# ent

id: cord-253910-pmurx4jh
type: WORK_OF_ART
entity:
  Assessing the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus in The Absence of Mass Testing Flatten the Curve Modelling SARS CoV 2 COVID 19 Growth


id: cord-306227-63qvvkvk
type: DNA
entity:
  77752 fbcli d IwAR0 OanMR goiRz OMt2a fHrle Xytyh 49Utc 0I8J9 YOcFj v0dBa wApgS 3mFjM COVID 19 pandemic socioeconomic crisis


id: cord-335272-jypxi99z
type: ORG
entity:
  Sexuality Reinventing Intimacy Pornography Use and Loneliness A Bidirectional Recursive Model and Pilot Investigation Factors Associated With Mental Health Outcomes Among Health Care Workers


id: cord-275071-2uiaruhg
type: PROTEIN
entity:
  conte ntass ets edc2b 33f85 ad415 d8e79 09002 253ed 84 2020 04 09 E2 80 94pre limin ar stati stik over doda inkl eng


id: cord-275827-r86ygqmy
type: DISEASE
entity:
  Drug Dependence or Abuse ILIADDA derivation and validation of a model Les CAARUD lieux privilégiés d émergence de signaux pour l addictovigilance


id: cord-220723-yl2tg6q4
type: ORG
entity:
  A European Road Transport Emission Inventory Model Emission Adjustments for Temperature Humidity Air Conditioning and Inspection and Maintenance for On road


id: cord-220723-yl2tg6q4
type: ORG
entity:
  the Convection Viscous Sublayer and Turbulence Closure Schemes A Simple Single Layer Urban Canopy Model For Atmospheric Models Comparison With Multi Layer And Slab Models


id: cord-330562-dabjcvno
type: ORG
entity:
  Seismic Noise Analysis System Power Spectral Density Probability Density Function Stand Alone Software Package United States Geological Survey Open File Report Seismic


id: cord-330562-dabjcvno
type: ORG
entity:
  Seismic Network International Federation of Digital Seismograph Networks Regional Seismic Network of North Western Italy International Federation of Digital Seismograph


# bib

id: cord-034579-3s26tjrd
author: McAuley, Hamish
date: 2020-10-30
txt: ./txt/cord-034579-3s26tjrd.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-034579-3s26tjrd.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7607968/
doi: 10.1183/23120541.00718-2020
summary:
  A telephone survey was used to assess changes in anxiety, inhaler adherence, physical activity, and behaviour during the pre-lockdown and lockdown periods compared to normal. Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (AECOPD) are a frequent problem for people with COPD, adversely affecting morbidity and mortality and are an important cause of unscheduled healthcare contacts including admission to hospital 1 Secondly, we assessed self-reported behaviour change during the pre-lockdown and lockdown period by telephone interview in order to explore potential reasons for any observed changes in AECOPD treatment frequency In this observational study a 38% increase in community managed exacerbation events during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 was seen compared to the same six-week period in 2019, as measured by primary care prescription records.

title:
  COPD in the time of COVID-19: An analysis of acute exacerbations and reported behavioural changes in patients with COPD

abstract:
  INTRODUCTION: The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and lockdown measures, on acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the change in AECOPD treatment frequency during the first 6 weeks of lockdown in the UK compared with 2019 and assess changes in self-reported behaviour and well-being. METHODS: In this observational study in Leicestershire, UK, patients with COPD under a secondary care clinic were recruited. Exacerbation frequency in the first 6 weeks of COVID lockdown was compared with the same period in 2019 using electronic health records. A telephone survey was used to assess changes in anxiety, inhaler adherence, physical activity, and behaviour during the pre-lockdown and lockdown periods compared to normal. RESULTS: 160 participants were recruited (mean [sd] age 67.3 [8.1] years, 88 [55%] male, FEV1 34.3 [13] % predicted). 140 [88%] reported at least one AECOPD in the previous year. Significantly more community treated exacerbations were observed in 2020 compared with 2019 (126 versus 99, p=0.026). The increase was a result of multiple courses of treatment, with a similar proportion of patients receiving at least one course (34.4% versus 33.8%). During “lockdown” participants reported significantly increased anxiety, adherence to their preventative inhalers, and good adherence to shielding advice (all p<0.001). A significant reduction in self-reported physical activity and visitors was reported (both p<0.001). DISCUSSION: Treatment for AECOPD events increased during the first 6 weeks of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the UK compared to 2019. This was associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and significant behavioural change.


id: cord-117800-jzokod4q
author: Umer, Hamza
date: 2020-06-04
txt: ./txt/cord-117800-jzokod4q.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-117800-jzokod4q.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2006.02987v1.pdf
doi: nan
summary:
  To slow down the spread of Covid-19, administrative regions within Pakistan imposed complete and partial lockdown restrictions on socio-economic activities, religious congregations, and human movement. After conducting econometric analyses (Regression Discontinuity and Negative Binomial Regressions) on official data from the National Institute of Health (NIH) Pakistan, we find that the strategies did not lead to a similar level of Covid-19 caseload (positive cases and deaths) in all regions. In terms of reduction in the overall caseload (positive cases and deaths), compared to no lockdown, complete and partial lockdown appeared to be effective in four regions: Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan (GT), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). On the other hand, complete and partial lockdowns have been Umer & Khan 4 very effective in the containment of the virus in the province of Balochistan and the three administrative territories/regions of Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

title:
  Evaluating the Effectiveness of Regional Lockdown Policies in the Containment of Covid-19: Evidence from Pakistan

abstract:
  To slow down the spread of Covid-19, administrative regions within Pakistan imposed complete and partial lockdown restrictions on socio-economic activities, religious congregations, and human movement. Here we examine the impact of regional lockdown strategies on Covid-19 outcomes. After conducting econometric analyses (Regression Discontinuity and Negative Binomial Regressions) on official data from the National Institute of Health (NIH) Pakistan, we find that the strategies did not lead to a similar level of Covid-19 caseload (positive cases and deaths) in all regions. In terms of reduction in the overall caseload (positive cases and deaths), compared to no lockdown, complete and partial lockdown appeared to be effective in four regions: Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan (GT), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Contrarily, complete and partial lockdowns did not appear to be effective in containing the virus in the three largest provinces of Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). The observed regional heterogeneity in the effectiveness of lockdowns advocates for a careful use of lockdown strategies based on the demographic, social, and economic factors.


id: cord-219681-83p1ujl4
title: The English Patient: Evaluating Local Lockdowns Using Real-Time COVID-19&Consumption Data
author: Gathergood, John
date: 2020-10-08
txt: ./txt/cord-219681-83p1ujl4.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-219681-83p1ujl4.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2010.04129v2.pdf
doi: nan
summary:
  We find UK ''local lockdowns'' of cities and small regions, focused on limiting how many people a household can interact with and in what settings, are effective in turning the tide on rising positive COVID-19 cases. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, we estimate the impact of local lockdowns imposed in the late summer of 2020 on a number of UK cities, examining the effects on both containment of cases and consumer spending. (2020) using US fintech data and following this Opportunity Insights (Chetty et al., 2020a,b) produced 3 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-52934822 4 We typically observe common pre-trends between control and treatment groups, however, we do observe noticeable increases in the number of positive COVID-19 cases for the treatment groups just before and after local lockdowns. On aggregate we observe the sharp fall in UK credit card spending near the time of the spike in Covid-19 cases and national lockdown announcement on 23 March 2020 and then a fairly steady recovery May -August.

abstract:
  We find UK 'local lockdowns' of cities and small regions, focused on limiting how many people a household can interact with and in what settings, are effective in turning the tide on rising positive COVID-19 cases. Yet, by focusing on household mixing within the home, these local lockdowns have not inflicted the large declines in consumption accompanying the March 2020 national lockdown, which limited all social contact. Our study harnesses a new source of real-time, transaction-level consumption data that we show to be highly correlated with official statistics. The effectiveness of local lockdowns are evaluated applying a difference-in-difference approach which exploits nearby localities not subject to local lockdowns as comparison groups. Our findings indicate that policymakers may be able to contain virus outbreaks $textit{without}$ killing local economies. However, the ultimate effectiveness of local lockdowns is expected to be highly dependent on co-ordination between regions and an effective system of testing.


