scholarly journals The Dutch CoronaMelder: Do users see added value? (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britt Elise Bente ◽  
Jan-Willem Jaap Roderick van 't Klooster ◽  
Maud Annemarie Schreijer ◽  
Lea Berkemeier ◽  
Joris Elmar van Gend ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Gaze Behavior ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Telephone Conversation ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Public Health Authorities

BACKGROUND Adoption and evaluation of ICT-based contact tracing tools may expand the reach and efficacy of traditional contact tracing methods in fighting COVID-19. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports (HWS) initiated and developed a COVID-19 contact tracing app: CoronaMelder. This app is based on Google/Apple exposure notification approach and aims to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus among citizens, by notifying citizens who were at increased risk of infection because they were close by someone who was later tested positive for COVID-19. The app should support the traditional contact tracing by quicker tracing and reaching more people than regular contact tracing procedures. OBJECTIVE The main goal of this study is to investigate whether the CoronaMelder is able to support traditional contact tracing of Public Health Authorities (PHAs). To achieve this, usability tests were conducted aimed at answering the following question: Is the CoronaMelder user-friendly, understandable, reliable and credible, and inclusive? METHODS Participants (n=44) with different backgrounds were recruited: young people with a lower or higher level of education, young people with an intellectual disability, migrants, adults (40-64 years) and elderly (65> years) via convenience sampling in the CoronaMelder test region Twente, The Netherlands. The app was evaluated with scenario-based think-aloud usability tests with additional interviews. Findings were recorded via voice recordings, observation notes, the Dutch User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ-Dutch) and some participants wore eye trackers to measure gaze behavior. RESULTS Our results show that the app is easy to use. Yet, problems occurred with understandability and accessibility. Elderly and young people with a lower level of education do not understand why or when they receive notifications, or why they must share the key, and what happens after sharing. Especially young people with a lower level of education did not trust and understand the Bluetooth signals, timing and follow-up activities after risk exposure notification and elderly had difficulties in multitasking (contact with PHAs simultaneously with sharing key in app). PHAs appeared unprepared to be supported by the app in traditional contact tracing, because their telephone conversation protocol lacks guidance, explanation, and empathy. CONCLUSIONS The study indicated that the app is easy to use, but participants have misconceptions about its functioning. The perceived lack of clarity led to misconceptions of the app, mostly regarding its usefulness or privacy-preserving mechanisms. Tailored and target group specified communication, in forms of public campaigns or social media, is necessary to provide correct information about the app to Dutch citizens. Additionally, the app should be presented as part of the package of national corona measures, instead of just as a stand-alone app provided to the public. To succeed, PHA workers should be trained to effectively and empathically instruct users to warn others by using the CoronaMelder app.

scholarly journals The Dutch COVID-19 Contact Tracing App (the CoronaMelder): Usability Study

10.2196/27882 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. e27882
Author(s):  
Britt Elise Bente ◽  
Jan Willem Jaap Roderick van 't Klooster ◽  
Maud Annemarie Schreijer ◽  
Lea Berkemeier ◽  
Joris Elmar van Gend ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Usability Tests ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Lower Education

Background Adoption and evaluation of contact tracing tools based on information and communications technology may expand the reach and efficacy of traditional contact tracing methods in fighting COVID-19. The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports initiated and developed CoronaMelder, a COVID-19 contact tracing app. This app is based on a Google/Apple Exposure Notification approach and aims to combat the spread of the coronavirus among individuals by notifying those who are at increased risk of infection due to proximity to someone who later tests positive for COVID-19. The app should support traditional contact tracing by faster tracing and greater reach compared to regular contact tracing procedures. Objective The main goal of this study is to investigate whether the CoronaMelder is able to support traditional contact tracing employed by public health authorities. To achieve this, usability tests were conducted to answer the following question: is the CoronaMelder user-friendly, understandable, reliable and credible, and inclusive? Methods Participants (N=44) of different backgrounds were recruited: youth with varying educational levels, youth with an intellectual disability, migrants, adults (aged 40-64 years), and older adults (aged >65 years) via convenience sampling in the region of Twente in the Netherlands. The app was evaluated with scenario-based, think-aloud usability tests and additional interviews. Findings were recorded via voice recordings, observation notes, and the Dutch User Experience Questionnaire, and some participants wore eye trackers to measure gaze behavior. Results Our results showed that the app is easy to use, although problems occurred with understandability and accessibility. Older adults and youth with a lower education level did not understand why or under what circumstances they would receive notifications, why they must share their key (ie, their assigned identifier), and what happens after sharing. In particular, youth in the lower-education category did not trust or understand Bluetooth signals, or comprehend timing and follow-up activities after a risk exposure notification. Older adults had difficulties multitasking (speaking with a public health worker and simultaneously sharing the key in the app). Public health authorities appeared to be unprepared to receive support from the app during traditional contact tracing because their telephone conversation protocol lacks guidance, explanation, and empathy. Conclusions The study indicated that the CoronaMelder app is easy to use, but participants experienced misunderstandings about its functioning. The perceived lack of clarity led to misconceptions about the app, mostly regarding its usefulness and privacy-preserving mechanisms. Tailored and targeted communication through, for example, public campaigns or social media, is necessary to provide correct information about the app to residents in the Netherlands. Additionally, the app should be presented as part of the national coronavirus measures instead of as a stand-alone app offered to the public. Public health workers should be trained to effectively and empathetically instruct users on how to use the CoronaMelder app.

