Nonpharmaceutical interventions reduce the incidence and mortality of COVID-19: A study based on the survey from the International COVID-19 Research Network (ICRN)
Journal
Journal of medical virology
Journal Volume
95
Journal Issue
2
Date Issued
2023-02
Author(s)
Park, Seung Hyun
Hong, Sung Hwi
Kim, Kwanghyun
Lee, Seung Won
Yon, Dong Keon
Jung, Sun Jae
Abdeen, Ziad
Ghayda, Ramy Abou
Ahmed, Mohamed Lemine Cheikh Brahim
Serouri, Abdulwahed Al
Al-Herz, Waleed
Al-Shamsi, Humaid O
Ali, Sheeza
Ali, Kosar
Baatarkhuu, Oidov
Nielsen, Henning Bay
Bernini-Carri, Enrico
Bondarenko, Anastasiia
Cassell, Ayun
Cham, Akway
Chua, Melvin L K
Dadabhai, Sufia
Darre, Tchin
Davtyan, Hayk
Dragioti, Elena
East, Barbora
Edwards, Robert Jeffrey
Ferioli, Martina
Georgiev, Tsvetoslav
Ghandour, Lilian A
Harapan, Harapan
Mallah, Saad I
Ikram, Aamer
Inoue, Shigeru
Jacob, Louis
Janković, Slobodan M
Jayarajah, Umesh
Jesenak, Milos
Kakodkar, Pramath
Kapata, Nathan
Kebede, Yohannes
Khader, Yousef
Kifle, Meron
Koh, David
Maleš, Višnja Kokić
Kotfis, Katarzyna
Koyanagi, Ai
Kretchy, James-Paul
Lakoh, Sulaiman
Lee, Jinhee
Lee, Jun Young
Mendonça, Maria da Luz Lima
Ling, Lowell
Llibre-Guerra, Jorge
Machida, Masaki
Makurumidze, Richard
Memish, Ziad A
Mendoza, Ivan
Moiseev, Sergey
Nadasdy, Thomas
Nahshon, Chen
Ñamendys-Silva, Silvio A
Yongsi, Blaise Nguendo
Nicolasora, Amalea Dulcene
Nugmanova, Zhamilya
Oh, Hans
Oksanen, Atte
Owopetu, Oluwatomi
Ozguler, Zeynep Ozge
Parperis, Konstantinos
Perez, Gonzalo Emanuel
Pongpirul, Krit
Rademaker, Marius
Radojevic, Nemanja
Roca, Anna
Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J
Roshi, Enver
Saeed, Khwaja Mir Islam
Sah, Ranjit
Sakakushev, Boris
Sallam, Dina E
Sathian, Brijesh
Schober, Patrick
Ali, P Shaik Syed
Simonović, Zoran
Singhal, Tanu
Skhvitaridze, Natia
Solmi, Marco
Subbaram, Kannan
Tizaoui, Kalthoum
Tlhakanelo, John Thato
Torales, Julio
Torres-Roman, Junior Smith
Tsartsalis, Dimitrios
Tsolmon, Jadamba
Vieira, Duarte Nuno
Rosa, Sandro G Viveiros
Wanghi, Guy
Wollina, Uwe
Xu, Ren-He
Yang, Lin
Zia, Kashif
Zildzic, Muharem
Il Shin, Jae
Smith, Lee
Abstract
The recently emerged novel coronavirus, "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)," caused a highly contagious disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It has severely damaged the world's most developed countries and has turned into a major threat for low- and middle-income countries. Since its emergence in late 2019, medical interventions have been substantial, and most countries relied on public health measures collectively known as nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). We aimed to centralize the accumulative knowledge of NPIs against COVID-19 for each country under one worldwide consortium. International COVID-19 Research Network collaborators developed a cross-sectional online survey to assess the implications of NPIs and sanitary supply on the incidence and mortality of COVID-19. The survey was conducted between January 1 and February 1, 2021, and participants from 92 countries/territories completed it. The association between NPIs, sanitation supplies, and incidence and mortality were examined by multivariate regression, with the log-transformed value of population as an offset value. The majority of countries/territories applied several preventive strategies, including social distancing (100.0%), quarantine (100.0%), isolation (98.9%), and school closure (97.8%). Individual-level preventive measures such as personal hygiene (100.0%) and wearing facial masks (94.6% at hospitals; 93.5% at mass transportation; 91.3% in mass gathering facilities) were also frequently applied. Quarantine at a designated place was negatively associated with incidence and mortality compared to home quarantine. Isolation at a designated place was also associated with reduced mortality compared to home isolation. Recommendations to use sanitizer for personal hygiene reduced incidence compared to the recommendation to use soap. Deprivation of masks was associated with increased incidence. Higher incidence and mortality were found in countries/territories with higher economic levels. Mask deprivation was pervasive regardless of economic level. NPIs against COVID-19 such as using sanitizer, quarantine, and isolation can decrease the incidence and mortality of COVID-19.
Subjects
COVID-19; isolation; mask; nonpharmacologic interventions; quarantine; sanitizer
Type
journal article