survival of the pathogen. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Partial easing levels, even low levels for economic relief while waiting on a vaccine, have population immunity thresholds based on the reduced replication rates and may experience overshoot as well. We further find a two-step strategy remains highly sensitive to variations in case ratio, replication factor, seasonality and timing. We demonstrate a three or more step strategy is more robust, and conclude that the best possible approach minimizes deaths under a range of likely actual conditions which include public response.展开更多
At the beginning of August 2020,the Rio Grande Valley(RGV)of Texas experienced a rapid increase of coronavirus disease 2019(abbreviated as COVID-19)cases and deaths.This study aims to determine the optimal levels of e...At the beginning of August 2020,the Rio Grande Valley(RGV)of Texas experienced a rapid increase of coronavirus disease 2019(abbreviated as COVID-19)cases and deaths.This study aims to determine the optimal levels of effective social distancing and testing to slow the virus spread at the outset of the pandemic.We use an age-stratified eight compartment epidemiological model to depict COVID-19 transmission in the community and within households.With a simulated 120-day outbreak period data we obtain a post 180-days period optimal control strategy solution.Our results show that easing social distancing between adults by the end of the 180-day period requires very strict testing a month later and then daily testing rates of 5%followed by isolation of positive cases.Relaxing social distancing rates in adults from 50%to 25%requires both children and seniors to maintain social distancing rates of 50%for nearly the entire period while maintaining maximum testing rates of children and seniors for 150 of the 180 days considered in this model.Children have higher contact rates which leads to transmission based on our model,emphasizing the need for caution when considering school reopenings.展开更多
A mathematical model is proposed in this paper to study the transmission and control of COVID-19.The mathematical model is formulated using system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations.The model includes diseas...A mathematical model is proposed in this paper to study the transmission and control of COVID-19.The mathematical model is formulated using system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations.The model includes disease-related parameters such as contact rate,disease-induced death rates,immigration rate and transition rates along with parameters for control measures such as implementation of social distancing practices,isolation and quarantine rates.From the stability analysis of the model,it is shown that if the social distancing is practiced by the large number of susceptible population,then the disease will not spread,and it may eventually die out.Further,it is derived from the analysis of the model that if most of the infected populations are isolated or quarantined,then the spread of the disease can be eventually controlled.However,from the analysis of the model,it is observed that if there is constant immigration of asymptomatic infected persons,then the disease will continue to spread and will remain pandemic.For controlling the disease,two more parameters,that is,vaccination and testing rates,are introduced in the original mathematical model and from the numerical analysis of this model,it has been shown that the control strategy involving vaccination and testing in combination can have synergistic effect for minimizing the COVID-19 infected cases.展开更多
Pandemics have always been a nightmare for humanity,especially in developing countries.Forced lockdowns are considered one of the effective ways to deal with spreading such pandemics.Still,developing countries cannot ...Pandemics have always been a nightmare for humanity,especially in developing countries.Forced lockdowns are considered one of the effective ways to deal with spreading such pandemics.Still,developing countries cannot afford such solutions because these may severely damage the country’s econ-omy.Therefore,this study presents the proactive technological mechanisms for business organizations to run their standard business processes during pandemic-like situations smoothly.The novelty of this study is to provide a state-of-the-art solution to prevent pandemics using industrial internet of things(IIoT)and blockchain-enabled technologies.Compared to existing studies,the immutable and tamper-proof contact tracing and quarantine management solution is proposed.The use of advanced technologies and information security is a critical area for practitioners in the internet of things(IoT)and corresponding solutions.Therefore,this study also emphasizes information security,end-to-end solution,and experimental results.Firstly,a wearable wristband is proposed,incorporating 4G-enabled ultra-wideband(UWB)technology for smart contact tracing mechanisms in industries to comply with standard operating procedures outlined by the world health organization(WHO).Secondly,distributed ledger technology(DLT)omits the centralized dependency for transmitting contact tracing data.Thirdly,a privacy-preserving tracing mechanism is discussed using a public/private key cryptography-based authentication mechanism.Lastly,based on geofencing techniques,blockchain-enabled machine-to-machine(M2M)technology is proposed for quarantine management.The step-by-step methodology and test results are proposed to ensure contact tracing and quarantine management.Unlike existing research studies,the security aspect is also considered in the realm of blockchain.The practical implementation of the proposed solution also obtains the results.The results indicate the successful implementation of blockchain-enabled contact tracing and isolation management using IoT a展开更多
