INTRODUCTION: Health literacy plays an essential role in one's ability to acquire and understand critical medical information in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infodemic and in other pandemics. We aimed to summarise the assessment, levels and determinants of pandemic-related health literacy and its associated clinical outcomes. METHODS: A systematic review was performed in Medline ® , Embase ® , PsycINFO ® , CINAHL ® and four major preprint servers. Observational and interventional studies that evaluated health literacy related to the novel COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were included. Items used in health literacy instruments were grouped under the themes of knowledge, attitudes and practices. Determinants of health literacy were grouped into five domains: sociodemographic, medical, psychological/psychiatric, health systems-related and others. RESULTS: Of the 2,065 articles screened, 70 articles were included. Of these, 21, 17 and 32 studies evaluated health literacy related to COVID-19, SARS and MERS, respectively. The rates of low pandemic health literacy ranged from 4.3% to 57.9% among medical-related populations and from 4.0% to 82.5% among nonmedical populations. Knowledge about the symptoms and transmission of infection, worry about infection, and practices related to mask usage and hand hygiene were most frequently evaluated. Sociodemographic determinants of health literacy were most frequently studied, among which higher education level, older age and female gender were found to be associated with better health literacy. No studies evaluated the outcomes associated with health literacy. CONCLUSION The level of pandemic-related health literacy is suboptimal. Healthcare administrators need to be aware of health literacy determinants when formulating policies in pandemics.
Humans ; Health Literacy ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/epidemiology* ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Pandemics ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology* ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus ; Female ; Male

Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; statistics & numerical data ; Global Health ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Prognosis

Betacoronavirus ; Communicable Disease Control ; organization & administration ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Disaster Planning ; organization & administration ; Humans ; Nuclear Medicine ; organization & administration ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Singapore

Betacoronavirus ; Cancer Care Facilities ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Palliative Care ; organization & administration ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; Singapore ; Tertiary Care Centers

INTRODUCTION: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread on an unprecedented scale from around the world, we described our experience in treating early COVID-19 cases in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational study of COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary care centre in North India between 2 March-4 April 2020 was performed. The clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, treatment and outcome data of patients were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients were treated and 56 (74.66%) were men. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 ranged from asymptomatic to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Fever (85.36%) was the most common symptom followed by cough (56.09%) and dyspnoea (19.51%). Findings from hemogram analysis showed that 32%, 21.33% and 18.67% of patients had lymphopaenia, eosinopenia and thrombocytopaenia, respectively. Inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, D-dimer, ferritin, fibrin degradation product and interleukin-6 were significantly elevated ( <0.05) in patients who required oxygen therapy than those who did not require it, suggesting the potential role such markers could play in predicting prognosis in patients. Mean hospital stay was 9.2 days and 72 (96%) patients made a complete recovery, but 3 (4%) patients demised after progressing to ARDS. CONCLUSION The clinical and epidemiological spectrum of COVID-19 has jeopardised the health system in India. Without a proven therapy to combat this pandemic and with no sight of vaccines in the near future, a preventive strategy should be adopted to contain the spread of this infectious disease.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Betacoronavirus ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Coronavirus Infections ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; India ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care ; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Symptom Assessment ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Young Adult

Bias ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Uncertainty

Transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-caused by novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-through aerosolised saliva and respiratory droplets is possible when aerosol-generating dental procedures are performed. Consequently, dental practitioners are at increased risk of being infected when treating COVID-19 patients. A comprehensive review of the current literature on precautions when providing dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed and recommendations for dental practitioners are made. Dental practitioners should actively keep themselves abreast of the guidelines published by both national and international authorities and adhere strictly to them.
Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Dental Care ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

