Publications by authors named "B Di Blasio"
In this study, we assessed the overall impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States between 2020 and 2023 through estimates of excess all-cause mortality. Monthly mortality rates over a 19-year period, stratified by age, sex and state of residence were used to forecast expected mortality for the pandemic years. A combination of models - two timeseries, a spatial random effects and a generalized additive -- was used to better capture uncertainty.
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- During the early COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, social distancing measures led to a significant reduction in the number of daily social contacts, particularly among younger adults, with a decline of 67-73% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- *The study involved online surveys of a representative sample of Norwegian adults conducted from April to September 2020, collecting data on nearly 22,000 contacts.
- *Despite relaxations of social distancing over time, the patterns of social interaction remained stable, indicating continued limited contact in community settings versus baseline measurements.*
Vaccination was a key intervention in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic globally. In early 2021, Norway faced significant regional variations in COVID-19 incidence and prevalence, with large differences in population density, necessitating efficient vaccine allocation to reduce infections and severe outcomes. This study explored alternative vaccination strategies to minimize health outcomes (infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, deaths) by varying regions prioritized, extra doses prioritized, and implementation start time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDevelopment of antibiotic resistance, a threat to global health, is driven by inappropriate antibiotic usage. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are frequently treated empirically with antibiotics, despite the fact that a majority of the infections are caused by viruses. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibiotic treatment in hospitalized adults with viral RTIs, and to investigate factors influencing the antibiotic decision-making.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackgroundGiven the societal, economic and health costs of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI), it is important to assess their effects. Human mobility serves as a surrogate measure for human contacts and compliance with NPI. In Nordic countries, NPI have mostly been advised and sometimes made mandatory.
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