The outbreak of COVID-19 has attracted attention from all around the world.Governments and institutions have adopted ways to fight COVID-19, but itsprevalence is still strong. The SIR model has important reference val...The outbreak of COVID-19 has attracted attention from all around the world.Governments and institutions have adopted ways to fight COVID-19, but itsprevalence is still strong. The SIR model has important reference value for thenovel coronavirus epidemic, offering both preventive measures and the ability topredict future trends. Based on an analysis of the classical epidemiological SIRmodel along with key parameters, this paper aims to analyze the patterns ofCOVID-19, to discuss potential anti-COVID-19 measures, and to explain whywe need to conduct appropriate measures against COVID-19. The use of theSIR model can play an important role in public health emergencies. Among theparameters of the SIR model, the contact ratio and the reproduction ratio arethe factors that have the potential to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19.Anti-COVID-19 measures include wearing a mask, washing one’s hands,keeping social distance, and staying at home if possible.展开更多
The novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 has spread to several countries within a considerably short period.The virus gets deposited in the human nasal cavity and moves to the lungs that might be fatal.As per sa...The novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 has spread to several countries within a considerably short period.The virus gets deposited in the human nasal cavity and moves to the lungs that might be fatal.As per safety guidelines by theWorld Health Organization(WHO),social distancing has emerged as one of the major factors to avoid the spread of infection.However,different guidelines are being followed across the countries with regards to what should be the safe distance.Thus,the current work is an attempt to understand the virus deposition pattern in the realistic human nasal cavity and also to find the impact of distance that could be termed as a safety measure.This study is performed usingComputationalFluid Dynamics as a solution tool to investigate the impact of COVID-19 deposition(i)On a realistic 3D human upper airway model and(ii)2D social distancing protocol for a distance of 0.6,1.2,1.8,and 2.4 m.The results revealed that the regional deposition flux within the nasal cavity was predominantly observed in the external nasal cavity and nasopharyngeal section.Frequent flushing of these regions with saltwater substitutes can limit contamination in healthy individuals.The safe distancing limit estimated with 1 m/s airflow was about 1.8 m.The extensive deposition was observed for distances less than 1.8 m in this study,emphasizing the fact that social distancing advisories are not useful and do not take into account the external dynamics associated with airflow.展开更多
文摘Social distancing among people is vital in minimizing spread of COVID-19 within community and can be effective in flattening the outbreak. This research work focuses on developing a close contact proximity detection system among smartphone users, particularly of COVID-19 patient, using Bluetooth signal to identify and analyze close contact proximity and social distancing from other anonymous smartphone users in their surroundings. Covering a physical space of six feet, a mandatory safety measure in shopping centers, schools, and other crowded areas, is a social solution advocated by World Health Organization (WHO) officials in this COVID-19. Everyone is concerned about their safety in the COVID-19 environment, so we came up with the concept of producing this new equipment. Most of the time, our attention is drawn to those in front of us and to our sides, but we are unable to keep track of those behind us. The major goal of this project is to keep individuals at a safe distance from one another. PIR sensor is used in this proposed work. Why did the World Health Organization (WHO) put 6 feet as a social distancing? When someone coughs or sneezes, small droplets are spread from the cough or sneeze. If you are in close proximity, you can breathe in those droplets, which may contain the COVID-19 virus, according to the World Health Organization. Vanderbilt University infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner said the “6 feet distance” rule comes from studies of respiratory physiology. Schaffner explains that even “without a cough or sneeze, the exhaled air mixes with the surrounding air within a distance of 3 to 6 feet, which is known as the breathing zone.” Schaffner continues: “If you are standing 3 to 6 feet away from me, you may inhale droplets that spread through coughing or sneezing. Of course, if I am infected with the virus, these droplets will contain the virus.”
