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To evaluate the immunogenicity of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines administered at different intervals. Subjects who had received two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines at an interval of 21 days or 1–7 months were selected to collect 5 ml of venous blood after the second dose for the detection of specific IgG antibody against SARS-CoV-2 using the chemiluminescent immunoassay. Blood samples were collected from 348 and 174 individuals vaccinated at an interval of 21 days or 1–7 months, respectively. Seropositive rate 2 weeks after two doses of vaccination at 21-days and 1–7 months interval was 95.7% and 97.1%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. The post-vaccination antibody level was 23.7 with 21-days interval, higher than 14.2 with 1–7 months interval. Among the individuals vaccinated with two doses more than 1-month apart, seropositive rate was 98.5%, 90.0%, 91.7%, and 100% with 1- month (1–2 months, 2 months was not included, the same below), 2- month, 3- month, and 4–7 months of interval, respectively, and no statistically significant difference was observed. Appropriate extension of the vaccination interval between two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine does not affect the production of specific IgG antibodies. The inactivated COVID-19 vaccine should be administered in accordance with the recommended vaccination schedule, and the vaccination interval can be extended appropriately under special circumstances.

Recent disasters have highlighted the gap between existing urbancentric resilience models and the needs of rural communities, which are frequently marginalized. Large rural constituencies, encompassing vast and sparsely populated areas, lack broadband connectivity and rely predominantly on volunteer-based emergency workforce. The above are some of the key factors hampering rural first responders? ability to access, act upon and disseminate emergency-related information. This has an adverse effect on both residents and the agencies that serve them, as it limits residents? ability to prepare for emergencies and compromises the safety of first responders. Furthermore, the unique socio-economic structure of rural areas makes them particularly vulnerable to the effects of incipient or unfolding disasters. Hence, rural communities often develop self-reliance capabilities by creating tightknit social structures and taking charge of their own technological progress through community-driven efforts.

This article examines the outcomes of open innovation (OI) and their contribution to public value by analysing 19 subnational civic hackathons across the US. Our analysis identifies three outcomes ...

The unique socio-economic structure of rural communities makes them particularly vulnerable to emergencies. However, rural emergency preparedness and response (EPR) significantly lag behind their urban counterparts. A key obstacle to timely dissemination of emergency information is limited broadband, which in turn limits agencies’ abilities to (i) disseminate preparedness and response information to residents and (ii) coordinate in the face of a disaster. We aim to improve rural EPR services by aggregating information from national, state and county-based sources and disseminating it in rural communities with limited broadband by leveraging first responders’ and residents’ mobility. To this end, we co-design and develop an emergency smartphone app (EApp) in collaboration with a rural community in New York State. We study EApp’s performance in the lab and through deployments, focusing on energy use, required socio-physical interactions and timeliness of information access. Our findings elucidate critical limitations of off-the-shelf Android platforms to support hands-free opportunistic networks. To address these limitations, we design protocols on top of Wi-Fi direct enabling near 100% success rate in peer-to-peer (P2P) information exchange. Our results inform an optimal end-to-end design and deployment of a rural P2P information dissemination platform.

Research on information technology adoption and use is definitely not new. However, while several models have aimed at explaining adoption and use of technology by individuals and organizations, very few of them have explicitly taken into account the specific characteristics of the domain of emergency preparedness and response. Furthermore, these models have not differentiated between urban and rural contexts. Thus, our research aims at bridging this gap by proposing a model of adoption and use of technology for emergency preparedness and response (EPR) in rural contexts. This ongoing research paper shows preliminary results of our research, by identifying relevant determinants of IT adoption and use in the EPR domain and categorizing them into three dimensions: individual, organizational, and contextual. In addition, it compares those EPR determinants with the determinants found in the more general literature on adoption and use of technology. Finally, the paper also highlights some unique characteristics of rural settings.

