Public Engagement with Romanian Government Social Media Accounts during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Gherheș, Vasile; Cernicova-Bucă, Mariana; Fărcașiu, Marcela Alina

doi:10.3390/ijerph20032372

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These figures are notably lower compared to the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) average, which stands at 73%. This underwhelming vaccination uptake is indicative of deeper societal issues, such as a widespread lack of trust in governmental institutions, the influence of misinformation campaigns, inadequate infrastructure in rural areas, and a deficiency in effective vaccine education and outreach efforts [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. These factors have collectively played a role in shaping the country’s response to the pandemic and the virus’s circulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Differences between SARS-CoV-2 and RSV Infections in Infants: Findings from a Case–Control Study

Miron,

Raianu,

Filimon

et al. 2023

Viruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Infants are a unique pediatric group due to their high hospitalization rates and unfavorable outcomes from acute infectious diseases. Understanding the clinical differences and aftereffects of SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to other prevalent viruses in this age group, like RSV, is crucial for effective management. We conducted a retrospective case–control study of infants hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in one year, in a tertiary pediatric hospital in Bucharest, Romania. A total of 188 infants were included in the analysis in a 1:1 ratio (94 with SARS-CoV-2 infection and 94 with RSV infection). Infants with COVID-19 were 10.2 times more likely to have fever (p < 0.001) and 2.4 times more likely to have diarrhea (p = 0.016). Conversely, infants with RSV were 2.5 times more likely to have a cough (p < 0.001), 3.0 times more likely to have nasal congestion (p < 0.001), and 14.7 times more likely to present with dyspnea (p < 0.001). Increased lymphocyte count was more common in infants with RSV (p = 0.008), while lymphopenia was more frequent in infants with SARS-CoV-2 (p = 0.011). The median length of hospital stay was one day longer in infants with RSV infection (5 days vs. 4 days). Overall, infants with RSV infection had a 27.3-fold increased risk of developing respiratory failure (p < 0.001), while infants with COVID-19 had a 5.8-fold increased risk of laryngitis (p = 0.003). Our findings suggest that infants with SARS-CoV-2 infection may present with polymorphic symptoms, mostly dominated by fever, whereas infants with RSV often present with respiratory symptoms. Laboratory differentiation between the two infections is challenging; therefore, the use of rapid antigen or molecular diagnostic tests is crucial for accurate diagnosis, epidemiologically appropriate measures, and effective management. Continued surveillance of both viruses in infants, and beyond, and the implementation of specific control measures are needed to mitigate their impact on this vulnerable pediatric group.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical Differences between SARS-CoV-2 and RSV Infections in Infants: Findings from a Case–Control Study

Miron,

Raianu,

Filimon

et al. 2023

Viruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Firstly, while the research focused on Facebook, it is crucial to examine other social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, considering their unique features. Secondly, engagement analysis may be oversimplified by relying solely on metrics such as reactions, comments, shares, and post reach, as noted by Gherheș et al (2023), neglecting emojis and linguistic texts that can modify meaning conveyed. Additionally, social media platform algorithms are undisclosed and may influence engagement and post reach.…”

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding government social media communication strategies and public engagement during the COVID-19 crisis in Lebanon

Bajouk,

Ferré-Pavia

2024

ONLINE J COMMUN MEDIA TECHNOL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted governments to adopt various online communication strategies, including the use of social media platforms. Drawing on the crisis and emergency risk communication model, this study investigates the Facebook communication strategies employed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) during the COVID-19 crisis in Lebanon and examines the public engagement with these efforts. A content analysis was conducted on 2,001 posts related to COVID-19 from January 2020 to June 2021. The posts were classified into categories and the frequency and median were used to measure government posting activity and engagement. The study analyzed additional post features such as hashtags, mentions, captions, and language to provide further context to the findings. Trend analysis was also conducted to examine how the metrics varied with key events. The results show that MoPH predominantly used photos (72.00%) and the majority of its posts were published during the initial phase of the outbreak (74.20%). The most prevalent categories of posts were uncertainty reduction (54.57%), self-efficacy (30.33%), and vaccines and immunization (16.89%). MoPH’s Facebook page witnessed a surge in followers during the post-COVID-19 period, increasing by over 300.00% from the pre-COVID-19 years. Posts content, media type, and crisis stage influenced the level of public engagement. The study reveals that Facebook is effective for strategic health crisis communication. Furthermore, it provides practical insights for public sector emergency managers responsible for online communication during outbreaks.

show abstract

“…In 2020-2022 the pro-vaccination campaigns supported by ministries or other public administration institutions were more numerous, but the present analysis focuses only on the 15 videos extracted from the governmental YouTube and Facebook pages. By 2020 the Romanian government had already a good social media presence (Gherheș & Cismariu, 2017) and the pandemic enhanced the importance of digital communication for information and persuasion purposes.…”

Section: Figure 1 the Five Phases Of Qualitative Content Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Communicative Aspects of Public Health Campaigns: A Content Analysis of the Pro-vaccination Campaign in Romania during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fărcașiu¹,

Gherheș²,

Cernicova-Bucă³

2023

SBPUTTML

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The purpose of this research is to observe the pro-vaccination campaign in Romania from an informative and communicative perspective. A qualitative content analysis was carried out on the videos broadcast both on the Government's YouTube channel and on the Facebook page, describing the video messages’ structure, framing, and linguistic and extralinguistic elements. The results highlighted the fact that the messages, in terms of content and significance, were not fully adapted to the target audience’s needs, that communication efforts failed to influence vaccine acceptance behaviors and that the campaign message could be improved to comply with the existing recommendations/standards.

show abstract

Public Engagement with Romanian Government Social Media Accounts during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 4 publications

References 51 publications

Clinical Differences between SARS-CoV-2 and RSV Infections in Infants: Findings from a Case–Control Study

Clinical Differences between SARS-CoV-2 and RSV Infections in Infants: Findings from a Case–Control Study

Understanding government social media communication strategies and public engagement during the COVID-19 crisis in Lebanon

Communicative Aspects of Public Health Campaigns: A Content Analysis of the Pro-vaccination Campaign in Romania during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About