基金One of the authors(ABG)acknowledge the support,in part,of the Simons Foundation(Award#585022)the National Science Foundation(Award#1917512)+1 种基金CNN acknowledges the support of the Simons Foundation(Award#627346)The authors are grateful to the two anonymous reviewers and the Handling Editor for the constructive comments.The authors are grateful to Dr.Elamin H.Elbasha(Merck Inc.)for the careful reading of the manuscript and for the valuable comments on the computation of the vaccine-derived herd immunity threshold.
文摘The novel coronavirus(COVID-19)that emerged from Wuhan city of China in late December 2019 continue to pose devastating public health and economic challenges across the world.Although the community-wide implementation of basic non-pharmaceutical intervention measures,such as social distancing,quarantine of suspected COVID-19 cases,isolation of confirmed cases,use of face masks in public,contact tracing and testing,have been quite effective in curtailing and mitigating the burden of the pandemic,it is universally believed that the use of a vaccine may be necessary to effectively curtail and eliminating COVID-19 in human populations.This study is based on the use of a mathematical model for assessing the impact of a hypothetical imperfect anti-COVID-19 vaccine on the control of COVID-19 in the United States.An analytical expression for the minimum percentage of unvaccinated susceptible individuals needed to be vaccinated in order to achieve vaccine-induced community herd immunity is derived.The epidemiological consequence of the herd immunity threshold is that the disease can be effectively controlled or eliminated if the minimum herd immunity threshold is achieved in the community.Simulations of the model,using baseline parameter values obtained from fitting the model with COVID-19 mortality data for the U.S.,show that,for an anti-COVID-19 vaccine with an assumed protective efficacy of 80%,at least 82%of the susceptible US population need to be vaccinated to achieve the herd immunity threshold.The prospect of COVID-19 elimination in the US,using the hypothetical vaccine,is greatly enhanced if the vaccination program is combined with other interventions,such as face mask usage and/or social distancing.Such combination of strategies significantly reduces the level of the vaccine-induced herd immunity threshold needed to eliminate the pandemic in the US.For instance,the herd immunity threshold decreases to 72%if half of the US population regularly wears face masks in public(the threshold decreases to 46%if everyone w
文摘Travel restrictions and physical distancing have been implemented across the world to mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,but studies are needed to understand their effectiveness across regions and time.Based on the population mobility metrics derived from mobile phone geolocation data across 135 countries or territories during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020,we built a metapopulation epidemiological model to measure the effect of travel and contact restrictions on containing COVID-19 outbreaks across regions.We found that if these interventions had not been deployed,the cumulative number of cases could have shown a 97-fold(interquartile range 79–116)increase,as of May 31,2020.However,their effectiveness depended upon the timing,duration,and intensity of the interventions,with variations in case severity seen across populations,regions,and seasons.Additionally,before effective vaccines are widely available and herd immunity is achieved,our results emphasize that a certain degree of physical distancing at the relaxation of the intervention stage will likely be needed to avoid rapid resurgences and subsequent lockdowns.
文摘Background Social distancing is an effective way to reduce the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Many students and researchers have already attempted to use computer vision technology to automatically detect human beings in the field of view of a camera and help enforce social distancing.However,because of the present lockdown measures in several countries,the validation of computer vision systems using large-scale datasets is a challenge.Methods In this paper,a new method is proposed for generating customized datasets and validating deep-learning-based computer vision models using virtual reality(VR)technology.Using VR,we modeled a digital twin(DT)of an existing office space and used it to create a dataset of individuals in different postures,dresses,and locations.To test the proposed solution,we implemented a convolutional neural network(CNN)model for detecting people in a limited-sized dataset of real humans and a simulated dataset of humanoid figures.Results We detected the number of persons in both the real and synthetic datasets with more than 90%accuracy,and the actual and measured distances were significantly correlated(r=0.99).Finally,we used intermittent-layer-and heatmap-based data visualization techniques to explain the failure modes of a CNN.Conclusions A new application of DTs is proposed to enhance workplace safety by measuring the social distance between individuals.The use of our proposed pipeline along with a DT of the shared space for visualizing both environmental and human behavior aspects preserves the privacy of individuals and improves the latency of such monitoring systems because only the extracted information is streamed.
