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Brazil counts among the countries the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. A great deal has been said about the negative role played by President Bolsonaro's denialism, but relatively few studies have attempted to measure precisely what impact it actually had on the pandemic. Our paper conducts econometric estimates based on observational data at municipal level to quantitatively assess the 'Bolsonaro effect' over time from March 2020 to December 2022. To our knowledge, this paper presents the most comprehensive investigation of Bolsonaro's influence in the spread of the pandemic from two angles: considering Covid-19 mortality and two key transmission mitigation channels (social distancing and vaccination); and exploring the full pandemic cycle (2020–2022) and its dynamics over time. Controlling for a rich set of relevant variables, our results find a strong and persistent 'Bolsonaro effect' on the death rate: municipalities that were more pro-Bolsonaro recorded significantly more fatalities. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the president's attitude and decisions negatively influenced the population's behaviour. Firstly, pro-Bolsonaro municipalities presented a lower level of compliance with social distancing measures. Secondly, vaccination was relatively less widespread in places more in favour of the former president. Finally, our analysis points to longer-lasting and damaging repercussions. Regression results are consistent with the hypothesis that the 'Bolsonaro effect' impacted not only on Covid-19 vaccination, but has affected vaccination campaigns in general thereby jeopardizing the historical success of the National Immunization Program in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the policy dismantling process in the Brazilian innovation system since mid-2010. The research describes how this policy change has been undertaken and explains the strategies deployed and major causes. The study is theoretically grounded in the debate of policy dismantling, meaning changes that result in cuts, reductions, or even abolition of budget, rules, capacities, and instruments of a governmental area. A mixed-methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative, is employed. First, it examines the dismantling process in the last years, focusing on the budget execution patterns of the major policy instruments and agencies in charge of innovation at the federal level. The research relies on the stakeholders' perception by conducting semi-structured interviews with experts regarding strategies, rationale, reactions, and effects. The empirical findings show the dismantling occurs in both dimensions: density (number of tools reduced) and, mainly, the intensity (budget cuts), varying according to government areas. The interviewees highlighted the prevailing strategy as active dismantling, in which the fiscal austerity aggravated by the COVID-19 crisis, an ideological shift in the government coalition, policy particularities, and a low level of prioritization in innovation by the domestic business community are the main factors that affect the politicians' preferences to dismantle. Finally, the process seriously affects the national innovation system, such as the loss of bureaucratic and policy capacity, brain drain, and lag in technology, productivity, and consequently, in the country's economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and mental health of necessary entrepreneurs in Brasilian favelas, the social problems they experienced and implications for public health social work. The study used structured in-person interviews within selected Favela's, with a sample size of 721 entrepreneurs, aged between 16–70 years. All participants both worked and were resident in 15 out of the 27 Brasilian federal states. The bespoke questions explored socio-demographic questions, sought information on their entrepreneurship, health and administered the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale for Health. The results highlighted that many entrepreneurs have engaged in this form of enterprise due to economic necessity, with 64% of women and 43.6% of men identifying increased levels of anxiety through the pandemic, with the presence of children in the family being statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05 chi-square test) for anxiety. Of the 9.8% sample respondents have accessed the health care service and for women with children, the impact of the pandemic accentuated existing problems of childcare and patriarchy. We conclude by highlighting the importance of universal and accessible health and mental health support and care, their ongoing accessibility, along with the importance of social work during crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID - 19 affected severely worldwide. The pandemic has caused many causalities in a very short span. The IoT-cloud-based healthcare model requirement is utmost in this situation to provide a better decision in the covid-19 pandemic. In this paper, an attempt has been made to perform predictive analytics regarding the disease using a machine learning classifier. This research proposed an enhanced KNN (k NearestNeighbor) algorithm eKNN, which did not randomly choose the value of k. However, it used a mathematical function of the dataset's sample size while determining the k value. The enhanced KNN algorithm eKNN has experimented on 7 benchmark COVID-19 datasets of different size, which has been gathered from standard data cloud of different countries (Brazil, Mexico, etc.). It appeared that the enhanced KNN classifier performs significantly better than ordinary KNN. The second research question augmented the enhanced KNN algorithm with feature selection using ACO (Ant Colony Optimization). Results indicated that the enhanced KNN classifier along with the feature selection mechanism performed way better than enhanced KNN without feature selection. This paper involves proposing an improved KNN attempting to find an optimal value of k and studying IoT-cloud-based COVID - 19 detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil has brought many challenges, particularly regarding the management of hospital capacity, and a new demand for healthcare that added to the preexisting demands, such as neoplasms, cardiovascular diseases and births. In this paper, we estimate the impact of the pandemic on the number of deaths and hospitalizations for other diseases. We construct a monthly panel data of deaths and hospitalizations for various causes by the municipality of residence and relate them to COVID-19 hospitalizations using regression models that control for municipalities fixed-effects and interactions between State and month fixed-effects. The standard errors are clustered at the municipality level. Our estimates imply that 100 more hospitalizations by COVID-19 is associated with a drop of 49 non-COVID-19 hospitalizations and an additional four deaths for other reasons (all measured per 100,000 pop.). The impact of intensive care units COVID-19 hospitalizations on mortality is larger. The groups most affected are the African Brazilians, less-educated and the elderly. Additional deaths occurred both at households and at hospitals. The main causes of additional deaths were diseases related to the circulatory and endocrine system. The decline in hospitalizations for other causes seems to be related to the overcrowding of hospitals in periods of surge in the COVID-19, alongside with the fall in the demand for care by the citizens who were afraid of COVID-19 infection. These mechanisms affected more strongly the vulnerable groups of the population. Our results highlight the importance of promoting the awareness of heightened risk of non-communicable chronic diseases during a health emergency context. This should be done preferably through already established channels with community outreach, such as the Family Health Program in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, regions were affected by a combination of economic crises: weak demand and constrained supply. Several studies have sought to analyse the heterogeneous effects of supply and demand shocks on the labour market, economic growth, and the environment. This study has a different focus, estimating both direct and indirect effects of demand and supply shocks adopted during the pandemic in Brazil and Chile. Afterwards, the paper compares