Mapping the Dynamics of Unemployment: Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Portugal

The Great Confinement affected the labour market, particularly the dynamics of unemployment. Based on Instituto do Emprego e For-macao Profissional (IEFP) data on registered unemployment, this article analyses the impact of the pandemic crisis in unemployment situations in mainland Portugal. The categorical and territorial distribution of the unemployed is highlighted, as well as the temporal dimen-sion of the problem. The quantitative/extensive analysis carried out, as well as the cluster analysis, indicates that the incidence of unemployment is not identical for all social groups or for the entire territory, affecting some more than others, with emphasis on some spatial concentrations, particularly in Algarve;and the variations are directly related to temporali-ties resulting from periods marked by confinement or deconfinement.

MAPEAMENTO DAS DINÂMICAS DO DESEMPREGO: IMPACTOS DA PANDEMIA DA COVID-19 EM PORTUGAL CONTINENTAL

MAPPING THE DYNAMICS OF UNEMPLOYMENT: IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL. The Great Confinement affected the labour market, particularly the dynamics of unemployment. Based on Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP) data on registered unemployment, this article analyses the impact of the pandemic crisis in unemployment situations in mainland Portugal. The categorical and territorial distribution of the unemployed is highlighted, as well as the temporal dimension of the problem. The quantitative/extensive analysis carried out, as well as the cluster analysis, indicates that the incidence of unemployment is not identical for all social groups or for the entire territory, affecting some more than others, with emphasis on some spatial concentrations, particularly in Algarve;and the variations are directly related to temporalities resulting from periods marked by confinement or deconfinement. © Published under the terms and conditions of an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.

Territorial Vulnerabilities, Pandemic and Employment: An Ex-ploratory Analysis of Municipal Socioeconomic Profiles and Impacts of COVID-19 in Portugal

The pandemic originated a set of impacts of different magnitudes in the territory. This article presents an exploratory approach to understand how the existence of certain vulnerabilities in the pre-crisis moment led to different impacts on territories in Portugal. Starting from the municipal scale, the analysis defines a typology of vulnerable territories according to the degrees of exposure and susceptibility they present, and compares the different groups of municipalities in this typology with territorial impacts of the pandemic crisis in terms of unemployment dynamics. The results attest to the existence of increased vulnerabilities in territories highly dependent on tourism and those that are part of metropolitan areas, whose socioeconomic structures resulted in situations of higher un-employment growth in 2020. The article has implications for reflection on territorial vulnerability, resilience and policies to transform the Portuguese economy in the post-pandemic period. © 2023,Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais. All Rights Reserved.

Equal Opportunities, Fair Work and Social Protection: Impacts of COVID-19 on Young People in Portuguese Rural Territories

Several international organizations, as well as worldwide scholarship, have abundantly shown that young people under 34 are among the groups struggling the most with COVID-19 economic and social impacts. Seldom, however, does scholarship focus on the uneven effects of the pandemic on younger generations across different types of territories. Overall, young people in rural territories tend to face much greater adversities. These territories concentrate less population, show strong ageing trends trend and depict a lower settlement rate. Rural younger generations struggle to strive, because rural areas depend heavily on declining economic activities, such as farming, are plagued by precarious jobs, and display limited institutional support compared to (sub)urban areas. In Portugal, the country's population is unevenly distributed between affluent, high-density coastal areas and inlands and archipelagos with a considerable rural predominance. The COVID-19 crisis has the potential to further stretch the existing inequalities among young people due to spatial distribution. Therefore, in this chapter, we discuss the impact of the recent pandemic crisis on rural Portuguese young people. We will do so by characterizing headline indicators in the three domains of the European Pillar of Social Rights, namely equal opportunities (e.g. Early School Leavers from Education and Training), fair working conditions (e.g. Youth Unemployment), and social protection and inclusion (e.g. at risk of poverty and social exclusion). We expect to reach an initial comprehension of the challenges faced by rural Portuguese young people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis in three domains: education, employment and social inclusion. We also discuss how more nuanced territorial conceptualizations (e.g. low-density areas) and policymaking can add alternative views about young people's living conditions due to subnational disparities. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

On the Margins of Employment, in the Centre of the Pandemic: Experiences of Unprotection and Social Vulnerability in the Great Lockdown

Permanent insecurity and social deprotection have become structural in the labour market. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed and aggravated these processes, which are at the origin of the accumulation of multiple socio-economic, relational and existential vulnerabilities. The lockdown period led to situations of labour stagnation. Inequalities and vulnerabilities, still arising from the Great Recession, were aggravated through the social dichotomy between those workers considered as either essential or non-essential. The article analyses the recent dynamics of this phenomenon from the life trajectories of workers in Portugal. Based on their experiences, collected from 53 in-depth interviews and a follow-up of 14 cases during the pandemic, it is aimed at reflecting on the multidimensional effects that emerge from these trajectories of participation in the labour market. © 2022 Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra. All rights reserved.

