Abstract
BACKGROUND: Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), particularly mobility restrictions, are mainstay measures for the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. We evaluated the effects of Oman's mobility restriction strategies to highlight their efficacy in controlling the pandemic.
METHODS: Accessible national data of daily admissions and deaths were collected from 1 April 2020 to 22 May 2021. Google Community Mobility Report (CMR) data were downloaded for the same period. Among six CMR categories, three were used and reduced to one index-the community mobility index (CMI). We used a generalised linear model with a negative binomial distribution combined with a non-linear distributed lag model to investigate the short-term effects of CMI on the number of admitted PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, controlling for public holidays, day of the week, and Eid/Ramadan days.
RESULTS: We demonstrated the feasibility of using CMRs in the evaluation and monitoring of different NPIs, particularly those related to movement restriction. The best movement restriction strategy was a curfew from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. (level 3 of CMI = 8), which had a total reduction of 35% (95% confidence interval (CI); 25-44%) in new COVID-19 admissions in the following two weeks, and a fatality reduction in the following four weeks by 52% (95% CI; 11-75%).
CONCLUSION: Evening lockdown significantly affected the course of the pandemic in Oman which lines up with similar studies throughout the world.
Original language | English |
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Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 19 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 8 2021 |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Communicable Disease Control
- Hospitalization
- Humans
- Pandemics/prevention & control
- SARS-CoV-2