基金The authors thankfully acknowledge the critical suggestions and comments from the learned referees and editorial board which greatly helped us in the improvement of the paper.The first author sincerely acknowledges the colleagues at Department of Community Medicine,Govt.Doon Medical College for their suggestions and comments.
文摘Objective:To assess knowledge,attitude,and practice of medical students towards coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19).Methods:A self-designed questionnaire was developed and given to the students of a government medical college in Uttarakhand.The demographics,mean knowledge,attitude,and practice of the participants were investigated,and the scores were calculated.t-test and ANOVA were used for statistical analysis.Results:Out of the total participants(n=354),50.3%were male and 54.5%were 21-23 years.Almost all the participants(96.6%)increase the frequency of washing hands under the influence of COVID-19.Although no significant relationship was found between different religions,age-categories in terms of knowledge,the participants who were aged 21-23 years had higher knowledge.In addition,gender had a significant impact on practice scores(P<0.05)while no demographic variable was found to have a significant relation with attitude score(P>0.05).Conclusions:The majority of the participants had good knowledge,positive attitude,and sufficient practice.Females and males have significantly different practices.Although the results are very positive,it is suggested that people should continue to strengthen knowledge,attitude,and practice towards COVID-19,so that India can win the battle against the disease.
文摘Teaching skills depend to a large extent on their “didactization” characterized, in the case of physical and sports education, erected in law and compulsory at school, by a body practice often favoring contacts in extramural. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic marked by the cessation then the resumption of classes, physical distancing injunctions and the use of detergent products, masks, etc. it seems logical to question the positions of the actors, the feasibility of the Physical Education and Sports (P.E.S.) and the controversies generated by community particularly in the colleges of the Pikine-Guédiawaye Academy Inspectorate and apprehended thanks to mixed methods. In fact, we used participant observation, semi-structured interviews with administrative, pedagogical and community actors and the questionnaire survey addressed to a sample of 115 students drawn according to the quota technique. The objective was to understand the contradictions of the actors concerned. They were manifested by the practice of physical and sports activities at the beach instead of the forbidden Physical Education and Sports (P.E.S.) like all other school subjects, by the exclusion and then the reintegration of the subject with controversies relating to interests different from the administrative and PEPS, by the difficult acceptance of health measures and physical distancing variously manifested, by the question of the adaptation of P.E.S. to the realities of the numbers and spaces leading to lessons at several speeds, by the demotivation of middle school students who no longer experience hedonism in the field and finally by the diversity of the objectives of the authorities who want to save the year, teachers defending their discipline, students deprived of their agitation moments and parents skeptical and fearful of these moments who can expose their children to the disease.
文摘Background: Stigma of mental illness is often examined in social psychology and psychiatric rehabilitation using attitude studies. Participants of these studies are among health professionals and general public members. A common measure of stigma is using validated scale which measures the opinion on mental illness. Method: A cross-sectional survey was presented to 208 registered nurses. Principal component analyses (with oblique rotation) were used to identify underlying dimensionality in the correlations of items for social distancing. Subscale score variations were analysed across nurse type and ethnicity to examine the discriminant validity of the subscale. Results: Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed one dimension accounting for 43.5% of the variations within items for social distancing. Developed as scale, termed Stigma towards Psychiatric Patients (STPP), reliability analysis indicated high internal consistency with respective alpha coefficient of 0.8. Chinese general nurses scored highest on social distancing than the other three groups: Chinese psychiatric nurses, Anglo general and Anglo psychiatric nurses. Conclusion: Psychometric evaluation of the Stigma Scale (STPP) suggests it is a reliable instrument for measuring social distancing attitudes towards mental illness. The effect of ethnicity on stigmatising attitudes is not entirely accounted for by exposure to people with mental illness.
