Objectives: Online misinformation has reached unprecedented levels during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study analyzed the magnitude and sentiment dynamics of misinformation and unverified information about public health interventions during a COVID-19 outbreak in Da Nang, Vietnam, between July and September 2020. Methods: We analyzed user-generated online information about five public health interventions during the Da Nang outbreak. We compared the volume, source, sentiment polarity, and engagements of online posts before, during, and after the outbreak using negative binomial and logistic regression, and assessed the content validity of the 500 most influential posts. Results: Most of the 54,528 online posts included were generated during the outbreak (n = 46,035; 84.42%) and by online newspapers (n = 32,034; 58.75%). Among the 500 most influential posts, 316 (63.20%) contained genuine information, 10 (2.00%) contained misinformation, 152 (30.40%) were non-factual opinions, and 22 (4.40%) contained unverifiable information. All misinformation posts were made during the outbreak, mostly on social media, and were predominantly negative. Higher levels of engagement were observed for information that was unverifiable (incidence relative risk [IRR] = 2.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33–0.62), posted during the outbreak (before: IRR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07–0.35; after: IRR = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34-0.63), and with negative sentiment (IRR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.23–2.75). Negatively toned posts were more likely to be misinformation (odds ratio [OR] = 9.59; 95% CI, 1.20–76.70) or unverified (OR = 5.03; 95% CI, 1.66–15.24). Conclusions Misinformation and unverified information during the outbreak showed clustering, with social media being particularly affected. This indepth assessment demonstrates the value of analyzing online “infodemics” to inform public health responses.

After-action reviews (AARs) are a qualitative evaluation methodology conducted after a public health event recommended by the World Health Organization. Of 86 screened articles, we identified eight using AARs to evaluate public health responses to infectious disease outbreaks. Our findings suggested the toolkit is suitable to evaluate responses to infectious disease outbreaks but needs to be adapted for use in particular settings.

Objectives: Asymptomatic infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and test re-positivity after a negative test have raised concerns about the ability to effectively control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of COVID-19 asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections during the second wave of COVID-19 in Viet Nam, and to better understand the duration of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the dynamics between the evolution of clinical symptoms and SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among confirmed COVID-19 cases. Methods: We conducted a cohort analysis on the first 50 confirmed cases during the second COVID-19 wave in Viet Nam using clinical, laboratory and epidemiological data collected from 9 March to 30 April 2020. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to assess time to clearance of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and log-rank tests were used to explore factors related to time to SARS-CoV-2 infection clearance. Results: Most cases (58%) had no typical signs or symptoms of COVID-19 at the time of diagnosis. Ten cases (20%) were re-positive for SARS-CoV-2 during infection. Eight cases (16%) experienced COVID-19 symptoms after testing negative for SARS-CoV-2. The median duration from symptom onset until clearance of infection was 14 days (range: 6–31); it was longer in re-positive and older patients and those with pre-existing conditions. Conclusion Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections were common during the second wave of COVID-19 in Viet Nam. Re-positivity was frequent during hospitalization and led to a long duration of SARS-CoV-2 infection.