Building Strategies and Resilience in the Face of a Pandemic in Urban China and Brazil: COVID-19, Access to Water, and Inequality

The response capacity to the pandemic in cities relates to pre-existing spatialized and socioeconomic inequalities. This is the case for vulnerable areas in major cities in Latin America, where access to water and sanitation services is often precarious;while China’s densely populated coastal cities achieved lower contagion rates thanks to strict lockdown measures. The role of better sanitation systems cannot be understated. The analysis in this chapter employs a regression model with key elements that contribute to urban inequalities: investment in sanitary infrastructure and access to water;differentials in socioeconomic indicators such as literacy rate and income inequality;and policies to prevent contagion. We argue that not only are fast containment strategies important, but long-term investment in access to sanitation also helps build resilient cities and puts them in a better position to fight new pandemics. This study points out the importance of considering a multilevel approach in designing public policies to prepare for pandemics and build urban resilience, considering inequalities, education, healthcare, access to water and sanitation, and urban and regional mobility. First, we give an overview of localized aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic in China and Brazil, followed by a description of the methodology and an analysis of our findings and results. The last section discusses policy implications for each country. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Online didactic design in post-modernity: perceptions of continuing education in pandemic times

In this text, we critically discuss continuing teacher education in the context of post-modernity for digital technologies, considering the demands imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The objective of the study is to analyze the perceptions of professors who had participated in the course named "Online Didactic Design," offered by the Universidade Federal do Reconcavo da Bahia, reflecting on the professors continuing education for digital technologies in order to develop digital teaching competences in the face of the demands imposed by online teaching in pandemic times. It is an exploratory and descriptive research with a qualitative approach through a case study contemplating participants' observations and the description of the course evaluation form completed by 97 participants. The course enabled a reflective attitude among the participants (96.8%) by articulating theory and practice (90.8%). Among the difficulties pointed out, we verified the tight deadline for the activities (66.6%), time management (32%), and issues related to the virtual learning environment and internet access (20.8%). We concluded that critical and reflective teaching practice in this post-modern age requires the ability to reinvent oneself continuously, and the planning of didactic design is indeed crucial in this way of teaching online, especially in a hegemonic capitalist context characterized by the precariousness of teaching work.

Predictors of mortality of covid-19 in chronic hemodialysis patients

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected the care of patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD). It has been reported that older adults and those with comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease are prone to develop severe disease and poorer outcomes. By virtue of their average old age, multiple comorbidities, immunosuppression and frequent contact with other patients in dialysis facilities, chronic HD patients are at particular risk for severe COVID-19 infection. The aim of this study was to compare clinical presentation, laboratory and radiologic data and outcomes between HD and non-HD COVID-19 patients and find possible risk factors for mortality on HD patients. METHOD: A single center retrospective cohort study including patients on HD hospitalized with a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 infection, from March 1st to December 31st of 2020 and matched them to non-dialysis patients (non-HD) (1:1). Data regarding patient baseline characteristics, symptoms, laboratory and radiologic results at presentation were collected, as well as their outcomes. Categorical variables are presented as frequencies and percentages, and continuous variables as means or medians for variables with skewed distributions. A paired Student's t-test was performed on parametric continuous values or Mann-Whitney for non-parametric continuous variables. Chi-squared test was performed for comparing categorical variables. Logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for mortality on HD patients. A p-value of less than 0,05 indicated statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 34 patients HD patients were included, 70,6% male, mean age of 76,5 years, median time of dialysis of 3,0 years. Among them 85,3% were hypertensive, 47,1% diabetic, 47,1% had cardiovascular disease, 30,6% pulmonary chronic disease and 23,5% cancer. The most frequent symptoms were fever (67,6%), shortness of breath (61,8%) and cough (52,9%). At admission, 55,9% of patients needed oxygen supply, one required mechanic ventilation and was admitted to intensive care unit. Regarding laboratory data, the most common features were lymphopenia in 58,9% (median-795/uL), elevated LDH in 64,7% (median-255 U/L), raised C-reactive protein in 97,1% (median-6,3 mg/dlL, raised D-dimer in 95,8% (median 1,7 ng/mL), and all patients presented high ferritin (median 1658 ng/mL) and elevated Troponin T (median 130ng/mL). The majority presented with radiologic changes, particularly bilateral infiltrates in 29,4%. Concerning clinical outcomes, the median hospitalization time was 11 days and 13 patients (38,2%) developed bacterial superinfection. Mortality rate was 32,4%. When matched to 34 non-HD patients there was no statistical significant differences in sex, age and comorbidities. The HD group had a tendency to more ventilator support need (p=0,051), higher ferritin and troponin levels (p=<0,001 for both), whereas the non-HD group presented with greater levels of transaminases (p= 0,017). There was o significant difference in hospitalization time (median of 11 vs 7 days, p=0,222) neither in mortality (median of 32,4 vs 35,3%, p=0,798). When the logistic regression was performed, only bacterial superinfection was a predictor for mortality on hemodialysis patients (p=0,004). CONCLUSION: Our study compared outcomes for COVID-19 patients on chronic HD to non-dialysis patients and showed no difference in hospitalization time nor in death rate. In spite of these results, the mortality in patients on chronic HD is still not negligible, with up to 32% of in-hospital mortality. Bacterial superinfection is a predictive risk factor for mortality. Hence the importance of interventions to mitigate the burden of COVID-19 in these patients, by preventing its spread, particularly in hemodialysis centers.

