Covid-19 as a long multiwave event: implications for responses to safeguard younger generations

Dhaliwal, Mandeep; Small, Roy; Webb, Douglas; Cluver, Lucie; Ibrahim, Mona Mohamed; Bok, Ludo; Nascimento, Collin; Wang, Cheng; Garagic, Aidan; Jensen, Lars

doi:10.1136/bmj-2021-068123

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Africa is experiencing unprecedented challenges due to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, both directly and from the compounding effects of other health, economic and social factors. [1,2] As of 9 February 2022, 11.1 million COVID-19 cases and 238,845 deaths were confirmed on the African Continent. [3] To date, the pandemic has progressed in four main waves, with the most recent wave largely due to the Omicron variant circulating in a number of countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of standardised seroprevalence studies, from January 2020 to December 2021

Lewis

Ware

Whelan

et al. 2022

Preprint

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IntroductionEstimating COVID-19 cumulative incidence in Africa remains problematic due to challenges in contact tracing, routine surveillance systems and laboratory testing capacities and strategies. We undertook a meta-analysis of population-based seroprevalence studies to estimate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Africa to inform evidence-based decision making on Public Health and Social Measures (PHSM) and vaccine strategy.MethodsWe searched for seroprevalence studies conducted in Africa published 01-01-2020 to 30-12-2021 in Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Europe PMC (preprints), grey literature, media releases and early results from WHO Unity studies. All studies were screened, extracted, assessed for risk of bias and evaluated for alignment with the WHO Unity protocol for seroepidemiological investigations. We conducted descriptive analyses of seroprevalence and meta-analysed seroprevalence differences by demographic groups, place and time. We estimated the extent of undetected infections by comparing seroprevalence and cumulative incidence of confirmed cases reported to WHO. PROSPERO: CRD42020183634.ResultsWe identified 54 full texts or early results, reporting 151 distinct seroprevalence studies in Africa Of these, 95 (63%) were low/moderate risk of bias studies. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence rose from 3.0% [95% CI: 1.0-9.2%] in Q2 2020 to 65.1% [95% CI: 56.3-73.0%] in Q3 2021. The ratios of seroprevalence from infection to cumulative incidence of confirmed cases was large (overall: 97:1, ranging from 10:1 to 958:1) and steady over time. Seroprevalence was highly heterogeneous both within countries - urban vs. rural (lower seroprevalence for rural geographic areas), children vs. adults (children aged 0-9 years had the lowest seroprevalence) - and between countries and African sub-regions (Middle, Western and Eastern Africa associated with higher seroprevalence).ConclusionWe report high seroprevalence in Africa suggesting greater population exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and protection against COVID-19 disease than indicated by surveillance data. As seroprevalence was heterogeneous, targeted PHSM and vaccination strategies need to be tailored to local epidemiological situations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of standardised seroprevalence studies, from January 2020 to December 2021

Lewis

Ware

Whelan

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Similarly, the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) used air quality guidance developed by WHO as a starting point for a global assessment of air quality laws 41. WHO can also build on the various cross sectoral responses to covid-19, such as gender responsive social protection42 and interventions supporting early childhood development and educational services 43. These highlight the important contributions different sectors make to achieving public health goals and further strengthen intersectoral actions forged between health and other sectors.…”

Section: Use Sdgs To Foster Leadership From Other Sectorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

How can WHO transform its approach to social determinants of health?

Gopinathan

Buse

2022

BMJ

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“…The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the achievement of a more just and equitable society set 17 goals, with universities being key contributors to achieving those Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [9]. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the health and well-being of people worldwide, not only physically, but also in terms of mental health [10,11], particularly among young people [12,13]. Mental health problems may have prevented students from fully engaging with their education, reducing the quality of their experience, which was already impacted by the transition to e-learning and access issues [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis Attending SDG 3 and 4 of the 2030 Agenda

et al. 2022

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Background: Most universities around the world have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. Many students were isolated at home and underwent a forced transition from face-to-face learning to e-learning, at least in the first few months. The subsequent months and years were typically characterised by a slow return to normal learning under COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. A potential consequence of the lockdowns, social restrictions and changes to learning is the development of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) in university students, affecting their health and well-being (SDG3) and quality of education (SDG4). Materials and Methods: Medline was searched through PubMed for studies on the prevalence of PTSD in university students from 1 December 2019 to 31 December 2021. The pooled prevalence of PTSD was calculated with random-effects models. Results: A total of six studies were included, across which the prevalence of PTSD among university students was 23%. Meta-regression showed that the prevalence of PTSD was significantly higher with older age, but independent of the percentage of women in a study or its methodological quality. Conclusions: Our results suggest that students suffer from PTSD at a moderate rate. Measures are needed to address the mental health issues of university students that have arisen during COVID-19 all around the world.

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Covid-19 as a long multiwave event: implications for responses to safeguard younger generations

Abstract: The World We WanT Covid-19 as a long multiwave event: implications for responses to safeguard younger generationsMandeep Dhaliwal and colleagues call for urgent correction of the response to covid-19 to safeguard the development of children and young people

Cited by 13 publications

References 17 publications

SARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of standardised seroprevalence studies, from January 2020 to December 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis of standardised seroprevalence studies, from January 2020 to December 2021

How can WHO transform its approach to social determinants of health?

Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis Attending SDG 3 and 4 of the 2030 Agenda

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