Search

On the 2nd of March 2020, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed its first case of the coronavirus's newly emerging strain, causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Soon after, the number of confirmed cases started to increase nationally. In light of the emerging outbreak, all healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, began to function with maximum capacity and efforts. The Saudi Society of Clinical Pharmacy (SSCP) acknowledges the substantial impact pharmacists can play during outbreaks. Based on the existing scientific knowledge during this outbreak, the SSCP established an expert writing task force to conceptualize and draft the proposed recommendations that highlights the roles and responsibilities of pharmacists during epidemics and pandemics. The SSCP writing task force issued 28 recommendations. In addition to the national and institutional guidelines, these recommendations could serve as guidance for the impacted entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world has been encountered with COVID-19 pandemic since at the beginning of 2020 and the number of infected people by COVID-19 is increasing every day. Despite various studies conducted by researchers and doctors, no treatment has been developed until now, therefore self-protection and isolation are strongly recommended to stop the spread of the virus. The elderly population and people with chronic diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer are categorized as risk groups, however, we suggest that people with hemoglobinopathies or porphyria can be described as risk groups as well. Current in silico studies have revealed that the COVID-19 virus can attack heme and hemoglobin metabolisms which are responsible for the oxygen transport to the tissues, iron metabolism, elevated levels of oxidative stress, and tissue damage. Data of the in silico study have been supported with the biochemistry and hemogram results of the COVID-19 patients, for instance hemoglobin levels decreased and serum ferritin and C-reactive protein levels increased. Indicated biochemistry biomarkers are tightly associated with inflammation, iron overload, and oxidative stress. In conclusion, since people with hemoglobinopathies or porphyria have already impaired heme and hemoglobin metabolism, COVID-19 infection can enhance the adverse effects of impaired hemoglobin metabolism and accelerate the progression of severe symptoms in patients with hemoglobinopathies or porphyria compared to the normal individuals. Thus those people can be considered as a risk group and extra precautions should be applied for them to protect them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the investigation of diseases and other harmful environmental influences (e.g., chemicals) epidemiological studies rely on high quality human samples, among others. Collecting samples and data in the field can pose an enormous challenge to the study team with regard to health protection and occupational safety, especially in the context of a pandemic where there was great uncertainty about the biological risks associated with SARS-CoV-2. The German Environmental Specimen Bank (German ESB) is a key element of environmental and human biomonitoring in Germany with the aim to document and assess trends of human and environmental exposure to chemicals over time and to provide scientific data for policy decision makers. Starting with a pilot study in 1978 human samples are now collected at four sampling locations annually, while sampling is carried out with a highly standardized mobile laboratory since 2013. Due to the corona pandemic 3 of 4 ESB sampling campaigns had to be cancelled in 2020. However, a continuous sampling is crucial to generate current policy relevant data on chemical exposure. Hence, a protection and hygiene concept has been developed including COVID-19 testing with the goal to protect the health of participants and employees during sampling and to meet legal requirements, while sustaining the standardized procedures of sampling and sample preparation. The concept is based on a flexible approach to allow adjustments to changing government regulations and recommendations in the course of the pandemic. By implementing this concept, all samplings were successfully carried out in 2021 & 2022, with the pandemic still ongoing. This paper provides an example of good practice and valuable insights in how to collect human samples during a pandemic. • Conducting epidemiological sampling and data collection for the German Environmental Specimen Bank during a pandemic. • Risk Assessment & development of an infection protection & hygiene concept to conduct safe sampling in a mobile laboratory. • Rapid sample handling, Point-of-Care analytics, and on-site cryopreservation. • Lessons learned during Covid 19 epidemic for future pandemic situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has had serious, negative impacts on children's health and development. But the impacts have not been felt equally. Disabled children and their families have been hit particularly hard. In this paper we summarize UK legislation to limit the spread of the virus and describe how services to disabled children changed as a result. We discuss the long-term deleterious impacts of changes in service provision on the health and wellbeing of disabled children and the parent carers supporting them. We close with lessons learned for resetting services to support the ongoing recovery of children and their families and recommendations for delivering services better in future emergencies to ensure that disabled children's health and wellbeing is maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Canada has had relatively high vaccination rates against COVID-19, specifically during earlier waves of the pandemic, vaccine hesitancy has continued to serve as a significant barrier to adequate protection against the virus and, more recently, booster vaccine uptake. This paper explores the processes underlying Canadians' perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines and their decisions to take or refuse them, as well as how public policy and health messaging about vaccination has influenced vaccination attitudes and behaviors. Our focus group interviews with 18 vaccinated and unvaccinated adult Canadians conducted during October 2021 reveal that, in some respects, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy conforms to prior knowledge about some of the factors that affect vaccine attitudes (e.g., the influence of known medical providers) but deviates from current theoretical frameworks regarding general vaccine hesitancy. Specifically, these frameworks emphasize a lack of scientific knowledge and literacy ("knowledge deficit" accounts) or individuals' inability to incorporate rational risk perceptions into initial emotional responses to vaccines ("emotionality/irrationality" accounts). In contrast to the knowledge deficit account, we find that expressions of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were most frequently associated with an information surplus or inability to prioritize information from multiple and often contradictory sources. Furthermore, top-down pro-vaccination messaging often triggered significant pushback against what participants perceived as moral shaming of the unvaccinated. Our findings demonstrate the necessity for a new framework to understand and address vaccine hesitancy. A better theoretical account of vaccine hesitancy has important implications for future vaccination efforts, specifically within the context of new variants and low booster vaccination rates in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has endured constituting formidable economic, social, educational, and phycological challenges for the societies. Moreover, during pandemic outbreaks, the hospitals are overwhelmed with patients requiring more intensive care units and intubation equipment. Therein, to cope with these urgent healthcare demands, the state authorities seek ways to develop policies based on the estimated future casualties. These policies are mainly non-pharmacological policies including the restrictions, curfews, closures, and lockdowns. In this paper, we construct three model structures of the S p I n I t I b D-N (suspicious S p , infected I n , intensive care I t , intubated I b , and dead D together with the non-pharmacological policies N) holding two key targets. The first one is to predict the future COVID-19 casualties including the intensive care and intubated ones, which directly determine the need for urgent healthcare facilities, and the second one is to analyse the linear and non-linear dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic under the non-pharmacological policies. In this respect, we have modified the non-pharmacological policies and incorporated them within the models whose parameters are learned from the available data. The trained models with the data released by the Turkish Health Ministry confirmed that the linear S p I n I t I b D-N model yields more accurate results under the imposed non-pharmacological policies. It is important to note that the non-pharmacological policies have a damping effect on the pandemic casualties and this can dominate the non-linear dynamics. Herein, a model without pharmacological or non-pharmacological policies might have more dominant non-linear dynamics. In addition, the paper considers two machine learning approaches to optimize the unknown parameters of the constructed models. The results show that the recursive neural network has superior performance for learning nonlinear dynamics. However, the batch least squares outperforms in the presence of linear dynamics and stochastic data. The estimated future pandemic casualties with the linear S p I n I t I b D-N model confirm that the suspicious, infected, and dead casualties converge to zero from 200000, 1400, 200 casualties, respectively. The convergences occur in 120 days under the current conditions. • We construct three S p I n I t I b D-N model structures; namely, linear S p I n I t I b D-N model, non-linear S p I n I t I b D-N model, and strongly non-linear S p I n I t I b D-N model to reveal the linear and non-linear characters of the COVID-19 casualties. