Search

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has become pandemic, reaching almost one million death worldwide. At present standard treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not well defined because the evidence, either from randomized or observational studies, with conflicting results, has led to rapid changes in treatment guidelines. Our aim was to narratively summarize the available literature on the management of COVID-19 in order to combine current evidence and interpretation of the data by experts who are treating patients in the frontline setting. The panel conducted a detailed review of the literature and eventual press releases from randomized clinical trials for each possible available treatment. Inductive PubMed search waws performed for publications relevant to the topic, including all clinical trials conducted. The result was a flowchart with treatment indications for patients with COVID-19. After 6 months of a pandemic situation and before a possible second coronavirus wave descends on Europe, it is important to evaluate which drugs proved to be effective while also considering that results from many randomized clinical trials are still awaited. Indeed, among treatments for COVID-19, only glucocorticoids have resulted in an association with a significant decrease in mortality in published randomized controlled trials. New therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers imposed constraints on public life to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, fiscal, monetary and macroprudential policies implemented a large range of expansionary measures to limit the economic consequences of the pandemic and stimulate recovery. In this paper, we assess the response of the equity market as a high-frequency indicator of economic activity to containment and stabilization policies for 29 European economies. We construct indicators of containment and stabilization policies and estimate a range of panel VAR models. The main results are threefold. First, we find that stock markets are highly responsive to containment and stabilization policies. We show that domestic fiscal policy, macroprudential policy as well as monetary policy support the recovery as reflected in the stock market. Second, expansionary fiscal policy conducted at the European level reduces rather raises stock prices. Third, we estimate the model over subsamples and show that the counter-intuitive stock market response to EU policies is driven by the responses in medium- and high-debt countries. These countries' stock markets are also particularly susceptible to monetary policy announcements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longevity expectations (LE) are subjective assessments of future health status that can influence a number of individual health protective decisions. This is especially true during a pandemic such as COVID-19, as the risk of ill health depends more than ever on such protective decisions. This paper examines the causal effect of LE on some protective health behaviors and a number of decisions regarding forgoing health care. We use data from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe, and we draw on an instrumental variable strategy exploiting individual level information on parental age at death. Consistent with the too healthy to be sick hypothesis, we find that individuals, exhibiting higher expected longevity, are more likely to engage in protective behaviours, and are less likely to forgo medical treatment. We estimate that a one standard deviation increase in LE increases the probability to comply always with social distancing by 0.6%, to meet people less often by 0.4% and decreases the probability to forgo any medical treatment by 0.6%. Our estimates vary depending on supply side restrictions influencing the availability of health care, as well as individual characteristics such as gender and the presence of pre-existing health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of spectators on women's football games. COVID-19 and related restrictions provide a unique opportunity with an adequate sample size to test the effect of lockdown on sports activities. Studies have recently exploited this opportunity for men's football to better understand the potential causes of home advantage and, more specifically, assess the psychological consequences when matches are played without supporters. Despite the increased scientific interest, there was only one paper that focused on women's football. Therefore, we aim to contribute to this research field by considering matches from four major European women's football leagues. The findings suggest that for three of these leagues, lockdown has a statistically significant effect on the sanctioned yellow cards by either reducing the number of yellow cards sanctioned to the away teams or increasing the number of yellow cards sanctioned to the home teams. Nonetheless, lockdown does not affect any final match outcomes; therefore, it does not significantly affect the magnitude of home advantage for women's games. • Referreing activities and home advantage of women's football for pre- and post-COVID-19 periods are investigated. • Lockdown does not affect the magnitude of home advantage for women's football. • Sanctioned yellow cards are significantly affected by lockdown in line with the literature for men's football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Will the COVID-19 pandemic interrupt the recent European urbanization trends – and if so – what is the magnitude of this sudden shock, and how deaths, births, and net migration contribute to this disruption? Until now, most discussions on the topic have circled either around the anecdotal evidence of city center decline, or contrarian speculations about residential inertia and the forthcoming business-as-usual. Bringing clarity to the uncertainty and