the degree of regional absorption (leakage) of income resulting from each of these shocks, applying an interregional input–output model for each country. The results of this study show that income absorption by the poorest regions is relatively greater in the case of a supply shock. It can be said, therefore, that this type of shock improves the retention of income generated in the poorest regions, favouring the development of these localities and the reduction in regional inequalities. The main reason for this result is that supply policies have restricted essential sectors to a lesser extent, and these sectors are generally less concentrated in large urban centres in both Brazil and Chile. In other words, much of the interregional leakage is driven by the demand for non-essential products, mainly in the richest urban economy centres. Finally, the geographical dimension of regional inequalities leads to the economic benefit of prosperous areas in the country when shocks occur in vulnerable regions, highlighting the centre–periphery pattern in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the main methods of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) transmission are air and physical contact, actions to mitigate and suppress its spread must be developed in order to change population dynamics and provide efficient control strategies. Here, these actions are described as a simple heuristic framework to establish public policies. Two control systems were studied: the first organized in the form of an algorithm stratified into three levels and the second as a minimization problem similar to optimal control strategies, applied to both social distancing and vaccination. The possible effects of these actions are modeled and applied to an extension of the Susceptible - Infected - Removed (SIR) compartmental model. The control system is developed, which is organized in the form of an algorithm stratified into three levels. These levels intend to represent social distancing strategies implemented by sanitary authorities around the globe, representing stronger or weaker grades of isolation intensity according to the ability of the healthcare system to cope with symptomatic individuals. The algorithm control is applied in a simulation, and the results give evidence of the effectiveness of the procedures adopted against the coronavirus. The model dynamics are analyzed and validated with simulations considering parameters obtained from epidemiological data from Brazil and Uruguay and in a more detailed way for three Brazilian states: São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. The model was validated using cumulative data on cases and deaths. For cases of death, the results were satisfactory, while for case data, the response was reasonable, considering the possibility of adding delays or variations in parameters in the model. In addition, the effective reproduction number was proposed for the cities studied in Brazil, the result being relevant because it has a qualitative behavior similar to that published by official centers. This paper also discusses the implementation and optimization of social distancing and vaccination control strategies, considering different parameters and their effects on reducing the number of cases and deaths. Model simulations present promising results for developing strategies to attack COVID-19 dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O objetivo deste texto é debater a produção cartográfica no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19 no Brasil. São analisadas cartografias governamentais, de grupos de pesquisa e de grupos ativistas de base. As análises mostram que a cartografia foi um instrumento mobilizado com diversas funções, tais como informar, comunicar, orientar, analisar, mobilizar sujeitos e solidariedades. Entretanto, essa produção deve ser vista dentro de jogos e disputas de poder. Disputas de narrativas sobre a pandemia, sobre as respostas e reações a ela, assim como os próprios instrumentos de produção cartográfica utilizados, são aspectos mostrados como dimensões destas relações de poder. The aim of this paper is to explore the development of cartography during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. It analyzes the maps produced by government agencies, research groups and grassroots activist organizations. The analysis demonstrates that cartography became an instrument mobilized for different purposes: to inform, to communicate, to guide, to analyze, and to mobilize subjects and solidarity. However, these different forms of cartography should also be viewed within a context of power relations and struggles. Contested narratives regarding the pandemic and the responses to it, as well as the tools of cartography employed, are revealed as dimensions of these power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explore the development of cartography during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. It analyzes the maps produced by government agencies, research groups and grassroots activist organizations. The analysis demonstrates that cartography became an instrument mobilized for different purposes: to inform, to communicate, to guide, to analyze, and to mobilize subjects and solidarity. However, these different forms of cartography should also be viewed within a context of power relations and struggles. Contested narratives regarding the pandemic and the responses to it, as well as the tools of cartography employed, are revealed as dimensions of these power relations. O objetivo deste texto é debater a produção cartográfica no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19 no Brasil. São analisadas cartografias governamentais, de grupos de pesquisa e de grupos ativistas de base. As análises mostram que a cartografia foi um instrumento mobilizado com diversas funções, tais como informar, comunicar, orientar, analisar, mobilizar sujeitos e solidariedades. Entretanto, essa produção deve ser vista dentro de jogos e disputas de poder. Disputas de narrativas sobre a pandemia, sobre as respostas e reações a ela, assim como os próprios instrumentos de produção cartográfica utilizados, são aspectos mostrados como dimensões destas relações de poder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at estimating the regional and sectoral impacts of the Covid‐19 pandemic in the state of Sergipe, Brazil in 2020. We use an input‐output model with partial hypothetical extraction. The main results suggest a significant reduction in economic activity in the state, particularly in the Transport and Industry sectors. On the other hand, the Real estate and Food and Accommodation sectors have a greater capacity for recovery with the introduction of an emergency aid program. The municipalities with the largest absolute impact on gross domestic product are Aracaju, Canindé de São Francisco and Nossa Senhora do Socorro, two of them located in the metropolitan area of Aracaju. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of 2020, the world was left in an unprecedented state of shock by the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil quickly became the epicenter of new cases of contamination, where the propagation of the virus was unrestrained, despite boasting one of the strongest Universal health coverage systems in Latin America. This paper has at least three empirical contributions to the literature about economic resilience and the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly it is a critical issue regarding the "economics versus life" trade-off, which is an essential question for developing countries, given that policymakers must decide between policies to reduce the number of COVID-19 infections without damaging the economy. Secondly, our findings suggest that the early adoption of isolation measures applied in 2020, such as the financial aid and the vaccination have been effective in controlling the effects of the pandemic, especially in vulnerable microregions. Furthermore, it was verified that the Emergency financial aid was a fundamental policy in minimizing the economic impacts of the pandemic and allowing people to practice social distancing, contributing positively to the Employment Resilience Index and negatively related to the growth rate of deaths due to COVID-19. The contribution of our study is to measure an inverted U-shaped curve to demonstrate that policymakers must achieve a minimum of families to decrease the COVID-19 deaths. These contributions are essential and straightforward findings to lead policymakers' decisions in developing countries facing financial constraints in the public budget and population reticence about physical distancing, self-quarantine and vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus pandemic and responses to it have had uneven impacts on different segments of societies. This study analysed the experiences of LGBTQIA+2 people during the COVID‐19 emergency, based on interviews in the United Kingdom and Brazil in 2020. The two countries are instructive cases, given the different social, cultural, economic, and political contexts. Pre‐existing marginalisation shaped COVID‐19 experiences in both settings, influencing the challenges faced, such as isolation or disruption to transgender healthcare, and coping strategies, including the important role of LGBTQIA+ volunteer and mutual aid groups. This paper argues that despite commonalities, there is no single LGBTQIA+ experience, and that disaster strategies will be ineffective until they recognise intersectionality and support the diversity of LGBTQIA+ populations. It concludes with a call for more inclusive disaster research, policy, and practice, which requires scrutinising the dominant cisgender–heteronormative structures that produce and reproduce LGBTQIA+ marginalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trajectory of the Brazilian economy reveals that investments in infrastructure have periodically played a leading role in economic growth strategies and cycles. To examine its multiscale particularities, this paper assumes that the provision of infrastructure in Brazil relates to historical-structural changes in the country's economy, which has evolved from the national-developmentalist stage (1930s-1980s) towards neoliberalization, and has since the 1990s been subordinated to financialization. The paper discusses the provision of infrastructure in a peripheral context and analyzes the relationships formed in the infrastructure sector, emphasizing the marketization processes throughout the accumulation dynamics of Brazilian capitalism. It then considers the resurgence of contradictions that have arisen from providing infrastructure and services for collective consumption during during the recent coronavirus pandemic. And lastly, the paper argues for the alternative nature contained within an emancipatory infrastructure, in contrast to the hegemonic pattern that has historically entailed the realization of such investments in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the impact of COVID-19 on the rights of indigenous peoples, particularly in Brazil. It deals with the current situation of the Brazilian indigenous peoples, the impacts of the pandemic, the rights created on the adoption of protective sanitary measures for indigenous people and land rights in Brazil. Does the Brazilian government comply with international law, with constitutional rights of indigenous peoples in the current COVID-19 crisis, particularly with the Brazilian Supreme Court decision on the adoption of protective sanitary measures for indigenous people? With a focus on the 2020 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, this paper will identify and examine the gaps in protection of the indigenous peoples rights by reason of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. This paper argues that the crisis is misused as an occasion for land invasions, deforestation, forest fires and the denial of basic indigenous rights. Especially in Brazil, a transformative change, an emergency support for indigenous peoples, and a still stand agreement on logging and extractive industries operating next to indigenous communities are needed. Brazilian NGO statements give guidelines as to how to manage the threats of the present pandemic on indigenous peoples of Brazil. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation all offer further relevant suggestions as to how to address the serious impacts in the response to and the aftermath of this crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although slack is an asset to resilient hospitals, it is usually explicitly discussed only in terms of the quantity and quality of beds and staff. This paper expands this view by addressing slack in four infrastructures of intensive care units (ICUs) (physical space, electricity supply, oxygen supply, and air treatment) during the COVID pandemic. Methods: The study occurred in a leading private hospital in Brazil, aiming at the identification of slack in four units originally designed as ICUs and two units adapted as ICUs. Data collection was based on 12 interviews with healthcare professionals, documents, and comparison between infrastructures and regulatory requirements. Results: Twenty-seven instantiations of slack were identified, with several indications that the adapted ICUs did not provide infrastructure conditions as good as the designed ones. Findings gave rise to five propositions addressing: relationships intra and inter infrastructures; the need for adapted ICUs that match as closely as possible the designed ICUs; the consideration of both clinical and engineering perspectives in design; and the need for the revision of some requirements of the Brazilian regulations. Conclusions: Results are relevant to both the designers of the infrastructures and to the designers of clinical activities as these must take place in fit-for-purpose workspaces. Top management might also benefit as they are the ultimate responsible for decision-making on whether or not to invest in slack. The pandemic dramatically demonstrated the value of investing in slack resources, creating momentum for this discussion in health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazil, abortion is only allowed in cases of rape, serious risk to a woman's life or fetal anecephaly. Legal abortion services cover less than 4% of the Brazilian territory and only 1,800 procedures are performed, in average, per year. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, almost half of the already few Brazilian abortion clinics shut down and women had to travel even longer distances, reaching abortion services at later gestational ages. In this paper, we describe three bottom‐up advocacy strategies that emerged from difficulties deepened during the COVID‐19 pandemic at a single abortion service in Brazil, amidst anti‐gender policies from the federal government. Telemedicine abortion, outpatient surgical abortion and the provision of abortion after 20 weeks' gestation are important strategies that may reduce inequalities that impact the most vulnerable populations, such as black and indigenous women, children, adolescents and women experiencing domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has never been so much flexibility and organizational capacity to adjust to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on work. This article examines beliefs and perceptions related to new arrangements imposed by compulsory telework on skills and performance management practices, as well as identifying related advantages and disadvantages associated. This paper draws on 17 in-depth interviews using the collaborative interactive action research method. The authors study how leaders acted in multiple ways, aiming to reduce the negative effects on workers and work design and provide greater balance of actions. The perspective of multiple levels of action was adopted, considering human and social behavior and organizational arrangements made at a macro level. The sense of collectivity and the search for the standardization of routines were privileged in the interpretation of the answers. The main results reflect the influence of compulsory telework to performance factors, essential competencies required, and the main advantages and disadvantages associated to the construct. This study is relevant for organization studies, especially in the kinds of organizational contexts where there is still unpreparedness to deal with the effects of the pandemic or have uncoordinated telework practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As health systems struggle to tackle the spread of Covid-19, resilience becomes an especially relevant attribute and research topic. More than strength or preparedness, to perform resiliently to emerging shocks, health systems must develop specific abilities that aim to increase their potential to adapt to