The stress caused by the fourth wave of COVID-19 infection, the resulting anxiety and depression, as well as the heterogeneous attitude towards vaccination require a change in the style of possible negative thinking. Psychologists working on these problems should be well versed in one of the main techniques of cognitive-behavioral therapy - cognitive restructuring, the essence of which and related factors are presented in this article.

An Instagram account had called on people to get involved in the Queen Street demonstration

Pressure grows to begin booster jabs for the vulnerable and extend vaccinations to younger teenagers

In this three-part series, a team of researchers in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America explores the underpinnings and consequences of a legacy that has long reflected and, many believe, hindered further progress in, the field: dominance by researchers in White, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) countries. Part 1 outlines some explanations for and problems with U.S. dominance in psychological science. Part 2 will discuss the more complex origins of these problems, including how the history and legacies of colonialism impact psychological science in the developing world. Part 3 will argue that this problem is urgent for the survival and relevance of psychology, explore potential solutions, and ask a provocative question: Does psychological science as it currently stands even deserve the attention of brilliant prospective researchers from the developing world? 

Understanding the causes and consequences of the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern is crucial to pandemic control yet difficult to achieve because they arise in the context of variable human behavior and immunity. We investigated the spatial invasion dynamics of lineage B.1.1.7 by jointly analyzing UK human mobility, virus genomes, and community-based polymerase chain reaction data. We identified a multistage spatial invasion process in which early B.1.1.7 growth rates were associated with mobility and asymmetric lineage export from a dominant source location, enhancing the effects of B.1.1.7’s increased intrinsic transmissibility. We further explored how B.1.1.7 spread was shaped by nonpharmaceutical interventions and spatial variation in previous attack rates. Our findings show that careful accounting of the behavioral and epidemiological context within which variants of concern emerge is necessary to interpret correctly their observed relative growth rates.

Being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 not only cuts the risk of catching it, but also of an infection turning into long Covid, research led by King's College London suggests.

The window of opportunity to establish the origins of SARS-CoV-2 will close within months if action isn’t taken soon, warn scientists tasked by the World Health Organization (WHO) to discover how the virus emerged.

Two Articles in The Lancet Infectious Diseases have called for enhanced COVID-19 testing capacity after demonstrating good diagnostic performance for RT-PCR testing of self-collected pooled nasal and throat swabs and nasal swabs1Tsang NNY So HC Ng KY Cowling BJ Leung GM Ip DKM Diagnostic performance of different sampling approaches for SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; (published online April 12.)https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00146-8Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (10) Google Scholar and good sensitivity for rapid antigen diagnostic tests.2Boum Y Fai KN Nicolay B et al.Performance and operational feasibility of antigen and antibody rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19 in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in Cameroon: a clinical, prospective, diagnostic accuracy study.Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; 21: 1089-1096Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (9) Google Scholar These important developments will help to control the pandemic, but the impact of changes in testing on surveillance data must be anticipated—ie, capacity to monitor the epidemiology of COVID-19.Since the start of the pandemic, testing and contact tracing have been the primary measures used to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2.3Cohen J Kupferschmidt K Countries test tactics in “war” against COVID-19.Science. 2020; 367: 1287-1288Crossref PubMed Scopus (141) Google Scholar Initially testing capacity was low, thus testing data were essential for interpretation of the COVID-19 case notification rate (ie, number of cases per 100 000 population) since the number of reported cases tended to only reflect the number of tests done. This remained true with increasing testing capacity, which enabled testing of mild or asymptomatic cases. The format of these indicators varied across countries, but the objectives were similar. For EU and European Economic Area (EEA) countries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) calculates both testing rate (number of tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection per 100 000 population done in the previous week) and test positivity (percentage of positive tests among all tests for SARS-CoV-2 infection done in the previous week), which, among others, are also used by the European Council to coordinate the restriction of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.4Council of the European UnionCouncil Recommendation (EU) 2020/1475 of 13 October 2020 on a coordinated approach to the restriction of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (text with EEA relevance).https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32020H1475Date accessed: July 29, 2021Google Scholar The weekly testing rate at the level of EU and EEA countries has increased linearly since March, 2020, and exceeded 4000 tests per 100 000 population in May, 2021. This pattern continued despite fluctuations in notification rates.

Many people with long COVID feel that science is failing them. Neglecting them could make the pandemic even worse.

A large study of children and young people who caught SARS-CoV-2 has found that as many as one in seven (14%) may still have symptoms 15 weeks later.1 However, this figure is lower than in some studies that have reported a prevalence of long covid as high as 51% in children and young people.Speaking at a Science Media Centre briefing, the study’s lead author, Terence Stephenson, who is Nuffield professor of child health at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in London, said, “It is reassuring that the figures were lower than the worst case scenarios predicted last December. However, they are not of trivial importance.”

Importance  Detailed information about the association of COVID-19 with outcomes in pregnant individuals compared with not-infected pregnant individuals is much needed.Objective  To evaluate the risks associated with COVID-19 in pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes compared with not-infected, concomitant pregnant individuals.Design, Setting, and Participants  In this cohort study that took place from March to October 2020, involving 43 institutions in 18 countries, 2 unmatched, consecutive, not-infected women were concomitantly enrolled immediately after each infected woman was identified, at any stage of pregnancy or delivery, and at the same level of care to minimize bias. Women and neonates were followed up until hospital discharge.Exposures  COVID-19 in pregnancy determined by laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 and/or radiological pulmonary findings or 2 or more predefined COVID-19 symptoms.Main Outcomes and Measures  The primary outcome measures were indices of (maternal and severe neonatal/perinatal) morbidity and mortality; the individual components of these indices were secondary outcomes. Models for these outcomes were adjusted for country, month entering study, maternal age, and history of morbidity.Results  A total of 706 pregnant women with COVID-19 diagnosis and 1424 pregnant women without COVID-19 diagnosis were enrolled, all with broadly similar demographic characteristics (mean [SD] age, 30.2 [6.1] years). Overweight early in pregnancy occurred in 323 women (48.6%) with COVID-19 diagnosis and 554 women (40.2%) without. Women with COVID-19 diagnosis were at higher risk for preeclampsia/eclampsia (relative risk [RR], 1.76; 95% CI, 1.27-2.43), severe infections (RR, 3.38; 95% CI, 1.63-7.01), intensive care unit admission (RR, 5.04; 95% CI, 3.13-8.10), maternal mortality (RR, 22.3; 95% CI, 2.88-172), preterm birth (RR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.30-1.94), medically indicated preterm birth (RR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.56-2.51), severe neonatal morbidity index (RR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.69-4.18), and severe perinatal morbidity and mortality index (RR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.66-2.75). Fever and shortness of breath for any duration was associated with increased risk of severe maternal complications (RR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.92-3.40) and neonatal complications (RR, 4.97; 95% CI, 2.11-11.69). Asymptomatic women with COVID-19 diagnosis remained at higher risk only for maternal morbidity (RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.00-1.54) and preeclampsia (RR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.01-2.63). Among women who tested positive (98.1% by real-time polymerase chain reaction), 54 (13%) of their neonates tested positive. Cesarean delivery (RR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.18-3.91) but not breastfeeding (RR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.66-1.85) was associated with increased risk for neonatal test positivity.Conclusions and Relevance  In this multinational cohort study, COVID-19 in pregnancy was associated with consistent and substantial increases in severe maternal morbidity and mortality and neonatal complications when pregnant women with and without COVID-19 diagnosis were compared. The findings should alert pregnant individuals and clinicians to implement strictly all the recommended COVID-19 preventive measures.

Experts who study the way we think and make decisions say that it can be more than politics driving our decision-making this year. The unprecedented nature of the pandemic undermines how we process information and assess risk. Need proof? Look around.

Helen Craig discusses how patient and public involvement and engagement sat at the heart of a new programme to support people with long COVID, ensuring that the work focused on the symptoms that matter to patients – and that the digital solution was useable for all.

Two state government websites in Georgia recently stopped posting updates on covid-19 cases in prisons and long-term care facilities, just as the dangerous delta variant was taking hold.