id: cord-220723-yl2tg6q4
author: Lv, Zhaofeng
date: 2020-06-12
url: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2006.07297v1.pdf
doi: nan
title:
  Significant reduced traffic in Beijing failed to relieve haze pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown: implications for haze mitigation

abstract:
  The COVID-19 outbreak greatly limited human activities and reduced primary emissions particularly from urban on-road vehicles, but coincided with Beijing experiencing pandemic haze, raising the public concerns of the validity and effectiveness of the imposed traffic policies to improve the air pollution. Here, we explored the relationship between local vehicle emissions and the winter haze in Beijing before and during the COVID-19 lockdown period based on an integrated analysis framework, which combines a real-time on-road emission inventory, in-situ air quality observations and a localized chemical transport modeling system. We found that traffic emissions decreased substantially affected by the pandemic, with a higher reduction for NOx (75.9%, 125.3 Mg/day) compared to VOCs (53.1%, 52.9 Mg/day). Unexpectedly, our results show that the imbalanced emission abatement of NOx and VOCs from vehicles led to a significant rise of the atmospheric oxidizing capacity in urban areas, but only resulting in modest increases in secondary aerosols due to the inadequate precursors. However, the enhanced oxidizing capacity in the surrounding regions greatly increased the secondary particles with relatively abundant precursors, which is mainly responsible for Beijing haze during the lockdown period. Our results indicate that the winter haze in Beijing was insensitive to the local vehicular emissions reduction due to the complicated nonlinear response of the fine particle and air pollutant emissions. We suggest mitigation policies should focus on accelerating VOC and NH3 emissions reduction and synchronously controlling regional sources to release the benefits on local traffic emission control.


id: cord-253910-pmurx4jh
author: Miles, David
date: 2020-08-13
txt: ./txt/cord-253910-pmurx4jh.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-253910-pmurx4jh.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32790942/
doi: 10.1111/ijcp.13674
summary:
  We calibrate estimates of the economic costs as different % loss in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) against possible benefits of avoiding life years lost, for different scenarios where current COVID‐19 mortality and comorbidity rates were used to calculate the loss in life expectancy and adjusted for their levels of poor health and quality of life. All rights reserved We selected 10 European countries with populations over five million and average income/person over £15,000/year and examine the relation between the outcomes of the excess death as reported in Human Mortality Database of the University of California (5) and the different levels of lockdown as calculated and reported as a composite measure based on nine response indicators including school closures, workplace closures, hospitality venue closures and travel bans, in the Government Response Stringency from Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford (6) to see if there were any clear relationships.

title:
  “Stay at Home, Protect the National Health Service, Save Lives”: a cost benefit analysis of the lockdown in the United Kingdom

abstract:
  INTRODUCTION: The COVID‐19 pandemic has transformed lives across the world. In the UK, a public health driven policy of population ‘lockdown’ has had enormous personal and economic impact. METHODS: We compare UK response and outcomes with European countries of similar income and healthcare resources. We calibrate estimates of the economic costs as different % loss in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) against possible benefits of avoiding life years lost, for different scenarios where current COVID‐19 mortality and comorbidity rates were used to calculate the loss in life expectancy and adjusted for their levels of poor health and quality of life. We then apply a quality‐adjusted life years (QALY) value of £30,000 (maximum under national guidelines). RESULTS: There was a rapid spread of cases and significant variation both in severity and timing of both implementation and subsequent reductions in social restrictions. There was less variation in the trajectory of mortality rates and excess deaths, which have fallen across all countries during May/June 2020. The average age at death and life expectancy loss for non‐COVID‐19 was 79.1 and 11.4 years respectively while COVID‐19 were 80.4 and 10.1 years; including adjustments for life‐shortening comorbidities and quality of life plausibly reduces this to around 5 QALY lost for each COVID‐19 death. The lowest estimate for lockdown costs incurred was 40% higher than highest benefits from avoiding the worst mortality case scenario at full life expectancy tariff and in more realistic estimations they were over 5 times higher. Future scenarios showed in the best case a QALY value of £220k (7xNICE guideline) and in the worst‐case £3.7m (125xNICE guideline) was needed to justify the continuation of lockdown. CONCLUSION: This suggests that the costs of continuing severe restrictions are so great relative to likely benefits in lives saved that a rapid easing in restrictions is now warranted.


id: cord-258072-6d5ieakl
author: Kochhar, Anuraj Singh
date: 2020-06-18
txt: ./txt/cord-258072-6d5ieakl.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-258072-6d5ieakl.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32599544/
doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102213
abstract: nan
summary:
  After reviewing the pertinent literature which included scales such as, Impact of Event Scale -Revised (IES-R), Perceived stress scale 10 (PSS-10), and the international guidelines, a self administered, pre-validated web-based questionnaire with 18 questions in English, exploring age and domains of knowledge about COVID-19, understanding reasons for lockdown, stressors which included fear of infection, helplessness and boredom, scarce supplies, and post quarantine stressors related to work, finances and stigma was floated on a famous social media site, Facebook (groups from New Delhi). Variations in eating patterns were observed in the present study in 79.5% of participants, with people aged 35-50 years experiencing maximum alterations in diet patterns that were positively correlated with the practice of social distancing and fear of acquiring the disease on meeting someone. 4. Dr. Himanshu Dadlani: Conception and design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the article, critically evaluating and giving final approval.

title:
  Lockdown of 1.3 Billion People In India During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Survey Of Its Impact On Mental Health


id: cord-262787-3a3c8ee1
author: Ray, Debashree
date: 2020-04-18
url: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.15.20067256
doi: 10.1101/2020.04.15.20067256
title:
  Predictions, role of interventions and effects of a historic national lockdown in India's response to the COVID-19 pandemic: data science call to arms

abstract:
  Importance: India has taken strong and early public health measures for arresting the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. With only 536 COVID-19 cases and 11 fatalities, India - a democracy of 1.34 billion people - took the historic decision of a 21-day national lockdown on March 25. The lockdown was further extended to May 3, soon after the analysis of this paper was completed. Objective: To study the short- and long-term impact of an initial 21-day lockdown on the total number of COVID-19 cases in India compared to other less severe non-pharmaceutical interventions using epidemiological forecasting models and Bayesian estimation algorithms; to compare effects of hypothetical durations of lockdown from an epidemiological perspective; to study alternative explanations for slower growth rate of the virus outbreak in India, including exploring the association of the number of cases and average monthly temperature; and finally, to outline the pivotal role of reliable and transparent data, reproducible data science methods, tools and products as we reopen the country and prepare for a post lock-down phase of the pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: We use the daily data on the number of COVID-19 cases, of recovered and of deaths from March 1 until April 7, 2020 from the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Visual Dashboard operated by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering (JHU CSSE). Additionally, we use COVID-19 incidence counts data from Kaggle and the monthly average temperature of major cities across the world from Wikipedia. Main Outcome and Measures: The current time-series data on daily proportions of cases and removed (recovered and death combined) from India are analyzed using an extended version of the standard SIR (susceptible, infected, and removed) model. The eSIR model incorporates time-varying transmission rates that help us predict the effect of lockdown compared to other hypothetical interventions on the number of cases at future time points. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo implementation of this model provided predicted proportions of the cases at future time points along with credible intervals (CI). Results: Our predicted cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in India on April 30 assuming a 1-week delay in people's adherence to a 21-day lockdown (March 25 - April 14) and a gradual, moderate resumption of daily activities after April 14 is 9,181 with upper 95% CI of 72,245. In comparison, the predicted cumulative number of cases under "no intervention" and "social distancing and travel bans without lockdown" are 358 thousand and 46 thousand (upper 95% CI of nearly 2.3 million and 0.3 million) respectively. An effective lockdown can prevent roughly 343 thousand (upper 95% CI 1.8 million) and 2.4 million (upper 95% CI 38.4 million) COVID-19 cases nationwide compared to social distancing alone by May 15 and June 15, respectively. When comparing a 21-day lockdown with a hypothetical lockdown of longer duration, we find that 28-, 42-, and 56-day lockdowns can approximately prevent 238 thousand (upper 95% CI 2.3 million), 622 thousand (upper 95% CI 4.3 million), 781 thousand (upper 95% CI 4.6 million) cases by June 15, respectively. We find some suggestive evidence that the COVID-19 incidence rates worldwide are negatively associated with temperature in a crude unadjusted analysis with Pearson correlation estimates [95% confidence interval] between average monthly temperature and total monthly incidence around the world being -0.185 [-0.548, 0.236] for January, -0.110 [-0.362, 0.157] for February, and -0.173 [-0.314, -0.026] for March. Conclusions and Relevance: The lockdown, if implemented correctly in the end, has a high chance of reducing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the short term, and buy India invaluable time to prepare its healthcare and disease monitoring system. Our analysis shows we need to have some measures of suppression in place after the lockdown for the best outcome. We cannot heavily rely on the hypothetical prevention governed by meteorological factors such as temperature based on current evidence. From an epidemiological perspective, a longer lockdown between 42-56 days is preferable. However, the lockdown comes at a tremendous price to social and economic health through a contagion process not dissimilar to that of the coronavirus itself. Data can play a defining role as we design post-lockdown testing, reopening and resource allocation strategies. Software: Our contribution to data science includes an interactive and dynamic app (covind19.org) with short- and long-term projections updated daily that can help inform policy and practice related to COVID-19 in India. Anyone can visualize the observed data for India and create predictions under hypothetical scenarios with quantification of uncertainties. We make our prediction codes freely available (https://github.com/umich-cphds/cov-ind-19) for reproducible science and for other COVID-19 affected countries to use them for their prediction and data visualization work.