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper examining the linear and non-linear properties of a pandemic disease. • We modify the non-pharmacological policies based on their changing characters with the occurrence of the second peak in the COVID-19 casualties. Re-opening the schools partial-by-partial and imposed self-curfews, for instance, are modelled and incorporated into the S p I n I t I b D-N models. • We enrich the SpID-N model with the intensive care I t and intubated I b , which will greatly help to estimate the hospital requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) in 2019 resulted in the suspension of all elective hospital procedures during the height of the pandemic in the UK. The Clinic in London is one of the first day-case hospitals to resume cosmetic surgery in a post-COVID-19 clinical environment, whilst also employing the use of virtual consultations. Details of the protocol implemented by the Clinic to allow the safe resumption of cosmetic surgery are stated in this paper. The volume of procedures at the Clinic saw a significant increase post-lockdown; reasons as to why this occurred are also explored in this paper. The disruption of cosmetic practice during lockdown can be said to have resulted in a backlog of procedures once lockdown restrictions began to ease. Whilst this may be true, we believe that there are other confounding factors regarding what may have influenced the rise in cosmetic surgery during the pandemic, including the privacy of working from home and the increased exposure to video conferencing software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm. The disease has spread very swiftly worldwide. A timely clue which includes the estimation of the incubation period among COVID-19 patients can allow governments and healthcare authorities to act accordingly. to undertake a review and critical appraisal of all published/preprint reports that offer an estimation of incubation periods for COVID-19. This research looked for all relevant published articles between the dates of December 1, 2019, and April 25, 2020, i.e. those that were related to the COVID-19 incubation period. Papers were included if they were written in English, and involved human participants. Papers were excluded if they were not original (e.g. reviews, editorials, letters, commentaries, or duplications). COVID-19 Open Research Dataset supplied by Georgetown's Centre for Security and Emerging Technology as well as PubMed and Embase via Arxiv, medRxiv, and bioRxiv. A data-charting form was jointly developed by the two reviewers (NZ and EA), to determine which variables to extract. The two reviewers independently charted the data, discussed the results, and updated the data-charting form. Screening was undertaken 44,000 articles with a final selection of 25 studies referring to 18 different experimental projects related to the estimation of the incubation period of COVID-19. The majority of extant published estimates offer empirical evidence showing that the incubation period for the virus is a mean of 7.8 days, with a median of 5.01 days, which falls into the ranges proposed by the WHO (0–14 days) and the ECDC (2–12 days). Nevertheless, a number of authors proposed that quarantine time should be a minimum of 14 days and that for estimates of mortality risks a median time delay of 13 days between illness and mortality should be under consideration. It is unclear as to whether any correlation exists between the age of patients and the length of time they incubate the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose; The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated profound adaptations in the delivery of healthcare to manage a rise in critically unwell patients. In an attempt to slow the spread of the virus nationwide lockdown restrictions were introduced. This review aims to scope the literature on the impact of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown on the presentation and management of trauma globally. Methods; A scoping review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search was carried out on the Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane databases to identify papers investigating presentation and management of trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic. All studies based on patients admitted with orthopaedic trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Exclusion criteria were opinion-based reports, reviews, studies that did not provide quantitative data and papers not in English. Results; 665 studies were screened, with 57 meeting the eligibility criteria. Studies reported on the footfall of trauma in the UK, Europe, Asia, USA, Australia and New Zealand. A total of 29,591 patients during the pandemic were considered. Mean age was 43.7 years (range <1–103); 54.8% were male. Reported reductions in trauma footfall ranged from 20.3% to 84.6%, with a higher proportion of trauma occurring secondary to interpersonal violence, deliberate self-harm and falls from a height. A decrease was seen in road traffic collisions, sports injuries and trauma occurring outdoors. There was no significant change in the proportion of patients managed operatively, and the number of trauma patients reported to be COVID-19 positive was low. Conclusion; Whilst the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has caused a reduction in the number of trauma patients; the services managing trauma have continued to function despite infrastructural, personnel and pathway changes in health systems. The substantial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on elective orthopaedics is well described, however the contents of this review evidence minimal change in the delivery of effective trauma care despite resource constraints during this global COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has necessitated alterations to the delivery of healthcare services. Modifications include those made to improve patient and healthcare worker safety such as the use of personal protective equipment. Pharmacy services, specifically pharmacy transitions of care services have not been immune to change which have brought along their own set of unique challenges to consider. This paper discusses how COVID-19 has impacted the delivery of pharmacy transitions of care services with real world examples from Sharp Grossmont Hospital and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian. Procedures implemented to minimize the spread and contraction of COVID-19 such as minimized patient contact and altered visitor policies have made it more challenging to obtain a best possible medication list the patient was taking prior to arrival to the hospital which has lead to an increased reliance on secondary sources to complete medication histories. Regarding discharge prescriptions, preference has shifted to the use of electronic vs. hard copy prescriptions, mail order, and utilization of med to bed programs and other hospital medication delivery services to limit patient contact in outpatient pharmacies. An improved effort to resolve medication acquisition issues prior to discharge utilizing patient assistance programs and other hospital programs to cover the cost of medications for COVID positive patients under certain circumstances has been seen. This paper highlights the important role pharmacists can play in providing effective communication, supporting continuity of care, and advocating for patient engagement and empowerment during transitions of care in the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic that emerged in December 2019 has rapidly evolved in recent months to become a worldwide and ongoing pandemic. Shortage of medical masks remains an unresolved problem. This study aims to investigate the filtration efficiency (FE) of home-made masks that could be used as alternatives for community mitigation of COVID-19. Experimental observational analytic study. The FE of home-made masks and medical masks (as the control) were tested under laminar flow within a scaled air duct system using nebulised NaCl aerosols sized 6–220 nm. The size-resolved NaCl aerosol count was measured using a scanning mobility particle-sizer spectrometer. Home-made masks with an external plastic face shield also underwent a splash test. In addition, the fibre structures of medical masks were studied under an electron microscope after treatment with either 75% alcohol or soap and water at 60 °C. The FE of the home-made masks at 6–200 nm were non-inferior to that of medical masks (84.54% vs 86.94%, P = 0.102). Both types of masks achieved an FE of 90% at 6–89 nm. A significantly higher FE was achieved when one piece of tissue paper was added adjacent to the inner surface of the medical mask than medical mask alone (6–200 nm: 91.64% vs 86.94%, P < 0.0001; 6–89 nm: 94.27% vs 90.54%, P < 0.0001; 90–200 nm: 82.69% vs 73.81%, P < 0.0001). The plastic face shield prevented the home-made mask from fluid splash. The fibre structures of the external surface of medical masks were damaged after treatment with either 75% alcohol or soap and water at 60 °C. The home-made masks in this study, which were made of one piece of tissue paper and two pieces of kitchen towels, layered from face to external, had an FE at 6–200 nm non-inferior to that of medical mask materials, which had a certified FE of ≥95% at 3 μm. In the current COVID-19 pandemic with the shortage of medical masks, these home-made masks combined with an external plastic shield could be used as an alternative to medical masks for community mitigation. In addition, one piece of tissue paper could be placed adjacent to the inner surface of a medical mask to prolong effective lifespan of the medical mask. These demand reduction strategies could be used to reserve medical masks for use in healthcare and certain high-risk community settings, such