Medical populism and the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

This paper uses the vocabulary of ‘medical populism’ to identify and analyse the political constructions of (and responses to) the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, the Philippines, and the United States from January to mid-July 2020, particularly by the countries’ heads of state: Jair Bolsonaro, Rodrigo Duterte, and Donald Trump. In all three countries, the leaders’ responses to the outbreak can be characterised by the following features: simplifying the pandemic by downplaying its impacts or touting easy solutions or treatments, spectacularizing their responses to crisis, forging divisions between the ‘people’ and dangerous ‘others’, and making medical knowledge claims to support the above. Taken together, the case studies illuminate the role of individual political actors in defining public health crises, suggesting that medical populism is not an exceptional, but a familiar response to them. This paper concludes by offering recommendations for global health in anticipating and responding to pandemics and infectious disease outbreaks.     

COVID-19 pandemic impact on people with diabetes: results from a large representative sample of Italian older adults

AimsRestrictions imposed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission should be weighed against consequences on vulnerable groups’ health. Lifestyles and disease management of older people with diabetes might have been differentially impacted compared to non-chronic individuals.MethodsA cross-sectional study (LOST in Lombardia) was conducted on a representative full sample of 4 400 older adults (17^th-30^th November 2020), collecting data on lifestyles, mental health and access to care before and during the pandemic.ResultsWe compared 947 (51.9%) people with diabetes and 879 (48.1%) healthy subjects reporting no chronic conditions. People with diabetes reported more frequently increased physical activity (odds ratio, OR 2.65, 95% confidence internals, CI 1.69-4.13), drinks/week reduction (OR 6.27, 95%CI 3.59-10.95), increased consumption of fruit (OR 2.06, 95%CI 1.62-2.63), vegetables (OR 1.41, 95%CI 1.10-1.82), fish (OR 2.51, 95%CI 1.74-3.64) and olive oil (OR 3.54, 95%CI 2.30-5.46). People with diabetes increased telephone contacts with general practitioners (OR 3.70, 95%CI 2.83-4.83), hospitalisations (OR 9.01, 95%CI 3.96-20.51), visits and surgeries cancellations (OR 3.37, 95%CI 2.58-4.42) and treatment interruptions (OR 1.95, 95%CI 1.33-2.86).ConclusionsPandemic adverse effects occurred but are heterogenous in a population with chronic diseases, who seized the opportunity to improve health behaviours, despite health system difficulties guaranteeing routine care, within and beyond COVID-19.     

What is the association between income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and children’s dental care?

BackgroundThe degree to which children experience unmet need for dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with pandemic-related household job or income loss are unknown.MethodsThe authors performed a cross-sectional household survey of 348 families in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from June 25 through July 2, 2020. Unmet need for child dental care and pandemic-related household job or income loss were assessed using caregiver self-report.ResultsCaregivers reported that the greatest unmet child health care need during the COVID-19 pandemic was dental care (16%), followed by medical care for a well visit or vaccination (5%). Approximately 40% of caregivers reported job loss or a decrease in household income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found a significant association between the probability of unmet child dental care and pandemic-related household job or income loss (P = .022). Losing a job or experiencing a decrease in income due to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with unmet child dental care (relative risk, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 2.88).ConclusionsIn this sample, 3 times as many households reported unmet dental care for a child compared with unmet medical care. Unmet child dental care was more common in households where pandemic-related job or income loss occurred.Practical ImplicationsIf unmet dental care continues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nontraditional strategies for delivering dental care can be considered to improve access to dental care for children, such as teledentistry and oral health prevention services in primary care settings.     

New generation sequencing in pathogen discovery and microbial surveillance

23rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID).

Berlin, Germany, 27–30 April 2013

The annual congress of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) is recognized as the largest European congress for the presentation and discussion of the key priorities and more recent scientific developments in the fields of clinical microbiology and infection. This year, it attracted almost 10,000 participants from all over the world. Keynote lectures, symposia, meet-the-expert sessions, educational workshops, poster and oral sessions covered the diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases, as well as related basic microbiology. Moreover, interactive sessions addressing specific subjects underlined the important educational aspect of the ECCMID’s congress. The scientific program, abstracts, oral presentations are available at their website . This meeting report is focused on one of the several challenging and one of the most transversal topics of the meeting: the application of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) to the microbial world.     

Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in South Korea: A cross-sectional study

Vaccination against COVID-19 has been promoted as a way to protect oneself and others from infection. To ensure the comprehensive acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines, the factors that affect COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy should be examined. This study aimed to identify the factors that affect COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among Korean adults, focusing on COVID-19 knowledge and attitudes toward vaccination. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 2286 Korean adults aged 20–64 years. Demographic characteristics, knowledge regarding COVID-19, and attitudes toward vaccination were assessed. A generalized linear model with Poisson regression was used to identify factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. Approximately 67% of the COVID-19 knowledge-related questions were correctly answered. A neutral attitude toward vaccination and relatively low vaccination hesitancy were found. COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy was affected by individuals' attitudes toward vaccination, as well as their gender and age, but not by their knowledge. Interventions or policies considering gender and age could be helpful in reducing COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. Strategies to disseminate more accurate and novel information related to the COVID-19 vaccines should be implemented.     

Beyond Lockdown: The Potential Side Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on Public Health

Lockdowns to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 have disrupted routines and behaviors, which could lead to a worsening of lifestyle and an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to describe the changes in physical activity, diet, alcohol drinking, and cigarette smoking during lockdown. A self-administered online survey addressing adults living in a province in northern Italy was advertised through websites and social media. Citizens could access the survey in anonymity from 4 May until 15 June 2020. A total of 1826 adults completed the survey, with a worsening of physical activity (35.1%), diet (17.6%), alcohol drinking (12.5%), and cigarette smoking (7.7%) reported. In contrast, 33.5% reported an improvement in diet, 12.6% in alcohol drinking, 5.3% in physical activity and 4.1% in cigarette smoking. Female sex, young adult age, suspension of work activity, and symptoms of psychological distress were the factors associated with a greater likelihood of change, which was frequently for the worse. Lockdown had an impact on lifestyle, with some net beneficial effects on diet and mostly negative effects on physical activity. Public health measures should be implemented to avoid long-term negative effects of the lockdown, supporting individuals more prone to change for the worse.     

Alcohol use in times of the COVID 19: Implications for monitoring and policy

Based on a literature search undertaken to determine the impacts of past public health crises, and a systematic review of the effects of past economic crises on alcohol consumption, two main scenarios—with opposite predictions regarding the impact of the current COVID‐19 pandemic on the level and patterns of alcohol consumption—are introduced. The first scenario predicts an increase in consumption for some populations, particularly men, due to distress experienced as a result of the pandemic. A second scenario predicts the opposite outcome, a lowered level of consumption, based on the decreased physical and financial availability of alcohol. With the current restrictions on alcohol availability, it is postulated that, for the immediate future, the predominant scenario will likely be the second, while the distress experienced in the first may become more relevant in the medium‐ and longer‐term future. Monitoring consumption levels both during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic will be necessary to better understand the effects of COVID‐19 on different groups, as well as to distinguish them from those arising from existing alcohol control policies.