extraordinary situations while maintaining their regular functioning. Brazil has been one of the most affected countries during the pandemic. In January 2021, the Amazonas state's health system collapsed, especially in the city of Manaus, where acute Covid-19 patients died due to scarcity of medical supplies for respiratory therapy. Methods: This paper explores the case of the health system's collapse in Manaus to uncover the elements that prevented the system from performing resiliently to the pandemic, by carrying out a grounded-based systems analysis of the performance of health authorities in Brazil using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method. The major source of information for this study was the reports from the congressional investigation carried out to unveil the Brazilian response to the pandemic. Results: Poor cohesion between the different levels of government disrupted essential functions for managing the pandemic. Moreover, the political agenda interfered in the abilities of the system to monitor, respond, anticipate, and learn, essential aspects of resilient performance. Conclusions: Through a systems analysis approach, this study describes the implicit strategy of "living with Covid-19", and an in-depth view of the measures that hampered the resilience of the Brazilian health system to the spread of Covid-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects on the problems faced by refugee students during the COVID-19 pandemic (summer semester 2020) as calouros, i.e. freshmen during their first year, in a public university in Brazil. Through a content analysis of their personal accounts, collected electronically by their teacher of Portuguese for academic purposes (the first author), we describe how five students (a Syrian, two Haitians, a Venezuelan and a Togolese refugees) (re)visit their experiences, in which several dynamics intersect: being 'calouro', being refugee students, learning the shelter language in loco, and experiencing social distancing due to the closing of universities. Because learning the language of the host country is not the only factor affected by the pandemic, we also observe how language learning (settings) intersect with other aspects characterising the refugee status: housing conditions, availability of learning materials, and the uncertainty attached to the present and future of their own lives and of other family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impacts of emergency cash-transfers on individuals' social distancing behaviour and beliefs about COVID-19. We focus on the impacts of "Auxilio Emergencial" (AE): a large-scale cash-transfer in Brazil targeting low-income individuals who were unemployed or informally employed during the pandemic. To identify causal effects we exploit exogenous variation, arising from the AE design, in individuals' access to the cash-transfer programme. Using data from an online survey, our results suggest that eligibility to the emergency cash transfer led to a reduced likelihood of individuals contracting COVID-19, likely to have been driven by a reduction in working hours. Moreover, the cash transfer seems to have increased perceptions about the seriousness of coronavirus, while also exacerbating misconceptions about the pandemic. These findings indicate effects of emergency cash-transfers in determining individuals' narratives about a pandemic, in enabling social distancing and potentially in reducing the spread of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current paper presents a correct interpretation of Law 14176/2021 and its requirements to comply with the Brazilian Constitution. Discussion on the law of the Continuous Aid Scheme is undertaken to see whether it implements the principle of the dignity of the human person, fundamental rights and the rights of the person, especially within the context of the economic crisis caused by Covid-19 pandemic. Decision-taking on who will implement social aid policies either by the law maker when establishing the judicial norm or by the executive when examining administrative requests should not be exercised within the abstract stance of tutelage of fundamental rights without examining the implementation costs of rights and impact on budget. This is especially true when once takes into account that Brazil is a periphery country with scanty resources and high demand in basic services. However, the democratic, social and lawful State cannot put on a secondary plane economically and socially impaired people. The State has the basic duty to protect vulnerable people, a duty hailing from fundamental rights. The hypothesis-deduction is the method employed in current paper. Hypothesis placed deal with the Continuous Aid Scheme for people with deficiency according to Law 14176/2021 materializes the lawful social State by the tutelage of the dignity of socially and economically impaired people. Theoretical discussion is based on bibliographical research based on Scopus and EBSco data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the mechanisms through which the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic impacts on well-being at work and on productivity. The secondary objective is to identify stress management strategies for the work environment during the pandemic. This is an integrative review. Phase 1 consisted of searches of open access electronic databases (MEDLINE, SciELO, Bireme, and LILACS) for papers published in 2020 addressing mental health, work, and pandemics. Phase 2 consisted of selecting literature recommended by specialists in occupational psychiatry and positive psychology. These materials were read and critically analyzed. Forty references were included in the literature review. The articles reviewed were classified into the following categories: articles concerning work relationships in Brazil; articles describing the impact of pandemics on mental health and work; articles focusing on the work of health professionals during pandemics; articles about well-being at work; and papers proposing strategies to improve well-being and productivity and to promote mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic can have a significant impact on workers' mental health and productivity. Most professionals face a need to adapt to changes, which can decrease their feeling of well-being. Consequently, strategies to promote well-being and mental health in the work environment should be a priority. Work routines were modified after the COVID-19 pandemic set in and assessing these changes is essential to maintain workers' mental health. By so doing, it is possible to promote general well-being and post-traumatic recovery and reduce stress levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: this paper aims to discuss development practices through the presentation of two case studies from Latin-American contexts. This reflection was done during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Post-development perspectives were mobilized to explore new analytical dimensions in the epistemological and socio-political critique of the capitalist mode of appropriation of nature in América Latina and their potential implications amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology: two study cases from Brazil and Costa Rica were elaborated. The qualitative methodological framework used to identify actors and their complex interactions became a useful tool in reconstructing different socio-political expressions, symbolic narratives, and survival/resistance strategies emerging from local groups. Results: social-environmental crisis emerging in the Anthropocene context suggest the need for different points of view and ontological turns to gain a better understanding of social change occurred in the margins of in the Western world. Latin-American societies are multiple and diverse. Both, Brazilian and Costa Rican experiences discussed in this paper, represent situated realities which cannot be generalized, but this is a rather important and critical issue. These case studies help illustrate how the non-critical adoption of hegemonic categories of sociotechnical control and securitization is inadequate to understand and explain the contingency emerging from these situated realities. Conclusions: we suggest in the final part of the paper that these reflections contribute to bring a different perspective on how science, political and nature converge in knowledge systems and how these