Learning from the past: Taiwan’s responses to COVID-19 versus SARS

• Published in: International journal of infectious diseases Vol. 110; pp. 469 - 478
• Main Authors: Yen, Muh-Yong, Yen, Yung-Feng, Chen, Shey-Ying, Lee, Ting-I, Huang, Kuan-Han, Chan, Ta-Chien, Tung, Tsung-Hua, Hsu, Le-Yin, Chiu, Tai-Yuan, Hsueh, Po-Ren, King, Chwan-Chuen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2021; The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alcohol-based hand hygiene; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Face mask; Female; Humans; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Public health policies; SARS-CoV-2; Taiwan; Taiwan - epidemiology; Threshold-based bundle strategy; Taiwan; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Threshold-based bundle strategy; Taiwan; Alcohol-based hand hygiene; Public health policies; Face mask
• ISSN: 1201-9712; 1878-3511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.06.002

•Taiwan avoided lockdowns while most citizens adopted preventive behaviors.•Public health responses to 2020 COVID-19 are more effective than those to 2003 SARS.•Facemask-wearing, hand hygiene, and immunity bundled can serve as population-blockade.•Preventive behaviors and vaccination must exceed viral transmission threshold. To evaluate the prevalence of infection prevention behaviors in Taiwan—wearing facemasks and alcohol-based hand hygiene (AHH)—and compare their practice rates during SARS and COVID-19. We surveyed 2328 Taiwanese from July 29 to August 6, 2020, assessing demographics, information sources, and preventive behaviors during the 2003 SARS outbreaks, 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1, COVID-19, and with post-survey intentions. Characteristics associated with the practice of preventive behaviors in 2020 were identified through logistic regression. Preventive behaviors were conscientiously practiced by 70.2% of participants. Compared with 2003 SARS/2009 H1N1, the percentages of facemask use (66.6% vs 99.2% [indoors], P < 0.001) and on-person AHH (44.2% vs 65.4% [hand sanitizers], P < 0.001) significantly increasedduring 2020 COVID-19. Highest adherence to preventive behaviors in 2020 was among females (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.72), those receiving government COVID-19 information (aOR, 1.52), participants recruited from primary-care clinics (aOR, 1.43), and those who practiced AHH during 2003 SARS/2009 H1N1 (aOR, 1.37). Government leadership, healthcare providers risk communication, and public cooperation rapidly mitigated the spread of COVID-19 in Taiwan even before vaccination. Future global efforts must implement such population-based preventive behaviors at a level above the viral-transmission-threshold, particularly in areas with fast-spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants.