Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia

Frontiers in Public Health

Public Health

Pacifique Ndishimye¹  Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi¹  Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez¹  Benjamin Hewins¹  David J. Kelvin¹  Jason J. LeBlanc² 

[1] Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada;Laboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China;Department of Pediatrics, Izaak Walton Killan (IWK) Health Center, Canandian Center for Vaccinology, Halifax, NS, Canada;Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada;Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada;Division of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, Canada;

关键词: mobility data;    surveillance;    infectious diseases;    lockdown;    COVID-19;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2023.1142602

 received in 2023-01-11, accepted in 2023-03-30,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionAfter the initial onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the government of Canada and provincial health authorities imposed restrictive policies to limit virus transmission and mitigate disease burden. In this study, the pandemic implications in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) were evaluated as a function of the movement of people and governmental restrictions during successive SARS-CoV-2 variant waves (i.e., Alpha through Omicron).MethodsPublicly available data obtained from community mobility reports (Google), the Bank of Canada Stringency Index, the “COVID-19 Tracker” service, including cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccines, population mobility trends, and governmental response data were used to relate the effectiveness of policies in controlling movement and containing multiple waves of SARS-CoV-2.ResultsOur results indicate that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic inflicted low burden in NS in the initial 2 years of the pandemic. In this period, we identified reduced mobility patterns in the population. We also observed a negative correlation between public transport (−0.78), workplace (−0.69), retail and recreation (−0.68) and governmental restrictions, indicating a tight governmental control of these movement patterns. During the initial 2 years, governmental restrictions were high and the movement of people low, characterizing a ‘seek-and-destroy’ approach. Following this phase, the highly transmissible Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant began circulating in NS at the end of the second year, leading to increased cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. During this Omicron period, unsustainable governmental restrictions and waning public adherence led to increased population mobility, despite increased transmissibility (26.41-fold increase) and lethality (9.62-fold increase) of the novel variant.DiscussionThese findings suggest that the low initial burden caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was likely a result of enhanced restrictions to contain the movement of people and consequently, the spread of the disease. Easing public health restrictions (as measured by a decline in the BOC index) during periods of high transmissibility of circulating COVID-19 variants contributed to community spread, despite high levels of immunization in NS.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Sganzerla Martinez, Hewins, LeBlanc, Ndishimye, Toloue Ostadgavahi and Kelvin.