systems are contested for different people, groups, and communities around the world. This reflection is crucial to the study of processes concerned with political legitimacy, democracy, and territorial political identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we apply statistical methods for functional data to explore the heterogeneity in the registered number of deaths of COVID‐19, over time. The cumulative daily number of deaths in regions across Brazil is treated as continuous curves (functional data). The first stage of the analysis applies clustering methods for functional data to identify and describe potential heterogeneity in the curves and their functional derivatives. The estimated clusters are labeled with different "levels of alert" to identify cities in a possible critical situation. In the second stage of the analysis, we apply a functional quantile regression model for the death curves to explore the associations with functional rates of vaccination and stringency and also with several scalar geographical, socioeconomic and demographic covariates. The proposed model gave a better curve fit at different levels of the cumulative number of deaths when compared to a functional regression model based on ordinary least squares. Our results add to the understanding of the development of COVID‐19 death counts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a destructive effect on the health and well-being of the global population. A vital step in the battle against it is the successful screening of infected patients, together with one of the effective screening methods being radiology examination using chest radiography. Recognition of epidemic growth patterns across temporal and social factors can improve our capability to create epidemic transmission designs, including the critical job of predicting the estimated intensity of the outbreak morbidity or mortality impact at the end. The study's primary motivation is to be able to estimate with a certain level of accuracy the number of deaths due to COVID-19, managing to model the progression of the pandemic. Predicting the number of possible deaths from COVID-19 can provide governments and decision-makers with indicators for purchasing respirators and pandemic prevention policies. Thus, this work presents itself as an essential contribution to combating the pandemic. Kalman Filter is a widely used method for tracking and navigation and filtering and time series. Designing and tuning machine learning methods are a labor- and time-intensive task that requires extensive experience. The field of automated machine learning Auto Machine Learning relies on automating this task. Auto Machine Learning tools enable novice users to create useful machine learning units, while experts can use them to free up valuable time for other tasks. This paper presents an objective method of forecasting the COVID-19 outbreak using Kalman Filter and Auto Machine Learning. We use a COVID-19 dataset of Ceará, one of the 27 federative units in Brazil. Ceará has more than 235,222 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 8850 deaths due to the disease. The TPOT automobile model showed the best result with a 0.99 of R 2 score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze how Brazil and Portugal, countries with historical relations, positioned themselves to face the pandemic of the coronavirus in the educational context. Comparing the strategies adopted by the two countries, we seek to answer the following question: were the strategies adopted by the Brazilian educational managers efficient to face the moment of crisis? Could another path have been taken? To carry out this analysis, a bibliographical survey was adopted, detailing the actions implemented by the two countries to face the greatest educational challenge of the 21st century. The results of the analysis show that Brazil, in a mistaken way, bet only on Emergency Remote Learning, since there was no adequate infrastructure to do so, which harmed millions of students in the country. Portugal mixed formats and got better results, which led to very visible consequences, such as a shorter time of closure of the schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global media have reported widely on the (in)actions of the Brazilian federal government, particularly of president Jair Bolsonaro, in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to describe media representations in terms of their transitivity choices (HALLIDAY; MATTHIESSEN, 2004) and to discuss how emerged language patterns may be indicative of particular ways life and death have been controlled in terms of a coupled conceptualization between biopolitics (FOUCAULT, 2008) and necropolitics (MBEMBE, 2019) which we call necrobiopolitics. Overall results indicate how the death of babies and mothers, the collapse of hospital and health service, the spike in hunger, the dismissal of the severity of the pandemic, and the purposeful delay in purchasing vaccines are instrumental in the way president Jair Bolsonaro has implemented a political agenda that defines whose lives are worthy and whose deaths are tolerated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the expansion of the public sphere to the virtual space and the appropriation of the internet by social movements, this paper seeks to analyze which representations are put into circulation in the public space, through the Landless Movement (MST) website on Landless solidarity, which involve the donation and production of food, during the Covid-19 pandemic, in the period of August 2020. It is supported by the Theory of Social Representations, Content Analysis, and the study of the main symbolic utterances of discourse. It concludes that the circulated representations of Landless solidarity create new meanings about the importance of agrarian reform and the MST in Brazil and its role in the fight against hunger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic caused by the COVID-19 has influenced peoples' lifestyles. Home-confinement scenario might impair physical activity practice, resulting in new challenges for maintaining health during the pandemic of the COVID-19. The aim of this study was to present the current context of COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on the practice of physical activity, and the strategies available to remain active during home-confinement according to international recommendations. The narrative review was conducted based on studies that analyzed themes related to physical activity and COVID-19. Virtual Health Library (VHL), CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant papers. Although an increased number of experimental studies are still necessary, people should devote more time to physical activity during social isolation. Guidelines were adjusted by international entities in order to encourage people to remain active, through practice regular physical activity, using alternative strategies such as fitness program applications, exergames, online exercise classes, and even chores. Reduction of prolonged sedentary behavior could contribute to maintain health and improve quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to present aspects related to corporate governance, organisational resilience and sustainable practices developed by Brazilian companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodological strategy included documentary research to identify sustainability reports published by companies listed on the Ibovespa index, which were examined through the content analysis technique. The results allowed light to be shed on opportunities for improvement concerning sustainability and corporate governance. Regarding organisational resilience, risk management is central for the development of sustainability practices by organisations. The support to society related to the COVID-19 pandemic was evidenced mainly through the donation of financial resources, equipment and hospital supplies. Practices related to reducing energy consumption and minimising waste generation were those most associated with environmental aspects. The actions identified were mapped according to their relations with the SDGs. Managers can benefit from the information presented in this study to enhance organisational sustainability and resilience, while researchers can use it as a starting point for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article approaches the emergence of