Two state government websites in Georgia recently stopped posting updates on covid-19 cases in prisons and long-term care facilities, just as the dangerous delta variant was taking hold.

As the delta variant spreads through Florida, data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest this could be the most serious and deadly surge in COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic. As cases ballooned in August, however, the Florida Department of Health changed the way it reported death data to the CDC, giving the appearance of a pandemic in decline, an analysis of Florida data by the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald found. On Monday, Florida death data would have shown an average of 262 daily deaths reported to the CDC over the previous week had the health department used its former reporting system, the Herald analysis showed. Instead, the Monday update from Florida showed just 46 “new deaths” per day over the previous seven days.

Search engines that highlight key papers are keeping scientists up to date.

Vastly different experiences across geography, generations and societies may have dramatic political impact

Disease modelling has had considerable policy impact during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and it is increasingly acknowledged that combining multiple models can improve the reliability of outputs. Here we report insights from ten weeks of collaborative short-term forecasting of COVID-19 in Germany and Poland (12 October–19 December 2020). The study period covers the onset of the second wave in both countries, with tightening non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and subsequently a decay (Poland) or plateau and renewed increase (Germany) in reported cases. Thirteen independent teams provided probabilistic real-time forecasts of COVID-19 cases and deaths. These were reported for lead times of one to four weeks, with evaluation focused on one- and two-week horizons, which are less affected by changing NPIs. Heterogeneity between forecasts was considerable both in terms of point predictions and forecast spread. Ensemble forecasts showed good relative performance, in particular in terms of coverage, but did not clearly dominate single-model predictions. The study was preregistered and will be followed up in future phases of the pandemic.

Background Avoiding “causal” language with observational study designs is common publication practice, often justified as being a more cautious approach to interpretation.Objectives We aimed to i) estimate the degree to which causality was implied by both the language linking exposures to outcomes and by action recommendations in the high-profile health literature, ii) examine disconnects between language and recommendations, iii) identify which linking phrases were most common, and iv) generate estimates by which these phrases imply causality.Methods We identified 18 of the most prominent general medical/public health/epidemiology journals, and searched and screened for articles published from 2010 to 2019 that investigated exposure/outcome pairs until we reached 65 non-RCT articles per journal (n=1,170). Two independent reviewers and an arbitrating reviewer rated the degree to which they believed causality had been implied by the language in abstracts based on written guidance. Reviewers then rated causal implications of linking words in isolation. For comparison, additional review was performed for full texts and for a secondary sample of RCTs.Results Reviewers rated the causal implication of the sentence and phrase linking the exposure and outcome as None (i.e., makes no causal implication) in 13.8%, Weak in 34.2%, Moderate in 33.2%, and Strong in 18.7% of abstracts. Reviewers identified an action recommendation in 34.2% of abstracts. Of these action recommendations, reviewers rated the causal implications as None in 5.3%, Weak in 19.0%, Moderate in 42.8% and Strong in 33.0% of cases. The implied causality of action recommendations was often higher than the implied causality of linking sentences (44.5%) or commensurate (40.3%), with 15.3% being weaker. The most common linking word root identified in abstracts was “associate” (n=535/1,170; 45.7%) (e.g. “association,” “associated,” etc). There were only 16 (1.4%) abstracts using “cause” in the linking or modifying phrases. Reviewer ratings for causal implications of word roots were highly heterogeneous, including those commonly considered non-causal.Discussion We found substantial disconnects between causal implications used to link an exposure to an outcome and the action implications made. This undercuts common assumptions about what words are often considered non-causal and that policing them eliminates causal implications. We recommend that instead of policing words, editors, researchers, and communicators should increase efforts at making research questions, as well as the potential of studies to answer them, more transparent.

Michael Mansfield QC began the fifth session of the People’s Covid Inquiry by pointing out that the Archbishop of Canterbury had now added his voice to the many organisations and individuals calling for a judicial inquiry into the pandemic. However, there was still no sign of the government setting one up. He reminded people that even if the government did start the process, it could dictate its own terms of reference which meant that it could choose not to examine certain areas such as the awarding of contracts during the pandemic.

Many scientists, confined to home office by COVID‐19, have been gathering in online communities, which could become viable alternatives to physical meetings and conferences.

The global spread of antiscience beliefs, misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories is posing a threat to the well-being of individuals and societies worldwide. Accordingly, research on why people increasingly doubt science and endorse “alternative facts” is flourishing. Much of this work has focused on identifying cognitive biases and individual differences. Importantly, however, the reasons that lead people to question mainstream scientific findings and share misinformation are also inherently tied to social processes that emerge out of divisive commitments to group identities and worldviews. In this special issue, we focus on the important and thus far neglected role of group processes in motivating science skepticism. The articles that feature in this special issue cover three core areas: the group-based roots of antiscience attitudes; the intergroup dynamics between science and conspiratorial thinking; and finally, insights about science denial related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across all articles, we highlight the role of worldviews, identities, norms, religion, and other inter- and intragroup processes that shape antiscientific attitudes. We hope that this collection will inspire future research endeavors that take a group processes approach to the social psychological study of science skepticism.

For those of us in the ‘Western’ world, wearing face masks was likely something we rarely did prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, over a year since our first experiences with lockdowns and public health responses dominating public life, masks are ubiquitous. For some, instructions to wear masks in public places have been an opportunity to chart new courses in fashion or have simply been a minor inconvenience in the effort to prevent the further spread of Covid-19. Alternatively, for others in more libertarian and sometimes conspiratorial groups, the face mask has become a symbol of the overreach of the state. They argue that it is not the state’s role to decide their own personal appetite for risk with regards to exposure to covid. Anand Pandian, an anthropologist who has been working with members of American conservative circles, has recently written in The Guardian how masks have become symbols mapping political polarisation in the United States. Pandian’s informants even refer to masks as “face diapers” and as fitting neatly into a narrative of the United States entering into a “heedless slide into totalitarian culture”, characterised by “ever-expanding state control”. There has also been widespread controversy around the Governor of Florida banning mask mandates in the state. I suspect for many of those reading this blog post the opposition to wearing masks seems deeply irrational and perplexing. Likewise, I have found these sentiments troubling and an affront to my own sense of community and ethics. For myself, wearing a mask has become a way of publicly presenting my commitment to stopping the spread of viruses and an acknowledgement of science and evidence as a guide to public health policy. So how has the face mask become a symbol of such divergent meanings?

Not all persons recovering from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection develop SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies. We show that nonseroconversion is associated with younger age and higher reverse transcription PCR cycle threshold values and identify SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in the nasopharynx as a major correlate of the systemic antibody response.

A 2015 paper on a chicken virus showed vaccines could enable more deadly variants to spread – in chickens. But that outcome is rare. Only a minority of human and animal vaccines have affected the evolution of a virus. In most of those cases, evolution didn’t increase the severity of the pathogen. The hypothetical possibility that the COVID-19 vaccines could result in more harmful variants is no reason to avoid inoculation. Rather, it shows the need to continue developing vaccines.

Facebook’s heavy-handedness could open a window for research in the public interest.

During crises and disasters, such as hurricanes, terrorist threats, or pandemics, policymakers must often increase security at the cost of freedom. Psychological science, however, has shown that the restriction of freedom may have strong negative consequences for behavior and health. We suggest that psychology can inform policy both by elucidating some negative consequences of lost freedom (e.g., depression or behavioral reactance) and by revealing strategies to address them. We propose four interlocking principles that can help policymakers restore the freedom-security balance. Careful consideration of the psychology of freedom can help policymakers develop policies that most effectively promote public health, safety, and well-being when crises and disasters strike.

CHICAGO — The American Medical Association (AMA) today released a new survey (PDF) among practicing physicians that shows more than 96 percent of surveyed U.S. physicians have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with no significant difference in vaccination rates across regions. Of the physicians who are not yet vaccinated, an additional 45 percent do plan to get vaccinated.

Analysis: Despite vaccines Ireland faces uncertainty as schools reopen and winter looms

As of this week, 72% of the adult population in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. While this progress represents a marked achievement in vaccinations that has led to steep declines in COVID-19 cases and deaths, vaccination coverage—and the protections provided by it—remains uneven across the country. With the growing spread of the more transmissible Delta variant, cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are once again rising, largely among unvaccinated people. While White adults account for the largest share (57%) of unvaccinated adults, Black and Hispanic people remain less likely than their White counterparts to have received a vaccine, leaving them at increased risk, particularly as the variant spreads.

Just reported: About half of recent ICU patients with #Covid19 in #Vermont are vaccinated. Sounds like the vaccines aren't working, right? WRONG. Vaccines are working and here's why. But first, let's talk a bit about unprotected sex. A thread. (Refs at the end.) 1/n

Background: COVID-19 vaccines are being recognized as a way to stop the ongoing pandemic. However, for this method to be effective, it requires a high level of people’s willingness to be vaccinated. In this context, measuring the psychological aspects of attitudes towards vaccination against COVID-19 when the vaccine was developed but not yet distributed was of interest. Method: In a study conducted on a sample of 468 Polish participants, we measured attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine in the context of such variables as fear of COVID, the general tendency to conspiracy ideation and conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19, knowledge about vaccines, attitudes towards science, previous protective behaviors during a pandemic, perceived infectability and germ avoidance. We also tested the association of attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine with participants’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, gender, age, and level of education. Results: The analyses revealed correlations between attitudes towards the vaccine with most of the variables studied. A regression model with predictors such as fear of COVID, attitudes towards science, and conspiracy beliefs related to COVID-19 explained 46% of the variance of the attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine. Male participants were more positive about the COVID-19 vaccine than female participants. Attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine were not related to personal experiences of the pandemic, the age, and the level of education of participants. Conclusion: The obtained results show the importance of psychological aspects concerning attitudes towards vaccination, which can be considered in designing preventive public interventions.

One of Tyson Foods' business units is dangling a hefty carrot hoping it will encourage workers to get vaccinated.

As the world responds to the  COVID-19 pandemic, we face the challenge of an overabundance of information related to the virus. Some of this information may be false and potentially harmful. Inaccurate information spreads widely and at speed, making it more difficult for the public to identify verified facts and advice  from trusted sources, such as  their local health authority or WHO. However, everyone can help to stop the spread. If you see content online that you believe to be false or misleading, you can report it to the hosting social media platform. 

Scientists are trying to understand why a small number of people develop a mysterious clotting disorder after receiving a COVID jab.

Background: We evaluated the durability of SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels elicited by the single dose Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, Ad26.COV2.S, and the impact on antibody responses of boosting with Ad26.COV2.S after 6 months in clinical trial participants. Methods: Spike-binding antibody and SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody levels elicited by a single-dose Ad26.COV2.S (5x1010 viral particles [vp]) primary regimen and booster doses (5x1010 vp and 1.25x1010 vp) were assessed by ELISA and wild-type VNA in sera from participants in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial (Cohort 1a, 18–55 years old, N=25; Cohort 2a, 18–55 years old boosted at 6 months, N=17; Cohort 3, ≥65 years old, N=22) and a Phase 2 clinical trial (18–55 and ≥65-year old participants boosted at 6 months, total N=73). Neutralizing antibody levels were determined approximately 8 months after the primary vaccination in participants aged 18–55 years and approximately 9 months in participants aged ≥65 years. Binding antibody levels were evaluated 6 months after primary vaccination and 7- and 28-days after booster doses in both age groups. Results: A single dose of Ad26.COV2.S elicited neutralizing antibodies that remained largely stable for approximately 8–9 months and binding antibodies that remained stable for at least 6 months irrespective of age group. A 5x1010 vp booster dose at 6 months post prime vaccination in 18–55-year-old adults elicited a steep and robust 9-fold increase at Day 7 post boost compared to Day 29 levels following the initial immunization. A lower booster dose of 1.25x1010 vp at 6 months in adults 18–55 and ≥65 years of age also elicited a rapid and high increase of 6–7.7 fold at Day 28 post boost compared to Day 29 levels following the initial immunization, with similar magnitude of post-boost responses in both age groups. Conclusions: A single dose of Ad26.COV2.S, which demonstrated protection in a Phase 3 efficacy trial, elicited durable neutralizing and binding antibodies for at least 8 and 6 months, respectively, in adults >18 years of age at levels similar to Day 29 responses. A 5x1010 vp or 1.25x1010 vp booster dose at 6 months elicited rapid and robust increases in spike binding antibody levels. The anamnestic responses after booster immunization imply robust immune memory elicited by single-dose Ad26.COV2.S.

North Cornwall town reeling and people urged not to visit as thousands of cases linked to festival

Recently the Netherlands saw a substantial increase in pro-COVID-19 vaccination intention (48 to 75%). Using qualitative methods we identified vaccination beliefs and contextual factors informing this increase. Quantitative methods confirm that intentions were a function of beliefs: people with stronger intention to vaccinate were motivated most by protecting others and reopening society, those reluctant were mostly concerned by (unknown long-term) side effects. We demonstrate that belief shifts track intentional shifts, and offer insights for improving pro-vaccination campaigns.

Purpose: Preliminary research early in the COVID-19 pandemic suggested children appeared to be at increased risk for child maltreatment, particularly as parents struggled with mental health and economic strains. To identify the potential affective elements that may contribute to such increased maltreatment risk, the current study focused on whether maternal worry about children’s behavior specifically and maternal anger were related to increased risk for neglect or physical or psychological aggression six months into the pandemic. Method: The racially diverse sample included 193 mothers who completed an online survey during late September-early October 2020. Results: Mothers’ reported increases in neglect and physical and psychological aggression during the pandemic were significantly related with established measures of maltreatment risk. Furthermore, path models indicated that maternal anger and worry about children’s behavior, as well as their interaction, were significantly related to indicators of physical aggression risk and neglect during the pandemic, but only maternal anger related to increased psychological aggression during the pandemic. Conclusions: Maternal worry and anger about children’s behavior may be exacerbating risk for maltreatment under the stressful conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings suggest affective reactions of both parental worry and anger focused on child behavior warrants greater empirical attention and consideration in intervention efforts.

It has been widely argued that social media users with low digital literacy – who lack fluency with basic technological concepts related to the internet – are more likely to fall for online misinformation, but surprisingly little research has examined this association empirically. In a large survey experiment involving true and false news posts about politics and COVID-19, we find that digital literacy is indeed an important predictor of the ability to tell truth from falsehood when judging headline accuracy. However, digital literacy is not a significant predictor of users’ intentions to share true versus false headlines. This observation reinforces the disconnect between accuracy judgments and sharing intentions, and suggests that interventions beyond merely improving digital literacy are likely needed to reduce the spread of misinformation online.

The fans’ importance in sports is acknowledged by the term ‘the 12th man’, a figurative extra player for the home team. Sport teams are indeed more successful when they play in front of their fans than when they play away. The supposed mechanism behind this phenomenon, termed Home Advantage (HA), is that fans’ support spurs home players to better performance and biases referees, which in turn determines the outcome. The inference about the importance of fans’ support is, however, indirect as there is normally a 12th man of this kind, even if it is an opponent’s. The current pandemic, which forced sporting activities to take place behind closed doors, provides the necessary control condition. Here we employ a novel conceptual HA model on a sample of over 4,000 soccer matches from 12 European leagues, some played in front of spectators and some in empty stadia, to demonstrate that fans are indeed responsible for the HA. However, the absence of fans reduces the HA by a third, as the home team’s performance suffers and the officials’ bias disappears. The current pandemic reveals that the figurative 12th man is no mere fan hyperbole, but is in fact the most important player in the home team.