id: cord-263174-dpa6yjao
author: Christoforidis, Athanasios
date: 2020-07-08
txt: ./txt/cord-263174-dpa6yjao.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-263174-dpa6yjao.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/pii/S0168822720305593
doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2020.108307
summary:
  Our data showed that glycemic control during the coronavirus lockdown period can be adequately achieved and be comparable to the pre-lockdown period in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus wearing insulin pump equipped with sensor. Although the reported amount of carbohydrates consumed did not differ significantly between the two periods in our data, meal timing has drastically moved to a looser routine with frequent late-night eating and a significantly increased percentage of consuming the first meal of the day later that 10.00 a.m. In a large, recent study on adult population with T1DM, skipping breakfast was associated with lower odds of reaching good glycemic control and higher mean blood glucose values [12] .  Glycemic control during the coronavirus lockdown can be comparable to the pre-lockdown period in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus wearing insulin pump equipped with sensor  Mean time in range (TIR) did not significantly differ between the two periods.

title:
  Coronavirus lockdown effect on type 1 diabetes management οn children wearing insulin pump equipped with continuous glucose monitoring system

abstract:
  Abstract Aims On the 10th of March, Greece imposed the closure of schools and universities and a full lockdown a few days later in order to counter the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Our aim was to monitor the effect of the coronavirus lockdown in diabetes management in children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) wearing insulin pump equipped with continuous glucose monitoring system. Methods In 34 children with T1DM on Medtronic 640G insulin pump equipped with the Enlite Sensor uploaded CareLink data were categorized in 2 three-week periods before and after the 10th of March. Results Mean time in range (TIR) did not significantly differ between the two periods. However, a significantly higher Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicating an increased glucose variability in the pre-lockdown period was observed (39.52% versus 37.40%, p=0.011). Blood glucose readings were significantly fewer during the lockdown period (7.91 versus 7.41, p=0.001). No significant difference was recorded regarding the total daily dose of insulin and the reported carbohydrates consumed. However, the meal schedule has changed dramatically as the percentage of breakfast consumed before 10.00 a.m. has fallen from 80.67 % to 41.46 % (p<0.001) during the lockdown. Correspondingly, the percentage of dinner consumption before 10.00 p.m. significantly fell during the lockdown period (60.22 % versus 53.78 %, p=0.019). Conclusions Glycemic control during the coronavirus lockdown can be adequately achieved and be comparable to the pre-lockdown period in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus wearing insulin pump equipped with sensor.


id: cord-263248-8y1u0h6y
title: Population heterogeneity is a critical factor of the kinetics of the COVID-19 epidemics
author: Ediev, D. M.
date: 2020-06-26
txt: ./txt/cord-263248-8y1u0h6y.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-263248-8y1u0h6y.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: http://medrxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.06.25.20140442v1?rss=1
doi: 10.1101/2020.06.25.20140442
summary:
  The lockdown presented in pane c (starts in day 39) is optimal for the more heterogeneous population that experiences, with the optimal lockdown timing, no second wave (and the total number infected is minimal at 4.9 percent). That lockdown, however, is yet too early for the less heterogeneous population where a moderate second epidemic wave develops and leads to a total of 15.8 percent infected (a substantially higher cost as compared to the minimal cost of 11 percent associated with the lockdown starting in day 44). Heterogeneous scenarios show much lower long-term costs of the epidemics and peak levels of the infected as compared to the traditional homogeneous case. With optimal lockdown strategy, the total number of infected people may be reduced to as low as five percent in the heterogeneous population.

abstract:
  The novel coronavirus pandemic generates extensive attention in political and scholarly domains. Its potentially lasting prospects, economic and social consequences call for a better understanding of its nature. The widespread expectations of large portions of the population to be infected or vaccinated before containing the COVID-19 epidemics rely on assuming a homogeneous population. In reality, people differ in the propensity to catch the infection and spread it further. Here, we incorporate population heterogeneity into the Kermack-McKendrick SIR compartmental model and show the cost of the pandemic may be much lower than usually assumed. We also indicate the crucial role of correctly planning lockdown interventions. We found that an efficient lockdown strategy may reduce the cost of the epidemic to as low as several percents in a heterogeneous population. That level is comparable to prevalences found in serological surveys. We expect that our study will be followed by more extensive data-driven research on epidemiological dynamics in heterogeneous populations.


id: cord-264821-68us87xb
author: Labrague, L.
date: 2020-10-20
txt: ./txt/cord-264821-68us87xb.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-264821-68us87xb.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: http://medrxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.10.18.20213942v1?rss=1
doi: 10.1101/2020.10.18.20213942
summary:
  Positive coping skills and personal resilience are key factors that may protect an individual from lockdown-induced fatigue and other mental and psychological health consequences of the pandemic and the measures implemented to control the disease. Studies have shown that individuals with poor coping skills (Liang et al., 2020) and a negative mind set characterised by excessive worrying, hopelessness and pessimism (Moore et al., 2020) are at higher risk for developing mental and psychological issues related to the pandemic, possibly including lockdown-induced fatigue. Despite evidence showing the increased tendency of young people to develop fatigue related to lockdown measures, no studies examining how individual resilience and coping skills reduce fatigue in college students have yet been conducted. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the levels of lockdown-induced fatigue and its association with personal resilience and coping skills in college students.

title:
  LOCKDOWN FATIGUE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PREDICTIVE ROLE OF PERSONAL RESILIENCE, COPING BEHAVIOURS, AND HEALTH

abstract:
  Background: The lockdown measures imposed by many countries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have been useful in slowing the transmission of the disease; however, there is growing concern regarding their adverse consequences on overall health and well-being, particularly among young people. To date, most studies have focused on the mental health consequences of the lockdown measures, while studies assessing how this disease control measure influences the occurrence of fatigue are largely absent. Aim: The aims of this study are two-fold: (a) to examine the levels of lockdown fatigue, and (2) to determine the role of coping behaviours, personal resilience, psychological well-being and perceived health in fatigue associated to the lockdown measure. Methods: This is an online cross-sectional study involving 243 college students in the Central Philippines during the sixth month of the lockdown measure implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five standardised scales were used to collect the data. Results: Overall, college students reported moderate levels of lockdown fatigue, with a mean score of 31.54 (out of 50). Physical exhaustion or tiredness, headaches and body pain, decreased motivation and increased worry were the most pronounced manifestations of fatigue reported. Gender and college year were identified as important predictors of fatigue. Increased personal resilience and coping skills were associated with lower levels of lockdown fatigue. Conclusion: College students experience moderate levels of fatigue during the mandatory lockdown or home confinement period. Resilient students and those who perceive higher social support experience lower levels of fatigue during the lockdown period compared to students with low resilience and social support. Lockdown fatigue may be addressed by formulating and implementing interventions to enhance personal resilience and social support among college students.


id: cord-268524-lr51ubz5
title: Time and Covid-19 stress in the lockdown situation: Time free, «Dying» of boredom and sadness
author: Droit-Volet, Sylvie
date: 2020-08-10
txt: ./txt/cord-268524-lr51ubz5.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-268524-lr51ubz5.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236465
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236465
summary:
  This time experience was not explained by the levels of perceived stress or anxiety, although these were considerable, but rather by the increase in boredom and sadness felt in the lockdown situation. The aim of the present study was thus to conduct a scale survey on a large sample of an as yet untested population-French people-in order to assess not only the perceived stress related to Covid-19 but also the emotions (happiness, boredom, arousal) felt during as compared to before the lockdown and their links to the subjective experience of time. There is thus a risk in this period of pandemic that the chronic stress related to Covid-19 and its corollaries (anxiety, fear of death) are particularly high and therefore impact the subjective experience of time by speeding up the perceived passage of time.

abstract:
  A lockdown of people has been used as an efficient public health measure to fight against the exponential spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and allows the health system to manage the number of patients. The aim of this study (clinicaltrials.gov NCT 0430818) was to evaluate the impact of both perceived stress aroused by Covid-19 and of emotions triggered by the lockdown situation on the individual experience of time. A large sample of the French population responded to a survey on their experience of the passage of time during the lockdown compared to before the lockdown. The perceived stress resulting from Covid-19 and stress at work and home were also assessed, as were the emotions felt. The results showed that people have experienced a slowing down of time during the lockdown. This time experience was not explained by the levels of perceived stress or anxiety, although these were considerable, but rather by the increase in boredom and sadness felt in the lockdown situation. The increased anger and fear of death only explained a small part of variance in the time judgment. The conscious experience of time therefore reflected the psychological difficulties experienced during lockdown and was not related to their perceived level of stress or anxiety.