as symptomatic persons, caregivers and attendees to healthcare institutions. • Our home-made masks have filtration efficiency comparable to medical masks. • They may be used as alternatives in low-risk community settings. • Plastic face shields may be used in situations when social distancing and/or face masks are not feasible. • Decontamination of medical masks with 75% alcohol or soap and water damages the fibres and is not recommended. • Community mitigation measures are an important part of the global efforts in combating COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document describes the behavior of the production of academic papers and high circulation newspapers, published under the terms "Coronavirus, Covid-19 or SARS-CoV-2". The purpose of this paper is to employ text mining techniques and qualitative data analysis for pattern identification (Dobrzyński, Dziekoński, Krzysztof, & Jurczuk, 2013; Westergaard, Staerfeldt, Tønsberg, Jensen, & Brunak, 2018). The interest of this study arises from the importance of this topic today and its relationship with the economy, business and society. As a result, the production of scientific papers has been led by the United States, China and Russia. In Latin America, Brazil is the country with the highest scientific output on this subject. The analysis of newspaper articles focusing on economic and business issues showed the work between large companies, the government and the community, as well as companies with businesses and the need to adapt to constant change in the face of the crisis of labor and production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the current crisis of regarding preparedness of healthcare industries in Pakistan, analyzing the causes, effects, and potential recommendations to this problem. Highlighting the efforts and issues surrounding this topic is necessary for developing and implementing research-based solutions that accurately reflect the current state of the healthcare industry. This short overview is prepared in accordance with accepted practices in published studies around the world. Our findings were based on a search of the literature databases PubMed, Google Scholar, Journals Online, and the Internet Library. Searching for "Healthcare Preparedness in Pakistan" yielded the expected results. Particularly of interest to the researchers was the question of why, despite efforts to boost vaccination rates and emergency immunization response capacities in the event of epidemics, progress on SDG3 immunization indicators has been minimal. Immunization is critically important because vaccine-preventable diseases pose a significant risk to the general population. Pakistan's authorities and government should take deliberate action to increase immunization rates. Particularly disadvantaged countries and regions are hit the worst by climate change. Pakistan continues to be hit hard by diseases like acute watery diarrhea, dengue fever, malaria, and COVID-19 are on the rise as a result of the flooding, especially in shelters and areas where water and sanitation systems have been affected. After devastating floods in KP, Sindh, and Punjab, over 70 suspected cases of diphtheria were reported. Diphtheria epidemics illustrate the precarious position of flood victims. It would be catastrophic if the newly found diphtheria strain or the covid-19 variation reached the underserved flood victims. Immunization protects against life-threatening illnesses so its government responsibility to improve immunization rates in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine to what extent external factors (country and industry) and internal factors (capabilities of firms) explain firm resilience outcomes during the first and toughest months of a wild card crisis. Our study uses multivariable regressions on a sample of 1,180 firms. Using evidence from a survey of 58 countries and 17 industries, our results show that, contrary to the mainstream, external effects play a more significant role in explaining resilience outcomes than internal effects. They also highlight the important role of firms' adaptive capabilities in the initial phase of crises. The study contributes to the existing literature by shedding light on the importance of resilience and on the relative influence of internal and external factors in predicting resilience outcomes in the face of a global shock. The paper highlights the need for further research into performance variance in the very short run when firms face a wild card situation. It also discusses implications for governments and firms in improving their resilience capabilities and emphasizes the importance of ensuring that aid reaches small firms and that managers prepare firms with excess liquidity for times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic prompted widespread national shutdown, halting or dramatically reducing the delivery of non-essential outpatient services including cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Center-based CR services were closed for as few as two weeks to greater than one year and the uncertainty surrounding the duration of the lockdown phase prompted programs to consider programmatic adaptations that would allow for the safe and effective delivery of CR services. Among the actions taken to accommodate in person CR sessions included increasing the distance between exercise equipment and/or limiting the number of patients per session. Legislative approval of reimbursing telehealth or virtual services presented an opportunity to reach patients that may otherwise have not considered attending CR during or even before the pandemic. Additionally, the considerable range of symptoms and infection severity as well as the risk of developing long lasting, debilitating symptoms has complicated exercise recommendations. Important lessons from publications reporting findings from clinical settings have helped shape the way in which exercise is applied, with much more left to discover. The overarching aim of this paper is to review how programs adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and identify lessons learned that have positively influenced the future of CR delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper explores the use of curfews as a strategy to combat infectious diseases. • The origins and applications of this term can be traced to the Middle Ages. • We focus on the Italian application of curfew on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact. The present communication examines the phenomenon of curfew in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic with special attention being laid on the management of the epidemic by Italian health authorities. A literature review and a historical–medical analysis were performed. A historical–medical excursus on the word curfew is offered and a comparison between military and health scenarios is given. Finally, this article stresses how words connected with wartime events should be contextualized when adopted in unmilitary scenarios such as pandemic emergencies and related public health responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the significant impact of the pandemic on the social sector. To curb infection spread, social and economic activities were limited, challenging human development. The study utilized an ecological design to analyze the situation of the social sector in Central Visayas, Philippines. Data from government and international organizations revealed strengths and vulnerabilities in these areas. Notably, disparities in enrollment and graduation rates before and during the pandemic indicate issues in retaining students. Poor performance, low cohort survival, and declining literacy rates suggest future societal challenges with less competent individuals. Additionally, increasing population density, teenage pregnancy, depression, and suicide rates compromise social welfare. The region requires improved access to quality education, responsive social safety nets, and strengthened physical and mental health programs to enhance human and social development and future-proof the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Investigates relational enactments of gendered alcohol consumption during the pandemic, contrasted with special attention on women as a 'priority population' for alcohol-related harm reduction. • Adopts a gendered approach to understanding the alcohol-harm paradox, the breast cancer paradox, and the risk-pleasure paradox in women's health policies. • Synthesises evidence to construct a burden of proof that problematising women's consumption at an individual level alone has potential to worsen inequities in gendered alcohol-related harms and broader health outcomes. • Showcases how gender-responsive alcohol policy needs to be cross-sectoral and address upstream factors to protect women from alcohol harm. Drinking alcohol facilitates pleasure for women while also elevating disease risk. Symbolic expectations of what alcohol 'does in' life per lay insight (relax, identity-work, connect) sit in tension with scientific realities about what alcohol 'does to' women's bodies (elevate chronic disease risks such as breast cancer). Policy must work amidst – and despite – these paradoxes to reduce harm(s) to women by attending to the gendered and emergent configurations of both realities. This paper applies a logic of candidacy to explore women's alcohol consumption and pleasure through candidacies of wellness in addition to risk through candidacies of disease (e.g. breast cancer). Using qualitative data collected via 56 interviews with Australian women (n = 48) during early pandemic countermeasures, we explore how risk perceptions attached to alcohol (like breast cancer) co-exist with use-values of alcohol in daily life and elucidate alcohol's paradoxical role in women's heuristics of good/poor health behaviours. Women were aged 25–64 years, experienced varying life circumstances (per a multidimensional measure of social class including economic, social and cultural capital) and living conditions (i.e. partnered/single, un/employed, children/no children). We collated coding structures from data within both projects; used deductive inferences to understand alcohol's paradoxical role in candidacies of wellness and disease; abductively explored women's prioritisation of co-existing candidacies during the pandemic; and retroductively theorised prioritisations per evolving pandemic-inflected constructions of alcohol-related gendered risk/s and pleasure/s. Our analysis illuminates the ways alcohol was configured as a pleasure and form of wellness in relation to stress, productivity and respectability. It also demonstrates how gender was relationally enacted amidst the priorities, discourses and materialities enfolding women's lives during the pandemic. We consider the impact of policy regulation of aggressive alcohol marketing and banal availability of alcohol in pandemic environments and outline gender-responsive, multi-level policy options to reduce alcohol harms to women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous countries and jurisdictions have implemented differential COVID-19 public health restrictions based on individual vaccination status to mitigate the public health risks posed by unvaccinated individuals. Although it is scientifically and ethically justifiable to introduce such vaccination-based differentiated measures as a risk-based approach to resume high-risk activities in an ongoing pandemic, their justification is weakened by lack of clarity on their intended goals and the specific risks or potential harms they intend to mitigate. Furthermore, the criteria for the removal of differentiated measures may not be clear, which raises the possibility of shifting goalposts without clear justification and with potential for unfairly discriminatory consequences. This paper seeks to clarify the ethical justification of COVID-19 vaccination-based differentiated measures based on a public health risk-based approach, with focus on their deployment in domestic settings. We argue that such measures should be consistent with the principal goal of COVID-19 vaccination programmes, which is to reduce the incidence of severely ill patients and associated healthcare burdens so as to protect a health system. We provide some considerations for the removal of vaccination-based differentiated measures based on this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Curious outbreak of chilblains (COVID toes) occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic. • Their pathophysiology is widely debated. • An association with SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unconfirmed. • This paper discusses current evidence and unresolved issues regarding COVID toes. • Need for answers to pending questions and for valid follow-up information. • Potential impact on patient management, testing strategies and isolation measures. Numerous of cases of chilblains have been observed, mainly in young subjects with no or mild symptoms compatible with COVID-19. The pathophysiology of these lesions is still widely debated and an association with SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unconfirmed. This paper focus on the unresolved issues about these COVID toes and in particular whether or not they are associated with COVID-19. The temporal link between the outbreak of chilblains and the COVID-19 pandemic is a first suggests a link between the two events. Positive anti-SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2 immunostaining on skin biopsy of chilblains seem to confirm the presence of the virus in the lesions, but lack specificity and must be interpreted with caution. Conversely, RT-PCR and anti-SARS-CoV-2 serology were negative in the majority of patients with chilblains. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 infection can be excluded, with relative certainty, even after accounting for possible lower immunization in mild/asymptomatic patients and for some differences in sensitivity/specificity between the tests used. Some authors hypothesize that chilblains could be the cutaneous expression of a strong type I interferon (IFN-I) response. High production of IFN-I is suggested to be associated with early viral control and may suppress antibody response. However, the absence of other cutaneous or extracutaneous symptoms as observed in other interferonopathies raises unanswered questions. To date, a direct link between chilblains and COVID-19 still seems impossible to confirm. A more indirect association due to lifestyle changes induced by lockdown is a possible explanation. Improvement of chilblains when protective measures were adopted and after lifting of lockdown, support this hypothesis. Conflicting current evidence highlights the need for systematic and repeated testing of larger numbers of patients and the need for valid follow-up data that take into consideration epidemic curves and evolution of lockdown measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the coronavirus emerged in early 2020, older adults were at heightened risk of contracting the virus, and of suffering mental health consequences from the pandemic and from the precautions designed to mitigate it. In this paper, we examine how social networks prior to the pandemic helped to shape health beliefs, behaviors, and outcomes among older adults during its onset, focusing on (1) perceived risk of COVID-19, (2) preventative health behaviors, and (3) mental health, including loneliness, perceived stress, depression, and anxiety. Drawing on the longitudinal Social Networks in Alzheimer Disease study, we find that networks high in bridging social capital predict greater perceived risk and more precautions taken, but worse mental health. In contrast, networks high in bonding social capital predict less perceived risk and fewer precautions taken, but better mental health. We discuss this apparent tradeoff between physical and mental health. • We examined how the networks of older adults influenced their health beliefs, behaviors, and mental health outcomes during the pandemic. • We divided social network characteristics into two broad categories: bonding social capital and bridging social capital. • Findings suggest an apparent tradeoff between preventing infection and promoting mental health depending on one's network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• What is currently known? Associate degree nursing programs must understand the regulation of nursing practice and education to support nursing workforce needs. • What the paper adds to existing knowledge: Most states have enacted changes to the regulation of practice and education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. • How is the applied to practice? Associate degree nurse educators must continue to stay abreast of regulatory changes to support preparation of new nurse graduates who are ready to meet workforce needs to practice safely in today's healthcare environment. To adapt to the environment resulting from a worldwide pandemic, states across the country enacted regulation changes impacting nursing education, entry into practice, and licensure. In this manuscript, the authors collected state board of nursing data from sources including websites and letters from the State Boards to deans, directors, and chairs. Information obtained reflected changes to regulation of practice and regulation of education. As the pandemic continues, associate degree educators will need to continue to stay abreast of nursing regulation changes made to meet healthcare workforce needs while also ensuring public safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a public health threat for Malawi which is facing several challenges concurrently including disease burden; inadequate finances; illiteracy; and public mistrust in government. In this pandemic, vaccines are the most reliable and cost-effective public health intervention, and the Malawian government has instituted an action plan which includes prioritizing the vaccination of traditional and religious leaders, increased vaccination sites to include workplaces and shopping malls, and health promotion. However, there is still considerable hesitancy around the use of the available vaccines in Malawi. In this paper, we explore the multiple interrelated factors driving COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Malawi. It is therefore recommended that the Malawian government embrace multicomponent and wide-ranging strategies to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the country. This includes reviving trust in national health authorities by offering population-specific, target-driven, and effective, transparent, and timely communication to its citizens and relevant stakeholders about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic had profound global impacts on daily lives, economic stability, and healthcare systems. Diagnosis of COVID-19 infection via RT-PCR was crucial in reducing spread of disease and informing treatment management. While RT-PCR is a key diagnostic test, there is room for improvement in the development of diagnostic criteria. Identification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath provides a fast, reliable, and economically favorable alternative for disease detection. This meta-analysis analyzed the diagnostic performance of VOC-based breath analysis in detection of COVID-19 infection. A systematic review of twenty-nine papers using the grading criteria from Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and PRISMA guidelines was conducted. The cumulative results showed a sensitivity of 0.92 (95 % CI, 90 %-95 %) and a specificity of 0.90 (95 % CI 87 %-93 %). Subgroup analysis by variant demonstrated strong sensitivity to the original strain compared to the Omicron and Delta variant in detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection. An additional subgroup analysis of detection methods showed eNose technology had the highest sensitivity when compared to GC-MS, GC-IMS, and high sensitivity-MS. Overall, these results support the use of breath