Long-Term Unemployment in Poland in 2008-2012 - Tendencies, Structure and Selected Determinants

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-359
Author(s):  
Leszek Kucharski
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Increased Risk

This study presents the structure and tendencies in long-term unemployment in Poland in the years 2008-2012. This study identifies the groups of people with an increased risk of long-term unemployment. The analyses produced the following conclusions. The groups with the highest risk of long-term unemployment include: singles, people aged of 55 and above and people with a low level of education. Young people with university and general secondary education faced the lowest risk of long-term unemployment. 

scholarly journals Fueling the Covid-19 pandemic: summer school holidays and incidence rates in German districts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Plümper ◽  
Eric Neumayer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Summer School ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Robert Koch Institute ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Holiday Period ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

AbstractBackgroundThe Robert-Koch-Institute reports that during the summer holiday period a foreign country is stated as the most likely place of infection for an average of 27 and a maximum of 49% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany.MethodsCross-sectional study on observational data. In Germany, summer school holidays are coordinated between states and spread out over 13 weeks. Employing a dynamic model with district fixed effects, we analyze the association between these holidays and weekly incidence rates across 401 German districts.ResultsWe find effects of the holiday period of around 45% of the average district incidence rates in Germany during their respective final week of holidays and the 2 weeks after holidays end. Western states tend to experience stronger effects than Eastern states. We also find statistically significant interaction effects of school holidays with per capita taxable income and the share of foreign residents in a district’s population.ConclusionsOur results suggest that changed behavior during the holiday season accelerated the pandemic and made it considerably more difficult for public health authorities to contain the spread of the virus by means of contact tracing. Germany’s public health authorities did not prepare adequately for this acceleration.

scholarly journals COVID-19: cross-border contact tracing in Germany, February to April 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inessa Markus ◽  
Gyde Steffen ◽  
Raskit Lachmann ◽  
Adine Marquis ◽  
Timm Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
International Health ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Outbreak Response ◽  
Robert Koch Institute ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Cruise Ships ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
International Contact ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Warning Response

Introduction The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) managed the exchange of cross-border contact tracing data between public health authorities (PHA) in Germany and abroad during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Aim We describe the extent of cross-border contact tracing and its challenges. Methods We analysed cross-border COVID-19 contact tracing events from 3 February to 5 April 2020 using information exchanged through the European Early Warning Response System and communication with International Health Regulation national focal points. We described events by PHA, number of contacts and exposure context. Results The RKI processed 467 events, initiating contact to PHA 1,099 times (median = 1; interquartile range (IQR): 1–2) and sharing data on 5,099 contact persons. Of 327 (70%) events with known exposure context, the most commonly reported exposures were aircraft (n = 64; 20%), cruise ships (n = 24; 7%) and non-transport contexts (n = 210; 64%). Cruise ship and aircraft exposures generated more contacts with authorities (median = 10; IQR: 2–16, median = 4; IQR: 2–11) and more contact persons (median = 60; IQR: 9–269, median = 2; IQR: 1–3) than non-transport exposures (median = 1; IQR: 1–6 and median = 1; IQR: 1–2). The median time spent on contact tracing was highest for cruise ships: 5 days (IQR: 3–9). Conclusion In the COVID-19 pandemic, cross-border contact tracing is considered a critical component of the outbreak response. While only a minority of international contact tracing activities were related to exposure events in transport, they contributed substantially to the workload. The numerous communications highlight the need for fast and efficient global outbreak communication channels between PHA.

scholarly journals Clustering and superspreading potential of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dillon Adam ◽  
Peng Wu ◽  
Jessica Wong ◽  
Eric Lau ◽  
Tim Tsang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Local Transmission ◽  
Terminal Cluster

Abstract Superspreading events have characterised previous epidemics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections. Using contact tracing data, we identified and characterized SARS-CoV-2 clusters in Hong Kong. Given a superspreading threshold of 6-8 secondary cases, we identified 5-7 probable superspreading events and evidence of substantial overdispersion in transmissibility, and estimated that 20% of cases were responsible for 80% of local transmission. Among terminal cluster cases, 27% (45/167) ended in quarantine. Social exposures produced a greater number of secondary cases compared to family or work exposures (p<0.001) while delays between symptom onset and isolation did not reliably predict the number of individual secondary cases or resulting cluster sizes. Public health authorities should focus on rapid tracing and quarantine of contacts, along with physical distancing to prevent superspreading events in high-risk social environments.

