Containing COVID-19 in rural and remote areas: experiences from China

Abstract

Although the COVID-19 outbreak initially mainly affected highly urbanized settings, eventually it will reach rural and remote populations resulting in even worse outcomes due to the lack of access to testing, health care and slower implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions. Here we describe the containment efforts in rural China.

Differences in Preventive Behaviors of COVID-19 between Urban and Rural Residents: Lessons Learned from A Cross-Sectional Study in China

“…The fact is that older adults and people with existing medical conditions are at higher risk of getting the virus, but anyone can become sick [61]. Fake news and misinformation on social media is a problem prevailing in rural China during this pandemic [22]. Similarly, misinformation is a challenge to preventive medicine and public health in the United States [62].…”

“…For example, the higher rates of chronic diseases and less physical exercises impose higher risks of severe illness on rural cases [21]. Also, existing research documented that the escalation of COVID-19 spread is highly related to the transportation of people with no-to-mild symptoms-namely, those are unaware about the infection [22]. Therefore, health professionals recommend staying at home, social distancing, wearing facemasks, and frequent hand washing as effective containment measures.…”

The POSITIONED Study: Prone Positioning in Nonventilated Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients—A Retrospective Analysis

“…An unpleasant truth exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic is that a rapidly spreading respiratory virus can quickly overwhelm healthcare systems worldwide ( 14 , 15 ). Because survivors of COVID-19–associated respiratory failure average 11 days on the ventilator and 17 days in the hospital, resource consumption is immense and shortages of mechanical ventilators, common ICU medications, and personal protective equipment are commonplace ( 16 – 18 ).…”

Impact of lockdown to control over Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19 in India

“…[ 3 4 5 ] The occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 is mainly scattered at urban societies, but it is also reaching the rural and remote areas by travelers from urban to rural. [ 6 ] Isolation, quarantine, social distancing, and community containment are the preventive measures for such type of infectious disease. [ 7 ]…”