Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon
Abstract This study examined news media reports published during the early months of the COVID‐19 pandemic that described people spitting, coughing, and otherwise spreading respiratory fluids to other people and objects. A search of a news archive yielded more than 800 news articles published during...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Public Health Challenges |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.71 |
| _version_ | 1797853381416452096 |
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| author | Peter B. Crabb |
| author_facet | Peter B. Crabb |
| author_sort | Peter B. Crabb |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study examined news media reports published during the early months of the COVID‐19 pandemic that described people spitting, coughing, and otherwise spreading respiratory fluids to other people and objects. A search of a news archive yielded more than 800 news articles published during March, April, and May, 2020, from which N = 325 cases of intentional pathogen spreading were identified. This was during the early part of the pandemic when the world was still trying to reach an understanding of how to deal with the pandemic. Collected news articles showed that cases of intentional pathogen spreading were reported to have occurred in 14 countries on 5 continents on most days (78.3%) of the 3‐month period considered. In 43% of cases, perpetrators claimed to be infected with the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. Frontline key workers, passersby, and retail workers were the most frequent targets. The findings suggest that more needs to be learned about intentional pathogen spreading behavior, with the goals of reducing its occurrence in future pandemics and protecting vulnerable targets. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:48:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5dc7f4f6bcbc47e38d66fcae0e7a0cb8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2769-2450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T19:48:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Public Health Challenges |
| spelling | doaj.art-5dc7f4f6bcbc47e38d66fcae0e7a0cb82023-04-03T10:35:20ZengWileyPublic Health Challenges2769-24502023-03-0121n/an/a10.1002/puh2.71Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenonPeter B. Crabb0Department of Psychology Pennsylvania State University Hazleton Pennsylvania USAAbstract This study examined news media reports published during the early months of the COVID‐19 pandemic that described people spitting, coughing, and otherwise spreading respiratory fluids to other people and objects. A search of a news archive yielded more than 800 news articles published during March, April, and May, 2020, from which N = 325 cases of intentional pathogen spreading were identified. This was during the early part of the pandemic when the world was still trying to reach an understanding of how to deal with the pandemic. Collected news articles showed that cases of intentional pathogen spreading were reported to have occurred in 14 countries on 5 continents on most days (78.3%) of the 3‐month period considered. In 43% of cases, perpetrators claimed to be infected with the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. Frontline key workers, passersby, and retail workers were the most frequent targets. The findings suggest that more needs to be learned about intentional pathogen spreading behavior, with the goals of reducing its occurrence in future pandemics and protecting vulnerable targets.https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.71assaultcoughingCOVID‐19news itemspandemicpathogen spread |
| spellingShingle | Peter B. Crabb Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon Public Health Challenges assault coughing COVID‐19 news items pandemic pathogen spread |
| title | Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon |
| title_full | Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon |
| title_fullStr | Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon |
| title_short | Pathogen spreading during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Understanding a global phenomenon |
| title_sort | pathogen spreading during the covid 19 pandemic understanding a global phenomenon |
| topic | assault coughing COVID‐19 news items pandemic pathogen spread |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.71 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT peterbcrabb pathogenspreadingduringthecovid19pandemicunderstandingaglobalphenomenon |