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem in China. Over a decade has passed since the last National Hepatitis Seroepidemiological Survey was conducted in 2006. The lack of updated data on hepatitis B in China makes assessing the current prevalence and burden of the disease inadequate. In response to the above situation, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to provide a better understanding of hepatitis B epidemiology in the general population of China. Methods A systematic search was conducted in international databases (Medline through PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science) and national databases (CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data) to retrieve primary studies published between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017. The pooled prevalence of HBV infection and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Quality assessment, heterogeneity testing and publication bias assessment were also performed. Results Of the 27 studies included in the meta-analysis, the pooled estimated prevalence of HBV infection in the general population of China from 2013 to 2017 was 6.89% (95% CI:5.84–7.95%), which could be extrapolated to an estimated population of 84 million living with HBsAg in 2018. The prevalence of HBV infection in males was higher than that in females (5.88% vs 5.05%), and rural areas had a higher prevalence than urban areas (5.86% vs 3.29%). The highest prevalence of HBV infection was reported in Western provinces (8.92, 95% CI: 7.19–10.64%). In adults older than 20 years, the prevalence of HBV infection was approximately 7%, which was higher than that in children. Conclusion The prevalence of HBV infection in the general population of China was classified as higher intermediate prevalence (5–7.99%), of which more than 90% of the HBV infection population included adults older than 20 years. The blocking of mother-to-infant hepatitis B transmission and plans involving timely birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 h should be implemented. Additionally, improving the quality of life and survival rate of the infected population through antiviral therapy and high-risk adult vaccination will be the priority of our future work. Moreover, various control measures should be implemented in different provinces across China.

Recent years have witnessed growing public administration practitioners’ and researchers’ interests in the involvement of citizens as co-producers of public service design and delivery. With advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) favoring multilateral interactivity and ubiquitous communication, governments are able to expand new opportunities for public service co-production. This literature review contributes to our understanding of current knowledge about the use of ICTs in co-production and the potential outcomes. The results of the review show three models of ICT-enabled co-production: (1) Citizen-sourcing; (2) Automatic Co-production; (3) Government as an Open Platform, each with its unique features in terms of citizens’ contributions, citizens’ capacities, and government openness. This review highlights future developments in electronic sensors and the use of data could lead to new approaches to co-production. ICT-enabled coproduction is promising to bring positive outcomes on public service provision and citizen engagement, yet the effectiveness of those practices is conditioned on factors both inside and outside government organizations. The review also indicates that ICT-enabled co-production is not a panacea and potential dark sides need to be acknowledged. Future research needs to address critical drivers and barriers for governments to utilize different models of ICT-enabled coproduction as well as to evaluate the outcomes of those practices in multiple contexts.

ObjectivesNation-wide hepatitis B vaccination coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs) is not well researched in China. This study aims to investigate the self-reported hepatitis B vaccination status among HCWs in China.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of health_care workers' vaccination statuses in 120 hospitals in China by collecting demographic and vaccination data. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to assess factors associated with hepatitis B vaccination coverage.ResultsEighty-six percent (2,666/3,104) of respondents reported having received at least one dose of the hepatitis B vaccination and 60% (1,853/3,104) reported having completed ≥3 doses of the hepatitis B vaccination. Factors associated with completing ≥3 doses of the hepatitis B vaccination included workplaces offering free hepatitis B vaccination with vaccination management, age, medical occupation, hospital level, acceptable hepatitis B knowledge and having received training on hepatitis B. HCWs in workplaces offering a free hepatitis B vaccine with vaccination management were 1.4 times more likely (OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.8) to complete their hepatitis B vaccination compared to HCWs in workplaces that did not offer a free hepatitis B vaccine. Either the possession of acceptable hepatitis B knowledge or an age of 30-39 years increased the odds of complete hepatitis B vaccination by 1.3-fold (95% CIs: 1.1-1.5 and 1.1-1.7, respectively) over their referent category. The receipt of training on hepatitis B was also associated with a higher percentage of completing the hepatitis B vaccination (OR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.2-1.8). The main self-reported reason for incomplete hepatitis B vaccination was "forgot to complete follow-up doses" among 43% (234/547) of respondents. Among those who never received any hepatitis B vaccination, only 30% (131/438) intended to be vaccinated. Obtaining immunity from work (40%) and hospitals that did not provide hepatitis B vaccination activities (40%) were the top reasons mentioned for refusing hepatitis B vaccination.ConclusionsThe complete hepatitis B vaccination rate among HCWs in China is low, and the desire of HCWs for vaccination is indifferent; therefore, education campaigns are needed. In addition, a free national hepatitis B vaccination policy for HCWs that includes vaccination management should be prioritized to improve hepatitis B coverage among HCWs who are at-risk for HBV infection.

