The Interplay Between Policy and COVID-19 Outbreaks in South Asia: Longitudinal Trend Analysis of Surveillance Data.
Sarah B WelchDinushi Amanda KulasekereP V Vara PrasadCharles B MossRobert Leo MurphyChad J AchenbachMichael G IsonDanielle ResnickLauren Nadya SinghJanine I WhiteTariq Ziad IssaKasen CullerMichael J BoctorMaryann MasonJames Francis OehmkeJoshua Marco Mitchell FaberLori Ann PostPublished in: JMIR public health and surveillance (2021)
Relaxation of public health restrictions and the spread of novel variants fueled the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Asia. Public health surveillance indicates that shifts in policy and the spread of new variants correlate with a drastic expansion in the pandemic, requiring immediate action to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Surveillance is needed to inform leaders whether policies help control the pandemic.