There is accumulating evidence of the neurological and neuropsychiatric features of infection with SARS-CoV-2. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to describe the characteristics of the early literature and estimate point prevalences for neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations.We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL up to 18 July 2020 for randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies and case series. Studies reporting prevalences of neurological or neuropsychiatric symptoms were synthesised into meta-analyses to estimate pooled prevalence.13 292 records were screened by at least two authors to identify 215 included studies, of which there were 37 cohort studies, 15 case-control studies, 80 cross-sectional studies and 83 case series from 30 countries. 147 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The symptoms with the highest prevalence were anosmia (43.1% (95% CI 35.2% to 51.3%), n=15 975, 63 studies), weakness (40.0% (95% CI 27.9% to 53.5%), n=221, 3 studies), fatigue (37.8% (95% CI 31.6% to 44.4%), n=21 101, 67 studies), dysgeusia (37.2% (95% CI 29.8% to 45.3%), n=13 686, 52 studies), myalgia (25.1% (95% CI 19.8% to 31.3%), n=66 268, 76 studies), depression (23.0% (95% CI 11.8% to 40.2%), n=43 128, 10 studies), headache (20.7% (95% CI 16.1% to 26.1%), n=64 613, 84 studies), anxiety (15.9% (5.6% to 37.7%), n=42 566, 9 studies) and altered mental status (8.2% (95% CI 4.4% to 14.8%), n=49 326, 19 studies). Heterogeneity for most clinical manifestations was high.Neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms of COVID-19 in the pandemic’s early phase are varied and common. The neurological and psychiatric academic communities should develop systems to facilitate high-quality methodologies, including more rapid examination of the longitudinal course of neuropsychiatric complications of newly emerging diseases and their relationship to neuroimaging and inflammatory biomarkers.psychiatryclinical neurologysystematic reviewsCOVID-19meta-analysisThis article is made freely available for use in accordance with BMJ’s website terms and conditions for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic or until otherwise determined by BMJ. You may use, download and print the article for any lawful, non-commercial purpose (including text and data mining) provided that all copyright notices and trade marks are retained.

In the current exploratory study, we investigated the willingness of participants to vaccinate against the novel coronavirus [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)] that has shaken up the world since the beginning of 2020. More specifically, we tested the mediating role of conspiracy beliefs (CBs) on the relationship between threat perception (TP) and willingness of participants to vaccinate against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), along with a series of associated demographic variables. Overall, 40% of our sample expressed total rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine. Our results suggested no significant differences in gender, age, educational level, and vaccine acceptance or hesitancy of participants. The results also indicated that CBs partially mediated the relationship between TP and willingness of participants to vaccinate. The current findings are discussed within the theory of planned behavior (TPB) framework and their importance for public health communication and practices and building public trust within the global fight against COVID-19. We considered the present results as a valuable starting point in understanding the psychological constructs related to the extended model of TPB and other personal factors and addressed the attitudinal roots that shape the acceptance and rejection of COVID-19 vaccination.

Background: Healthcare workers are frontline responders facing a disproportionate increase in occupational responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Added work-related stress among healthcare personnel may lead to personal and work-related repercussions, such as burnout or decreased quality of care for patients; however, little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the daily work and life of these workers. This study aimed to evaluate the personal and occupational impacts of the COVID-19 induced partial lockdown in Vietnam among hospital staff. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based study was carried out to collect demographic data and the personal and job impacts of respondents during the second week of national lockdown in April 2020. Snowball sampling technique was applied to recruit 742 hospital staff. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the validity of the instrument. Results: Of the 742 respondents, 21.2% agreed that “working attitude well-maintained,” followed by 16.1% of respondents who reported that there were “enough employees at work.” Only 3.2% of respondents agreed that “their work was appreciated by society.” Furthermore, healthcare workers in the central region were less likely to have experienced “Avoidance of disclosure and discrimination related to COVID-19” than other areas (Coef. = – 0.25, CI: −0.42 to −0.07). Being women also had a negative association with scores in “Avoidance of disclosure and discrimination related to COVID 19” domain (Coef. = −0.27, CI: −0.43 to −0.12) while having a positive association with “negative attitude towards working conditions” domain (Coef. = 0.19, CI: 0.09 to 0.3). In addition, working in administrative offices (Coef. = 0.20; 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.36) and infectious departments (Coef. = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.09 to 0.63) had a positive association with “Increased work pressure due to COVID 19” domain. Conclusion: These findings revealed marginal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work and life of hospital staff in Vietnam. Furthermore, this study highlighted the importance of implementing preventive strategies during the nationwide partial lockdown to manage hospital admissions and the burden on healthcare workers. Finally, this study characterizes targeted demographics that may benefit from appreciation by employers and society during a national pandemic.

COVID-19 has brought a massive psychological impact on individuals' life. The current study sets a significant purpose to test the model whether post-traumatic stress and coping strategies affect stress-related growth regarding the COVID-19 event. One hundred and ninety-nine participants have participated in an online survey in the period of lockdown. The proposed hypotheses model is further tested using PLS-SEM. The first model explains a significant moderate, 46% amount of variance for stress-related growth. With gender as moderator, the second model explains a significant 29% amount of variance for stress-related growth, which is also moderate. This study shows that active coping strategies and positive affirmation significantly influence individual stress-related growth. The trauma event (COVID-19) does not significantly affect growth. Women experience trauma compared to men, besides active coping with the COVID-19 situation is higher in men than women. Using the Bio-centric perspective, having a positive connection through acceptance and awareness of the situation, self-care, and affective interaction with others would develop growth regarding traumatic situations. Further, interventions about coping skills and positive affirmations are essential to give, especially to vulnerable groups such as women.

Move aimed at pushing employees to get COVID vaccinesUnited Airlines mandated shots for its employeesComes amid surge in Delta variant infections

mRNA-based vaccines provide effective protection against most common SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, identifying likely breakthrough variants is critical for future vaccine development. Here, we found that the Delta variant completely escaped from anti-N-terminal domain (NTD) neutralizing antibodies, while increasing responsiveness to anti-NTD infectivity-enhancing antibodies. Although Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2-immune sera neutralized the Delta variant, when four common mutations were introduced into the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the Delta variant (Delta 4+), some BNT162b2-immune sera lost neutralizing activity and enhanced the infectivity. Unique mutations in the Delta NTD were involved in the enhanced infectivity by the BNT162b2-immune sera. Sera of mice immunized by Delta spike, but not wild-type spike, consistently neutralized the Delta 4+ variant without enhancing infectivity. Given the fact that a Delta variant with three similar RBD mutations has already emerged according to the GISAID database, it is necessary to develop vaccines that protect against such complete breakthrough variants.

Final blinded analysis of Phase 3 COVE study of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shows 93% efficacy; efficacy remains durable through six months after second dose

Wealthy countries, including the UK, have secured hundreds of millions of covid vaccines that they no longer need or cannot use. Now they stand accused of wasting lifesaving vaccines, reports Jane Feinmann

Purpose Beliefs that the risks from the vaccine outweigh the risks from getting COVID-19 and concerns that the vaccine development process was rushed and lacking rigor have been identified as important drivers of hesitancy and refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine. We tested whether messages designed to address these beliefs and concerns might promote intentions to get a COVID-19 vaccine.Method An online survey fielded between March 8-March 23, 2021 with US Veteran (n=688) and non-Veteran (n=387) respondents. In a between-subjects experiment, respondents were randomly assigned to a control group (with no message) or to read one of two intervention messages: 1. a fact-box styled message comparing the risks of getting COVID-19 compared to the vaccine, and 2. a timeline styled message describing the development process of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.Results Most respondents (60%) wanted a COVID-19 vaccine. However, 17% expressed hesitancy and 23% did not want to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The fact-box styled message and the timeline message did not significantly improve vaccination intentions, F(2,359)=0.91, p=.402, <img class="highwire-embed" alt="Embedded Image" src="https://www.medrxiv.org/sites/default/files/highwire/medrxiv/early/2021/07/02/2021.06.25.21259519/embed/inline-graphic-1.gif"/>, or reduce the time respondents wanted to wait before getting vaccinated, F(2,307)=0.76, p=.468, <img class="highwire-embed" alt="Embedded Image" src="https://www.medrxiv.org/sites/default/files/highwire/medrxiv/early/2021/07/02/2021.06.25.21259519/embed/inline-graphic-2.gif"/>, compared to no messages.Discussion We did not find an impact on vaccine intention based on providing information about vaccine risks and development. Further research is needed to identify how to effectively address concerns about the risks associated with COVID-19 vaccines and the development process and to understand additional factors that influence vaccine intentions.

