Evaluation of effects of public health interventions on COVID-19 transmission for Pakistan: A mathematical simulation study

Bhutta, Zulfiqar Ahmed; Harari, Ofir; Park, Jay; Zannat, Noor; Zoratti, Michael J.; Churches, Tim; Thorlund, Kristian; Mills, Edward J.

doi:10.1101/2020.04.30.20086447

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

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“…After four months of lockdown, almost all countries regardless of where they were in terms of controlling the infection, have reverted to normalcy with essential preventive measures. This includes Pakistan where lockdown was gradually eased as it has been predicted that the infection may turn endemic for a long time to come 7 . Apart from the lockdown, many countries including Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, and other Asian regions also launched continuous educational campaigns to increase people's awareness and encourage adherence to the precautionary measures related to infection [8][9][10] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Campaign to Improve Practices of Infection Prevention at Small Shops of Essential Items During the Time of Covid 19 Pandemic

Tariq¹,

Qadri²,

Memon³

et al. 2022

AJSMU

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Objective: To determine the effect of masks distribution and awareness pamphlets on practices of social distancing and infection prevention at small shops of essential items during the time of COVID 19 Pandemic Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study in which three cycles of observations were carried out at 120 small shops of essential items before, immediately, and two weeks after the intervention during weekdays and weekends. Interventions introduced included the distribution of masks and awareness pamphlets on physical distancing and infection prevention and an educational session with shopkeepers. The main outcome measures were practices of shopkeepers and customers related to wearing masks properly and maintenance of distance of at least three feet. The outcome indicators were compared using the Cochrane Q test. Results: Before the intervention on weekdays, only 4.1% of shops had any system of hand hygiene which increased to 19.6% immediately post intervention but reduced to 0% two weeks after the intervention. The practice of wearing a mask with nose covered increased from 13.2% before the intervention to 62.3% immediately after the intervention, however, it dropped to 30.8% two weeks after the intervention. Comparison of distance maintenance between the customers showed that none of the customers maintained three feet distance between themselves before the intervention, which improved to 9.5% immediately after the intervention but reduced to 1.8% two weeks after the intervention. Conclusion: Practices of infection prevention at small shops were found to be poor, which showed temporary improvement post-intervention. Sustained regulatory and educational measures are needed to improve the practices.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Campaign to Improve Practices of Infection Prevention at Small Shops of Essential Items During the Time of Covid 19 Pandemic

Tariq¹,

Qadri²,

Memon³

et al. 2022

AJSMU

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Exit strategies from lockdowns due to COVID-19: a scoping review

Misra¹,

Joshi²,

Sarwal

et al. 2022

BMC Public Health

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Introduction In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, countries have adopted various degrees of restrictive measures on people to reduce COVID-19 transmission. These measures have had significant social and economic costs. In the absence of therapeutics, and low vaccination coverage, strategies for a safe exit plan from a lockdown are required to mitigate the transmission and simultaneously re-open societies. Most countries have outlined or have implemented lockdown exit plans. The objective of this scoping review is to (a) identify and map the different strategies for exit from lockdowns, (b) document the effects of these exit strategies, and (c) discuss features of successful exit strategies based on the evidence. Methods A five-step approach was used in this scoping review: (a) identifying the research question and inclusion/exclusion criteria; (b) searching the literature using keywords within PubMed and WHO databases; (c) study selection; (d) data extraction; (e) collating results and qualitative synthesis of findings. Results Of the 406 unique studies found, 107 were kept for full-text review. Studies suggest the post-peak period as optimal timing for an exit, supplemented by other triggers such as sufficient health system capacity, and increased testing rate. A controlled and step-wise exit plan which is flexible and guided by information from surveillance systems is optimal. Studies recommend continued use of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as physical distancing, use of facemasks, and hygiene measures, in different combinations when exiting from a lockdown, even after optimal vaccination coverage has been attained. Conclusion Reviewed studies have suggested adopting a multi-pronged strategy consisting of different approaches depending on the context. Among the different exit strategies reviewed (phase-wise exit, hard exit, and constant cyclic patterns of lockdown), phase-wise exit appears to be the optimal exit strategy.

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Evaluation of effects of public health interventions on COVID-19 transmission for Pakistan: A mathematical simulation study

Cited by 2 publications

References 21 publications

A Campaign to Improve Practices of Infection Prevention at Small Shops of Essential Items During the Time of Covid 19 Pandemic

A Campaign to Improve Practices of Infection Prevention at Small Shops of Essential Items During the Time of Covid 19 Pandemic

Exit strategies from lockdowns due to COVID-19: a scoping review

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