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Additional file 1. Dimension scores per age category.

Background Risk communication is a key component of public health interventions during an outbreak. As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in late 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was at the forefront in the development of risk communication strategies. The WHO introduced a range of activities with the purpose of enabling the public to avail verified and timely information on COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Given the various WHO activities to protect the public health during COVID-19, it is important to investigate the extent of familiarity and uptake of the WHO recommendations among the public during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods To do this, we conducted a large-scale Pan-European survey covering around 7500 individuals that are representative of populations from seven European countries, collected online during April 2-April 15, 2020. We use descriptive statistics including proportions and correlations and graphical representations such as bar charts to analyze and display the data. Results Our findings suggest that information from the WHO in the context of COVID-19 is well trusted and acted upon by the public. Overall familiarity and adherence were quite high in most countries. Adherence was higher for social distancing recommendations compared to hygiene measures. Familiarity and adherence were higher among older, female, and highly educated respondents. However, country level heterogeneities were observed in the level of trust in information from the WHO, with countries severely affected by the pandemic reporting lower levels of trust. Conclusion Our findings call for efforts from health authorities to get regular feedback from the public on their familiarity and compliance with recommendations for preventive measures at all stages of the pandemic, to further develop and adapt risk communication as the pandemic evolves. publishersversion published

When exceptional situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, arise and reliable data is not available at decision-making times, estimation using mathematical models can provide a reasonable reckoning for health planning. We present a simplified model (static but with two-time references) for estimating the cost-effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. A simplified model provides a quick assessment of the upper bound of cost-effectiveness, as we illustrate with data from Spain, and allows for easy comparisons between countries. It may also provide useful comparisons among different vaccines at the marketplace, from the perspective of the buyer. From the analysis of this information, key epidemiological figures, and costs of the disease for Spain have been estimated, based on mortality. The fatality rate is robust data that can alternatively be obtained from death registers, funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematoria. Our model estimates the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) to be 5132 € (4926–5276) as of 17 February 2021, based on the following assumptions/inputs: An estimated cost of 30 euros per dose (plus transport, storing, and administration), two doses per person, efficacy of 70% and coverage of 70% of the population. Even considering the possibility of some bias, this simplified model provides confirmation that vaccination against COVID-19 is highly cost-effective. publishersversion published

Report on new findings from the European Covid survey (ECOS) about the willingness to be vaccinated in 7 European countries in January 2021, as well as the reasons for vaccination.

Presentation of the paper at the5th EuHEA PhD Student-Supervisor and Early Career Researcher Conference (5-7September 2018, Catania, Italy)

Presentation of the paper at the6th EuHEA PhD Student-Supervisor and Early Career Researcher Conference (4-6 September 2019, Porto, Portugal)

Report on new findings from the European Covid survey (ECOS) about the willingness to be vaccinated in 7 European countries in January 2021, as well as the reasons for vaccination.

The study addressed people's support for containment policies, worries about COVID-19 consequences, and trust in sources of information. The findings suggested that the epidemic acted as a stressor, causing health and economic anxieties even in households that were not directly affected by the virus. At the same time, the burden of stress was unequally distributed across regions and age groups. Based on the data collected, we drew lessons from the containment stage and identified several insights that could facilitate the design of lockdown exit strategies and future containment policies so that a high level of compliance could be expected.

European countries undertook a range of countermeasures to contain and mitigate the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, including international and domestic mobility restrictions, school closures, bans of public gatherings, and lockdowns Some countries have been considering the implementation of more controversial interventions, such as banning medical exports or usage of mobile phone data for tracking purposes. This study aimed at investigating the public sentiment towards the containment measures undertaken in Europe at the onset of the COVID 19 outbreak to learn about people’s support for containment policies, their worries in relation to the unfolding epidemic, and their trust in different sources of information