Regional Covid-19 restrictions ‘did not change behaviour' during 2020
Regional restrictions did not change people's behaviour during the coronavirus pandemic despite rising numbers in Scotland, a study indicates.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen examined adherence to restrictions including social distancing, mask-wearing, staying at home and handwashing, and found people in high or low restriction areas behaved no differently to each other.
The study, published in the US journal Translational Behavioral Medicine, looked at behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland from March to November 2020, with 1724 people interviewed at random to get a representative sample.
People did not alter behaviour to follow enhanced local restrictions during the pandemic, the study found, and the restrictions may have been more effective if based around factors other than just coronavirus cases according to new research.
The study compared people's behaviours before and after local restrictions, and compared behaviours of those living in areas with increased restrictions to those living in areas without.
People did not change their behaviour when restrictions were tightened, including social distancing and mask wearing, defying scientists' expectations, research showed.
It also found people in high or low restriction areas behaved no differently to each other, and examined 'intention and self-efficacy'.
Intention and self-efficacy related to keeping a 2.0 metre distance was assessed by asking: 'Do you intend to follow all the government instructions…' and 'How confident or not are you that you can follow the government instructions…' graded on a scale, according to the report.
The respondents answered questions about their behaviours from the past week, including if they had left home, had adhered to the social distancing rule, worn a mask in a shop or on public transport and if they washed their hands as soon as they got home.
Dr Chantal den Daas, senior lecturer in health psychology, in collaboration with the Covid Health and Adherence Research in Scotland (Charis) project, said the research 'can effectively influence public behaviour' in the future.
She said: 'When local restrictions were introduced in 2020 due to an increase in Covid-19 case numbers, we thought we would see a change in behaviour after they were implemented. But this was not what we found.
'It is really important to build an understanding of what could have been done differently and how we can effectively influence public behaviour in the future should we be faced with another public health crisis.
'This research provided insight on the type of information we should aim to collect in future pandemics, to see if we can find better measures to predict cases, examine the need for restrictions and the effect of any restrictions put in place.
'Future research in acute outbreaks should assess behaviour and beliefs about the virus, risk on an ongoing basis and identify the need for intervention even before cases rates start to go up.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
NHS could issue first ever 'Red Alert' for blood donations as stocks run low
NHS says transfusions for cancer patients and women after childbirth are among those which may be halted if a Red Alert is declared for the first time ever as the service struggles with low stocks A million people need to give blood to avoid a first ever Red Alert as the NHS struggles with dangerously low stocks. NHS Blood and Transplant says it is going through its worst ever shortage and around 200,000 more donors are needed in England to stabilise blood supply. Routine transfusions for cancer patients and women after childbirth which aid recovery are among those which may be halted if a Red Alert is declared. This would mean less than one day's blood stocks are available and must be prioritised for immediately life threatening cases. The NHS aims to have six days' stock at any one time. Currently 785,000 people - or 2% of the population - are keeping the nation's blood stocks afloat. The NHS is asking more people to give blood regularly and tackle the crisis with 'the country's largest volunteering force'. Health Minister Baroness Merron said: 'I am extremely grateful to the many thousands of people who donate regularly – the blood you donate saves people's lives, from mothers in maternity wards to victims of car crashes. However the NHS is in urgent need of more lifesaving blood donors from all backgrounds.' It comes after the Mirror launched the Give a Pint, Save a Life campaign to help blood stocks recover after the Covid-19 pandemic amid ongoing shortages. One donation can save up to three lives. The NHS remains in its longest ever Amber Alert for low blood stocks which was declared last July. Red Alert which would mean demand far exceeds capacity, threatening public safety and causing widespread surgery postponements at hospitals nationwide. The shortages are due in part to changing habits as more people work from home since the Covid-19 pandemic. Most available donation slots are at larger town and city centres. NHSBT chief executive Dr Jo Farrar said: 'There are many thousands of people who donate regularly and help us keep patients alive. You keep the NHS going and save and transform thousands of lives a year. Our stocks over the past 12 months have been challenging. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our stocks healthy – you'd truly be one in a million." Isaac and his 'Hulk blood' The NHS is calling for a million donor superheroes to start giving blood to help keep people like Hulk fan Isaac Balmer alive. Isaac, aged four, needs his regular supply of 'Hulk blood' every 12 weeks to keep him strong and healthy. The youngster from Hull was born with Hereditary Spherocytosis, which is a genetic blood condition which causes fragile red blood cells to break down faster than normal leading to severe anaemia and other complications. Mum Jasmin Suggit said: "During his transfusions, he refers to donor blood as 'Hulk blood' and imagines himself becoming stronger and healthier. She said: 'Isaac's haemoglobin levels fluctuate and when they drop significantly, he becomes lethargic and jaundiced. But when he receives his transfusion you see the colour return to his cheeks and his energy levels soar before our eyes. It is incredible. But this wouldn't be possible without the real life, everyday superheroes who keep Isaac and others like him alive, thanks to their regular blood donations.' Two thirds of all the blood currently collected by the NHS is used to treat patients who rely on blood transfusions, including cancer and life-long blood conditions. Isaac receives transfusions every three months at Hull Royal Infirmary where mum Jasmin works in the newborn screening team. Jasmin said: "Until you're one of those who need blood yourself or know someone who does, it may not always be a priority. But Isaac's journey has put things into perspective and his journey has inspired me to become a blood donor myself. It's a small act that can make a big difference in someone's life." There are currently between two and three days' of blood stocks available to the NHS but rates of donations have been falling. There are 55,000 unfilled appointment slots in the next six weeks. The 'active donor base' - which refers to donors who have given blood in the last 12 months - stood at 785,000 at last count in April. This is down from 800,000 before the pandemic in 2020. The NHS needs over 5,000 blood donations every day - or around 1.8 million a year in England. This requires around one million donors who regularly donate to help maintain a reliable blood supply. NHSBT's blood director Gerry Gogarty said: 'Blood stocks are critically low and there's a pressing need to avoid a Red Alert. We can do this if we fill the available appointment slots – particularly in town and city centres. That could have a severe impact on the NHS with non-urgent services potentially being paused to focus on the most critical needs.' There is a critical need for O negative donors – the universal blood type compatible with anyone and used in emergencies. Just 8% of the population have O negative blood but it accounts for 15% of the blood used by hospitals and first responders. There is also an increasing need for donors of Black heritage as around 50% have a blood subtype called Ro, which is used primarily to treat people with sickle cell disease. This is the country's fastest growing genetic blood disorder and patients require regular transfusions to prevent agonising and life threatening blockages. Last year England saw an increased wave of blood donation registrations – including the largest ever increase in registrations from Black heritage communities. However only one in four have gone on to donate, with a quarter of a million people who signed up yet to roll up their sleeves to make a lifesaving donation. Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS Co-National Medical Director, said: 'Regular blood donors provide a lifeline for patients across the NHS, and I'd like to thank them for their incredible generosity. Donating blood is a powerful way you can make a meaningful difference to people's lives, so I'd encourage anyone considering becoming a donor to please come forward to help stabilise blood stocks as we near a critical low – you could help save someone's life.' What would a Red Alert mean? The Red Alert has never before been used but is designed to help the NHS save and improve as many lives as possible. Routine procedures which require blood will be postponed so stocks are preserved for patients with life threatening haemorrhages, emergency operations such as heart surgery which cannot be delayed for 24 hours and patients who need a lifesaving transfusion due to illness. NHS Blood and Transplant will declare a Red Alert for blood stocks if there is a severe shortage of red cells. There are two levels of Red alert, dependent on the number of days of stock available. 'Red B' is between 0.5 and 1.0 days' supply of stock; 'Red A' is less than 0.5 days' supply of stock. The appeal comes just before the one year anniversary of the Amber Alert being in place across England and at the start of National Blood Week. NHSBT chief executive Dr Jo Farrar added: "Please book an appointment today, experience how good it feels to save lives, and come and do it again in a few months.'
Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
Nurse struck off after sharing Covid-19 conspiracy theories online
A midwife has been struck off after a string of social media posts spreading conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and vaccinations. Seana Mary Kerr, of Newry, Northern Ireland, claimed vaccines attacked babies in the womb. The nurse also warned a pregnant woman not to wear a face mask as it would harm her child. A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) tribunal panel ordered Kerr, who had been a registered midwife since 2007, to be struck off the register because her comments 'risked seriously undermining the public confidence'. All of the incidents took place while she was employed as a registered midwife by Southern Health and Social Care Trust. The midwife first took to social media in September 2020, six months after the first national lockdown due to coronavirus in March. She posted that she was a midwife and said babies were being attacked in the womb through vaccination of mothers during pregnancy. A few months later, in March 2021, she called Covid-19 pandemic 'a Trojan horse intend[ed] to introduce a new era for humanity'. Kerr slammed fellow nurses and doctors as 'complicit' in the conspiracy. In December that year she described how 'they' had been 'planting the seeds' about Covid-19 over Christmas 2020 by referring to 'some bat in China'. She did not specify who 'they' referred to. The panel slammed Kerr for the social media posts. They said: 'The panel considered that the actions of Ms Kerr took place during an exceptionally unusual time, where the entirety of the NHS was mobilised to protect the public from the international Covid-19 pandemic. 'Therefore, by expressing the view that other healthcare professionals, who Ms Kerr was working with in the Trust, were acting in ways which may cause harm, a view Ms Kerr held which was against the recognised guidance at the time, Ms Kerr risked seriously undermining the public confidence in the profession.' The panel also investigated an encounter between the nurse and a pregnant women working in a shop in August 2020. Kerr approached the mum-to-be, explaining she was a nurse and telling her not to wear a face mask. The midwife said face masks reduced the amount of oxygen her baby was getting. Kerr then went on to warn the pregnant women not to get the flu vaccine, saying this raised the risk her child would be stillborn. This was in direct contrast with the Trust's Coronavirus (Covid-19) Infection in Pregnancy policy. This policy advised the wearing of face masks and said the 'influenza vaccination is still safe' and 'recommended' for pregnant women. Kerr's comments caused 'significant emotional harm' to the expecting mum and her family, the panel said. They added: 'The panel noted that it is a reasonable expectation of everyone working in a public environment, such as a shop, that they will not be approached and given personal, clinical advice. 'Such advice would normally only be given during a private clinical appointment or at an antenatal class. More Trending 'Therefore, by approaching Patient A in her place of work, outside a clinical relationship, unsolicited, Ms Kerr placed her at significant risk of harm.' Kerr was found to be at risk of repeating this behaviour and not suitable to continue practice. The nurse showed no remorse for her misconduct had not engaged with the tribunal since June 2022, the panel added. A 12 month suspension was imposed on Kerr last year and her name will now be removed from the register. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Urgent recall of 1,700,000 air conditioners over fears they harbour mold MORE: Coca-Cola recalls Topo Chico mineral water over fears of bacteria MORE: Measles warning issued to UK holidaymakers after cases rise over 120,000 in Europe
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
New Covid variant sparks 'unusual' symptoms as doctors warn of rising cases
Doctors have warned people to look out for new symptoms of coronavirus, stressing that the latest strain is different from the rest. People could mistake Covid for other common issues due to the similarities Health officials have issued a warning about a new coronavirus strain which comes with unusual symptoms following a spike in cases. People in Ireland have been urged to stay home for two days if they display any signs of Covid, with the new variant also causing gastrointestinal problems. The variant, labelled NB.1.8.1, has already been flagged in the UK, US and Australia. Experts stressed that although old strains have been linked to flu-like symptoms, NB.1.8.1 can cause gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and heartburn. Patients who experience bloating, constipation and abdominal pain could also find themselves with Covid-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) added the variant to its official watch list and suggested that it is more transmissible than other strains. However, there isn't any evidence to indicate that it causes more acute illnesses. READ MORE: Father's Day gift guide for 2025: Handpicked presents from £7 to suit every kind of dad According to WHO, the strain first appeared in January and by late April it was responsible for around 10.7% of global infections, up from just 2.5% a month earlier. The strain has seen a rapid rise in Ireland in recent weeks. According to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the proportion of sequenced Covid samples linked to NB.1.8.1 jumped from 3.7% to 27.3% in the last five weeks, reports Dublin Live. The variant has also been confirmed in popular holiday hotspots such as Thailand, Egypt and the Maldives. It has already become dominant in parts of Asia, including China and Hong Kong. Dr Lara Herrero, Associate Professor and Virology Research Leader at Griffith University, explained: "Common symptoms [of NB.1.8.1] include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion. Gastrointestinal symptoms may also occur in some cases." Irish people who find themselves unwell with unseasonal cold symptoms or gastrointestinal issues may actually have Covid, according to the HSE. Ireland's public health guidelines remain the same: If you have any symptoms of Covid, stay at home until 48 hours after the symptoms are mostly or fully gone. You should also avoid contact with other people, especially people at higher risk from Covid. Covid symptoms to look out for Fever (high temperature - 38C or above) - including having chills Dry cough Fatigue (tiredness) Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this could mean they're completely gone or just different to normal Nasal congestion (runny or blocked nose) Conjunctivitis (also known as red eye or pink eye) Sore throat Headache Muscle or joint pain (aches and pains) Different types of skin rash Nausea or vomiting Diarrhoea Chills Dizziness Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties Loss of appetite Confusion Pain or pressure in the chest