PACIENTES COM LEUCEMIA MIELOIDE CRÔNICA E SARS-COV-2: REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA

Objetivo: Em 2019, um surto de pneumonia surgiu na cidade de Wuhan, China. Apos investigacoes, descobriu-se que o agente causador da doenca era um virus atualmente nomeado SARS-CoV-2, causador da COVID-19. Diversos trabalhos dedicam-se a investigar a sua atuacao no organismo humano e o seu comportamento em pacientes contaminados que ja sofrem com outras doencas. Assim, esta revisao objetiva investigar a relacao da Leucemia Mieloide Cronica (LMC), um cancer raro em celulas do sangue, com a COVID-19, associando os aspectos da resposta imune dentro destas doencas. Metodologia: Este estudo trata de uma revisao sistematica da literatura, a partir de buscas nas bases de dados PubMed, ScienceDirect e Web of Science, utilizando os descritores especificos: "Chronic Myeloid Leukemia", "COVID-19" e "SARS-CoV-2" combinados mediante descritores booleanos. A pesquisa ocorreu entre os dias 06 e 15 de agosto de 2020. Para a construcao da revisao sistematica foi utilizado o protocolo Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Como criterios de inclusao: artigos em suas versoes completas, sem restricao de idiomas, publicados nos ultimos 5 anos. Aqueles que nao apresentavam informacoes relevantes em relacao ao tema, duplicatas e os que nao obedeciam aos criterios de inclusao foram excluidos. Resultados: 32 estudos foram encontrados, 8 no PubMed, 17 na base de dados ScienceDirect e 7 no Web of Science. A priori, foram excluidos 10 artigos por repeticao. Dos 22 restantes, 14 trabalhos por nao possuir relacao com a tematica ou por nao atender aos demais criterios de inclusao tambem foram excluidos. Logo, restaram 8 trabalhos para compor esta revisao. Discussao: Na literatura ainda nao ha dados suficientes que comprovem que pacientes com LMC sob tratamento com Inibidores de Tirosina Quinase (ITQ) estao no grupo de risco. Entretanto, ha casos em que esses pacientes contrairam o SARS-CoV-2 e apresentaram quadros nao graves da doenca - exceto caso haja crise blastica - alem de uma suposta protecao contra o virus mediada pela terapia. Os casos graves da COVID-19 apresentam hiperatividade das celulas T pro-inflamatorias e diminuicao dos linfocitos T reguladores e consequente exacerbacao da inflamacao, caracteristico da tempestade de citocinas, incluindo TNF-alpha, IL-1 e IL-6 - sendo esta uma importante mediadora da tempestade associada a COVID-19. O uso de Tocilizumabe - anticorpo monoclonal humanizado inibidor de receptores de IL-6 - foi relatado em paciente com LMC com rapida recuperacao da inflamacao e regulacao da resposta imune. Ademais, ja foi relatado que ITQ possuem eficacia contra outros coronavirus, como o Imatinibe, evitando a replicacao viral na celula hospedeira. Apesar destes dados, a recomendacao a esses pacientes e o distanciamento social e, se possivel, continuacao do tratamento. Caso sejam infectados, propoe-se a quarentena e atencao redobrada para possiveis interacoes medicamentosas entre o tratamento da LMC e o da COVID-19, ja que ambos podem prolongar o intervalo QT e provocar complicacoes cardiacas. Conclusao: Os estudos apontaram que pacientes em tratamento da LMC podem demonstrar uma melhor resposta ao virus. Observou-se que esses individuos, ao contrair o virus, podem apresentar uma resposta diferente, seja freando a inflamacao ou impedindo a replicacao viral. Entretanto, faz-se necessario maiores pesquisas objetivando investigar as interacoes imunes e medicamentosas entre pacientes com LMC e COVID-19.Copyright © 2020

Urban mobility and COVID-19 in Brazil: Comparison between 2020 and 2021

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the indicators of urban mobility and the number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded daily between 2020 and 2021. METHODS: An observational study was carried out involving new cases of COVID-19 registered daily in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil between March 12, 2020 and March 28, 2021 and six indicators of urban mobility. For analysis, the study was divided into two periods: the first was composed of 295 days and represents the year 2020 and the second was composed of 86 days and represents the year 2021. Spearman's non-parametric correlation was used. RESULTS: In 2021, the greatest reductions in relation to the baseline were observed in parks (-29.0) and in retail and recreation areas (-28.7). However, these reductions were smaller than those observed in the previous year, indicating a greater circulation of people in 2021 when compared with mobility in 2020. In contrast, in residential areas, there was a reduction in the percentage change in relation to the previous year (11.2 in 2019 and 7.6 in 2021). In grocery and pharmacy, there was an increase 1.8 times greater than that observed in 2020 (9.1 in 2020 and 17.0 in 2021). It is also noteworthy that the daily average of new cases almost doubled in value (753.4 in 2020 and 1409.1 in 2021). CONCLUSION: More vigorous measures must be taken to adequately control the pandemic.