id: cord-268816-nth3o6ot
title: Factors affecting COVID-19 infected and death rates inform lockdown-related policymaking
author: Roy, Satyaki
date: 2020-10-23
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33095811/
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241165
abstract:
  BACKGROUND: After claiming nearly five hundred thousand lives globally, the COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down. While the UK, USA, Brazil and parts of Asia are bracing themselves for the second wave—or the extension of the first wave—it is imperative to identify the primary social, economic, environmental, demographic, ethnic, cultural and health factors contributing towards COVID-19 infection and mortality numbers to facilitate mitigation and control measures. METHODS: We process several open-access datasets on US states to create an integrated dataset of potential factors leading to the pandemic spread. We then apply several supervised machine learning approaches to reach a consensus as well as rank the key factors. We carry out regression analysis to pinpoint the key pre-lockdown factors that affect post-lockdown infection and mortality, informing future lockdown-related policy making. FINDINGS: Population density, testing numbers and airport traffic emerge as the most discriminatory factors, followed by higher age groups (above 40 and specifically 60+). Post-lockdown infected and death rates are highly influenced by their pre-lockdown counterparts, followed by population density and airport traffic. While healthcare index seems uncorrelated with mortality rate, principal component analysis on the key features show two groups: states (1) forming early epicenters and (2) experiencing strong second wave or peaking late in rate of infection and death. Finally, a small case study on New York City shows that days-to-peak for infection of neighboring boroughs correlate better with inter-zone mobility than the inter-zone distance. INTERPRETATION: States forming the early hotspots are regions with high airport or road traffic resulting in human interaction. US states with high population density and testing tend to exhibit consistently high infected and death numbers. Mortality rate seems to be driven by individual physiology, preexisting condition, age etc., rather than gender, healthcare facility or ethnic predisposition. Finally, policymaking on the timing of lockdowns should primarily consider the pre-lockdown infected numbers along with population density and airport traffic.


id: cord-275071-2uiaruhg
title: Cross-Country Comparisons of Covid-19: Policy, Politics and the Price of Life
author: Balmford, Ben
date: 2020-08-04
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32836862/
doi: 10.1007/s10640-020-00466-5
abstract:
  Coronavirus has claimed the lives of over half a million people world-wide and this death toll continues to rise rapidly each day. In the absence of a vaccine, non-clinical preventative measures have been implemented as the principal means of limiting deaths. However, these measures have caused unprecedented disruption to daily lives and economic activity. Given this developing crisis, the potential for a second wave of infections and the near certainty of future pandemics, lessons need to be rapidly gleaned from the available data. We address the challenges of cross-country comparisons by allowing for differences in reporting and variation in underlying socio-economic conditions between countries. Our analyses show that, to date, differences in policy interventions have out-weighed socio-economic variation in explaining the range of death rates observed in the data. Our epidemiological models show that across 8 countries a further week long delay in imposing lockdown would likely have cost more than half a million lives. Furthermore, those countries which acted more promptly saved substantially more lives than those that delayed. Linking decisions over the timing of lockdown and consequent deaths to economic data, we reveal the costs that national governments were implicitly prepared to pay to protect their citizens as reflected in the economic activity foregone to save lives. These ‘price of life’ estimates vary enormously between countries, ranging from as low as around $100,000 (e.g. the UK, US and Italy) to in excess of $1million (e.g. Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and Korea). The lowest estimates are further reduced once we correct for under-reporting of Covid-19 deaths. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10640-020-00466-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


id: cord-275503-rxjilkff
author: Ponkilainen, Ville
date: 2020-08-07
txt: ./txt/cord-275503-rxjilkff.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-275503-rxjilkff.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://doi.org/10.1002/bjs.11847
doi: 10.1002/bjs.11847
abstract: nan
summary:
  To date, no studies have been conducted on how the pandemic, the resultant social restrictions, and the cancelling of elective operations in hospitals has affected the rate of emergency surgeries. The data for this retrospective study was collected from three Finnish The weekly mean incidence of emergency and urgent surgery remained stable after the announcement of the national lockdown (Fig. 1A) . The number of the most common operation, laparoscopic appendicectomy, decreased by 32 per cent (from 75 to 51, p = 0⋅03) three weeks before the lockdown. However, the decrease was followed by a notable rebound (64 per cent, p = 0⋅01) from 37 to 61 operations per three weeks. A notable rebound in the rate of appendicectomies and hip fracture operations was seenthree weeks after the lockdown started. The general mobility of the population measured by the amount of traffic on the main roads did not result in a decreased rate in emergency or urgent surgery.

title:
  The effect of nationwide lockdown and societal restrictions due to COVID‐19 on emergency and urgent surgeries


id: cord-275827-r86ygqmy
title: Addictovigilance contribution during COVID-19 epidemic and lockdown in France
author: Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse
date: 2020-06-23
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32660776/
doi: 10.1016/j.therap.2020.06.006
abstract:
  Abstract Addictovigilance is a safety monitoring targeted at substances with potential for abuse and dependence. This vigilance was involved during the period of COVID-19 epidemic due to the significant changes in access to drugs and psychological disruption caused by the pandemic and lockdown. This article aims to present the different steps implemented by the French Addictovigilance network in collaboration with the French Health authorities from March to May 2020, including monitoring of potential harmful events, and scientific communication. The first events were identified through the continuity of the networking between the French addictovigilance centres and their partners: community pharmacies, general practitioners, specialized structures and emergency wards. As soon as the lockdown began, first cases of overdoses (lethal or not) were reported with opioids, mainly with methadone, and other opioids (heroin, oxycodone, tramadol or antitussive codeine). Lockdown-related noteworthy events consisted in clinical cases or other relevant information for which lockdown clearly played an important role : among the many substances identified at least once, pregabalin, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine and nitrous oxide were the most significant in terms of prevalence, seriousness or particularly specific to the lockdown context. Despite significant decrease in the activity and travel limited to vital needs, community pharmacies continued to identify falsified prescriptions in this period, highlighting an increase in suspicious requests for pregabalin, codeine and tramadol. In parallel, the French addictovigilance network continued its communications efforts in the period, issuing a newsletter on tramadol, a press release on methadone and naloxone, and participating in the COVID-19 frequently asked questions (FAQs) of the French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutic website (https://sfpt-fr.org/covid19 ). COVID-19 epidemic has been an important challenge for addictovigilance, and has proved that this monitoring is highly essential for alerting health professionals and health authorities to points of vigilance in the field of psychoactive substances.


id: cord-277667-vclij9ax
title: Lockdown in a specialised rehabilitation unit: the best of times
author: Glancy, D.
date: 2020-05-21
url: https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2020.50
doi: 10.1017/ipm.2020.50
abstract:
  Specialised rehabilitation units offer inpatient multi-disciplinary rehabilitation for individuals with severe and enduring mental illness. A cornerstone of therapy is the work in the community through further education and community organisations. However, coronavirus restrictions have meant that such external supports are no longer available for the duration of the crisis. This has led to opportunities for developing new ways of offering rehabilitation within hospital environments. This article describes some of the new initiatives developed. The benefits of the lockdown for service users are also discussed. Many found the cessation of visits from family members with whom they had an ambivalent relationship helpful. The lockdown improved relationships between patients on the unit and encouraged a greater feeling of community. The lockdown has also emphasised the importance of team self-awareness and an awareness of the nature of the treatments offered.


id: cord-283416-dhtintid
title: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and epilepsy: the impact on emergency department attendances for seizures
author: Cheli, Marta
date: 2020-08-22
txt: ./txt/cord-283416-dhtintid.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-283416-dhtintid.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seizure.2020.08.008
doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2020.08.008
summary:
  Abstract Introduction The risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 in a hospital setting and the need of reorganizing the Emergency Departments (EDs) to cope with infected patients have led to a reduction of ED attendances for non-infectious acute conditions and to a different management of chronic disorders. Methods We performed a retrospective study evaluating the frequency and features of ED attendances for seizures during the lockdown period (March 10th April 30th 2020) in the University Hospital of Trieste, Italy. We studied the possible pandemic impact on the way patients with seizures sought for medical assistance by comparing the lockdown period to a matched period in 2019 and to a period of identical length preceding the lockdown (January 18th – March 9th 2020). We performed a retrospective study evaluating the frequency and features of ED attendances for seizures during the lockdown period, in order to verify if the pandemic could have had an impact on how patients with seizures sought medical assistance.