social subjects – associativism – and the formation of horizontal circuits of solidarity, both of which were decisive processes for saving lives in favelas and suburbs in Rio de Janeiro during the Covid-19 pandemic. The impact of the pandemic has been enormous collective trauma that accentuated the collapse of health surveillance systems and generated a catastrophe and humanitarian crisis in the city. Solidarity and local collective cooperation processes had decisive effects as a new protagonism, generating synergy with health actions and social programmes. They contributed decisively to actions that made forms of immunological protection, food security, and access to basic care possible in adverse contexts with weak policies and severe limitations for social isolation. Highlighting the importance of collective health surveillance and assistance actions from local associations, this paper discusses public health actions in the favela territories that demonstrate how communities, universities, public officials, and public health networks can develop policies and projects to confront Covid-19 in the favelas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 outbreak caused several negative effects in industries of all sizes and in all parts of the world, leading academic and practitioners to ask whether organizations could have been better prepared to face disruptive situations. This paper aims to analyze business continuity practices performed by Brazilian industries. A survey was conducted with academics who work in the field of organizational resilience and business continuity and are familiar with the reality of Brazilian companies in the industrial sector. The participants assessed 16 practices (P) proposed by the ISO 22301:2020, considering two categories: large industries (LI) and small and medium-sized industries (SMI). Data analysis was performed using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, frequency analysis, Fuzzy TOPSIS and sensitivity analysis. For LIs, P4 (leaders conduct periodic critical analyses of practices) was considered the practice with the best application rate, while for SMIs, P2 (understand stakeholders' needs and expectations, and use information in business continuity management) was chosen. In all scenarios tested for LIs and SMIs, P8 (well-structured systematic processes to analyze the impact of abnormal situations on their business and the potential risks of a disruption) and P16 (periodic audits of their business continuity management activities to identify opportunities for improvement, and information record) are in the bottom quartile. When compared to LIs in the Brazilian context, SMIs exhibit more profound deficiencies in terms of applying business continuity practices. The findings of this study can be of great value to assist managers in improving organizational resilience. Organizations should be better prepared to face future disruptive events, whether biological, social, technological, or economic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper includes a systematic review of the SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in environmental aquatic matrices and a critical sanitation analysis. We discussed the interconnection of sanitation services (wastewater, water supply, solid waste, and stormwater drainage) functioning as an important network for controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in waters. We collected 98 studies containing data of the SARS-CoV-2 occurrence in aquatic matrices around the world, of which 40% were from developing countries. Alongside a significant number of people infected by the virus, developing countries face socioeconomic deficiencies and insufficient public investment in infrastructure. Therefore, our study focused on highlighting solutions to provide sanitation in developing countries, considering the virus control in waters by disinfection techniques and sanitary measures, including alternatives for the vulnerable communities. The need for multilateral efforts to improve the universal coverage of sanitation services demands urgent attention in a pandemic scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the advance of the extreme right and neoconservatism in Brazil and its repercussions in the sphere of state action and in the field of rights related to the exercise of prostitution, in the context of the pandemic. The conservative advance was outlined before the election of Bolsonaro and the pandemic, gained dramatic contours with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of initiatives carried out by organizations of the movement of sex workers in the period of the pandemic, identified through documentary research, reveals the challenges, agenda and strategies adopted in the face of the pandemic and the dismantling and defunding of government actions, sponsored by the new administration. This paper also highlights the construction of articulations with different political subjects, from different spheres, in order to face demands (new and old) sharpened by the pandemic and the lack of support from the federal government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This presentation provides an overview of the research work at HOHM Foundation and the most inspiring results from the last 5 years, highlighting important findings from our numerous published and ongoing research projects. Methods: HOHM Foundation officially launched its Office of Research (HOHM Research) in 2017 in keeping with the mission to enrich and support homeopathy, and an overarching aim to build infrastructure whereby rigorous outcomes-based research supports the deepening and expansion of the discipline of Homeopathy. Results: Recent peer-reviewed publications include five papers on the education of complementary and integrative medicine practitioners, as well as three observational case series of selected COVID-19 cases from the HHN Clinic. Additional papers based on the 5000+ dataset of acute cases from the Homeopathy Help Network (HHN) clinic are currently being prepared. From the Practitioner Generated Research Network (PGRN) - an organization promoting practice-based, patient-focused, practitionergenerated research that potentizes the profession of homeopathy and expands it into the larger scientific and integrative medical communities - a paper exploring attitudes to and uptake of repertory software in homeopathy clinical practice was published in Homeopathy in 2023. Current papers from the PGRN in the publication phase include an observational clinical case series using MYMOP 2017-20, and an observational clinical case series using MYCaW 2020-22 data, both collected from clients who attended the Academy of Homeopathy Education (AHE) chronic clinic. Other current research work focusses on artificial intelligence in Homeopathy, on the characteristics, demographics and perceptions of users of homeopathy in the US, the 2022 North American homeopathy education surveys, the 2023 North American workforce survey, and a clinical trial on Homeopathy in the management of Silicosis taking place in Brazil. Discussion: HOHM Research produces robust, relevant publications, and bring awareness of the effectiveness of homeopathy through real-world, outcomes-based research, focusing on clinical, historical, and educational research outputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to analyse the current political and social situation in Brazil and show how this context has influenced the management of the public health crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, the authors conducted an investigation into Brazil's historical roots, which have not only engendered deep class differences but, also, social psychopathologies such as dissociation and perversion. Finally, this paper presents a symbolic analysis of social exclusion and how the mythical figure of Sophia can inspire a renewed movement of inclusion and tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an initial analysis of issues related to health work in Brazil, in the context of COVID-19 Pandemic, seeking to contribute to a debate about the relationships between work process, the ongoing psychological dynamics and the struggle for health. It is based on a framework of Work Organizational Psychology, guided by the point of view of the activity and experience, to account for materials emerging from an experiment that has been developed within the scope of "University Extension", under