confusion surrounding COVID-19, this paper seeks to detect overarching patterns in and the magnitude of its sudden shock to long-term urban trajectories, understood as a reversal of the pre-pandemic population development trend, across European cities in the early 2020s. It reveals that during the first year of COVID-19, population growth in European cities significantly slowed down to −0.3 % per annum, with 28 % of all European cities having experienced a U-turn from population growth to loss. Out-migration was the main driver of such rapid urban shrinkage, while excess mortality associated with COVID-19 has also contributed to population loss in several European city-regions; some, especially, smaller cities suffered from a significant drop in birth rates. Based on the factorial, hierarchical, and temporal dimensions of the COVID-19 crisis, the paper provides a plausible forecast about the future of Europe's post-coronavirus city. • Analyses sudden COVID-19-shock to long-term urban trajectories for European cities • For the first time detection of overarching patterns in and the magnitude of this shock • Population growth in European cities significantly slowed down in 2020. • 28 % of all cities experienced a U-turn in population trends from growth to loss. • Share of shrinking cities post-COVID-19 has reached 63 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of a Europe-wide survey that investigates the impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Clowning Organisations and encourages the healthcare community to reflect on the role of medical clowning within the healthcare system. Online survey. The survey was conducted in June 2020. Forty organisations from 21 countries across Europe responded through a mix of closed and open-ended answers. During the pandemic, 36 out of 39 of the surveyed organisations (with one non-response) had to postpone or cancel their artistic activities. As the crisis continued, 34 out of 40 of them managed to adapt their in-person activities, but the impact of virtual and distanced interactions with the beneficiaries was generally perceived as lower than that of in-person activities. In open responses, many Healthcare Clowning Organisations criticised the exclusion of medical clowns from healthcare institutions in times when the need for psychosocial support was particularly acute. The healthcare sector should reconsider the important role the medical clowns play within healthcare settings, and allow for more inclusive and flexible safety regulations that take into consideration the holistic well-being of vulnerable groups, especially children, the elderly, and medical staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy sector provides fuel for much of everyday life, particularly economically and socially. Fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, a well-functioning and resilient energy sector is vital for maintaining the operation of critical infrastructures, including, most importantly, the health sector, and timely economic recovery. Notwithstanding its importance in everyday life and crises, the energy sector itself is currently in a complex and far-reaching transformation to combat climate change whilst supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy and society, mainly through the development of variable renewable energy sources (RES) such as wind and solar photovoltaics. This paper highlights the need for energy resilience as countries face the triple challenge of the COVID-19 health crisis, the consequent economic crisis, and the climate crisis. Focusing on Europe, it is advanced here that with the ability to balance fluctuating electricity generation and demand, flexibility allows the energy sector to utilise low-carbon RES reliably, ensuring a more resilient and sustainable energy future. This paper derives five urgent policy recommendations for Europe that address possible impacts of COVID-19 on the economic and societal prerequisites for flexibility in energy systems. • Considers the COVID-19 pandemic as an instigator for change. • Highlights the importance of flexibility for resilient energy systems. • Derives five policy recommendations concerning flexibility in energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental change created worldwide interest in investing in renewable energy. Less reliance on fossil fuels would have a substantial influence on investors for alternative energy, especially renewable energy. The literature has concentrated on empirical studies of herding behaviour in finance, but not in renewable energy. This paper fills the gap by investigating herding in renewable energy, using daily closing prices in renewable and fossil fuel energy stock returns in the USA, Europe, and Asia, for March 24, 2000–May 29, 2020, which covers the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) (2007–2009), the coronavirus crises of SARS (2003). And the ongoing COVID-19 (2019–2020) pandemic. The paper shows that: (1) for low extreme oil returns, investors are more likely to display herding in the stock market; (2) for SARS and COVID-19, herding is more likely during extremely high oil returns after the GFC; and (3) herding is more likely during periods of extremely low oil returns during the coronavirus crises. These results suggest that after the GFC, investors are more sensitive to asset losses, so they will be more likely to display herding in the stock market. However, during SARS and COVID-19, investors panic so they may unwisely sell their assets. There are strong cross-sector herding spillover effects from US fossil fuel energy to renewable energy, especially before the GFC, while the US fossil fuel energy market has a significant influence on the Europe and Asia renewable energy returns during COVID-19. During SARS, which was not a pandemic, US fossil fuels only had an impact on US renewable energy