Crashing computers, three-week delays tracking infections, lab results delivered by snail mail: State officials detail a vast failure to identify hotspots quickly enough to prevent outbreaks.

Here's some really simple modeling that hopefully will help provide some insight into why having a large, unvaccinated minority in Ontario is a problem for the population as a whole.

There is SO MUCH misunderstanding about what a #vaccine #mandate IS & what a vaccine mandate DOES. No one is calling for anyone to be banned. No one is calling for anyone to be forcibly vaccinated. Please, gather 'round and listen up, so you know what we're talking about... 1/n

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been exposed to an abundance of information from a large number of sources. Amid all this information, many people have also been exposed to health misinformation: information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence at the time. Misinformation has caused confusion and led people to decline COVID-19 vaccines, reject public health measures such as masking and physical distancing, and use unproven treatments. Although health misinformation is not a recent phenomenon, in recent years it has spread at unprecedented speed and scale, especially online. But, together, we have the power to build a healthier information environment where we make more informed decisions about our health and the health of our loved ones and communities. Preventing and addressing health misinformation is a major priority for the Surgeon General. In a new Surgeon General’s Advisory, available below, the Surgeon General is warning the American public about the urgent threat of health misinformation and calling for a whole-of-society approach to address health misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Aug 18 (Reuters) - Facebook Inc (FB.O) said it removed over three dozen pages spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, after the White House called on social media firms to tighten controls on pandemic-related facts shared on their platforms.

A surge involving the rapidly-transmitting Delta variant in heavily vaccinated countries has led to much hand-wringing that the vaccines are not effective against Delta, or vaccine efficacy wanes after 4-6 months. This has fueled anti-vaccine sentiment suggesting the vaccines are not working, and causing much stress in vaccinated people that they are not as protected as they thought they would be.

Today, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention took an important step in protecting the nation’s health by reinstating indoor masking for both vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, in particularly high-risk circumstances. That’s good. And so is the jump in institutions like the Veterans Health Administration requiring COVID-19 vaccination. But we need to take more forceful action, and it needs to happen faster. Just over the last few weeks, the Delta variant of the virus has swept through the United States, changing so many of the things we thought we understood about COVID-19. The federal government needs to find a way to forget past mistakes and misjudgments in the face of what can fairly be described as a new threat.

AS THE nights begin to draw in and schoolchildren across the northern hemisphere start trooping back into the classroom, there are three words that ought to be inscribed on every blackboard: ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. “Ventilation is a critically important control measure for covid-19,” says Cath Noakes, an environmental engineer at the University of Leeds, UK, and a member of the UK government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

There seems to be a growing interest in a drug called ivermectin to treat humans with COVID-19. Ivermectin is often used in the U.S. to treat or prevent parasites in animals.  The FDA has received multiple reports of patients who have required medical support and been hospitalized after self-medicating with ivermectin intended for horses.

Enforcement in the state’s public school systems of Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates has been dropped, for now, the Texas Education Agency said Thursday.

correction to the original model slide (didn't want to break the tweet string) - model includes 2-3 children starting off the school year with COVID as well. And then one child brings a new case to school every week.

You can go to the site and download a PDF of the slides Without mitigation, they predict 80% of elementary students will be infected within 2 months, with most cases within span of 30 days. Historically during the pandemic, 1% of symptomatic children are hospitalized.....

Denise Dewald, MD @denise_dewald·Aug 12COVSIM School Policy Video 2 (5min): here they show how different interventions change the course of school outbreaks. https://youtu.be/vn0zbCVvkSE via @YouTube

COVSIM School Policy Video 1: explains their model - one child introduces COVID to the school of 500 children weekly https://youtu.be/RPadviO-CPY via @YouTube

"Masks and testing, when used in combination, can prevent 80% of new infections." -- at least with the older variants; I am not sure this is true for delta. We need the data to make this assertion.

"Our modeling found that without masks or regular testing, up to 90% of susceptible students may become infected by the end of the semester."

Here are some modeling predictions for the delta variant from COVSIM (group at North Carolina State): PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT - RESOURCES TO SHARE WITH YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT School-level COVID-19 Modeling Results for North Carolina for #DeltaVariant

Washington (CNN)The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday changed its masking recommendations as it grows more concerned over the Delta variant of Covid-19, urging vaccinated people in certain areas of the country to resume wearing masks indoors in public areas.CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced that the agency now recommends that people in areas with "high" or "substantial" Covid-19 transmission should resume wearing masks indoors. Nearly two-thirds of US counties have high or substantial transmission of Covid-19, according to CDC data; 46% of counties have high transmission and 17% have substantial transmission.

BackgroundPeople living with HIV are at an increased risk of fatal outcome when admitted to hospital for severe COVID-19 compared with HIV-negative individuals. We aimed to assess safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine in people with HIV and HIV-negative individuals in South Africa.MethodsIn this ongoing, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 1B/2A trial (COV005), people with HIV and HIV-negative participants aged 18–65 years were enrolled at seven South African locations and were randomly allocated (1:1) with full allocation concealment to receive a prime-boost regimen of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, with two doses given 28 days apart. Eligibility criteria for people with HIV included being on antiretroviral therapy for at least 3 months, with a plasma HIV viral load of less than 1000 copies per mL. In this interim analysis, safety and reactogenicity was assessed in all individuals who received at least one dose of ChAdOx1 nCov 19 between enrolment and Jan 15, 2021. Primary immunogenicity analyses included participants who received two doses of trial intervention and were SARS-CoV-2 seronegative at baseline. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04444674, and the Pan African Clinicals Trials Registry, PACTR202006922165132.FindingsBetween June 24 and Nov 12, 2020, 104 people with HIV and 70 HIV-negative individuals were enrolled. 102 people with HIV (52 vaccine; 50 placebo) and 56 HIV-negative participants (28 vaccine; 28 placebo) received the priming dose, 100 people with HIV (51 vaccine; 49 placebo) and 46 HIV-negative participants (24 vaccine; 22 placebo) received two doses (priming and booster). In participants seronegative for SARS-CoV-2 at baseline, there were 164 adverse events in those with HIV (86 vaccine; 78 placebo) and 237 in HIV-negative participants (95 vaccine; 142 placebo). Of seven serious adverse events, one severe fever in a HIV-negative participant was definitely related to trial intervention and one severely elevated alanine aminotranferase in a participant with HIV was unlikely related; five others were deemed unrelated. One person with HIV died (unlikely related). People with HIV and HIV-negative participants showed vaccine-induced serum IgG responses against wild-type Wuhan-1 Asp614Gly (also known as D614G). For participants seronegative for SARS-CoV-2 antigens at baseline, full-length spike geometric mean concentration (GMC) at day 28 was 163·7 binding antibody units (BAU)/mL (95% CI 89·9–298·1) for people with HIV (n=36) and 112·3 BAU/mL (61·7–204·4) for HIV-negative participants (n=23), with a rising day 42 GMC booster response in both groups. Baseline SARS-CoV-2 seropositive people with HIV demonstrated higher antibody responses after each vaccine dose than did people with HIV who were seronegative at baseline. High-level binding antibody cross-reactivity for the full-length spike and receptor-binding domain of the beta variant (B.1.351) was seen regardless of HIV status. In people with HIV who developed high titre responses, predominantly those who were receptor-binding domain seropositive at enrolment, neutralising activity against beta was retained.InterpretationChAdOx1 nCoV-19 was well tolerated, showing favourable safety and immunogenicity in people with HIV, including heightened immunogenicity in SARS-CoV-2 baseline-seropositive participants. People with HIV showed cross-reactive binding antibodies to the beta variant and Asp614Gly wild-type, and high responders retained neutralisation against beta.FundingThe Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, South African Medical Research Council, UK Research and Innovation, UK National Institute for Health Research, and the South African Medical Research Council.

Australian children who test positive for COVID-19 are not being separated from their parents, local police have said, after such a claim was made in a now-viral video.

