Public health
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Observational Study
Hospital attendance and admission trends for cardiac diseases during the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown in Greece.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, along with implementation of lockdown and strict public movement restrictions, in Greece has affected hospital visits and admissions. We aimed to investigate trends of cardiac disease admissions during the outbreak of the pandemic and possible associations with the applied restrictive measures. ⋯ Our data show significant drops in cardiology visits and admissions during the COVID-19 outbreak time period. Whether this results from restrictive measures or depicts a true reduction of cardiac disease cases warrants further investigation.
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Data relating to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Middle East remains sparse. This study examines the public's perceptions of the pandemic, assesses the extent to which participants have adhered to a range of recommended health-protective behaviours to prevent infection and evaluates whether anxiety about COVID-19 or perceptions related to the pandemic are associated with greater adherence to these behaviours. ⋯ Dissemination of reliable public health information during a public health crisis is essential. This study's results highlight the importance of providing the public with information that is clear and consistent and, moreover, emphasises the efficacy of the recommended behaviours as this is likely to improve adherence. When individuals perceive themselves to be at personal risk and are aware of the severity of the consequences posed by the illness, they are more likely to adopt caution. However, in this sample, the trustworthiness of the information portrayed in the media and the perceived duration of the pandemic - whether this would resolve soon or persist well into the future - did not impact adherence.
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The finalized 'Deeming Rule' extended the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate e-cigarettes, cigars, and other newly deemed tobacco products. We seek to assess the neighborhood characteristics associated with retail violations of sales to minors (RVSM) by tobacco product. ⋯ Retail violations of underage sales for cigars and e-cigarettes are prevalent and neighborhood characteristics associated with violations differ by tobacco product. Continued inspections with tailored strategies to reduce RVSM of all tobacco products are needed.