Objectives To assess chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients' knowledge about hepatitis B and their experience of discrimination with regard to study, work, and daily life. Methods We administered a questionnaire to 797 CHB patients in four provinces of China and used one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a generalized linear model (GLM) to identify factors associated with discrimination. Results CHB patients had low levels of knowledge about hepatitis B. Patients under 40 years of age with a junior college education or above knew more about hepatitis B than CHB patients over 40 years of age who had only a high school education. Three-fourths of patients had experienced discrimination because of their hepatitis B infection, with no differences in the proportion experiencing discrimination by sex or age. People with more education reported less discrimination. Patients in Beijing and Henan province perceived less discrimination than those in Shaanxi and Guangdong provinces. Discrimination was significantly associated with negative emotions. CHB patients had little awareness of China's anti-discrimination laws and policies. Among patients who had experienced discrimination, fewer than 10% knew organizations or institutions that could offer help. Over 60% of CHB patients who experienced discrimination chose not to respond. Conclusion CHB patients in China commonly experienced discrimination, which was associated with significant, negative emotional stress. To mitigate the damaging effects of discrimination, our study suggests raising general population knowledge about hepatitis B, raising awareness of the availability of legal protection and organizations that can fight discrimination, and providing psychological support for CHB patients.

Introduction Since 2008, two types of hepatitis A (HepA) vaccines were integrated into the expanded program on immunization (EPI) in China. Children were given either one dose of live attenuated HepA (L-HepA) or two doses of inactivated HepA (I-HepA), depending on geographic regions. We sought to evaluate the impact of the EPI on HepA incidence in China. Methods We reviewed the epidemiology of HepA during 2004–2016 from National Notifiable Disease Reporting System (NNDRS). We collected data of L-HepA and I-HepA coverage from Children Immunization Information Management System (CIIMS). Based on the regions where two types of HepA vaccines were used, the coverage and incidence of HepA were compared over time. Results In 2008–2016, the HepA vaccine coverage was 98.8% among target children, with 99.6% in I-HepA region and 98.7% in L-HepA region. HepA incidence declined by 78.0% and 82.3% in L-HepA region and I-HepA region, respectively, without significant difference. Dramatic decline were seen in all age groups of both regions. Conclusion The study suggests that the EPI, with high coverage for both I-HepA and L-HepA, had positive impact on HepA incidence in China.

Summary Over the last decades, governments all over the world have tried to take advantage of information and communication technology (ICT) to improve government operations and communication with citizens. Adoption of e-government has increased in most countries, but at the same time, the rate of successful adoption and operation varies from country to country. This article outlines the evolution of ICT in the public sector over the past 25 years. It presents general trends by examining interactions and mutual shaping processes between ICT evolution and several inter-related institutional changes including government operations, public services delivery, citizen participation, policy and decision making, and governance reform. The authors suggest that within a short time period, e-governance has evolved rapidly from rudimentary uses of ICTs as simple tools to support highly structured administrative work to the integration of ICT throughout government operations. The growing use of Web 2.0, social media, and mobile and wireless ICT by citizens can also heavily impact the way public services are delivered and how citizen engagement processes are carried out. However, new management approaches, governance structures, and policy frameworks are still missing, posing a challenge for governments to operate effectively in the age of big data. Generally, developing countries are lagging behind in e-government adoption compared with developed countries. Thus, for developing countries to successfully adopt ICT and try to leapfrog some of the obstacles encountered by early ICT adopters in developed countries, systematic analyses need to be conducted to understand the interactions among stakeholders and ICTs and co-create the institutional environment to lead to a positive impact of ICT on public administration. Only when this relationship is clearly understood can innovative ICTs be seamlessly integrated into the governance structure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Microblogging has been increasingly used by governments and citizens in emergency response. This paper aims to explore how citizens use microblogging to participate in emergency situations. By analyzing microblog data during the 2013 Water Contamination Emergency in Shanghai, this paper shows that citizens used microblogging platforms as a bottom-up channel to communicate with government agencies. Four different ways to use microblogging have been identified. Findings reveal that citizens turned it into a social sensor for governments to monitor and adjust their response actions. Citizens' subjective opinions and judgment reflected their focuses and concerns during the emergency, although they were sometimes inaccurate. Citizens used microblogging platforms to participate while they were still lack of capability and motivation to develop a collaborative network with government agencies. Government agencies still face great challenges to monitor online public participation and to effectively separate key information from noise more.

In recent years, extensive use of web 2.0 has promoted great changes in local governance in China; while so far little research has been conducted studying such phenomenon. The purpose of this paper focuses on the impact of Web 2.0 applications on local governance in Shanghai. Based on a case study of the use of local online discussion forum, the research identified online and offline interaction patterns between local authority and citizens. Online discussion forum has greatly enhanced collaboration between citizens and local authority in governance, and started to cultivate a citizen-oriented public service delivery culture in local Shanghai.

The surge of product quality and safety control issue has become one of the top concerns country wide in recent years. Citizens, academics and nonprofit organizations urged government agencies to further refine product quality supervision strategies. The purpose of this paper focuses on interaction between ICT and production control, supply, and inspection system.