analysis as a new detection method of COVID-19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its far-reaching influence on daily life, constituted a highly stressful experience for many people worldwide, jeopardizing individuals' mental health, particularly in vulnerable populations such as pregnant women. While a growing body of evidence links prenatal maternal stress to biological and developmental alterations in offspring, the specific impact of prenatal exposure to maternal pandemic-related stress (PRS) on infant development remains unclear. A comprehensive literature search was performed in October 2023 according to the PRISMA guidelines, which yielded a total of 28 records. The selected papers investigated a vast range of developmental and biological outcomes in the offspring with large methodological variations. The reviewed studies showed mixed results. Either direct associations between maternal PRS during pregnancy and infant temperament and socio-emotional development, or indirect links, mediated by maternal mental health, emerged in most studies. Furthermore, maternal PRS was associated with epigenetic and brain alterations in the offspring, although studies were limited in number. Collectively, the reviewed findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of early adverse exposures on infant development. • The COVID-19 pandemic constituted a critical period during which prenatal stressors may have been amplified. • Prenatal pandemic stress was linked to infant temperament/socio-emotional development. • Maternal mental health was often a critical mediator of the association. • Prenatal pandemic stress was related to epigenetic and brain alterations in offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Securitization is the process of turning a financial asset, such as a loan or a mortgage, into a security that can be bought and sold on the market. Insurance-linked securities have been developed in order to foster the risk-transfer from insurers to capital market. In the context of pandemics or health crisis, securitization has been used to raise funds for crucial healthcare infrastructure and resources. However, securitization can also play a role in lowering infectious rates of pandemics as a part of risk mitigation strategies. Securitization can be engineered at higher standards and levels involving different actors. In the current paper, we propose an operational securitization mechanism based on the previous work by Di Lorenzo and Sibillo (2020) where a bond with coupon linked to the infection rate is introduced in order to reduce the risk exposure of an insurer offering health coverage. The combination of bond and health policies is structured in such a way to foster the economic operators (insureds, insurer, investors on capital market) to reduce the pandemic risk. It follows that companies might guarantee collective health for their workers if they subscribe insurance policies. Indeed, issuing such a bond on the market is challenging, due to poor market liquidity and, then, due to difficulties in pricing. In these regards, we value the pandemic-linked bond via an approach based on an inter-temporal CRRA utility function that, in its turn, determines a certain equivalent financial bond. The comparison values the pandemic-linked bond at varying with investors' risk-aversion and sustainable-projects desirability. This provides an estimation of the risk-transfer cost for the insurers. • A novel insurance method for mitigating the risk of health crisis • Approach of insurance as governance • The proposed insurance scheme includes securitization • Health spillovers on individuals who have not contributed to the whole welfare • Market-sustainability supported via a comparison with a certain bond [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the rapid conversion of a face-to-face interprofessional (IP) disaster simulation to an online format in response to COVID-19 campus closures. The online disaster simulation utilized internet-based tools allowing real-time collaboration between IP students. Team exercises involved disaster triage, disease outbreak investigation, and disaster response. Surveys measuring self-assessment of various IP skills and simulation learning outcomes (SLOs) were compared with responses from previous face-to-face simulations. Results indicated mean scores for IP skills were higher for online students when compared with in-person simulations, and all SLOs were met. The online disaster simulation provided an effective, innovative IP educational opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore the impact of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic on the governance of healthcare in the Netherlands. In doing so, we re-examine the idea that a crisis necessarily leads to processes of transition and change by focusing on crisis as a specific language of organizing collective action instead. Framing a situation as a crisis of a particular kind allows for specific problem definitions, concurrent solutions and the inclusion and exclusion of stakeholders. Using this perspective, we examine the dynamics and institutional tensions involved in governing healthcare during the pandemic. We make use of multi-sited ethnographic research into the Dutch healthcare crisis organization as it responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on decision-making at the regional level. We tracked our participants through successive waves of the pandemic between March 2020 and August 2021 and identified three dominant framings of the pandemic-as-crisis: a crisis of scarcity, a crisis of postponed care and a crisis of acute care coordination. In this paper, we discuss the implications of these framings in terms of the institutional tensions that arose in governing healthcare during the pandemic: between centralized, top-down crisis management and local, bottom-up work; between informal and formal work; and between existing institutional logics. • The COVID-19 pandemic is framed as a crisis of different kinds in healthcare. • Framing impacts decision-making and inclusion of stakeholders. • Ethnographic research provides insights into the consequences of these frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the entire cruise industry. This research aims to provide an understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on the cruise industry from various stakeholders and recommend corresponding post-COVID recovery strategies for building a sustainable cruise industry. By conducting 22 semi-structured interviews in Shanghai, China and analysing the interview data using content analysis, this research finds five aspects of the impacts that are worth discussing, namely social, health and well-being, regulatory, operational, and financial aspects. Key findings include the impacts of different stakeholders' opinions, the problems existing in the current cruise industry, and the potential for future improvement. Recommendations and recovery strategies are proposed to mitigate the negative impacts. This research not only explores the impact of COVID-19 on cruise tourism and fosters recommendations in the most fast-developing region (China) but also facilitates researchers and policymakers to understand the effects of the pandemic and proposes future risk mitigation strategies. • This paper investigated the impacts of COVID-19 on the cruise industry. • This paper examined the impacts from five aspects i.e., social, health and well-being, regulatory, operational, and financial aspects. • Strategies were proposed to mitigate the negative impacts. • The findings contribute to the literature by exploring the impact of COVID-19 on cruise tourism in the most fast-developing region. • Recovery strategies were proposed that can facilitate researchers and policymakers to build a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• OCD logically would be expected to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic situation, including due to commonality of contamination/washing symptoms. • Longitudinal data in clinical settings suggested marked symptom worsening in 20–65 % of OCD patients; but that not all patients experience a worsening, and some experience improvement. • Cross-sectional data from general population studies implicated trait compulsivity and pandemic-related stress in OCD symptoms during the pandemic. • Studies should examine neuropsychiatric sequelae of Covid-19; and they should incorporate validated measures to quantify emergence/worsening of OCD symptoms. There has been much speculation about untoward effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on psychological symptoms. OCD may be expected to be especially impacted. Our aim was to distil the current evidence base on relationships between the pandemic and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, in patients, and general population samples. We conducted a rapid scoping review, in the form of a systematic literature search, coupled with narrative review. 32 relevant papers were identified. (1) A sizable proportion of people with OCD (but not all) experienced/reported symptom worsening during the pandemic, especially during initial restrictions (approximately 20–65 % of cases in longitudinal studies); (2) contamination/washing symptoms appeared particularly susceptible; and (3) OCD symptoms in general population samples were associated with trait compulsivity and pandemic-related-stress. The literature was heterogeneous with various methodological issues being commonplace. The review identified important unaddressed issues: how should exposure based therapy be adapted during pandemics? How can we minimise harm from exacerbation of OCD in vulnerable individuals arising from public health messaging? Why do some but not all OCD patients experience worsening? And does Covid-19 infection affect (or lead to) OCD symptoms? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the changes on the maritime network before and after the Covid-19 outbreak. Using a large sample of vessel movements between ports, we show a decrease in the global maritime connectivity and significant differences between ports and inter-port links. Furthermore, we find that Covid-19 mitigation measures implemented by governments affected regional port hierarchies differently, with a reduction in port concentration in Europe and Africa and an increase in Asia and North America. Globally, very large ports and small but densely inter-connected ones resisted better to the crisis than the others, while small transshipment hubs and bridges appear to have been more negatively impacted. These findings have implications for the design of more resilient port strategies and transport policies by states and firms. • Global container transport is analyzed as a complex network of ports. • A net decrease in connectivity is observed between 2019 and 2020. • Emerging inter-port links are identified. • Covid-19 mitigation measures have impacted regional port hierarchies differently. • Large ports and small but densely inter-connected ports resisted better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on global operations and economies. Inadvertently, lock-downs and working from home have reduced the daily carbon footprints of inter alia transport and office buildings. A beneficial consequence of carbon footprint reductions is the ability to measure the differential demand of occupants, to benchmark the base load of buildings, and identify opportunities for efficiency improvements. In this paper we evaluate the change in energy demand in five public schools in South Africa with changes in occupancy due to the COVID-19-imposed lockdowns. We make recommendations to carry these savings into the everyday operation of the schools, and estimate the savings for forthcoming closures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyses the co-occurrence of urban heat and COVID-19 pandemic. • Impacts of COVID-19 on urban heat challenges include urban temperature anomalies, variations in air pollutant concentrations, unbalanced energy development, and thermal health risks. • The occurrence of COVID-19 reshaped the method to investigate urban heat challenges. • Learning from the COVID-19 is an inevitable course to build a more resilient urban system. Cities, the main place of human settlements, are under various mega challenges such as climate change, population increase, economic growth, urbanization, and pandemic diseases, and such challenges are mostly interlinked. Urban heat, due to heatwaves and heat islands, is the combined effect of climate change and urbanization. The COVID-19 is found to be a critical intervention of urban heat. However, the interrelationship between COVID-19 and urban heat has not been fully understood, constraining urban planning and design actions for improving the resilience to the dual impacts of heat and the pandemic. To close this research gap, this paper conducted a review on the co-occurrence of urban heat and the COVID-19 pandemic for a better understanding of their synergies, conflicts or trade-offs. The research involves a systematic review of urban temperature anomalies, variations in air pollutant concentrations, unbalanced energy development, and thermal health risks during the pandemic lockdown. In addition, this paper further explored data sources and analytical methods adopted to screen and identify the interventions of COVID-19 to urban heat. Overall, this paper is of significance for understanding the impact of COVID-19 on urban heat and provides a reference for coping with urban heat and the pandemic simultaneously. The world is witnessing the co-existence of heat and the pandemic, even in the post-pandemic era. This study can enlighten city managers, planners, the public, and researchers to collaborate for constructing a robust and resilient urban system for dealing with more than one challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak has hit enterprises all around the world, affecting virtually every business area and industry. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how COVID-19 has affected the performance of listed companies in the Saudi market. The study uses financial data from 2009 to 2019 to examine the performance of the listed Saudi firms. The study gathers data from the years 2009 to 2019 to investigate the performance of the firms before the pandemic. The result of the study indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental effect on the enterprises' performance. The analysis indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly harmed the enterprises' performance by reducing both their total investment and their overall income, respectively. The findings of the study remain unique and new with respect to the outbreak and performance of the firm. Predicted Performance of Saudi listed firms in 2020 in comparison with their past performances (Source: Shen et.al, 2020). [Display omitted] • The COVID-19 outbreak has hit enterprises all around the world. • The pandemic had slowed down the economic growth of the whole world. • This paper discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the performance of the Saudi firms. • The study identifies moderating variables like investment, net income, and so on. • It is very important to recover the Organizational operations in the post-epidemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered daily life in cities across the world. To slow the spread of COVID-19, many countries have introduced mobility restrictions, ordered the temporary closure of businesses, and encouraged social distancing. These policies have directly and indirectly influenced travel behaviour, particularly modal preferences. The purpose of this paper to explore modality profiles for non-mandatory trips and analyze how they have changed in response to the pandemic and pandemic-related public health policies. The data used for this study were collected from web-based surveys conducted in the Greater Toronto Area. Modality profiles were identified through the application of latent class cluster analysis, with six modality profiles being identified for both the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The results indicate that the importance of public transit has declined during the pandemic, while the roles of private vehicles and active modes have become more prominent. However, individuals' changes in modal preferences vary based on their pre-pandemic modality profile. In particular, it appears that pre-pandemic transit users with access to a private vehicle have substituted public transit for travel by private vehicle, while those without private vehicle access are continuing to use public transit for non-mandatory trips. Consequently, pandemic-related transportation policies should consider those who do not have access to a private vehicle and aim to help those making non-mandatory trips using transit or active modes comply with local public health guidelines while travelling. The results highlight how the changes in modal preferences that occurred due to the pandemic differ among different segments of the population. • COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have changed modality profiles for non-mandatory trips. • The impacts of the pandemic on mobility vary among different segments of the population. • Private vehicles and active modes are now playing a more prominent role in mobility. • Public transit use is less prevalent now than it was before the pandemic. • Some transit trips have been replaced by walking, ride-sourcing, and taxi trips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been widespread interest in the potential for the significant behavioural and policy adaptations rendered necessary by Coronavirus to act as a catalyst for radical longer term policy change in transport. However, this body of work to date has been limited in its consideration of how such policy change might be brought about. Translating the lessons from the Coronavirus response to other ongoing strategic challenges such as decarbonisation requires analysis of what the pandemic has revealed about processes of policy formulation and how institutions responsible for policy implementation actually work. This paper explores the extent to which rapid policy change has actually been possible in the transport sector in England and Scotland during the pandemic, and key examples of how such change has been both achieved and blocked. Two rounds of interviews with senior stakeholders from across the transport sector were undertaken in June and November 2020 to inform the analysis. We find that the pandemic has accelerated some policy commitments that were already planned, but at a time of huge stress on the whole of government and its partner delivery organisations, the potential to deliver radical policy adaptation was limited. However, Coronavirus is recognised as being a potentially path-changing disruption to existing trajectories in terms of the adaptations to business practices, industry structures, ways of working and the public finances. Paradoxically, whilst recognising these uncertainties, decision-makers are yet to deviate from pre-pandemic planning assumptions and policy plans and this risks missing the opportunities to steer how those changes unfold. • Addresses research gap in the study of governance responses during disruptions. • Identifies transport as a distant policy sub-sector in a crisis that affected all parts of government. • Finds that the response to the pandemic has accelerated already planned policies but generated few new policies. • Long-term impacts on the future structure of cities, use of public transport and uptake of active travel could still emerge. • The leading strategic thinkers on transport policy are still unsure what kinds of future demand to plan for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper undertakes a survey of the COVID-19 pandemic literature. I find that stock market performance, COVID-19 policies and energy markets are most researched. I reason that this is because of availability of relatively high-frequency time-series data supported