C.D.C. Recommends Covid Vaccines During Pregnancy “Only 23% of pregnant women have received even 1 dose of Covid vaccine in the US, and, in recent weeks, physicians have reported seeing more pregnant patients becoming infected, C.D.C. officials said”

There are five key factors that universities should consider ahead of the start of the new academic year, say Simon Williams and Gavin Yamey One year ago, when universities in the United States re-opened for the fall semester, the outcome was disastrous. At that time, the US had about 55,000 new daily cases and there was “no federal covid-19 control plan or coordinated vision for safely reopening universities.” [1] In the United Kingdom, like the US, chaotic re-openings sparked outbreaks that plunged “entire flats and halls of residence into lockdown.” [2,3] With universities on both sides of the Atlantic about to reopen, institutions of higher education are “once again confronting the challenges posed by SARS-CoV-2 in their planning for safe operations during the approaching academic year.” [4] The challenges are heightened by the Delta variant, which is estimated to be twice as transmissible as the original coronavirus strain, and which is now dominant in both the US and UK. [5] 

In October 2019, a month or so before Covid-19 began to spread from the industrial Chinese city of Wuhan, Steven Taylor, an Australian psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, published what would turn out to be a remarkably prophetic book, The Psychology of Pandemics.

As Australian health officials encourage eligible high school students to get vaccinated for COVID-19 before upcoming in-person exams, social media users are spreading false claims that their efforts involve forcibly injecting children.

Massive UK study of COVID-19 cases shows that people who are jabbed have good immunity at first, but quickly become more vulnerable to the fast-spreading Delta variant.

great Covid statistical musical video from Italy! https://youtube.com/watch?v=glueeURebDU… (A limited genre, to be true, but surely one that can only grow)

great Covid statistical musical video from Italy! https://youtube.com/watch?v=glueeURebDU… (A limited genre, to be true, but surely one that can only grow)

This report provides an overview of the progress in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in adults (aged 18 years and above) across EU/EEA countries. It presents: 1) the number of vaccine doses distributed by manufacturers to each country for the different vaccines products authorised for use in the EU; 2) the uptake of at least one vaccine dose, and of full vaccination (regardless of the dosing schedule) in adults - overall, by age group and by other selected target groups (including healthcare workers [HCWs] and residents in long-term care facilities [LTCFs]). Full vaccination is defined according to the instructions of the manufacturer for each vaccine product. Population denominators for total population and age-specific population are obtained from Eurostat.

It’s part of their Dine On campaign to encourage support of local eateries.

Many of the global problems humanity is facing concern acting appropriately given the available evidence. However, issues including climate change denial (McGlade and Ekins, 2015; Steffen et al., 2015) and anti-vaccination movements (Hargreaves, Lewis, and Speers, 2003; Petrovic, Roberts, and Ramsay, 2001) appear to run contrary to overwhelming evidence. The investigation of these issues has pointed to two possible causes; either insufficient exposure to the evidence at hand, or ulterior / biased motives5. Here I show such explanations are unnecessary, and further, why current counterarguments focussed on scientific evidence may not only be ineffective, but may backfire. I highlight that denialist arguments focusing on credibility-based attacks can provoke rational scepticism of the issue at hand, requiring a shift in counterargument strategy – away from the evidence itself. I show the maximally effective counterargument strategy is to separately and directly address credibility-attacks, salvaging both the immediate issue, and future debate.

We all love French fries, but recently a Harvard professor made headlines with the claim that we should only eat 6 fries per serving.

Eight notable variants of SARS-CoV-2 have been found since September 2020. Elisabeth Mahase reviews the line-up so far

One of the most important things I was looking for in reporting on #SARSCoV2 evolution was a way of making sense of all the virus variants, putting them in some framework. And one of the most useful things I found for that is this antigenic map. It’s worth explaining a bit:

Hoorens and Bruckmüller (2015) reported that people are more likely to judge comparison statements to be true when the comparison is framed as \textit{A is more than B} than when it is framed as \textit{B is less than A}. Skylark (2021) recently provided further evidence for this \textit{more-credible effect}, but found that it did not emerge for all stimulus sets. In particular, there was very little effect of comparative when participants evaluated the truth of statements comparing the amount of land required to produce certain foodstuffs. The present report describes two further pre-registered studies that probe the generality of the more-credible effect. Study 1 used the same land-use comparisons as Skylark (2021) but increased the masses of the foodstuffs from 1 kilo to 1000 tons (the idea being that 'less than' framing might only reduce credibility when the compared quantities are large). A manipulation check found that the change in stated mass increased the subjective size of the items, but there was still little effect of comparative on judgments of truth: more-than statements were judged true about 3\% more often than less-than statements, and the effect was not reliably different from zero. Study 2 asked people to judge the truth of statements comparing the CO2 production of pairs of countries selected from the most polluting countries in the world. A modest, 'significant' more-credible effect emerged, with more-than framing boosting perceived truth by approximately 5\%. Exploratory cross-study comparison indicated that the more-credible effect did not meaningfully differ between the two studies. The factors that determine when, and how far, more-than framing boosts the credibility of comparative statements remains an important topic for inquiry.

The rise of the novel COVID-19 virus has made face masks commonplace items around the globe. Recent research found that face masks significantly impair emotion recognition on isolated faces. However, faces are rarely seen in isolation and the body is also a key cue for emotional portrayal. Here, therefore, we investigated the impact of face masks on emotion recognition when surveying the full body. Stimuli expressing anger, happiness, sadness, and fear were selected from Van den Stock and de Gelder’s (2011) BEAST stimuli set. Masks were added to these images and participants were asked to recognise the emotion and give a confidence level for that decision for both the masked and unmasked stimuli. We found that whilst emotion recognition was generally impaired by face masks, this result was entirely driven by Happy stimuli, leading to the conclusion that contrary to some work viewing faces in isolation, face masks only appear to impair the recognition of happiness when the whole body is present. Contrary to actual performance, confidence levels were found to decline during the Mask condition across all emotional conditions. This research suggests that the impact of masks on emotion recognition may not be as pronounced as previously thought, as long as the whole body is also visible.

A Five-Level Risk and Needs system has been proposed as a common language for standardizing the meaning of risk levels across risk/need tools used in corrections. Study 1 examined whether the Five-Levels could be applied to BARR-2002R (N = 2,390), an actuarial tool for general recidivism. Study 2 examined the construct validity of BARR-2002R risk levels in two samples of individuals with a history of sexual offending (N = 1,081). Study 1 found reasonable correspondence between BARR-2002R scores and four of the five standardized risk levels (no Level V). Study 2 found that the profiles of individuals in Levels II, III, and IV were mostly consistent with expectations; however, individuals in the lowest risk level (Level I) had more criminogenic needs than expected based on the original descriptions of the Five-Levels. The Five-Level system was mostly successful when applied to BARR-2002R. Revisions to this system, or the inclusion of putatively dynamic risk factors and protective factors, may be required to improve alignment with the information provided by certain risk tools.

Misinformation is widespread and consequential. Thus, identifying psychological characteristics that might mitigate misinformation susceptibility represents a timely and pragmatically important issue. One construct that may be particularly relevant to misinformation susceptibility is intellectual humility (IH). As such, we examined whether IH is related to less misinformation susceptibility, what aspects of IH best predict misinformation susceptibility, and whether these relations are unique to IH. Across three samples, IH tended to manifest small-to-medium negative relations with misinformation susceptibility (pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and fake news). IH measures assessing both intrapersonal and interpersonal features tended to be stronger correlates of misinformation susceptibility than measures assessing either intrapersonal or interpersonal features in isolation. These relations tended to remain robust after controlling for covariates (honesty-humility, cognitive reflection, political ideology). Future research should leverage our results to examine whether IH interventions not only reduce misinformation susceptibility but also lessen its appeal for those already committed to misinformation.

This is a summary report of survey data from two cohorts of first year university students at a metropolitan university in Australia: 2019 (i.e., pre-COVID-19) and in 2020 (during the first wave of COVID-19). The results show clear detrimental impact of COVID-19 on multiple measures of stress, mental health and wellbeing, loneliness. The only measure that did not worsen was risky drinking. A sense of belonging to the university and the use of coping strategies were associated with better mental health.

