Containment strategies for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus: flatten the curve or crush it?

Killeen, Gerry F.

doi:10.1007/s10654-020-00656-x

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Most countries were caught in speed; hence, limited evidence was available on the effectiveness and even more so on the cost-effectiveness of the different measures to flatten the infection curve. 4 Nevertheless, as time went by and because the pandemic continues to put pressure both on our healthcare system and our global economy, there is an urgent need for intelligent measures, that is, timely measures that can prevent our healthcare system from submerging in new COVID-19 waves; safeguard the physical, emotional and mental health, and well-being of the population; and protect risk groups. Nevertheless, to advise our decision makers in their decision-making process, up-to-date evidence is key.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost-Effectiveness of COVID-19 Policy Measures: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had a major impact on our society, with drastic policy restrictions being implemented to contain the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. This study aimed to provide an overview of the available evidence on the cost-effectiveness of various coronavirus disease 2019 policy measures. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Health economic evaluations considering both costs and outcomes were included. Their quality was comprehensively assessed using the Consensus Health Economic Criteria checklist. Next, the quality of the epidemiological models was evaluated. Results A total of 3688 articles were identified (March 2021), of which 23 were included. The studies were heterogeneous with regard to methodological quality, contextual factors, strategies’ content, adopted perspective, applied models, and outcomes used. Overall, testing/screening, social distancing, personal protective equipment, quarantine/isolation, and hygienic measures were found to be cost-effective. Furthermore, the most optimal choice and combination of strategies depended on the reproduction number and context. With a rising reproduction number, extending the testing strategy and early implementation of combined multiple restriction measures are most efficient. Conclusions The quality assessment highlighted numerous flaws and limitations in the study approaches; hence, their results should be interpreted with caution because the specific context (country, target group, etc) is a key driver for cost-effectiveness. Finally, including a societal perspective in future evaluations is key because this pandemic has an indirect impact on the onset and treatment of other conditions and on our global economy.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost-Effectiveness of COVID-19 Policy Measures: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…appear to be important factors to consider in public health interventions against pandemics [ 44 ]. Furthermore, cost-effectiveness studies should also take into account the long term health impact, such as health losses and costs associated with untreated chronic conditions, as well as the broader socio-economic impact, including mental health and lost productivity [ 9 , 45 , 46 ], which were driver costs during the COVID pandemic. The lack of standardization and high variability of indirect costs however make national and international comparisons difficult.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Then further cost-effectiveness studies should take into account the long term health impact, such as health losses and costs associated with untreated chronic conditions, as well as the broader socio-economic impact, including mental health and lost productivity [ 9 , 45 , 46 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The FLURESP European commission project: cost-effectiveness assessment of ten public health measures against influenza in Italy: is there an interest in COVID-19 pandemic?

Béresniak¹,

Napoli

Oxford

et al. 2023

Cost Eff Resour Alloc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The FLURESP project is a public health research funded by the European Commission, with the objective to design a methodological framework to assess the cost-effectiveness of existing public health measures against human influenza pandemics. A dataset has been specifically collected in the frame of the Italian health system. As most of interventions against human influenza are relavant against other respiratory diseases pandemics, potential interests in COVID-19 are discussed. Methods Ten public health measures against human influenza pandemics pandemic were selected to be also relevant to other respiratory virus pandemics such as COVID 19: individual (hand washing, using masks), border control (quarantine, fever screening, border closure), community infection (school closure, class dismissal, social distancing, limitation of public transport), reduction of secondary infections (implementation of antibiotic therapy guidelines), pneumococcal vaccination for at-risk people, development of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity, implementation of life support equipments in ICU, screening interventions, vaccination programs targeting health professional and targeting general population. Results Using mortality reduction as effectiveness criteria, the most cost-effective strategies are “reduction of secondary infections” and “implementation of life support equipment in ICU”. The least cost-effective option whatever the level of pandemic events are screening interventions and mass vaccination. Conclusions A number of intervention strategies against human influenza pandemics appears relevant against every respiratory virus, including the COVID-19 event. Measures against pandemics should be considered according to their expected effectiveness but also their costs for the society because they impose substantial burden to the population, confirming the interest of considering cost-effectiveness of public health measures to enlighten decision making.

show abstract

“…Many countries have instigated rules enforcing person-to-person interactions to take place at a presumably safe distance [ [4] , [5] , [6] ]. In an attempt to prevent human-to-human transmission of the virus, whilst facilitating human interaction, lockdown restrictions are alleviated when this is deemed possible [ [6] , [7] , [8] ]. In this ongoing pandemic, strategies to prevent viral contamination to both prevent and cope with a possible second wave in healthcare are of great importance [ [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency upscaling of video consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Contrasting user experience with data insights from the electronic health record in a large academic hospital

Barsom¹,

Meijer²,

Blom³

et al. 2021

International Journal of Medical Informatics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Video consultation (VC) has been scaled up at our academic centre attempting to facilitate and accommodate patient-provider interaction in times of social distancing during the recent and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives This study evaluates qualitative outcomes with data insights from the electronic health record, to contrast satisfaction outcomes with the actual use of VC. Methods Healthcare providers and patients using VC during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large academic centre in the Netherlands were surveyed for user satisfaction and experiences with VC. In addition, quantitative technical assessment was performed using data related to VC from the EHR record. Results In total, 1,027/4,443 patients and 87/166 healthcare providers completed their online questionnaire. Users rated the use of VC during a pandemic with an average score of 8.3/10 and 7.6/10 respectively. Both groups believed the use of VC was a good solution to continue the provision of healthcare during this pandemic. The use of VC increased from 92 in March 2020 to 837 in April 2020. Conclusion This study strongly signals that VC is an important modality in futureproofing outpatient care during and beyond pandemic times. Further development in end-user technology is needed for EHR integrated VC solutions. Guidelines needs to be developed advising both patients and healthcare providers. Such guidelines should not solely focus on technical implementation and troubleshooting, but must also consider important aspects such as digital health literacy, patient and provider authentication, privacy and ethics.

show abstract

Containment strategies for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus: flatten the curve or crush it?

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Cost-Effectiveness of COVID-19 Policy Measures: A Systematic Review

Cost-Effectiveness of COVID-19 Policy Measures: A Systematic Review

The FLURESP European commission project: cost-effectiveness assessment of ten public health measures against influenza in Italy: is there an interest in COVID-19 pandemic?

Emergency upscaling of video consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Contrasting user experience with data insights from the electronic health record in a large academic hospital

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About