abstract:
  Abstract Introduction The risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 in a hospital setting and the need of reorganizing the Emergency Departments (EDs) to cope with infected patients have led to a reduction of ED attendances for non-infectious acute conditions and to a different management of chronic disorders. Methods We performed a retrospective study evaluating the frequency and features of ED attendances for seizures during the lockdown period (March 10th - April 30th 2020) in the University Hospital of Trieste, Italy. We studied the possible pandemic impact on the way patients with seizures sought for medical assistance by comparing the lockdown period to a matched period in 2019 and to a period of identical length preceding the lockdown (January 18th – March 9th 2020). Results A striking decrease in total ED attendances was observed during lockdown (4664) compared to the matched control (10424) and to the pre-lockdown (9522) periods. A similar reduction, although to a lesser extent, was detected for seizure attendances to the ED: there were 37 during lockdown and 63 and 44 respectively during the two other periods. Intriguingly, during the lockdown a higher number of patients attended the ED with first seizures (p=0.013), and more EEGs (p=0.008) and CT brain scans (p=0.018) were performed; there was a trend towards more frequent transport to the ED by ambulance (p=0.061) in the lockdown period. Conclusions Our data suggest that the pandemic has affected the way patients with seizures access the Health Care System.


id: cord-283708-k9hquon7
title: The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis: a modelling analysis
author: Cilloni, L.
date: 2020-05-20
url: http://medrxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2020.05.16.20104075v1?rss=1
doi: 10.1101/2020.05.16.20104075
abstract:
  Background Routine services for tuberculosis (TB) are being disrupted by stringent lockdowns against the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. We sought to estimate the potential long-term epidemiological impact of such disruptions on TB burden in high-burden countries, and how this negative impact could be mitigated. Methods We adapted mathematical models of TB transmission in three high-burden countries (India, Kenya and Ukraine) to incorporate lockdown-associated disruptions in the TB care cascade. The anticipated level of disruption reflected consensus from a rapid expert consultation. We modelled the impact of these disruptions on TB incidence and mortality over the next five years, and also considered potential interventions to curtail this impact. Results Even temporary disruptions can cause long-term increases in TB incidence and mortality. We estimated that a 3-month lockdown, followed by 10 months to restore normal TB services, would cause, over the next 5 years, an additional 1.92 million TB cases (Crl 1.74 - 2.15) and 488,000 TB deaths (CrI 449 - 541 thousand) in India, 48,000 (33,400 - 72,320) TB cases and 16,800 deaths (11.9 - 21.9 thousand) in Kenya, and 9,100 (6,980 - 11,200) cases and 1,960 deaths (1,620 - 2,350) in Ukraine. However, any such negative impacts could be averted through supplementary 'catch-up' TB case detection and treatment, once restrictions are eased. Interpretation Lockdown-related disruptions can cause long-lasting increases in TB burden, but these negative effects can be mitigated with targeted interventions implemented rapidly once lockdowns are lifted.


id: cord-287676-qh7zeyyx
author: Angoulvant, François
date: 2020-06-03
txt: ./txt/cord-287676-qh7zeyyx.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-287676-qh7zeyyx.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32492117/
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa710
summary:
  title: COVID-19 pandemic: Impact caused by school closure and national lockdown on pediatric visits and admissions for viral and non-viral infections, a time series analysis A time series analysis of 871,543 pediatric emergency visits revealed that the COVID-19 lockdown and school closure were associated with a significant decrease in infectious diseases disseminated through airborne or fecal-oral transmissions: common cold, gastro-enteritis, bronchiolitis, acute otitis. We conducted a quasi-experimental interrupted time series analysis based on multicenter prospective French surveillance data for pediatric emergency department (PED) visits and related hospital admissions. [13] While the role of the children in the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 is still being discussed, finding that school closure and national lockdown were linked to a dramatic decrease in pediatric emergency visits concerning gastroenteritis, acute otitis media, bronchiolitis, and other viral diseases could be not only an unexpected benefit for the children but could also raise the question of the impact on the health care system of starting lifting the French national lockdown by reopening the schools.

title:
  COVID-19 pandemic: Impact caused by school closure and national lockdown on pediatric visits and admissions for viral and non-viral infections, a time series analysis

abstract:
  A time series analysis of 871,543 pediatric emergency visits revealed that the COVID-19 lockdown and school closure were associated with a significant decrease in infectious diseases disseminated through airborne or fecal-oral transmissions: common cold, gastro-enteritis, bronchiolitis, acute otitis. No change was found for urinary tract infections.


id: cord-288288-f7yhw3a0
title: The impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown in Italy on a pediatric emergency setting
author: Cozzi, Giorgio
date: 2020-06-29
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32598519/
doi: 10.1111/apa.15454
abstract:
  Italy has been one of countries most affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic and the Government instituted a strict national lockdown on 9 March 2020 to limit the spread. Healthcare services were only open for emergencies or undelayable needs. This study describes the impact of the lockdown on the tertiary level Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) at the Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, in Trieste, North East Italy. It is the only PED in the city and sees 25,000 patients aged 0‐17 annually.


id: cord-288851-lz5qc1f3
author: Rastogi, Ashu
date: 2020-10-21
txt: ./txt/cord-288851-lz5qc1f3.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-288851-lz5qc1f3.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33106739/
doi: 10.1007/s13410-020-00880-x
summary:
  title: Improved glycemic control amongst people with long-standing diabetes during COVID-19 lockdown: a prospective, observational, nested cohort study CONCLUSIONS: There is an overall improvement of glycemic control during COVID-19 lockdown independent of increase in physical activity in people with long duration of diabetes. Therefore, we prospectively studied the effect of lockdown on physical activity and glycemic control in people with pre-existing type 2 diabetes mellitus. We observed an overall improvement of glycemic parameter in people with long-standing type 2 diabetes associated with an increase in physical activity as assessed with GPAQ score during the lockdown period unlike the conventional belief of worsening of glycemic control and limitation of physical activity. This is the first large, prospective study amongst people with long-standing type 2 diabetes to assess the effect of more than 3 months duration of lockdown on glycemic control.

title:
  Improved glycemic control amongst people with long-standing diabetes during COVID-19 lockdown: a prospective, observational, nested cohort study

abstract:
  BACKGROUND AND AIMS: COVID-19 is likely to affect the lives of individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on physical activity and glycemic control in such individuals is not known. We studied the physical activity and glycemic control during lockdown in comparison to pre-lockdown parameters in individuals with long-standing type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This prospective, observational study includes 2240 people with T2DM regularly attending diabetes clinic prior to lockdown. Glycemic record, HbA1c, and physical activity assessed with Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) as metabolic equivalents (MetS min/week) were obtained during lockdown (minimum duration of 3 months). RESULTS: A total of 422 out of 750 participants (nest) responded. The median (IQR) for age was 58 (52 to 64) years, duration of diabetes 11 (6 to 16) years, prevalent foot complications in 59.7%, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in 21.3% of participants. There was a decrease in HbA1c from 7.8% (6.9 to 9.4) prior lockdown to 7.4% (6.6 to8.7) during lockdown [ΔHbA1c − 0.41 ± 0.27% (p = 0.005)] and postprandial blood glucose 200.0 mg/dl (152.0 to 252.0) to 158.0 (140.0 to 200.0) mg/dl (p < 0.001). The physical activity increased during lockdown from a GPAQ score 140 (0.0 to 1260) MetS to 840 (0.0 to 1680) MetS (p = 0.014). The improvement of glycemic control was observed in either gender and independent of the presence of foot complications or increase in physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: There is an overall improvement of glycemic control during COVID-19 lockdown independent of increase in physical activity in people with long duration of diabetes.


id: cord-298953-9aifql2f
title: The Value of Greenspace Under Pandemic Lockdown
author: Day, Brett H.
date: 2020-08-04
txt: ./txt/cord-298953-9aifql2f.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-298953-9aifql2f.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32836861/
doi: 10.1007/s10640-020-00489-y
summary:
  The second key resource used in this paper is the Outdoor Recreation Valuation (ORVal) model (Day and Smith 2017) , which we use not only to predict demand for visits to greenspace under the restrictive rules of the lockdown but also to estimate the changes in economic value experienced by residents of England as a consequence of those rules. In this paper, we assume that differences between the ORVal predictions of recreation behaviour under the lockdown rules and those observed in the Google mobility data are the net result of those, and possibly other, factors. 8 Given the nature of the MENE data, the ORVal model progresses from the assumption that each day represents a recreation choice occasion on which individuals can select from a choice set comprising (1) not taking an outdoor trip, and then (2) an option for traveling to each site by car and (3) an option for each site visited on foot.