Background. Vaccine hesitancy poses one of the biggest threats to global health. Informing people about the collective benefit of vaccination due to community immunity has great potential in increasing vaccination intentions. Novel communication formats are needed to increase people’s interest in and engagement with such information, boosting the intervention’s effectiveness. This research investigates the potential for virtual reality (VR) to strengthen participants’ understanding of community immunity, and therefore, their intention to get vaccinated. Methods and Findings. In this pre-registered lab-in-the-field intervention study, participants (n= 222) were recruited in a public park. They either experienced the collective benefit of community immunity in a gamified immersive virtual reality environment (2/3 of sample), or received the same information via text and images (1/3 of sample). Before and after the intervention, participants indicated their intention to take up a hypothetical vaccine for a new COVID-19 strain (0–100 scale) and belief in vaccination as a collective responsibility (1–7 scale). After the VR treatment, for participants with imperfect vaccination intention, intention increases by 9.3 points (95% CI:7.0 to 11.5, p <0.001). The text-and-image treatment increases vaccination intention by 3.3 points (difference in effects: 5.8, 95% CI: 2.0 to 9.5, p= 0.003). The VR treatment also increases collective responsibility by 0.82 points (95% CI: 0.37 to 1.27, p <0.001). A key limitation of the study is that it measures vaccination attitudes, but not behavior. Conclusions. VR is an effective tool for increasing vaccination intention, more so than text and images, by eliciting collective responsibility. The results suggest that VR interventions can be applied “in the wild” and may thus provide a complementary method for vaccine advocacy

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and anxiety in the Honduran population. This was made through a quantitative methodology, using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). The sample consisted of 595 Honduran respondents, with a mean age of 25.10 years. The results suggest that female participants reported significantly higher scores in fear of COVID-19 and anxiety than men. A linear regression model determined that fear of COVID-19, sex and age were significant predictors of anxiety scores. The overall model had an r2 of 0.325, with fear of COVID-19 accounting for 29.9% of the variance in GAD-7 scores. The resulting model has a large effect size, f 2= 0.48. The results are discussed considering prior research and their psychosocial implications.

Background: A better understanding of the factors underlying their acceptance may contribute greatly to the design of more effective public health programs during the current and future pandemics. The objectives of the present study were to assess their acceptance after populations experienced their negative effects, and their relationships with COVID-19 perceptions. Methods: Data were collected from 2004 individuals through an online survey conducted 6 to 8 weeks after the first lockdown in France. Participants were asked whether they supported eight COVID-19 preventive measures. COVID-19-related perceptions were also assessed using an adapted version of Witte’s Extended Parallel Process Model, together with sociodemographic and environmental variables. Results: Acceptance rate reached 86.1 % for individual protective measures, such as make mask mandatory in public open space, and 70.0% for collective restrictions, such as isolating the most vulnerable people (80%) or forbidding public gatherings (79.3%). The least popular restrictions were closing all schools/universities and non-essential commerce such as bars and restaurants (57.2%). Acceptance of collective restrictions was positively associated with their perceived efficacy, fear, and perceived severity of COVID-19, and negatively with age older than 60 years. Acceptance of individual protective measures was associated with their perceived efficacy, fear, and perceived severity of COVID-19. Discussion: Acceptance rates of COVID-19 preventive measures were rather high, but varied according to their perceived social cost, and were more related to collective than personal protection. Preventive measures that minimize social costs while controlling the spread of the disease are more likely to be accepted during pandemics.

We examined how different types of communication influence people’s responses to health advice. Specifically, we tested whether presenting Covid-19 prevention advice (i.e., washing hands) as either originating from the government or a scientific source would affect people’s trust and intentions to comply with the advice. We also tested the effects of uncertainty framing: We presented the advice as being either certainly or potentially effective in reducing virus spread. To achieve this, we conducted an experiment using largely representative samples (N = 4,561) from the UK, US, Canada, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Overall, across countries, participants found messages more trustworthy when the purported source was science as opposed to government. This effect was stronger for left-wing/liberal participants. Phrasing the advice as certain versus uncertain had little impact on trust and intentions. Together, our findings suggest that health advice should be communicated by scientists rather than governments.

Background: Mental health has worsened, and substance use has increased for some individuals during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Cross-sectional studies suggest that COVID-19 risk perceptions are related to mental health and risk behaviours (potentially including substance use). However, longitudinal and genetic data are needed to support stronger inferences regarding whether these associations reflect causal pathways. Methods: Using cross-sectional, longitudinal, and polygenic risk score (PRS) data from the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), we examined cross-sectional and prospective associations between COVID-19 risk perceptions and mental health, wellbeing, and risk behaviours. Participants (85% female) were aged between 27-72 years. We used pandemic (April-July 2020) and pre-pandemic (2003-2017) data (ns = 233-5,115). Results: COVID-19 risk perceptions were positively associated with anxiety (OR 2.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.20 to 3.52), depression (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.18), low wellbeing (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.45 to 2.13), increased alcohol use (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.72), and COVID-19 prevention behaviours (ps < .05). Pre-pandemic anxiety (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.09) and low wellbeing (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.74) were positively associated with COVID-19 risk perceptions. The depression (b 0.21, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.40) and wellbeing (b -0.29, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.09) PRS were associated with higher and lower COVID-19 risk perceptions, respectively. Conclusions: Poorer mental health and wellbeing are associated with higher COVID-19 risk perceptions, and longitudinal and genetic data suggest that they may play a casual role in COVID-19 risk perceptions.

To slow the spread of COVID-19, many people now wear face masks in public. Face masks impair our ability to identify faces, which can cause problems for professional staff who must identify offenders and members of the public. Here, we investigate whether performance on a masked face matching task can be improved by training participants to compare diagnostic facial features (the ears and facial marks) – a validated training method that improves matching performance for unmasked faces. We find strong evidence this brief diagnostic feature training, which takes less than two minutes to complete, improves matching performance for masked faces by approximately 5%. A control training course, which was unrelated to face identification, had no effect on matching performance. Our findings demonstrate that comparing the ears and facial marks is an effective means of improving face matching performance for masked faces. These findings have implications for professions that regularly perform face identification.

Frontline staff must be inoculated by 15 November, with remainder of staff given until 31 March

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) is delaying its return to corporate offices to January at the earliest because of surging COVID-19 cases and new variants, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing a staff memo.

COVID-19 Claims by DateTo see claims for a particular time range, use the dropdown menu or mouse over the timeline, then left-click on your mouse and drag it to select.For more info on the four rating categories (True, False, Misleading and Unproven), see our Simplified Fact-checking Rating System.

Long Covid Support is a peer support and advocacy group for people living with Long Covid. Long Covid Support was formed by a group of people struggling to recover from Covid-19, who found each other online and have been facilitating international peer support and campaigning in the UK for recognition, rehabilitation and research into treatments since May 2020. Our international Long Covid Support Group is a warm and inclusive space for people experiencing the diverse, debilitating and alarming symptoms of Long Covid to share information, help each other through the bad days and rejoice in the good. We have several sister and affiliate groups that focus on particular areas:

In the latest push from the White House and the US Department of Health and Human Services to boost youth vaccination rates, Fauci -- who has become a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic through his role as the nation's top infectious diseases expert -- this week joined a number of TikTok personalities for a series of conversations about the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine.

In the latest push from the White House and the US Department of Health and Human Services to boost youth vaccination rates, Fauci -- who has become a household name during the Covid-19 pandemic through his role as the nation's top infectious diseases expert -- this week joined a number of TikTok personalities for a series of conversations about the importance of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Understaffed and underpowered, a Brussels taskforce tries to fight a fake news tide that threatens to undermine the union itself

n May 2021, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years, with authorization for younger children expected later this year.1 Despite reported clinical trial data indicating that the vaccine is safe and 100% efficacious for this age range, some parents and guardians may remain hesitant or outright opposed to vaccinating their children, particularly in politically and culturally conservative communities.2

Objective Describe demographical, social and psychological correlates of willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.Setting Series of online surveys undertaken between March and October 2020.Participants A total of 25 separate national samples (matched to country population by age and sex) in 12 different countries were recruited through online panel providers (n=25 334).Primary outcome measures Reported willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.Results Reported willingness to receive a vaccine varied widely across samples, ranging from 63% to 88%. Multivariate logistic regression analyses reveal sex (female OR=0.59, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.64), trust in medical and scientific experts (OR=1.28, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.34) and worry about the COVID-19 virus (OR=1.47, 95% CI 1.41 to 1.53) as the strongest correlates of stated vaccine acceptance considering pooled data and the most consistent correlates across countries. In a subset of UK samples, we show that these effects are robust after controlling for attitudes towards vaccination in general.Conclusions Our results indicate that the burden of trust largely rests on the shoulders of the scientific and medical community, with implications for how future COVID-19 vaccination information should be communicated to maximise uptake.

