https://www.selleckchem.com/products/aminoguanidine-hydrochloride.html Wider recognition by public health stakeholders of the human and economic costs of medical waste has the potential to catalyze health system transformation.Objectives. To investigate whether the imposition of fines can mitigate the spread of COVID-19.Methods. We used quasi-experimental difference-in-difference models. On March 20, 2020, Bavaria introduced fines as high as €25 000 (US $28 186) against citizens in violation of the Bundesland's (federal state's) lockdown policy. Its neighboring Bundesländer (federal states), on the other hand, were slow to impose such clear restrictions. By comparing 38 Landkreise (counties) alongside Bavaria's border from March 15 to May 11 using data from the Robert Koch Institute, we produced for each Landkreis its (1) time-dependent reproduction numbers (R t ) and (2) growth rates in confirmed cases.Results. The demographics of the Landkreise were similar enough to allow for difference-in-difference analyses. Landkreise that introduced fines on March 20 reduced the R t by a further 0.32 (95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.46, -0.18; P  less then  .001) and decreased the growth rate in confirmed cases by an additional 6 percentage points (95% CI = -0.11, -0.02; P = .005) compared with the control group.Conclusions. Imposing fines may slow down the spread of COVID-19.Public Health Implications. Lockdowns may work better when governments introduce penalties against those who ignore them.Objectives. To address evidence gaps in COVID-19 mortality inequities resulting from inadequate race/ethnicity data and no socioeconomic data.Methods. We analyzed age-standardized death rates in Massachusetts by weekly time intervals, comparing rates for January 1 to May 19, 2020, with the corresponding historical average for 2015 to 2019 stratified by zip code social metrics.Results. At the surge peak (week 16, April 15-21), mortality rate ratios (comparing 2020 vs 2015-2019) were 2