Monitoring online queries can provide early and accurate information about the spread of COVID-19 in the population and about the effectiveness of COVID-19 epidemic control measures. The purpose of the study. Assessment of significance of online queries regarding smell impairment to evaluate the epidemiological status and effectiveness of COVID-19 epidemic control measures. Materials and methods. Weekly online queries from Yandex Russian users regarding smell impairment were analysed in regions and large cities of Russia from 16/3/2020 to 21/2/2021. A total of 81 regions of Russia and several large cities, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod, were included in the study. Results. A strong positive direct correlation (r>0.7) was found between the number of smell-related queries in Yandex new cases of COVID-19 in 59 out of 85 Russian regions and large cities (70%). During the "first" peak of COVID-19 incidence in Russia (April-May 2020), the increase in the number of smell-related queries outpaced the increase in the number of new cases by 1-2 weeks in 23 out of 59 regions of Russia. During the "second" peak of COVID-19 incidence in Russia (October-December 2020), the increase in the number of smell-related queries outpaced the increase in the number of new cases by 1-2 weeks in 36 regions of Russia, including Moscow. We also estimated the increase in the query/new case ratio during the "second" peak of incidence for 45 regions. It was found that the query/new case ratio increased by more than 100% in 24 regions. The regions where the increase in queries was more than 160% compared to new infection cases during the "second" peak of incidence demonstrated significantly higher search activity related to levofloxacin than the regions where the increase in queries was lower than 160% compared to the increase in new infection cases. Conclusion. The sudden interest in smell impairment and growing frequency of online queries among the population can be used as an indicator of the spread of coronavirus infection among the population as well as for evaluation of the effectiveness of COVID-19 epidemic control measures. Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, Yandex.Wordstat, correlation, query, sense of smell.
Approaches based on the analysis of internet search query data can be important for understanding public reaction and conducting disease surveillance. One of these tools may be the Yandex.Wordstat service. In addition to near-universal public access to search services and the ability to collect real-time data, many users search information in the internet before visiting a doctor, which makes it possible to better capture the onset of diseases, the processes associated with them and the reaction of society.The aim of our retrospective, descriptive study of COVID‑19 in Russia is to use Yandex.Wordstat to describe the symptoms of the disease and complications based on search queries, as well as their relationship to the public interest in prevention measures, testing for COVID‑19.Methods. We used the Yandex.Wordstat service, a public online system for tracking search queries by week in the Yandex search engine. Requests to Yandex in Russia were analyzed from 08/10/2020 to 11/28/2021. We initially compiled a list of 61 search terms in the following categories: common symptoms of COVID‑19, complications, testing, drug use, preventive measures, medical care, allergies.Results. Search terms related to symptoms, testing, and drugs closely correlate with reported cases of COVID‑19 in Russia, which indicates the need for further research on the potential use of the Yandex service as a disease surveillance tool.
ObjectivesAssessment of the significance of online queries regarding smell impairment to evaluate the epidemiological status and effectiveness of COVID-19 epidemic control measures using levofloxacin as an example.SettingThere are 81 regions of Russia and several large cities, such as Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod.MethodsWeekly online queries from Yandex Russian users regarding smell impairment and levofloxacin were analysed in regions and large cities of Russia from 16 March 2020 to 21 February 2021.ResultsA strong positive direct correlation (r>0.7) was found between the number of smell-related queries in Yandex new cases of COVID-19 in 59 out of 85 Russian regions and large cities (70%). During the ‘first’ peak of COVID-19 incidence in Russia (April–May 2020), the increase in the number of smell-related queries outpaced the increase in new cases by 1–2 weeks in 23 out of 59 regions of Russia. During the ‘second’ peak of COVID-19 incidence in Russia (October–December 2020), the increase in the number of smell-related queries outpaced the increase in the number of new cases by 1–2 weeks in 36 regions of Russia, including Moscow. It was found that the query/new case ratio increased by more than 100% in 24 regions. The regions where the increase in queries was more than 160% compared with new infection cases during the ‘second’ peak of incidence demonstrated significantly higher search activity related to levofloxacin than the regions where the increase in queries was lower than 160% compared with the increase in new infection cases.ConclusionThe sudden interest in certain symptoms of COVID-19, such as smell impairment and the growing frequency of online queries among the population, can be used as an indicator of the spread of coronavirus infection among the population and for evaluation of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 epidemic control measures.
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