Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia
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...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1142602/full |
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| author | Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Benjamin Hewins Benjamin Hewins Benjamin Hewins Jason J. LeBlanc Jason J. LeBlanc Jason J. LeBlanc Pacifique Ndishimye Pacifique Ndishimye Pacifique Ndishimye Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi David J. Kelvin David J. Kelvin David J. Kelvin |
| author_facet | Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Benjamin Hewins Benjamin Hewins Benjamin Hewins Jason J. LeBlanc Jason J. LeBlanc Jason J. LeBlanc Pacifique Ndishimye Pacifique Ndishimye Pacifique Ndishimye Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi David J. Kelvin David J. Kelvin David J. Kelvin |
| author_sort | Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:38:27Z |
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| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:38:27Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f4508b4815f4b10bb2312145f7b1a812023-04-27T14:54:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-04-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.11426021142602Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova ScotiaGustavo Sganzerla Martinez0Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez1Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez2Benjamin Hewins3Benjamin Hewins4Benjamin Hewins5Jason J. LeBlanc6Jason J. LeBlanc7Jason J. LeBlanc8Pacifique Ndishimye9Pacifique Ndishimye10Pacifique Ndishimye11Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi12Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi13Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi14David J. Kelvin15David J. Kelvin16David J. Kelvin17Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaLaboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Pediatrics, Izaak Walton Killan (IWK) Health Center, Canandian Center for Vaccinology, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaLaboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Pediatrics, Izaak Walton Killan (IWK) Health Center, Canandian Center for Vaccinology, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaDivision of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaDivision of Microbiology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaLaboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Pediatrics, Izaak Walton Killan (IWK) Health Center, Canandian Center for Vaccinology, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaLaboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Pediatrics, Izaak Walton Killan (IWK) Health Center, Canandian Center for Vaccinology, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaLaboratory of Immunity, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Pediatrics, Izaak Walton Killan (IWK) Health Center, Canandian Center for Vaccinology, Halifax, NS, CanadaIntroductionAfter 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.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1142602/fullmobility datasurveillanceinfectious diseaseslockdownCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Gustavo Sganzerla Martinez Benjamin Hewins Benjamin Hewins Benjamin Hewins Jason J. LeBlanc Jason J. LeBlanc Jason J. LeBlanc Pacifique Ndishimye Pacifique Ndishimye Pacifique Ndishimye Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi Ali Toloue Ostadgavahi David J. Kelvin David J. Kelvin David J. Kelvin Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia Frontiers in Public Health mobility data surveillance infectious diseases lockdown COVID-19 |
| title | Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia |
| title_full | Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia |
| title_short | Evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during SARS-CoV-2 variant waves in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia |
| title_sort | evaluating the effectiveness of lockdowns and restrictions during sars cov 2 variant waves in the canadian province of nova scotia |
| topic | mobility data surveillance infectious diseases lockdown COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1142602/full |
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