the coordination of the two authors of the paper. Initially, both the international emergency context of COVID-19 and general characteristics of the work situations that are being faced by health professionals are presented. Then, upon selection of a main axis as the object of attention, the analysis of some work situations, present in that dramatic context, is carried out, which allowed to present some clues, as conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the widespread perception of misgovernment and helplessness in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic, this article examines two historic moments referring to the interface between plague and helplessness, from the psychoanalytic and political perspectives. Firstly, it addresses the intertwining between Freud's life and work, culminating with his experience during the Spanish flu pandemic, in 1920. Secondly, it analyses the measures put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic, since March 2020, which -- until the moment I am writing this article (January 2022) -- killed more than 600,000 Brazilians and left more than five million families around the world in mourning. This paper asserts that the feeling of helplessness unveils a state of denialism and misgovernment, which calls into question the Brazilian rule of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines contemporary challenges for education and democracy in Brazil. In the past decade, conservative forces headed by the Escola sem Partido (ESP) movement have led a scaremongering campaign against teachers and public education, with Paulo Freire's critical educational philosophies as their main enemy. This study investigates the ESP's attempts to implement its 'neutral' education model based in traditional values across the country. Key Freirean concepts combined with Horsford '3Rs' agenda to regain democracy in schools are used to analyse the media narratives presented by the ESP and civil movements that have resisted its efforts to undermine democracy within Brazilian schools. The findings suggest that the ESP's bullying tactics have been effective in undermining teachers' autonomy in many Brazilian schools. Further tensions have been provoked by the pandemic within the public educational system. Conversely, Freirean-inspired school communities have found new ways to counteract this harassment and strengthen democratic pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes teaching characteristics which are implicit to the characters of the movie "The boy who harnessed the wind". The film was compared to the students' teaching experiences. A dialogue about their representations and impacts on their/our practices in the classroom was conducted. We started to write during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Through remote synchronous meetings with students of the degree course in Geography - Supervised Internship Discipline, we used the film as a didactic resource. The results show that the students were impacted by the skills, abilities and attitudes represented by the characters, reiterating practices they considered as positive while others were reprehensible examples. The conclusion demonstrates that the use of films in the education of the geography teacher can be a satisfactory tool when its complementarity is observed, as well as the objectives and adequate didactic-pedagogical mediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective - This paper aims to revisit the relationship between the Latin American and U.S. stock markets during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology-The dynamic connectivity between these markets was estimated by implementing the time-varying VAR model (TVP-VAR) for daily data from January 2010 to June 2021. Results - There are three main results. First, although spillovers from each market accounted for most of their variance, exchanges were not entirely independent of each other. Second, the U.S. and Brazil were net transmitters of spillovers, while Argentina and Chile were net receivers. Finally, the magnitude of net spillovers is not high enough to characterize a contagion effect. Practical implications - The inclusion of Latin American stock markets in the scope of Covid-19 studies is an important contribution to the literature that often neglects Latin American markets in its samples. Originality - The study of the connection between markets in the presence of Covid-19 differs from most that focus exclusively on the impact of Covid-19. Understanding the relationship between Latin American and U.S. markets in the presence of a crisis unlike any that has occurred before can help investors in their investment strategies and policymakers, governments, and monetary authorities interested in the integration or disintegration between markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Romani people are a minority that has been historically excluded, neglected, and persecuted in the different countries where they are settled, especially if we consider the context of their arrival in Europe and the colonization processes developed by European nations. Thus, this paper sheds light on how the Romani communities have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic from the communication and health perspective and provides a critical view of the abovementioned processes. We discuss theoretically how these ethnicities are crossed by multiple oppressions that place them in an unequal situation and the role of communication in their social inclusion or the maintenance of their exclusion. We highlight how their invisibility and how historical stereotypes were highlighted during the pandemic, deepening the unequal relations. From a critical perspective on discursive relations, we analyzed two journalistic reports from 2020, the local newspaper O Popular in Brazil and the national newspaper ABC in Spain. Some results suggest that the Romani population has been somewhat held accountable for disseminating the virus. Moreover, they seem to have been silenced as subjects capable of articulating and reflecting on their conditions and situations in the pandemic context, showing similarities in the portrayal of the Romani people in the Ibero-American context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the 9th of May 2020 The Lancet, the leading medical journal, published an editorial referring to the current situation of the pandemic in Brazil, which is short of being disastrous, and describing Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian president, as the biggest threat to Brazil – we would add to the world. In this paper, we enquire the issue of leadership, anti-intellectualism and nationalism by conducting a philosophical enquiry, whilst also questioning the role and shortcomings of the Brazilian educational system in sowing the seeds, and allowing this situation to develop in the country. This philosophical enquiry does not attempt to lay blame on the Brazilian educational system; rather, it is an attempt, an urge for reflection and self-reflection, so that the errs of the past may be remediated in the future; hopefully, a near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonlinear dynamics perspective is an interesting approach to describe COVID-19 epidemics, providing information to support strategic decisions. This paper proposes a dynamical map to describe COVID-19 epidemics based on the classical susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) differential model, incorporating vaccinated population. On this basis, the novel map represents COVID-19 discrete-time dynamics by adopting three populations: infected, cumulative infected and vaccinated. The map promotes a dynamical description based on algebraic equations with a reduced number of variables and, due to its simplicity, it is easier to perform parameter adjustments. In addition, the map description allows analytical calculations of useful information to evaluate the epidemic scenario, being important to support strategic decisions. In this regard, it should be pointed out the estimation of the number deaths, infection rate and the herd immunization point. Numerical simulations show the model capability to describe COVID-19 dynamics, capturing the main features of the epidemic evolution. Reported data from Germany, Italy and Brazil are of concern showing the map ability to describe different scenario patterns that include multi-wave pattern with bell