Heidi Siegmund Cuda investigates how the QAnon movement modelled itself on popular gaming culture

Read on for the facts about Sars-CoV-2, backed up by science

Pollutants in smoke billowing from huge wildfires in the west of America have probably caused an increase in Covid-19 infections and deaths across several US states, new research has found.

How can research and society better connect to create a more sustainable world? We identify six approaches, show how they profoundly shape what can be achieved, and discuss the potential risks.

Ideology is a primary source of COVID-19 vaccine resistance among respondents to a new survey from Indiana University’s Observatory on Social Media about misinformation related to the vaccine. Demographic, political and media use patterns factored heavily into participants’ views on the safety of the vaccine and on their willingness to be vaccinated.

Most religions have no prohibition against vaccinations, however some have considerations, concerns or restrictions regarding vaccination in general, particular reasons for vaccination, or specific vaccine ingredients. Below is a list of the current position of some of the more common religious faiths.

Unvaccinated Israeli elderly are eight times more likely to experience a severe case of COVID-19 than their immunized counterparts, according to Health Ministry data

There’s no evidence yet that top-up shots are needed, so let’s help those around the world who urgently need the vaccine

Background Several studies have hypothesised that dietary habits may play an important role in COVID-19 infection, severity of symptoms, and duration of illness. However, no previous studies have investigated the association between dietary patterns and COVID-19.Methods Healthcare workers (HCWs) from six countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, USA) with substantial exposure to COVID-19 patients completed a web-based survey from 17 July to 25 September 2020. Participants provided information on demographic characteristics, dietary information, and COVID-19 outcomes. We used multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate the association between self-reported diets and COVID-19 infection, severity, and duration.Results There were 568 COVID-19 cases and 2316 controls. Among the 568 cases, 138 individuals had moderate-to-severe COVID-19 severity whereas 430 individuals had very mild to mild COVID-19 severity. After adjusting for important confounders, participants who reported following ‘plant-based diets’ and ‘plant-based diets or pescatarian diets’ had 73% (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.81) and 59% (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.99) lower odds of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 severity, respectively, compared with participants who did not follow these diets. Compared with participants who reported following ‘plant-based diets’, those who reported following ‘low carbohydrate, high protein diets’ had greater odds of moderate-to-severe COVID-19 (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.13 to 13.24). No association was observed between self-reported diets and COVID-19 infection or duration.Conclusion In six countries, plant-based diets or pescatarian diets were associated with lower odds of moderate-to-severe COVID-19. These dietary patterns may be considered for protection against severe COVID-19.

The Covid vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and BioNTech appears to be 100 per cent effective in protecting against the South African variant, according to new research. Two studies carried out on the Pfizer vaccine found it offers complete protection against the South African variant, and likely offer protection against the Brazilian variant.

Objective to assess reactogenicity and immunogenicity of heterologous prime-boost immunisations of ChAdOx1-nCoV19 (Vaxzevria, ChAdOx) followed by BNT162b2 (Comirnaty, BNT) compared to homologous BNT/BNT immunisation.

One way to cut this graph is to observe that among states where over 40% of residents have a shot, all but one (SD) is blue; and among states where under ~30% of residents have a shot, all but one is (GA) is red.

My guess was that crystal-clear evidence of the partisan vaccine-hesitancy gap wouldn’t show up in the real world data until May. I was wrong. The red-state vaccine gap is already here.

And regarding cost of care as a deterrent, see

WRT the indirect costs of health insurance, see

Subtext: In the US, people who are uninsured or underinsured effectively have less access to healthcare (cost is a barrier) & are less likely to have a trusting relationship with healthcare institutions.

So, no, saying that people hesitated to get the vaccine b/c they couldn’t believe that it was truly *free* (at point of receipt; *technically* not free if you are insured & pay a premium or are a taxpayer, but we are most sensitive to direct costs) isn’t misinformation. It’s fact

I received my vaccine pretty early (in March 2021) & received a bill for the administration fees from my insurer. It was waived when I clarified that the vaccine should be free. Mind you, even the threat of a bill is a deterrent from use of routine care for many in the US.

FYI, there is a fee: “Participating pharmacies will bill private & public insurance for the vaccine administration fee. For uninsured PTs, this fee will be reimbursed thru the HRSA Provider Relief Fund. No one will receive a bill for a COVID-19 vaccine.” https://cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/retail-pharmacy-program/faqs.html#:~:text=COVID%2D19%20vaccine%20is,COVID%2D19%20vaccine….

Here's a story from May

Before anyone replies "the vaccine is free, duh", remember that healthcare in the U.S. is heavily rationed by ability to pay. And 1) ads stating that the vaccines are free also reminded people to bring their insurance cards, 2) people still received bills for 'admin' costs

This is what the "pandemic of the unvaccinated" rhetoric ignores. The most susceptible have been un(der)insured, impoverished, & unprotected at work.

As more data come out, we should account for these different variables in interpretation. As shown in @celinegounder tweet 64, some measures can go up with time (affinity maturation); tweet 43 shows others go down with time

To be more precise, we would say "so far in the general population, up to about 6 months after vaccination, the vaccines have held up against severe outcomes even from Delta, though there is some evidence from Israel, UK, and Canada of declines in effectiveness vs infection."

We've been using the simple view that the major vaccines in use in the US/Europe are possibly less effective against infection/symptoms when a variant is involved, but remain highly effective against severe outcomes. Published data so far support this view.

At the risk of boiling down too much and certainly losing some detail, one way to summarize this wonderful thread is that when we think about vaccine effectiveness, we should think of 4 key variables: 1 which vaccine, 2 age of the person, 3 how long after vax, 4 vs what outcome.

A study looking at the impacts of covid-19 vaccination—condemned by other scientists as seriously flawed and irresponsible—has now sparked a mutiny of sorts. This past week, several well-respected researchers have resigned from their involvement in the journal that published the paper, which argued that vaccines are killing almost as many people as they’re saving from the pandemic. Today, the paper was retracted.

There are few more compelling graphics to demonstrate how effective vaccines are: 80+% reduction in hospital admissions for the group most vaccinated. <40% reduction in admissions for the group least likely to be vaccinated.

Concerning thread. But this point... 2.14% of asymptomatic people in SF may be infected (vs. 0.1% earlier) is key. WAY too many unknowing potential spreaders out there. Need to reconsider masks: at the very least when you are talking to someone or in crowded setting.

Almost nine in 10 parents in England say they favour giving their children a Covid vaccine if they are offered it, according to a national survey released by the Office for National Statistics.The survey of more than 4,400 parents with children under 16 and attending school found 88% said they would definitely or probably agree to vaccinate their child, with just 12% saying they would not favour vaccination.The survey was conducted in April and May, before the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was given approval by the UK medicines regulator for children aged 12 to 15 at the start of June. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to advise the government later this summer on whether to allow children over 12 to be vaccinated.

Great comments that not everyone has a doctor - in this case trusted local doctors or community leaders doing personal outreach may still help. Also love this thread about the block party approach of bringing together doctors, community orgs, & community

In the most recent Household Pulse Survey from the US Census, half of all people & 2/3 of low income people who were not vaccinated want the vaccine or were unsure about it (meaning a call from their doctor could make a big difference)

Policymakers are pointing fingers at “the unvaccinated” What if they gave them a hand instead? - Bring vax & food to workplaces, schools, homes -Fund local doctors, including pediatricians, to call patients & deliver vax - Learn from success of Indian Health Service approach