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This paper studies the updated estimation method for estimating the transmission rate changes over time. The models for the population dynamics under SEIR epidemic models with stochastic perturbations are analysed the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bogotá, Colombia. We performed computational experiments to interpret COVID-19 dynamics using actual data for the proposed models. We estimate the model parameters and updated their estimates for reported infected and recovered data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a stochastic epidemiological model is presented as an extension of a compartmental SEIR model with random perturbations to analyze the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Bogotá D.C., Colombia. This model incorporates the spread of COVID-19 impacted by social behaviors in the population and allows for projecting the number of infected, recovered, and deceased individuals considering the mitigation measures, namely confinement and partial relaxed restrictions. Also, the role of randomness using the concept of Brownian motion is emphasized to explain the behavior of the population. Computational experiments for the stochastic model with random perturbations were performed, and the model is validated through numerical simulations for actual data from Bogotá D.C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the student's academic performance in the School of Engineering at Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Bogota Campus. The impact is assessed from a quantitative approach based on (i) student's grades, (ii) student's progress in their curriculum and (iii) dropped courses. In addition, results from a faculty survey (qualitative approach) are presented to expand some explanatory perspectives on the main academic changes during the pandemic. Results show a significant increase in the average numerical grade as well as in the probability of a course being dropped during the pandemic conditions. Furthermore, the student's average curriculum progress per semester grew approximately 18%. A differentiated academic impact, depending on sex and family income was observed which may be included in future post-pandemic programs. The survey reflects a new faculty's perspective on evaluation tools and methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination has proven to be one of the most effective strategies against the COVID-19 pandemic. Several studies have evaluated and confirmed its effectiveness in different populations, particularly in reducing severe outcomes such as hospitalization and death. Some studies have investigated the effectiveness of vaccination against the infection, identifying the need for booster doses. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the vaccination schedule on the probability of infection in a sample of Colombian patients during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was associated with the emergence and predominance of the Omicron variant. A cross-sectional study was conducted on individuals who underwent RT-PCR testing for COVID-19 detection in a dedicated laboratory in Bogotá, Colombia, between 30 December 2021 and 7 February 2022. A total of 1468 subjects was included in the study, of whom 36.6% (n = 538) had a positive PCR test for COVID-19. The comparison between fully vaccinated individuals with a booster dose and those without the booster dose revealed a 28% reduction in the odds of infection (OR = 0.719 CI 0.531–0.971). Age (OR = 1.009 CI 1.001–1.018) and low economic status (OR = 1.812 CI 1.416–2.319) were associated with an increased risk of infection. These findings suggest the need for a booster vaccination in the general population to improve the prevention rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mitigate severe outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected economically disadvantaged groups. This differential impact has numerous possible explanations, each with significantly different policy implications. We examine, for the first time in a low- or middle-income country, which mechanisms best explain the disproportionate impact of the virus on the poor. Combining an epidemiological model with rich data from Bogotá, Colombia, we show that total infections and inequalities in infections are largely driven by inequalities in the ability to work remotely and in within-home secondary attack rates. Inequalities in isolation behavior are less important but non-negligible, while access to testing and contract-tracing plays practically no role because it is too slow to contain the virus. Interventions that mitigate transmission are often more effective when targeted on socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restrictions on industry and vehicular and pedestrian traffic during the COVID-19 public health emergency were explored to determine associations with increases or decreases in air-impairing gases. Social immobilization is one method of controlling infectious diseases in an emergency and/or quarantine context, resulting in a decrease in environmental contamination. Therefore, this research evaluated the influence of CO, NO2, O3 and SO2 gases in the cities of Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Quito and Santiago. Data from Sentinel-5P netCDF files were used with the help of SNAP Desktop and Qgis software, and governmental regulations dictated by the different governments of each country were also reviewed. The results showed that the cities of Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima and Quito had significant negative decreases and associations for CO, NO2 and O3 gases, and SO2 gas was statistically disregarded. In addition, the city of Santiago de Chile showed an increase in CO gas. Finally, it is concluded that social immobilization positively influenced the reduction of air pollutant gases and consequently improved the environmental quality of each city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Latin America has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic but estimations of rates of infections are very limited and lack the level of detail required to guide policy decisions. We implemented a COVID-19 sentinel surveillance study with 59,770 RT-PCR tests on mostly asymptomatic individuals and combine this data with administrative records on all detected cases to capture the spread and dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bogota from June 2020 to early March 2021. We describe various features of the pandemic that appear to be specific to a middle income countries. We find that, by March 2021, slightly more than half of the population in Bogota has been infected, despite only a small fraction of this population being detected. The initial buildup of immunity contributed to the containment of the pandemic in the first and second waves. We also show that the share of the population infected by March 2021 varies widely by occupation, socio-economic stratum, and location. This, in turn, has affected the dynamics of the spread with different groups being infected in the two waves. Detailed information on SARS-CoV-2 infection rates in Latin America by occupation, socioeconomic group and geographic area are rarely available. Here, the authors provide these estimates for in Bogota, Colombia using data from a sentinel surveillance scheme, and find that over half the population had been infected by March 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student engagement allows educational institutions to make better decisions regarding teaching methodologies, methods for evaluating the quality of education, and ways to provide timely feedback. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying cognitive student engagement in distance learning has been a challenge in higher education institutions. In this study, we implemented a non-self-report method assessing students' heart rate data to identify the cognitive engagement during active learning activities. Additionally, as a supplementary tool, we applied a previously validated self-report method. This study was performed in distance learning lessons on a group of university students in Bogota, Colombia. After data analysis, we validated five hypotheses and compared the results from both methods. The results confirmed that the heart rate assessment had a statistically significant difference with respect to the baseline during active learning activities, and this variance could be positive or negative. In addition, the results show that if students are previously advised that they will have to develop an a new task after a passive learning activity (such as a video projection), their heart rate will tend to increase and consequently, their cognitive engagement will also increase. We expect this study to provide input for future research assessing student cognitive engagement using physiological parameters as a tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]