shape and plateaus characteristics. The effect of vaccination is analyzed considering different campaign strategies, showing its importance to control the epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The pandemic-crisis effects on Brazilian manufacturing industries are investigated. • An input-output model is employed to address its sectorial composition and linkages. • The pandemic-crisis has further harmful effects on knowledge-intensive industries. • EIHC promotes high-tech industries, while it showed higher degree of import dependence. • COVID-19 may be crucial to rethink industrial policy space within societal purposes. The COVID-19 crisis represents a turning point to rethink industrial policy spaces and countries' productive autonomy, especially for developing economies, such as Brazil, that call for new ways of thinking about manufacturing within societal purposes. Using an input-output model, the paper explores the pandemic-crisis-effects in the case of the Brazilian manufacturing sector. We find that the pandemic-crisis has harmful effects on the Brazilian productive structure, revealing the dependence on imports of the Brazilian Health System. Reductions in manufacturing gross output and value-added are mainly seen in knowledge-intensive subsectors, followed by job losses and tax revenue reduction. We suggest that the pandemic points to some roads to reindustrialization and resilience, given the reorganization of international production networks and the growing dependence on imports in key manufacturing sectors. Thus, the potential role of the manufacturing sector to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth reveals the importance of building productive capacity beyond the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to there being a worldwide socio-economic crisis, with major impacts on developing countries. Understanding the dynamics of the disease and its driving factors, on a small spatial scale, might support strategies to control infections. This paper explores the impact of the COVID-19 on neighborhoods of Recife, Brazil, for which we examine a set of drivers that combines socio-economic factors and the presence of non-stop services. A three-stage methodology was conducted by conducting a statistical and spatial analysis, including clusters and regression models. COVID-19 data were investigated concerning ten dates between April and July 2020. Hotspots of the most affected regions and their determinant effects were highlighted. We have identified that clusters of confirmed cases were carried from a well-developed neighborhood to socially deprived areas, along with the emergence of hotspots of the case-fatality rate. The influence of age-groups, income, level of education, and the access to essential services on the spread of COVID-19 was also verified. The recognition of variables that influence the spatial spread of the disease becomes vital for pinpointing the most vulnerable areas. Consequently, specific prevention actions can be developed for these places, especially in heterogeneous cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the worst public health crises in Brazil and the world that has ever been faced. One of the main challenges that the healthcare systems have when decision-making is that the protocols tested in other epidemics do not guarantee success in controlling the spread of COVID-19, given its complexity. In this context, an effective response to guide the competent authorities in adopting public policies to fight COVID-19 depends on thoughtful analysis and effective data visualization, ideally based on different data sources. In this paper, we discuss and provide tools that can be helpful using data analytics to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak in Recife, Brazil. We use exploratory data analysis and inferential study to determine the trend changes in COVID-19 cases and their effective or instantaneous reproduction numbers. According to the data obtained of confirmed COVID-19 cases disaggregated at a regional level in this zone, we note a heterogeneous spread in most megaregions in Recife, Brazil. When incorporating quarantines decreed, effectiveness is detected in the regions. Our results indicate that the measures have effectively curbed the spread of the disease in Recife, Brazil. However, other factors can cause the effective reproduction number to not be within the expected ranges, which must be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a time of serious health crisis worldwide, this study is the extension of a case study already started (in February and March 2020) about the issue, reading behaviors, and preferences between the use of books and e-books. The COVID-19 pandemic came to impose social distancing in the world, closing universities, schools, and other services. The implementation of Internet services has presented itself as a valid response to the change that has so brutally arisen. Naturally, everyone had to adapt to it. In this context, the question about the preferences in using books or e-books is now even more relevant. This paper analyses the impact of COVID-19 in the behavioral trends in the use of scientific information from printed books and e-books in Portugal and Brazil. To this end, a survey was conducted on a user sample from various Portuguese and Brazilian higher education schools and public libraries. The first part focused on the characterization of the respondents, which includes data on gender and qualifications attended. In the second part, we obtained viewpoints about the advantages and disadvantages of each medium, frequency of use, choice of medium according to the purpose of reading, and devices used. The results let us examine the factors that influence and change the behaviors of users concerning their choice. Research such as this is beneficial to support the decision not only in selecting the information resources to be bought or pondering user preferences, but also to define strategies for advocating the use of various media that, rather than competitors, should be complimentary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unprecedented shock to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) economy and their financial markets have plummeted significantly due to it. This paper adds to the recent literature on contagion due to spillover by uniquely examining the presence of pairwise contagion or volatility transmissions in stock markets returns of India, Brazil, Russia, China and USA prior to and during COVID-19 pandemic period. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) by Bollerslev (1986) under diagonal parameterization is used to estimate multivariate GARCH framework also known as BEKK (Baba EngleKraft and Kroner) model on stock market returns of BRIC nations and the US. Findings: The empirical results show that the model captures the volatility spillovers and display statistical significance for own past mean and volatility with both short- and long-run persistence effects. Own volatility spillovers (Heatwave phenomenon) have been found to be highest for the US, China and Brazil compared to Russia and India. The coefficients indicate persistence of volatility for each country in terms of its own past errors. The highest and long-term spillover effect is found between US and Russia. The results recommend that Russia is least vulnerable to outside shocks. Finally after examining the pairwise results, it is suggested that the BRIC countries stock indices have exhibited volatility spillover due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research limitations/implications: The study may be extended to include other emerging market economies under a dynamic framework. Practical implications: Researchers and policymakers may draw useful insights on cross-market interdependencies regarding the spillovers in BRIC countries' stock markets. It also helps design international portfolio diversification strategies and in constructing optimal portfolios during COVID and in a post-COVID world. Originality/value: COVID-19 has been an improbable event in the history of the world which can have a large impact on the financial economies across the emerging countries. This event can be deemed to be informative enough to measure the co-movements of the equity markets amongst cross-country return series, which has not been investigated so far for BRIC nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]