文摘The new Coronavirus disease or COVID-19 is a contagious viral/immunological systemic disorder with predominantly respiratory features caused by human infection with SARS-CoV-2, which is rapidly spreading from person-to-person all around the world as a pandemic. As long as there is no effective vaccine available to prevent this disease and no definitive treatment is provided to cure it, it is better to prevent this disease by following a series of principles, which are: home quarantine of asymptomatic to mild COVID-19 patients and hospitalization of severe cases, physical distancing, staying at home, handwashing, cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces, face-mask using, cough and sneeze covering, healthy nutritious diet along with the routine life activities and daily exercise, video communication by phone/online with family, and finally practice to relieve stress/anxiety.
文摘<strong>Background:</strong> A large percentage of deaths in an epidemic or pandemic can be due to overshoot of population (herd) immunity, either from the initial peak or from planned or unplanned exit from lockdown or social distancing conditions. <strong>Objectives:</strong> We study partial unlock or reopening interaction with seasonal effects in a managed epidemic to quantify overshoot effects on small and large unlock steps and discover robust strategies for reducing overshoot. <strong>Methods:</strong> We simulate partial unlock of social distancing for epidemics over a range of replication factor, immunity duration and seasonality factor for strategies targeting immunity thresholds using overshoot optimization. <strong>Results:</strong> Seasonality change must be taken into account as one of the steps in an easing sequence, and a two-step unlock, including seasonal effects, minimizes overshoot and deaths. It may cause undershoot, which causes rebounds and assists survival of the pathogen. <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Partial easing levels, even low levels for economic relief while waiting on a vaccine, have population immunity thresholds based on the reduced replication rates and may experience overshoot as well. We further find a two-step strategy remains highly sensitive to variations in case ratio, replication factor, seasonality and timing. We demonstrate a three or more step strategy is more robust, and conclude that the best possible approach minimizes deaths under a range of likely actual conditions which include public response.
文摘At the beginning of August 2020,the Rio Grande Valley(RGV)of Texas experienced a rapid increase of coronavirus disease 2019(abbreviated as COVID-19)cases and deaths.This study aims to determine the optimal levels of effective social distancing and testing to slow the virus spread at the outset of the pandemic.We use an age-stratified eight compartment epidemiological model to depict COVID-19 transmission in the community and within households.With a simulated 120-day outbreak period data we obtain a post 180-days period optimal control strategy solution.Our results show that easing social distancing between adults by the end of the 180-day period requires very strict testing a month later and then daily testing rates of 5%followed by isolation of positive cases.Relaxing social distancing rates in adults from 50%to 25%requires both children and seniors to maintain social distancing rates of 50%for nearly the entire period while maintaining maximum testing rates of children and seniors for 150 of the 180 days considered in this model.Children have higher contact rates which leads to transmission based on our model,emphasizing the need for caution when considering school reopenings.
文摘A mathematical model is proposed in this paper to study the transmission and control of COVID-19.The mathematical model is formulated using system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations.The model includes disease-related parameters such as contact rate,disease-induced death rates,immigration rate and transition rates along with parameters for control measures such as implementation of social distancing practices,isolation and quarantine rates.From the stability analysis of the model,it is shown that if the social distancing is practiced by the large number of susceptible population,then the disease will not spread,and it may eventually die out.Further,it is derived from the analysis of the model that if most of the infected populations are isolated or quarantined,then the spread of the disease can be eventually controlled.However,from the analysis of the model,it is observed that if there is constant immigration of asymptomatic infected persons,then the disease will continue to spread and will remain pandemic.For controlling the disease,two more parameters,that is,vaccination and testing rates,are introduced in the original mathematical model and from the numerical analysis of this model,it has been shown that the control strategy involving vaccination and testing in combination can have synergistic effect for minimizing the COVID-19 infected cases.