scholarly journals Vaping Restrictions: Is Priority to the Young Justified?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Magalhaes
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Ethical Dilemma ◽  
The United States ◽  
Youth Smoking ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Abstract The vast majority of smokers become dependent on nicotine in youth. Preventing dependence has therefore been crucial to the recent decline in youth smoking. The advent of vaping creates an opportunity for harm reduction to existing smokers (mostly adults) but simultaneously also undermines prevention efforts by becoming a new vehicle for young people to become dependent on nicotine, creating an ethical dilemma. Restrictions to access to some vaping products enacted in response to the increase in vaping among youth observed in the United States since 2018 have arguably prioritized prevention of new cases of dependence—protecting the young—over harm reduction to already dependent adults. Can this prioritization of the young be justified? This article surveys the main bioethical arguments for prioritizing giving health benefits to the young and finds that none can justify prioritizing dependence prevention over harm reduction: any reasons for prioritizing the current cohort of young people at risk from vaping will equally apply to current adult smokers, who are overwhelmingly likely to have become nicotine-dependent in their own youth. Public health authorities’ current tendency to prioritize the young, therefore, does not seem to be ethically justified. Implications This article argues that commonsense reasons for prioritizing the young do not apply to the ethical dilemma surrounding restricting access to vaping products.

scholarly journals On the Futility of Contact Tracing

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Bhattacharya ◽  
Mikko Packalen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities

Throughout the COVID-19 epidemic, public health authorities have promoted contact tracing as a key tool to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Jay Bhattacharya and Mikko Packalen argue that contact tracing does not deserve the central place it has received in the tool kit public health authorities use to control the virus, and that, in some cases, it may make an outbreak worse.

An International Comparison of the COVID-19 Experiences of the Group-of-Seven and the BRICS Countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence J. Lau ◽  
Yanyan Xiong
Keyword(s):  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Group Of Seven ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk

The COVID-19 pandemic has been around since December 2019. In this study, the experiences of the Group-of-Seven Countries (G-7 — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) and the BRICS Countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are compared in terms of the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths and the infection and mortality rates. The objective is to see whether such a comparison may yield some insight on how and when the COVID-19 pandemic in the world will finally be under control. The key turns out to be the minimization of secondary and higher-order transmissions of the virus. This requires, first, the practice of good personal hygiene and social distancing on the part of all the residents; second, mandatory rapid testing and exhaustive contact tracing, by the public health authorities; and third, lockdown, quarantine and travel restrictions by the government. The governments of the individual countries must fight the COVID-19 epidemic as if it were a war if they expect to succeed in bringing the epidemic under control in their respective countries.

A Brief Forewarning Intervention Overcomes Negative Effects of Salient Changes in COVID-19 Guidance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy David Gretton ◽  
Ethan Andrew Meyers ◽  
Alexander C. Walker ◽  
Jonathan Albert Fugelsang ◽  
Derek J. Koehler
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Scientific Understanding ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Health Messaging

During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health messaging, including guidance regarding protective health behavior (e.g., use of non-medical masks), changed over time. Although many revisions were a result of gains in scientific understanding, we nonetheless hypothesized that making changes in guidance salient would negatively impact evaluations of experts and health-protective intentions. In Study 1 (N = 300), we demonstrate that describing COVID-19 guidance in terms of inconsistency (versus consistency) leads people to perceive scientists and public health authorities less favorably (e.g., as less expert). Among a Canadian subsample, making guidance change salient also reduced intentions to download the COVID Alert contact tracing app. In Study 2 (N = 1399), we show that a brief forewarning intervention mitigates detrimental effects of changes in guidance. In the absence of forewarning, emphasizing inconsistency harmed judgments of public health authorities and reduced health-protective intentions, but forewarning eliminated this effect.

scholarly journals Surveillance for COVID-19 in the English Football League 2019-2020

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhashis Basu ◽  
Richard Higgins ◽  
Aneil Malhotra ◽  
Imtiaz Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Medical Surveillance ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Isolation Requirements ◽  
Positive Results

Medical surveillance and risk mitigation protocols to reduce viral transmission have underpinned the return of elite football during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the evidence-informed approach and surveillance findings from the English Football League across a 9-week period at the end of the 2019-20 season. Protocols were devised by the lead EFL Medical Advisor with specialist occupational medicine input. Isolation requirements for cases and contacts were in-line with UK Government regulations, with external contact tracing conducted by local public health authorities. Quantitative PCR testing was conducted twice weekly and within 72 hours of fixtures. 43 individuals, including 18 players returned positive tests. No positive results were returned after week 5 (round 10). Our findings support those from other leagues that with appropriate compliance, elite football can continue safely during this pandemic. We recommend that protocols and compliance should be revised as necessary according to community prevalence and changes in viral transmission dynamics.

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