abstract:
  The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in unprecedented restrictions on citizen’s freedom of movement as governments moved to institute lockdowns designed to reduce the spread of the virus. While most out-of-home leisure activities were prohibited, in England the lockdown rules allowed for restricted use of outdoor greenspace for the purposes of exercise and recreation. In this paper, we use data recorded by Google from location-enabled mobile devices coupled with a detailed recreation demand model to explore the welfare impacts of those constraints on leisure activities. Our analyses reveals evidence of large-scale substitution of leisure time towards recreation in available greenspaces. Indeed, despite the restrictions the economic value of greenspace to the citizens of England fell by only £150 million over lockdown. Examining the outcomes of counterfactual policies we find that the imposition of stricter lockdown rules would have reduced welfare from greenspace by £1.14 billion. In contrast, more relaxed lockdown rules would have delivered an aggregate increase in the economic value of greenspace equal to £1.47 billion.


id: cord-306227-63qvvkvk
author: Shammi, Mashura
date: 2020-07-18
txt: ./txt/cord-306227-63qvvkvk.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-306227-63qvvkvk.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00867-y
doi: 10.1007/s10668-020-00867-y
summary:
  This article, therefore, focuses on the public perception of comparative lockdown scenario analysis and how they may affect the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the strategic management regime of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh socio-economically as well as the implications of the withdrawal of partial lockdown plan. First of all, the government should come up with a comprehensive strategic plan accompanied by non-governmental and social organizations and law enforcement to analyse the spread of the virus, identifying the most vulnerable hosts, properly tracked the movement of general people, precise estimation of economic losses from different financial and industrial sectors, educational diminutions and professional and informal employment disruption to picture an integrated scenario of the current situation and future predictions by which the revival of the negative aspects of the country could be managed.

title:
  Strategic assessment of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: comparative lockdown scenario analysis, public perception, and management for sustainability

abstract:
  ABSTRACT: Community transmission of COVID-19 is happening in Bangladesh—the country which did not have a noteworthy health policy and legislative structures to combat a pandemic like COVID-19. Early strategic planning and groundwork for evolving and established challenges are crucial to assemble resources and react in an appropriate timely manner. This article, therefore, focuses on the public perception of comparative lockdown scenario analysis and how they may affect the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the strategic management regime of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh socio-economically as well as the implications of the withdrawal of partial lockdown plan. Scenario-based public perceptions were collected via a purposive sampling survey method through a questionnaire. Datasets were analysed through a set of statistical techniques including classical test theory, principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis, Pearson’s correlation matrix and linear regression analysis. There were good associations among the lockdown scenarios and response strategies to be formulated. Scenario 1 describes how the death and infection rate will increase if the Bangladesh Government withdraws the existing partial lockdown. Scenario 2 outlines that limited people’s movement will enable low-level community transmission of COVID-19 with the infection and death rate will increase slowly (r = 0.540, p < 0.01). Moreover, there will be less supply of necessities of daily use with a price hike (r = 0.680, p < 0.01). In scenario 3, full lockdown will reduce community transmission and death from COVID-19 (r = 0.545, p < 0.01). However, along with the other problems gender discrimination and gender-based violence will increase rapidly (r = 0.661, p < 0.01). Due to full lockdown, the formal and informal business, economy, and education sector will be hampered severely (R = 0.695). Subsequently, there was a strong association between the loss of livelihood and the unemployment rate which will increase due to business shutdown (p < 0.01). This will lead to the severe sufferings of poor and vulnerable communities in both urban and rural areas (p < 0.01). All these will further aggravate the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable groups in the country in the coming months to be followed which will undoubtedly affect the Bangladesh targets to achieve the SDGs of 2030 and other development plans that need to be adjusted. From our analysis, it was apparent that maintaining partial lockdown with business and economic activities with social distancing and public health guidelines is the best strategy to maintain. However, as the government withdrew the partial lockdown, inclusive and transparent risk communication towards the public should be followed. Recovery and strengthening of the health sector, economy, industry, agriculture, and food security should be focused on under the “new normal standard of life” following health guidelines and social distancing. Proper response plans and strategic management are necessary for the sustainability of the nation. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10668-020-00867-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


id: cord-306270-9bsr2jz0
author: Chowdhury, Rajiv
date: 2020-07-13
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32656618/
doi: 10.1007/s10654-020-00660-1
title:
  Long-term strategies to control COVID-19 in low and middle-income countries: an options overview of community-based, non-pharmacological interventions

abstract:
  In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), strict social distancing measures (e.g., nationwide lockdown) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are unsustainable in the long-term due to knock-on socioeconomic and psychological effects. However, an optimal epidemiology-focused strategy for ‘safe-reopening’ (i.e., balancing between the economic and health consequences) remain unclear, particularly given the suboptimal disease surveillance and diagnostic infrastructure in these settings. As the lockdown is now being relaxed in many LMICs, in this paper, we have (1) conducted an epidemiology-based “options appraisal” of various available non-pharmacological intervention options that can be employed to safely lift the lockdowns (namely, sustained mitigation, zonal lockdown and rolling lockdown strategies), and (2) propose suitable application, pre-requisites, and inherent limitations for each measure. Among these, a sustained mitigation-only approach (adopted in many high-income countries) may not be feasible in most LMIC settings given the absence of nationwide population surveillance, generalised testing, contact tracing and critical care infrastructure needed to tackle the likely resurgence of infections. By contrast, zonal or local lockdowns may be suitable for some countries where systematic identification of new outbreak clusters in real-time would be feasible. This requires a generalised testing and surveillance structure, and a well-thought out (and executed) zone management plan. Finally, an intermittent, rolling lockdown strategy has recently been suggested by the World Health Organization as a potential strategy to get the epidemic under control in some LMI settings, where generalised mitigation and zonal containment is unfeasible. This strategy, however, needs to be carefully considered for economic costs and necessary supply chain reforms. In conclusion, while we propose three community-based, non-pharmacological options for LMICs, a suitable measure should be context-specific and based on: (1) epidemiological considerations, (2) social and economic costs, (3) existing health systems capabilities and (4) future-proof plans to implement and sustain the strategy.


id: cord-308493-3fsn7awq
author: Günther‐Bel, Cristina
date: 2020-07-17
txt: ./txt/cord-308493-3fsn7awq.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-308493-3fsn7awq.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12585
doi: 10.1111/famp.12585
summary:
  Adults 18 years or older (N=407) completed an online survey that included demographic, household, and employment information along with standardized measures of psychological distress (State‐Trait Anxiety, Beck Depression) and relationship functioning – either the Dyadic Adjustment Scale if there were no children in the household or a Basic Family Relations Evaluation Questionnaire (CERFB) measuring conjugal, parental, and co‐parental functions. More specific aims of the study were to (a) compare lockdown responses from the pandemic convenience sample to benchmarks for established measures of individual, couple and parental functioning; (b) describe via qualitative analysis the ways in which participants felt their couple and family relationships had improved and/or deteriorated during the first few weeks of lockdown; (c) identify demographic, household, and employment-related correlates of pandemic relationship functioning and psychological distress with special attention to variations across couples with children at home, couples with no children, and couples with empty nests; and (d) explore possible changes in relationship functioning over time during the first three weeks of lockdown.

title:
  A Mixed‐method Study of Individual, Couple and Parental Functioning During the State‐regulated COVID‐19 Lockdown in Spain

abstract:
  During the recent COVID‐19 outbreak in Spain we explored the individual and relational wellbeing of people confined together with their partners and/or children during the first three weeks of state‐regulated lockdown. Adults 18 years or older (N=407) completed an online survey that included demographic, household, and employment information along with standardized measures of psychological distress (State‐Trait Anxiety, Beck Depression) and relationship functioning – either the Dyadic Adjustment Scale if there were no children in the household or a Basic Family Relations Evaluation Questionnaire (CERFB) measuring conjugal, parental, and co‐parental functions. Qualitative analyses of responses to an open‐ended question about perceived changes in couple or family dynamics during lockdown revealed 9 specific themes comprising two overarching categories: relational improvement and deterioration. The overall prevalence of improvement themes (61.7%) exceeded deterioration themes (41.0%), with increased (re)connection and conflict atmosphere cited most often. Quantitative analyses found elevated levels of state anxiety but not trait anxiety or depression during lockdown. Consistent with the qualitative results, couples having no children at home reported high levels of dyadic adjustment, but with children present CERFB parental functioning exceeded conjugal functioning, a pattern sometimes associated with child triangulation into adult conflicts. Although correlates of psychological distress (e.g., unemployment, perceived economic risk) were relatively stable across sub‐groups, predictors of relationship functioning varied substantially with household/parental status (e.g., telecommuting and employment facilitated conjugal functioning only for couples with children).