文摘Pandemics have always been a nightmare for humanity,especially in developing countries.Forced lockdowns are considered one of the effective ways to deal with spreading such pandemics.Still,developing countries cannot afford such solutions because these may severely damage the country’s econ-omy.Therefore,this study presents the proactive technological mechanisms for business organizations to run their standard business processes during pandemic-like situations smoothly.The novelty of this study is to provide a state-of-the-art solution to prevent pandemics using industrial internet of things(IIoT)and blockchain-enabled technologies.Compared to existing studies,the immutable and tamper-proof contact tracing and quarantine management solution is proposed.The use of advanced technologies and information security is a critical area for practitioners in the internet of things(IoT)and corresponding solutions.Therefore,this study also emphasizes information security,end-to-end solution,and experimental results.Firstly,a wearable wristband is proposed,incorporating 4G-enabled ultra-wideband(UWB)technology for smart contact tracing mechanisms in industries to comply with standard operating procedures outlined by the world health organization(WHO).Secondly,distributed ledger technology(DLT)omits the centralized dependency for transmitting contact tracing data.Thirdly,a privacy-preserving tracing mechanism is discussed using a public/private key cryptography-based authentication mechanism.Lastly,based on geofencing techniques,blockchain-enabled machine-to-machine(M2M)technology is proposed for quarantine management.The step-by-step methodology and test results are proposed to ensure contact tracing and quarantine management.Unlike existing research studies,the security aspect is also considered in the realm of blockchain.The practical implementation of the proposed solution also obtains the results.The results indicate the successful implementation of blockchain-enabled contact tracing and isolation management using IoT a
文摘The outbreak of COVID-19 has attracted attention from all around the world.Governments and institutions have adopted ways to fight COVID-19, but itsprevalence is still strong. The SIR model has important reference value for thenovel coronavirus epidemic, offering both preventive measures and the ability topredict future trends. Based on an analysis of the classical epidemiological SIRmodel along with key parameters, this paper aims to analyze the patterns ofCOVID-19, to discuss potential anti-COVID-19 measures, and to explain whywe need to conduct appropriate measures against COVID-19. The use of theSIR model can play an important role in public health emergencies. Among theparameters of the SIR model, the contact ratio and the reproduction ratio arethe factors that have the potential to mitigate the consequences of COVID-19.Anti-COVID-19 measures include wearing a mask, washing one’s hands,keeping social distance, and staying at home if possible.
基金The authors are thankful to the Institute of Research and Consulting Studies at King Khalid University for supporting this research through Grant No.#34-67-S-2020.
文摘The novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 has spread to several countries within a considerably short period.The virus gets deposited in the human nasal cavity and moves to the lungs that might be fatal.As per safety guidelines by theWorld Health Organization(WHO),social distancing has emerged as one of the major factors to avoid the spread of infection.However,different guidelines are being followed across the countries with regards to what should be the safe distance.Thus,the current work is an attempt to understand the virus deposition pattern in the realistic human nasal cavity and also to find the impact of distance that could be termed as a safety measure.This study is performed usingComputationalFluid Dynamics as a solution tool to investigate the impact of COVID-19 deposition(i)On a realistic 3D human upper airway model and(ii)2D social distancing protocol for a distance of 0.6,1.2,1.8,and 2.4 m.The results revealed that the regional deposition flux within the nasal cavity was predominantly observed in the external nasal cavity and nasopharyngeal section.Frequent flushing of these regions with saltwater substitutes can limit contamination in healthy individuals.The safe distancing limit estimated with 1 m/s airflow was about 1.8 m.The extensive deposition was observed for distances less than 1.8 m in this study,emphasizing the fact that social distancing advisories are not useful and do not take into account the external dynamics associated with airflow.