A global analysis of the effectiveness of policy responses to COVID-19

Abstract

Governments implemented many non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to suppress the spread of COVID-19 with varying results. In this paper, country-level daily time series from Our World in Data facilitates a global analysis of the propagation of the virus, policy responses and human mobility patterns. High death counts and mortality ratios influence policy compliance levels. Evidence of long-term fatigue was found with compliance dropping from over 85% in the first half of 2020 to less than 40% at the start of 2021, driven by factors such as economic necessity and optimism coinciding with vaccine effectiveness. NPIs ranged from facial coverings to restrictions on mobility, and these are compared using an empirical assessment of their impact on the growth rate of case numbers. Masks are the most cost-effective NPI currently available, delivering four times more impact than school closures, and approximately double that of other mobility restrictions. Gathering restrictions were the second most effective. International travel controls and public information campaigns had negligible effects. Literacy rates and income support played key roles in maintaining compliance. A 10% increase in literacy rate was associated with a 3.2% increase in compliance, while income support of greater than half of previous earnings increased compliance by 4.8%.

Efficacy and Safety of Risankizumab for Active Psoriatic Arthritis: 100-Week Results from the Phase 3 KEEPsAKE 1 Randomized Clinical Trial

“…The KEEPsAKE 1 study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the long-term safety data indicate that COVID-19-related TEAEs increased from 0.4 E/100 PY at 24 weeks to 8.0 E/100 PY at 100 weeks. Global cases of COVID-19 at the week 24 data cutoff date in October 2020 were estimated at 83.51 cases per million people, but by the week 100 data cutoff date in March 2022 (when many countries had relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, and the more contagious Omicron variant had emerged), there were substantially more infections with cases estimated at 1157.70 per million people at the peak in January 2022 [ 22 ]. No cases of active tuberculosis were reported.…”

Efficacy and Safety of Risankizumab for Active Psoriatic Arthritis: 100-Week Results from the KEEPsAKE 2 Randomized Clinical Trial

“…The week 24 data cutoff date in June 2020 [ 11 ] occurred 3 months after the pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020 [ 17 ], leading to a period of lockdowns and social restrictions in many countries. By the week 100 cutoff date in March 2022, COVID-19 restrictions had eased in some countries and more contagious variants had emerged (Delta variant first detected in October 2020, and Omicron variant first detected in November 2021) [ 18 ]. The change in COVID-19 E/100 PYs between week 24 and week 100 mirror the changes observed in the average global rates of COVID-19 during the same period with 20.2 cases per million people in June 2020 increasing to 1157.7 cases per million people at the peak of Omicron variant infections in January 2022.…”

“…No cases of active tuberculosis were reported, while cases of opportunistic infections including herpes zoster remained stable from weeks 52 to 100. Reports of major adverse cardiovascular events were also stable from weeks 52 to 100 [ 18 ]. One treatment-emergent death occurred between weeks 52 and 100 as a result of cardiac arrest in a patient with multiple cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, history of smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and family history of cardiovascular disease, which was assessed by the investigators as not related to risankizumab.…”

Examining the cultural influence on online stances towards COVID-19 preventive measures and their impact on incidence and mortality: A global stance detection analysis of tweets

“…Power distance, indulgence, and cultural tightness share conceptual commonalities, particularly concerning the tension between satisfying individual needs and complying with regulations ( Uz, 2015 ). Face coverings have consistently shown the highest effectiveness as a non-pharmaceutical intervention in reducing COVID-19 cases and deaths ( Agyapon-Ntra & McSharry, 2023 ). This underscores the importance of online stances towards face coverings as a key determinant of preventive measure efficacy.…”