id: cord-311827-jfdlb2g8
title: Nonuniform impacts of COVID-19 lockdown on air quality over the United States
author: Chen, L.-W. Antony
date: 2020-07-21
txt: ./txt/cord-311827-jfdlb2g8.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-311827-jfdlb2g8.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32731074/
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141105
summary:
  Abstract Most of the state governments in United States (U.S.) issued lockdown or business restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, which created a unique opportunity to evaluate the air quality response to reduced economic activities. Data acquired from 28 long-term air quality stations across the U.S. revealed widespread but nonuniform reductions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) during the first phase of lockdown (March 15–April 25, 2020) relative to a pre-lockdown reference period and historical baselines established in 2017–2019. The lockdown or stay-at-home orders issued by the U.S. government to counter the COVID-19 pandemic has nonuniformly impacted air pollution in the U.S. More consistent NO 2 and CO declines than other pollutants coincide with reduced transportation and utility demands, while inter-site differences reflect not only the local lockdown policy but also population density. Assessing air quality changes in large cities during COVID-19 lockdowns: The impacts of traffic-free urban conditions in Almaty

abstract:
  Abstract Most of the state governments in United States (U.S.) issued lockdown or business restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, which created a unique opportunity to evaluate the air quality response to reduced economic activities. Data acquired from 28 long-term air quality stations across the U.S. revealed widespread but nonuniform reductions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) during the first phase of lockdown (March 15–April 25, 2020) relative to a pre-lockdown reference period and historical baselines established in 2017–2019. The reductions, up to 49% for NO2 and 37% for CO, are statistically significant at two thirds of the sites and tend to increase with local population density. Significant reductions of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) only occurred in the Northeast and California/Nevada metropolises where NO2 declined the most, while the changes in ozone (O3) were mixed and relatively minor. These findings are consistent with lower transportation and utility demands that dominate NO2 and CO emissions, especially in major urban areas, due to the lockdown. This study provides an insight into potential public health benefits with more aggressive air quality management, which should be factored into strategies to reopen the U.S. and global economy.


id: cord-318437-tzp33iw7
author: Lovrić, Mario
date: 2020-11-06
url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749120365891?v=s5
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115900
title:
  Understanding the true effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on air pollution by means of machine learning()

abstract:
  During March 2020, most European countries implemented lockdowns to restrict the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19 through their populations. These restrictions had positive impacts for air quality due to a dramatic reduction of economic activity and atmospheric emissions. In this work, a machine learning approach was designed and implemented to analyze local air quality improvements during the COVID-19 lockdown in Graz, Austria. The machine learning approach was used as a robust alternative to simple, historical measurement comparisons for various individual pollutants. Concentrations of NO(2) (nitrogen dioxide), PM(10) (particulate matter), O(3) (ozone) and O(x) (total oxidant) were selected from five measurement sites in Graz and were set as target variables for random forest regression models to predict their expected values during the city's lockdown period. The true vs. expected difference is presented here as an indicator of true pollution during the lockdown. The machine learning models showed a high level of generalization for predicting the concentrations. Therefore, the approach was suitable for analyzing reductions in pollution concentrations. The analysis indicated that the city’s average concentration reductions for the lockdown period were: -36.9 to -41.6%, and -6.6 to -14.2% for NO(2) and PM(10,) respectively. However, an increase of 11.6 to 33.8% for O(3) was estimated. The reduction in pollutant concentration, especially NO(2) can be explained by significant drops in traffic-flows during the lockdown period (-51.6 to -43.9%). The results presented give a real-world example of what pollutant concentration reductions can be achieved by reducing traffic-flows and other economic activities.


id: cord-324708-2ypm0d52
author: Kumar, Venkatesan Sampath
date: 2020-07-13
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32662084/
doi: 10.1002/jso.26112
title:
  Bone sarcoma surgery in times of COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown‐early experience from a tertiary centre in India

abstract:
  BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) lockdown has presented a unique challenge for sarcoma care. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the early results and feasibility of surgeries for bone sarcomas during the COVID‐19 lockdown. METHODS: Our prospectively collected orthopaedic oncological database was reviewed to include two groups of patients‐ those who underwent surgery in the immediate 4 weeks before lockdown (non‐lockdown group) and those operated in the first 4 weeks of lockdown (lockdown group). All patients were followed‐up clinically and telephonically to collect the outcome data. RESULTS: Out of the 91 patients who qualified for inclusion, fifty were classified into the non‐lockdown group while 41 patients formed the lockdown group. Both the groups were comparable with respect to baseline demographic parameters. However, during the lockdown period 37 patients (90%) had undergone a major surgical intervention as against 24 patients (48%) in the non‐lockdown group (P < .001). There was no significant difference in type of anaesthesia, median estimated blood loss and procedure duration. None of the patients/health care workers had evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus 2 infection at 15 days follow‐up. CONCLUSION: Our study results suggest that appendicular bone tumours can be safely operated with adequate precautions during the lockdown period.


id: cord-330562-dabjcvno
title: The 2020 coronavirus lockdown and seismic monitoring of anthropic activities in Northern Italy
author: Poli, Piero
date: 2020-06-10
url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-66368-0
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-66368-0
abstract:
  In March/April 2020 the Italian government drastically reduced vehicle traffic and interrupted all non-essential industrial activities over the entire national territory. Italy thus became the first country in the world, with the exception of Hubei, to enact lockdown measures as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak and the need to contain it. Italy is also a seismically active area, and as such is monitored by a dense permanent network of seismic stations. We analyse continuous seismic data from many stations in northern and central Italy, and quantify the impact of the lockdown on seismic ambient noise, as a function of time and location. We find that the lockdown reduces ambient noise significantly in the 1–10 Hz frequency range; because natural sources of seismic noise are not affected by the lockdown, the seismic signature of anthropic noise can be characterised with unprecedented clarity, by simply comparing the signal recorded before and after the lockdown. Our results correlate well with independent evaluations of the impact of the lockdown (e.g., cell phone displacements), and we submit that ambient-noise seismology is a useful tool to monitor containment measures such as the coronavirus lockdowns.


id: cord-335272-jypxi99z
author: Sharma, Anupam Joya
date: 2020-09-03
txt: ./txt/cord-335272-jypxi99z.txt
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extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238761
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238761
summary:
  Moreover, both qualitative and quantitative study findings suggested that greater frequency of calling family members during lockdown could strengthen social relationships and increase social empathy. In response, our study of Indian adults unpacks how social factors such as sexual orientation, relationship status, and residence in high-infection areas, could be linked with several psychological outcomes during the lockdown. Next, we fitted separate multivariable linear regression models to estimate the association of the independent variables (sexual orientation, relationship status, high-risk group, and living in a state with high number of cases) with psychological outcomes (anxiety, depressive symptoms, Internet addiction and pornography consumption) adjusted for the sociodemographic covariates-age, gender, annual income, educational qualification, place of residence-and for individual personal resources (optimism and resilience). Our quantitative and qualitative findings both suggest that LGBT adults, compared to the heterosexuals, are at a higher risk of developing anxiety, depressive symptoms, and using pornography during the lockdown.

title:
  A cross-sectional study of psychological wellbeing of Indian adults during the Covid-19 lockdown: Different strokes for different folks

abstract:
  The psychological impacts of the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic are widely documented. In India, a family-centric society with a high population density and extreme social stratification, the impact of the lockdown might vary across diverse social groups. However, the patterning in the psychological impact of the lockdown among LGBT adults and persons known to be at higher risk of the complications of Covid-19 (such as persons with comorbidities or a history of mental illness) is not known in the Indian context. We used mixed methods (online survey, n = 282 and in-depth interviews, n = 14) to investigate whether the psychological influence of the lockdown was different across these groups of Indian adults. We fitted linear and logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic covariates. Thematic analysis helped us identify emergent themes in our qualitative narratives. Anxiety was found to be higher among LGBT adults (β = 2.44, CI: 0.58, 4.31), the high-risk group (persons with comorbidities) (β = 2.20, CI:0.36, 4.05), and those with a history of depression/loneliness (β = 3.89, CI:2.34, 5.44). Persons belonging to the LGBT group reported a greater usage of pornography than the heterosexuals (β = 2.72, CI: 0.09, 5.36) during the lockdown. Qualitative findings suggested that LGBT adults likely used pornography and masturbation to cope with the lockdown, given the limited physical access to sexual partners in a society that stigmatizes homosexuality. Moreover, both qualitative and quantitative study findings suggested that greater frequency of calling family members during lockdown could strengthen social relationships and increase social empathy. The study thereby urgently calls for the attention of policymakers to take sensitive and inclusive health-related decisions for the marginalized and the vulnerable, both during and after the crisis.


