Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38256468›Full record

ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2024

Influence of Seasonality and Public-Health Interventions on the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northern Europe.

Gerry A Quinn, Michael Connolly, Norman E Fenton, Steven J Hatfill, Paul Hynds, Coilín ÓhAiseadha, Karol Sikora, Willie Soon, Ronan Connolly

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
4.0field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 7 institutions in 4 countries.

Gerry A QuinnCentre for Molecular Biosciences, Ulster University, Coleraine BT52 1SA, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0023-2621
Michael ConnollyIndependent Researcher, D08 Dublin, Ireland.
Norman E FentonSchool of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2924-0510
Steven J HatfillLondon Center for Policy Research, New York, NY 10004, USA.
Paul HyndsSpatiotemporal Environmental Epidemiology Research (STEER) Group, Environmental Sustainability & Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, D07 H6K8 Dublin, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0002-1260-2688
Coilín ÓhAiseadhaSpatiotemporal Environmental Epidemiology Research (STEER) Group, Environmental Sustainability & Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, D07 H6K8 Dublin, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0003-4243-1493
Karol SikoraDepartment of Medicine, University of Buckingham Medical School, Buckingham MK18 1EG, UK.
Willie SoonInstitute of Earth Physics and Space Science (ELKH EPSS), H-9400 Sopron, Hungary.
Ronan ConnollyIndependent Researcher, D08 Dublin, Ireland.ORCID 0000-0001-5843-3544
Center For Policy Research · USHealth Service Executive · IEHUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science · HUQueen Mary University of London · GBUniversity College Dublin · IEUniversity of Buckingham · GBUniversity of Ulster · GB

Funding

CERES Science no particular grant
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMost government efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic revolved around non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and vaccination. However, many respiratory diseases show distinctive seasonal trends. In this manuscript, we examined the contribution of these three factors to the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic.

methodsPearson correlation coefficients and time-lagged analysis were used to examine the relationship between NPIs, vaccinations and seasonality (using the average incidence of endemic human beta-coronaviruses in Sweden over a 10-year period as a proxy) and the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic as tracked by deaths; cases; hospitalisations; intensive care unit occupancy and testing positivity rates in six Northern European countries (population 99.12 million) using a population-based, observational, ecological study method.

findingsThe waves of the pandemic correlated well with the seasonality of human beta-coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1). In contrast, we could not find clear or consistent evidence that the stringency of NPIs or vaccination reduced the progression of the pandemic. However, these results are correlations and not causations. IMPLICATIONS: We hypothesise that the apparent influence of NPIs and vaccines might instead be an effect of coronavirus seasonality. We suggest that policymakers consider these results when assessing policy options for future pandemics. LIMITATIONS: The study is limited to six temperate Northern European countries with spatial and temporal variations in metrics used to track the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caution should be exercised when extrapolating these findings.

Indexed as

COVID-19 pandemicepidemiologyNorthern Europepublic healthseasonal variationvaccination

Identifiers

PMID38256468
PMCPMC10816378
OpenAlexW4390670884

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.