by appropriate econometric tools. I discuss a range of socioeconomic- and finance-related subjects of significant policy importance. In so doing, I identify specific and broad areas in need of immediate research. These future research topics have strong policy importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a significant impact on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic from various aspects. This paper aims to explore the trends of AI applications and how they help predict and prevent the progress of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. The method used in this study is based on a narrative review of recent literature on AI and COVID-19 and on a survey conducted on 211 participants. Results show that AI is a crucial element to overcoming COVID 19. The use of COVID-19 related Apps that helped reduce the pandemic spread was more common among the age group participants ranging from 15 - 30. The study concluded that COVID-19 made a positive impact on everyone, and by the use of technology, things got much more comfortable to help in enduring any long-term health consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand how COVID-19 pandemic has changed radiology research in Italy. A questionnaire (n = 19 questions) was sent to all members of the Italian Society of Radiology two months after the first Italian national lockdown was lifted. A total of 327 Italian radiologists took part in the survey (mean age: 49 ± 12 years). After national lockdown, the working-flow came back to normal in the vast majority of cases (285/327, 87.2%). Participants reported that a total of 462 radiological trials were recruiting patients at their institutions prior to COVID-19 outbreak, of which 332 (71.9%) were stopped during the emergency. On the other hand, 252 radiological trials have been started during the pandemic, of which 156 were non-COVID-19 trials (61.9%) and 96 were focused on COVID-19 patients (38.2%). The majority of radiologists surveyed (61.5%) do not conduct research. Of the radiologists who carried on research activities, participants reported a significant increase of the number of hours per week spent for research purposes during national lockdown (mean 4.5 ± 8.9 h during lockdown vs. 3.3 ± 6.8 h before lockdown; p =.046), followed by a significant drop after the lockdown was lifted (3.2 ± 6.5 h per week, p =.035). During national lockdown, 15.6% of participants started new review articles and completed old papers, 14.1% completed old works, and 8.9% started new review articles. Ninety-six surveyed radiologists (29.3%) declared to have submitted at least one article during COVID-19 emergency. This study shows the need to support radiology research in challenging scenarios like COVID-19 emergency. • COVID-19 outbreak drastically impacted on Italian radiological research. • Most ongoing radiological trials have been stopped during the first national lockdown. • Italian radiologists spent even more time on radiology research during the lockdown. • Many COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 trials have been pushed forward during the lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on education. As a result of this crisis, instructors world-wide had to quickly adapt and shift to remote teaching. This paper presents and describes technologies (such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Virtual Worlds, etc.) to promote active student learning during a pandemic. It also provides general information about the coronavirus and the learning environment that it created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• To present an overview of the use of virtual simulation in clinical practicum courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. • To describe the established principles agreed upon in School of Nursing to replace clinical hours with the use of virtual simulation in nursing curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic • To propose a safe, practical, and virtual environment with the aim of fostering clinical competence, self-confidence, reflective practice, teamwork, and collaboration during unprecedented times. Virtual simulation has been widely used to temporarily replace face-to-face clinical practicum experiences in nursing education in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While more traditional clinical settings were prioritized and made available only to senior students, the use of virtual simulation provided an opportunity to safely pivot from the usual placement to a comparable practical learning modality to maintain clinical competence during unprecedented public health restrictions and mitigation strategies. Like many others across the globe, nursing students in a Canadian university continued their nursing education predominantly using virtual simulation for an entire academic year to avoid catastrophic delays in entering the workforce and to ultimately protect the health service delivery needs throughout the oncoming waves of the pandemic. The purpose of the paper is to describe guiding principles established in a School of Nursing as a means to responsibly and ethically adopt a replacement of traditional clinical practicum experiences with virtual simulation. The principles for incorporating virtual simulation included the need to achieve and maintain a high level of quality of learning experiences, a fluid delivery articulated in phases, and a financial commitment by the learning institution. As the global pandemic may see a fourth wave, the use of virtual simulation will continue to present a major change for clinical practicum and establishing principles for the use of virtual simulation has demonstrated to be an integral part of safe pandemic response and post-pandemic recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines confessions of Covid-19 breaches in two radio phone-ins. The programmes hosted invited experts who were recruited at certain moments in the show to comment on the (in)direct experiences of lockdown compliance or breaches reported by the callers. The analysis focuses on the social actions the participants are seen to be carrying out and orienting to through talk such confessions and disclosures of minor unlawful behaviour in public. A set of features of confessions were found depending on whether personal circumstances could be said to warrant the breaches and the recipients align or not with the warrantability of the breaches. Callers who disclosed their breaches at the first available opportunity, presented them as primarily warranted by a long-term health condition and displayed full awareness of doing confessing. Both early confessions and those that appear later in the narration were carefully crafted. They were mitigated to minimize the seriousness of the transgression and reduce the actor's accountability. The positional nuances of the participants as they share their stories, coupled with their assessment of self- and other behaviour, shines a light on their orientations to, and interactional management of, the moral accountability of behaviour in public spaces during the pandemic. • Confessions. • Discursive construction of morality. • Covid-19 radio phone-ins. • Transgressions. • Public space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of social distancing measures deployed by transit agencies in the United States and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses how specific operators across the two countries have implemented changes. Challenges and impacts on their operations are also provided. Social distancing is one of the community mitigation measures traditionally implemented during influenza pandemics and the novel coronavirus pandemic. Research has shown that social distancing is effective in containing the spread of disease. This is applicable to the current situation with the novel coronavirus, given the lack of effective vaccines and treatments in the United States and Canada in the first eight months of the pandemic. Moreover, social distancing is particularly useful in settings where community transmission is substantial. Directives for social distancing were issued in several states and public transit operators were charged with how to provide for physical distance of six feet between passengers on their property including physical infrastructure such as station buildings and rolling infrastructure (rolling stock) including trains, subway cars and buses. Operational changes were also required due to physical distancing, e.g. adding train cars to provide for opportunities to physically distance on the train. Examples of some measures discussed in this research includes taping off every other seat on buses, increasing the total length of trains by adding cars, separating bus drivers from passengers with plastic sheeting, rear door boarding, etc. This research also analyzes long-term impacts for transit operators and challenges to encourage passengers to return to public transit after lockdown requirements ordered by government officials are lifted. A section on the policies that are being explored by government to continue to sustain public transportation is also included. • We review the interventions deployed by public transit operators to comply with social distancing measures. • We explore operational changes recommended to facilitate physical distancing. • We analyze the impacts for transit operators and challenges for passengers to return to public transit post pandemic. • We discuss the challenges for transit to return to pre-pandemic conditions and some solutions explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Nursing students are an essential workforce during a pandemic. • The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic provides opportunities for nurse leaders to identify creative solutions. • Future policies need to focus on the role of advanced practice simulation training and telehealth. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disrupted the education and clinical training of nursing students. Clinical sites shut out students over low equipment supplies, physical distancing requirements, and redeployment of staff. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a progressive solution to engage nurse practitioner students as part of the COVID-19 response given the disruption of their traditional clinical training environments so that student could continue to matriculate and graduate in a timely manner. Nurse practitioner students swiftly responded and were deemed an essential part of the nursing workforce. Policy implications for advanced nursing practice and education for telehealth and simulation research moving forward is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the literature on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health by providing novel evidence of its interaction with labor market conditions and the long-term persistence of these effects. We run four waves of a large-scale representative survey in Spain between April 2020 and April 2022, and benchmark our data against a decade of pre-pandemic information. We document an increase in the share of individuals reporting depressive feelings from 16% prior to the pandemic to 46% in April 2020. We show that this effect is more pronounced for women, younger individuals and those with unstable incomes. We apply machine learning techniques, mediation analysis and event studies to document the role of the labor market as an important driver of these effects. Our results are crucial for the design of targeted policies that proof useful in overcoming the long lasting consequences of the pandemic. • We analyze the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental Health. • We run four waves of a representative survey in Spain to look at persistence effects. • We find a strong and persistent increase in depressive feelings, stronger for women. • Our results are crucial for designing policies to fight the pandemic consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As international travel begins to rebound from the pandemic, there is value in analyzing pandemic-related travel risks to know which markets are likely to come back online first. Thus, this paper examines the perceptions of travel-related risks, governmental response, and intention to travel to the U.S. from the top five inbound international markets to the U.S. (Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, and the U.K.). ANOVA was adopted to analyze 1653 online survey responses from potential travelers. Utilizing Hofstede's cultural dimensions, the results revealed significant differences in travel-related risks, governmental response, and travel intentions among travelers from these five countries, suggesting marketers should adopt different strategies depending on a target market's cultural characteristics. International travel makes up a significant portion of many countries' GDP, and knowing which top global markets are more resilient and likely to come back online first provides DMOs with critical information on using their marketing dollars wisely. • Travel risks differ among tourists from different cultural backgrounds. • Governmental responses are different among tourists from different cultures. • Intentions to travel to the U.S. differ among tourists from different countries. • Hofstede's cultural model explains the perceptual differences of travel risks. • Hofstede's cultural model explains the differences in tourists' travel intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has brought severe disruption and demand suppression to mobility, especially to public transport (PT). A key challenge now is to restore trust that PT is safe again. This paper investigates pandemic impacts on PT safety and stress perceptions in three Nordic cities, drawing on 2018 and 2020 survey data analysed in structural equation models. While finding modest pandemic effects on safety and stress perceptions overall, strong heterogeneities exist across gender, age and geographic categories. Women perceive less PT safety and more stress, especially during the pandemic. Older adults reduced PT more during the pandemic and perceived no stress reduction like younger adults. Stockholm travellers feel less safe and more stressed than in Oslo and Bergen, whilst pandemic PT use and perceived safety reductions are least in Bergen. The paper discusses the long-term implications for theory and policy across multiple mobility scenarios accounting for modal change and travel demand uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public transport during COVID-19 has been crucial in ensuring the safety and health of both passengers and staff while maintaining essential public transport services. Currently public transport is gradually resuming its operations, the pandemic's influence is expected to persist for a long time. The vast majority of studies in this aspect concern the likelihood of spreading the virus inside the means of transport during travel. Nevertheless, there exists a substantial body of articles addressing the manner in which passenger movement within public transport systems has been impacted by the safety concerns and altered satisfaction levels following the propagation of the pandemic. This paper presents a model that accurately represents how passengers move through different parts of a public transport system, such as a bus or train station and stops. This model takes into account factors like how long it takes for passengers to board and exit a vehicle, how they move through different parts of the stops, and how their movements are affected by factors like crowding and delays. To reduce the risk of transmission on public transport focused on bus stops areas, the research paper formulated a passenger flow model using simulation programs like PTV Vissim and FlexSim with assumptions on minimum distance and concept of area cross sections. These programs were used to simulate passenger exchange scenarios, using data collected from real data. The paper aimed to develop a passenger exchange model that could reduce the risk of infection. By understanding the passenger flow model and how passengers interact with the public transport system, we can implement effective measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. [Display omitted] • Passenger flow, safety, and satisfaction on public transport after experiencing the pandemic's spread. • A model of passengers flow on different elements of a public transport system with factors like crowding and delays. • PTV Vissim and FlexSim were used to formulate a passenger flow model to reduce the risk of transmission on bus stops areas. • Analysing of passenger flow and interactions for effective minimize the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of a 2021 survey in which 402 academic library employees shared their expectations for post-pandemic collections, remote work arrangements, and staffing and hiring in cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata—areas involved in resource description and discovery work. Their responses indicate that, during the next several years, some pandemic trends are expected to continue in academic libraries including an acceleration of the trend to phase out physical resources for electronic ones as well as trends in remote work options. The majority of participants also expect staffing levels for cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata to remain the same with about one-fifth of participants expecting increases in electronic resources staffing and smaller numbers expecting permanent decreases in cataloging staffing due to lack of either funding or need. Moreover, participant responses shed light on expectations for the hiring of faculty and staff positions in cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata. In sum, the study provides insights into aspects of academic libraries which may be of interest to academic library administrators, graduate students and programs in library and information science, publishers and providers of educational content, and academic library employees working in related areas. • Some pandemic trends are expected to continue in academic libraries including an acceleration of the trend to phase out physical resources for electronic ones and trends in remote work options. • Most participants indicated that they expect special collections acquisitions to remain at current levels during the next several years while approximately 12% expect the acquisition of these materials to increase. • Most participants expect staffing levels for cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata to remain the same with about one-fifth of participants expecting increases in electronic resources staffing and smaller numbers expecting permanent decreases in cataloging staffing due to lack of either funding or need. • Participant responses shed light on expectations for the hiring of full-time and part-time faculty and staff positions in cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata. Their responses suggest that, among U.S. academic libraries, job seekers are likely to see more staff positions available—including the availability of more part-time staff positions than either non-tenure or tenure-track faculty positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted neurosurgery in unforeseeable ways. Neurosurgical patient care, research, and education have undergone extraordinary modifications as medicine and mankind have adapted to overcome the challenges posed by this pandemic. Some changes will disappear as the situation slowly recovers to a prepandemic status quo. Others will remain: This pandemic has sparked some long-overdue systemic transformations across all levels of medicine, including in neurosurgery, that will be beneficial in the future. In this paper, we present some of the challenges faced across different levels of neurosurgical clinical care, research, and education, the changes that followed, and how some of these modifications have transformed into opportunities for improvement and growth in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]