id: cord-335679-dpssd1ha
title: How and when to end the COVID-19 lockdown: an optimisation approach
author: Rawson, T.
date: 2020-05-02
url: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.29.20084517
doi: 10.1101/2020.04.29.20084517
abstract:
  Countries around the world are in a state of lockdown to help limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. However, as the number of new daily confirmed cases begins to decrease, governments must decide how to release their populations from quarantine as efficiently as possible without overwhelming their health services. We applied an optimal control framework to an adapted Susceptible-Exposure-Infection-Recovery (SEIR) model framework to investigate the efficacy of two potential lockdown release strategies, focusing on the UK population as a test case. To limit recurrent spread, we find that ending quarantine for the entire population simultaneously is a high-risk strategy, and that a gradual re-integration approach would be more reliable. Furthermore, to increase the number of people that can be first released, lockdown should not be ended until the number of new daily confirmed cases reaches a sufficiently low threshold. We model a gradual release strategy by allowing different fractions of those in lockdown to re-enter the working non-quarantined population. Mathematical optimisation methods, combined with our adapted SEIR model, determine how to maximise those working while preventing the health service from being overwhelmed. The optimal strategy is broadly found to be to release approximately half the population two-to-four weeks from the end of an initial infection peak, then wait another three-to-four months to allow for a second peak before releasing everyone else. We also modelled an ''on-off'' strategy, of releasing everyone, but re-establishing lockdown if infections become too high. We conclude that the worst-case scenario of a gradual release is more manageable than the worst-case scenario of an on-off strategy, and caution against lockdown-release strategies based on a threshold-dependent on-off mechanism. The two quantities most critical in determining the optimal solution are transmission rate and the recovery rate, where the latter is defined as the fraction of infected people in any given day that then become classed as recovered. We suggest that the accurate identification of these values is of particular importance to the ongoing monitoring of the pandemic.


id: cord-337516-hrcf2udq
title: Modelling lockdown and exit strategies for COVID-19 in Singapore
author: Dickens, Borame L.
date: 2020-08-01
url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666606520300043
doi: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2020.100004
abstract:
  Abstract Background With at least 94 countries undergoing or exiting lockdowns for contact suppression to control the COVID-19 outbreak, sustainable and public health-driven exit strategies are required. Here we explore the impact of lockdown and exit strategies in Singapore for immediate planning. Methods We use an agent-based model to examine the impacts of epidemic control over 480 days. A limited control baseline of case isolation and household member quarantining is used. We measure the impact of lockdown duration and start date on final infection attack sizes. We then apply a 3-month gradual exit strategy, immediately re-opening schools and easing workplace distancing measures, and compare this to long-term social distancing measures. Findings At baseline, we estimated 815 400 total infections (21.6% of the population). Early lockdown at 5 weeks with no exit strategy averted 18 500 (2.27% of baseline averted), 21 300 (2.61%) and 22 400 (2.75%) infections for 6, 8 and 9-week lockdown durations. Using the exit strategy averted a corresponding 114 700, 121 700 and 126 000 total cases, representing 12.07–13.06% of the total epidemic size under baseline. This diminishes to 9 900–11 300 for a late 8-week start time. Long-term social distancing at 6 and 8-week durations are viable but less effective. Interpretation Gradual release exit strategies are critical to maintain epidemic suppression under a new normal. We present final infection attack sizes assuming the ongoing importation of cases, which require preparation for a potential second epidemic wave due to ongoing epidemics elsewhere. Funding Singapore Ministry of Health, Singapore Population Health Improvement Centre.


id: cord-342622-jqmz0mkz
author: Edomah, Norbert
date: 2020-07-25
url: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258979182030013X
doi: 10.1016/j.glt.2020.07.002
title:
  Energy transition in a lockdown: An analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on changes in electricity demand in Lagos Nigeria

abstract:
  In this study, we analyse the role of forced lockdowns on electricity consumption behaviour and its effect on momentary transition in electricity use. Electricity consumption data for residential, commercial and industrial consumers within the Lagos metropolis representing 259 electrical feeder locations were collected and analysed under three scenarios: first, we analyse a business-as-usual scenario without a lockdown; secondly, we analyse the case of a partial lockdown; and finally, we analyse the case of a total lockdown. The study revealed that aside government announcement of the lockdown, certain social practices triggered changes in electricity consumption and use leading to momentary energy transition. Within the residential sector, increased cooking, home laundry, showering, and some professional practices that moved to the homes impacted on higher electricity consumption. Reduced manufacturing practices limited to those involved in food, personal care and pharmaceutical products led to a reduction in electricity use within the industrial sector, while reduced electricity use in the commercial sector was triggered mainly by a scaling down of trading services to essentials. The study concludes by highlighting the impact of changes in electricity demand and consumption under these scenarios and its implications for energy transition and electricity planning.


id: cord-346664-ilebaqx3
author: Rahul
date: 2020-08-10
txt: ./txt/cord-346664-ilebaqx3.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-346664-ilebaqx3.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12262-020-02549-5
doi: 10.1007/s12262-020-02549-5
summary:
  Through this study, we intend to assess any change in number and pattern of non-COVID surgical emergencies during the lockdown as well as the interventions required. Through this study, we intend to highlight the difference in patterns of patients who presented as a surgical emergency during the lockdown period (COVID outbreak). The differences in the profile and management of the patients (surgical emergencies) who were managed in the ED of the non-COVID hospital during the first month of the lockdown period and a similar period in the non-pandemic era (before January 30th in India) have been highlighted in Tables 1 and 2 . There was a marginal increase (17%) in the total number of surgical emergencies during the lockdown period, and the average distance covered by the patients to reach the hospital was around 25 km more (13% more) than the pre-COVID era, though the differences were not statistically significant.

title:
  Non-COVID Surgical Emergency During the Nationwide Lockdown due to Corona Pandemic: a Critical Appraisal

abstract:
  The World Health Organization (WHO) declared corona infection as a pandemic in February 2020. A nationwide lockdown was enforced by Indian government on 25 March 2020. Separate health facilities were developed to handle the confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease). Other than emergency services and care of cancer patients, all remaining healthcare activities were curtailed. Through this study, we intend to assess any change in number and pattern of non-COVID surgical emergencies during the lockdown as well as the interventions required. This was an observational study which included all patients with surgical emergencies who presented during the study period (25 March to 24 April 2020) after two stage screenings for corona infection (group 2). The results obtained from analysis of prospectively collected database were compared with a similar period (group 1) prior to the onset of pandemic in India using appropriate statistical tests. In group 2, an increase (17%) in number of patients was noted. The need of organ support was more than 4 times the usual period. An upsurge in neurosurgical emergencies was noted, though the number of interventions decreased by 40%. A significant decrease in hospital stay was also documented (7 days vs 12 days). The nationwide lockdown led to an increase and change in pattern of surgical emergencies, though the interventions required were less. Effective management entails appropriate preparedness.


id: cord-354475-im2py2or
author: Ioanna, Giannopoulou
date: 2020-11-06
txt: ./txt/cord-354475-im2py2or.txt
cache: ./cache/cord-354475-im2py2or.txt
extension: .txt
mime: text/plain
url: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33187723/
doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113560
summary:
  Although our results may be subject to sampling and recall bias, the unexpectedly high rates of anxiety and depression warrant an urgent call to action aiming at mitigating and managing mental health risks of senior high school students in future waves of pandemic. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of the nationwide lockdown on the levels of anxiety and depression among last year senior high school students preparing for the upcoming Panhellenic university entrance exams. The questions were presented in four sections: (a) demographic characteristics, (b) anxiety and depressive symptoms over the first two weeks of February (prior to nationwide lockdown -baseline); (c) anxiety and depressive symptoms during the past two weeks (during lockdown -current), using the Greek versions of GAD-7 and PHQ-9 (The Patient Health Questionnaire Screeners, www.phqscreeners.com); (d) distress experienced during lockdown. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study reporting data concerning the impact of the nationwide lockdown on the mental health of last year senior high school students preparing for the national university entrance exams in Greece.

title:
  Adding stress to the stressed: Senior high school students’ mental health amidst the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown in Greece.

abstract:
  The two-year preparation for the National university entrance exams in Greece is one of the most trying periods in a young person's life, physically and emotionally. The present study reports the results from 442 last year senior high school students who completed an online survey (16-30 April 2020) concerning the lockdown impact on their mental health. Overall, the rate of positive screen for depression (PHQ-9 score ≥ 11) significantly increased from 48.5% to 63.8% and of those scoring within severe depression range (PHQ-9 ≥20) from 10% to 27%; for anxiety (GAD-7 score ≥ 11) increased from 23.8% to 49.5% and of those scoring within severe anxiety range (GAD-7≥17) from 3.8% to 20.5%. After taking sex and baseline (one month prior to the lockdown) levels of depression and anxiety into account, the level of lockdown experienced distress was predictive of depression and anxiety levels in time of home confinement, accounting for about 30% of variance in symptoms severity scores. Although our results may be subject to sampling and recall bias, the unexpectedly high rates of anxiety and depression warrant an urgent call to action aiming at mitigating and managing mental health risks of senior high school students in future waves of pandemic.


