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Readability of Online COVID-19 Health Information: A Comparison between Four English Speaking Countries

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The general public is faced with a plethora of misinformation regarding COVID-19 and the readability of online information has an impact on their understanding of the disease.

The accessibility of online healthcare information relating to COVID-19 is unknown. The authors ought to evaluate the readability of online information relating to COVID-19 in four English speaking regions: Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, and compare readability of website source provenance and regional origin.

Source: Readability of Online COVID-19 Health Information: A Comparison between Four English Speaking Countries

    Views 624

    Seoul Declaration on Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone

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    On the 10th anniversary of Global Media and Information Literacy Week, stakeholders from all over the world gave a resounding affirmation as to the urgency to strengthen people’s media and information literacy competencies.

    The outcomes of the deliberations in the Feature Conference and Youth Agenda Forum have been immortalized in the Seoul Declaration on Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone: A Defence against Disinfodemics. This Seoul Declaration benefited from a consultation with close to one thousand registered participants.

    Source: Seoul Declaration on Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone

      Views 627

      Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2

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      Experimental and epidemiological data support community masking to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

      The prevention benefit of masking is derived from the combination of source control and personal protection for the mask wearer. The relationship between source control and personal protection is likely complementary and possibly synergistic, so that individual benefit increases with increasing community mask use.

      Further research is needed to expand the evidence base for the protective effect of cloth masks and in particular to identify the combinations of materials that maximize both their blocking and filtering effectiveness, as well as fit, comfort, durability, and consumer appeal. Adopting universal masking policies can help avert future lockdowns, especially if combined with other non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing, hand hygiene, and adequate ventilation.

      Source: Scientific Brief: Community Use of Cloth Masks to Control the Spread of SARS-CoV-2

        Views 580

        Breaking Down COVID-19: The COVID-19 Living Textbook

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        The COVID-19 Living Textbook is prepared by 55 experts (medical doctors, social scientists, and medical students, who are experts in their field and many of them have been working on the frontline of the COVID-19 response).

        It is aimed at a wide range of audiences, including clinicians, public health specialists, social scientists, and the general public.

        Source: Breaking Down COVID-19: The COVID-19 Living Textbook

          Views 913

          Maintaining Heart Health during COVID-19

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          Amid concerns that fewer people are managing their cardiovascular disease risk factors during COVID-19, CDC Foundation and Million Hearts remind Americans to focus on their heart health, especially during COVID-19.

          Source: Maintaining Heart Health During COVID-19

            Views 464

            Emergency Care for Heart Disease During COVID-19

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            At least one in five expected emergency department visits for heart attack or stroke did not occur during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC. CDC Foundation and Million Hearts remind Americans of the risks of neglecting emergency medical attention for heart attack or stroke during COVID-19.

            Source: Emergency Care for Heart Disease During COVID-19

              Views 445

              Questions and Answers about the COVID-19 Vaccine

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              This page offers both the general public and health practitioners answers to basic questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. The questions include:

              • Is there a vaccine for COVID-19?
              • When will COVID-19 vaccines be ready for distribution?
              • How likely is it that safe, effective vaccines for COVID-19 will be developed?
              • How quickly could COVID-19 vaccines stop the pandemic?
              • What types of COVID-19 vaccines are being developed? How would they work?
              • How will we know if COVID-19 vaccines are safe?
              • Will other vaccines help protect me from COVID-19?
              • Will COVID-19 vaccines provide long-term protection?

              Source: Questions and Answers about the COVID-19 Vaccine

                Views 645

                How do Vaccines Work?

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                This page explains the body’s response to pathogens, how vaccines help, and herd immunity.

                Germs are all around us, both in our environment and in our bodies. When a person is susceptible and they encounter a harmful organism, it can lead to disease and death.

                The body has many ways of defending itself against pathogens (disease-causing organisms). Skin, mucus, and cilia (microscopic hairs that move debris away from the lungs) all work as physical barriers to prevent pathogens from entering the body in the first place.

                When a pathogen does infect the body, our body’s defences, called the immune system, are triggered and the pathogen is attacked and destroyed or overcome.

                Source: How do Vaccines Work?

                  Views 583

                  An Approach for Monitoring and Evaluating Community Mitigation Strategies for COVID-19

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                  This document describes the approach of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s approach to evaluating community mitigation strategies and provides overarching considerations to support state, territorial, or local health departments, tribal health organizations, or others in monitoring and evaluating COVID-19 community mitigation strategies, including a logic model, suggested monitoring and evaluation questions, and potential data sources.

                  The approach considers outcomes that minimize COVID-19 morbidity and associated mortality, effects of community mitigation strategies on long-standing health disparities and social determinants of health, and how communities thrive socially, emotionally, and economically.

                  Source: An Approach for Monitoring and Evaluating Community Mitigation Strategies for COVID-19

                    Views 596

                    Adapting Evaluation Designs in Times of COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Four Questions to Guide Decisions

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                    This is a framework organized around four questions to address the ethical, conceptual, and methodological challenges that are affecting programmatic evaluation work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

                    The questions are:

                    • Should you adapt your evaluation questions and scope?
                    • Can you improve what remains feasible?
                    • Can you find ways around what is infeasible?
                    • Can you tap into alternative sources of evidence?

                    Source: Adapting Evaluation Designs in Times of COVID-19 (Coronavirus): Four Questions to Guide Decisions

                      Views 648