OBJECTIVES: To explore the psychological status of medical staff in the epidemic period of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to analyze its influential factors. METHODS: A total of 373 medical staff from Xiangya Hospital and the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University were enrolled for this study. The General Sociological Data Questionnaire, Symptom Check-List 90 (SCL-90), and self-designed public opinion response questionnaire were used to assess general sociological data, mental health scores, and ability to respond to COVID-19 related public opinion information of medical staff. The mental health scores of medical staff with different general sociological data and public opinion information coping abilities were compared. Influential factors of mental health were analyzed. RESULTS: The average score of 10 factors in SCL-90 of 373 medical staff was less than 2 points. 14.21% medical staff had one or more factor scores more than two points, including 11.26% with terror symptoms, 7.77% with compulsive symptoms, and 5.63% with anxiety. The main sources of COVID-19 information for medical staff included WeChat, microblog, Jinri toutiao, TV and radio. 66.22% medical staff regularly verified information about COVID-19 through official websites or formal channels. A great deal of COVID-19 information in WeChat could make medical staff nervous (34.05%), anxious (30.29%), and insecure (29.22%). 68.63% medical staff sometimes were worried about getting infected because they knew information about COVID-19. Different departments of medical staff, getting cough or having a fever recently, and the degree of fear of infection had an impact on the SCL-90 score of medical staff, the differences were all statistically significant (all <0.05). Stepwise regression analysis showed that the impact of COVID-19 information on their life in WeChat, getting cough or having a fever recently, insomnia-early caused by COVID-19 information in WeChat, different departments, and the degree of fear of infection COVID-19 were the influential factors for the mental health of medical staff (all <0.05). CONCLUSIONS During the epidemic of COVID-19, medical staff suffered from psychological problems to various degrees. It is necessary to establish a psychological assistance platform and guide the direction of public opinion correctly to promote the mental health of medical staff.
Anxiety ; Betacoronavirus ; China ; Compulsive Behavior ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Fear ; Health Status ; Humans ; Medical Staff ; psychology ; Mental Health ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the regional epidemic features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Henan Province, China. METHODS: According to the data of COVID-19 patients and the resident population at the end of 2018 in Henan Province, statistical description and analysis of epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Henan Province were conducted, including the time distribution, population distribution, and regional distribution. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of COVID-19 in Henan Province was 1.32/100 000, the cure rate was 98.03%, and the fatality rate was 1.73% by March 9, 2020. The incidence curve showed that the epidemic peak reached from January 24 to January 28. The high-incidence area was Xinyang, with a standardized cumulative incidence rate of 4.36/100 000. There were 580 female COVID-19 patients (45.60%), 688 males (54.09%) in Henan Province. The incidence of males was 1.41/100 000, while the incidence of females was 1.23/100 000. The age with the highest incidence of COVID-19 in Henan Province was 20-69 years old (88.68%). The incidence rate was highest in men aged 30-39 (2.51/ 100 000), while the lowest rate in women aged 0-9 (0.16/100 000). There were 1 225 local patients (96.31%), and the rural patients (45.73%) were slightly higher than the urban patients (44.02%) in Henan Province. A total of 63.60% patients had traveled or lived in Hubei or contacted with people who came from Hubei to Henan. The proportion of patients whose family members suffered from COVID-19 was 32.70%. Global spatial autocorrelation analysis suggested that there was a statistically significant positive correlation in the spatial distribution of COVID-19 patients in Henan Province (Moran's =0.248, =2.955, <0.01). CONCLUSIONS There are differences in the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 patients in different areas of Henan Province, with epidemic peak reaching from January 24 to January 28. Henan is dominated by local patients, male patients, and patients with contact history in Hubei. The space appears to be moderately clustered.
Adult ; Aged ; Betacoronavirus ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; Spatial Analysis ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: To explore and analyze the epidemic features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hunan Province from January 21, 2020 to March 14, 2020, as well as to investigate the COVID-19 epidemics in each city of Hunan Province. METHODS: The epidemic data was obtained from the official website of Hunan Province's Health Commission. The data of each city of Hunan Province was analyzed separately. Spatial distribution of cumulative confirmed COVID-19 patients and the cumulative occurrence rate was drawn by ArcGIS software for each city in Hunan Province. Some regional indexes were also compared with that in the whole country. RESULTS: The first patient was diagnosed in January 21, sustained patient growth reached its plateau in around February 17. Up to March 14, the cumulative confirmed COVID-19 patients stopped at 1 018. The cumulative occurrence rate of COVID-19 patients was 0.48 per 0.1 million person. The number of cumulative severe patients was 150 and the number of cumulative dead patients was 4. The mortality rate (0.39%) and the cure rate (99.6%) in Hunan Province was significantly lower and higher respectively than the corresponding average rate in the whole country (0.90% and 96.2%, Hubei excluded). The first 3 cities in numbers of the confirmed patients were Changsha, Yueyang, and Shaoyang. While sorted by the cumulative occurrence rate, the first 3 cities in incidence were Changsha, Yueyang, and Zhuzhou. CONCLUSIONS The epidemic of COVID-19 spread out smoothly in Hunan Province. The cities in Hunan Province implement anti-disease strategies based on specific situations on their own and keep the epidemic in the range of controllable.
Betacoronavirus ; China ; epidemiology ; Cities ; epidemiology ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Humans ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; mortality