returns. • Environmental change has led to investing in renewable energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. • The literature has concentrated on herding behaviour in finance, but not in renewable energy, so this paper investigates herding in renewable energy for the USA, Europe, and Asia, for the period March 24, 2000–May 29, 2020 that covers the GFC, SARS, and COVID-19. • For (1) low extreme oil returns, herding is more likely in the stock market; (2) SARS and COVID-19, herding is more likely during extremely high oil returns after the GFC; and (3) extremely low oil returns during SARS and COVID-19, herding is more likely. • After the GFC, investors are more likely to display herding in the stock market but, during SARS and COVID-19, investors may unwisely sell their assets. • There are strong cross-sector herding spillover effects from US fossil fuel energy to renewable energy, especially before the GFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes airline reactions to the COVID-19 crisis in the spring months of 2020 along the typical crisis response strategies of retrenchment, persevering, innovating, and exit. Based on the content analysis of 148 news items filtered from a daily aviation industry newsletter published during the unfolding of the crisis in Europe (from January 6 to June 2), the paper specifies and differentiates European airlines' strategic responses, outlines key implications for the post-COVID-19 competitive landscape, and raises attention points for managers and policy makers. • Analyzes European airlines strategic reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. • Differentiates and specifies European airlines responses along retrenchment, persevering, innovating and exit strategies. • Governments might act as change agents; preventing the collapse of large carriers, but hindering efficient decision-making. • Suggests impact on business model convergence; network carrier and low-cost carrier propositions likely drift apart again. • Suggests cementation of industry structures; the consolidation that was underway is halted at least temporarily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the risk transmissions across the green economy indices of three major regions which include US, Europe and Asia. The econometric analyses are conducted using DCC-GARCH and TVP-VAR connectedness approach to evaluate potential spillover effects within the context of oil and gold. Results indicate that green economy indices of US-Europe exhibit the greatest time-varying correlations among the three pairs during much of 2010–2022 consistent with that of the general equity market. However, co-movements during the COVID-19 pandemic period seem to display a change in pattern for green economy indices. The strength of the co-movements between the US and Europe displayed a declining trend, while that between US and Asia was strengthened, suggesting greater interdependence between these two markets. TVP-VAR connectedness analysis revealed that US and Europe dominate the transmission of the shocks across the years in the green economy, similar to that of the equity markets. However, during the pandemic a pronounced shift occurred in green economies when considering the risk transmissions within the context of commodities: oil and gold. While Asian green economy index was persistently a receiver of risk transmission from oil unlike the other two regions, since pandemic, oil displayed an asymmetric effect and has become the net transmitter of risk in negative returns of the green economies of US and Europe. This may reflect the diversion in environmental policies of the two regions in the recent past, and point to the dominance of energy sector in the green economy. These findings have substantial implications for the development of green economy policies and from an investment perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between mood and air travel choices, considering the role of travel significance and the influence that COVID-19 may have on younger generations' choices. Using a mixed-methods sequential exploratory design, a sample of 1,111 Italian respondents, belonging to younger generations is investigated. The data are analysed using a quantile regression with group effects considering attitudes towards COVID-19. The study demonstrates that there is a positive and significant relationship between mood and the number of journeys by air to destinations outside Europe, highlighting the positive moderating effect of the air travel experience and the negative moderating effect of COVID-19. This may have important implications for air transport managers interested in luring younger people to fly in the post-COVID19 era. • Younger generations regard travelling an important aspect of their life. • The mood of travelling varies across young people. • Mood is influenced by the number of undertaken long-haul trips. • The reaction to COVID-19 influences the relationship between mood and air transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience is the ability to deal with shocks and stresses, including the unknown and previously unimaginable, such as the Covid-19 crisis. This paper assesses (i) how different farming systems were exposed to the crisis, (ii) which resilience capacities were revealed and (iii) how resilience was enabled or constrained by the farming systems' social and institutional environment. The 11 farming systems included have been analysed since 2017. This allows a comparison of pre-Covid-19 findings and the Covid-19 crisis. Pre-Covid findings are from the SURE-Farm systematic sustainability and resilience assessment. For Covid-19 a special data collection was carried out during the early stage of lockdowns. Our case studies found limited impact of Covid-19 on the production and delivery of food and other agricultural products. This was due to either little exposure or the agile activation of robustness capacities of the farming systems in combination with an enabling institutional environment. Revealed capacities were mainly based on already existing connectedness among farmers and more broadly in value chains. Across cases, the experience of the crisis triggered reflexivity about the operation of the farming systems. Recurring topics were the need for shorter chains, more fairness towards farmers, and less dependence on migrant workers. However, actors in the farming systems and the enabling environment generally focused on the immediate issues and gave little real consideration to long-term implications and challenges. Hence, adaptive or transformative capacities were much less on display than coping capacities. The comparison with pre-Covid findings mostly showed similarities. If challenges, such as shortage of labour, already loomed before, they persisted during the crisis. Furthermore, the eminent role of resilience attributes was confirmed. In cases with high connectedness and diversity we found that these system characteristics contributed significantly to dealing with the crisis. Also the focus on coping capacities was already visible before the crisis. We are not sure yet whether the focus on short-term robustness just reflects the higher visibility and urgency of shocks compared to slow processes that undermine or threaten important system functions, or whether they betray an imbalance in resilience capacities at the expense of adaptability and transformability. Our analysis indicates that if transformations are required, e.g. to respond to concerns about transnational value chains and future pandemics from zoonosis, the transformative capacity of many farming systems needs to be actively enhanced through an enabling environment. [Display omitted] • Comparison of pre-Covid-19 findings and Covid-19 crisis • All systems displayed adequate agility to activate coping capacities. • The crisis triggered reflexivity about the operation of the farming systems. • Transformative capacities were not observed. • The systematic resilience assessment revealed system vulnerabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When COVID-19 pandemic spread in Europe, governments imposed unprecedented confinement measures with mostly unknown repercussions on contemporary societies. In some cases, a considerable drop in energy consumption was observed, anticipating a scenario of sizable low-cost energy generation, from renewable sources, expected only for years later. In this paper, the impact of governmental restrictions on electrical load, generation and transmission was investigated in 16 European countries. Using the indices provided by the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, precise restriction types were found to correlate with the load drop. Then the European grid was analysed to assess how the load drop was balanced by the change in generation and transmission patterns. The same restriction period from 2020 was compared to previous years, accounting for yearly variability with ad hoc statistical technique. As a result, generation was found to be heavily impacted in most countries with significant load drop. Overall, generation from nuclear, and fossil coal and gas sources was reduced, in favour of renewables and, in some countries, fossil gas. Moreover, intermittent renewables generation increased in most countries without indicating an exceptional amount of curtailments. Finally, the European grid helped balance those changes with an increase in both energy exports and imports, with some net exporting countries becoming net importers, notably Germany, and vice versa. Together, these findings show the far reaching implications of the COVID-19 crisis, and contribute to the understanding and planning of higher renewables share scenarios, which will become more prevalent in the battle against climate change. • During COVID-19 spread, energy load dropped significantly in most European countries. • Only some restrictions strongly correlate with load drop. • Generation mix and exchange changed in most countries. • The biggest decrease in generation was from nuclear, fossil coal and oil. • Intermittent renewable generation continued to increase also in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• It is shown the correlation between confinement measures and the spread of COVID-19. • Confinement measures explain a large part of the mobility patterns observed. • The reduction of mobility correlates with R t during the outset of the epidemic. • Mobility indicators can inform epidemiological and economic models. • The indicator harmonises the mobility data for European countries in time and space. This work presents a mobility indicator derived from fully anonymised and aggregated mobile positioning data. Even though the indicator does not provide information about the behaviour of individuals, it captures valuable insights into the mobility patterns of the population in the EU and it is expected to inform responses against the COVID-19 pandemic. Spatio-temporal harmonisation is carried out so that the indicator can provide mobility estimates comparable across European countries. The indicators are provided at a high spatial granularity (up to NUTS3). As an application, the indicator is used to study the impact of COVID-19 confinement measure on mobility in Europe. It is found that a large proportion of the change in mobility patterns can be explained by these measures. The paper also presents a comparative analysis between mobility and the infection reproduction number R t over time. These findings will support policymakers in formulating the best data-driven approaches for coming out of confinement, mapping the socio-economic effects of the lockdown measures and building future scenarios in case of new outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]