Monitoring and Early Warning of SMEs' Shutdown Risk under the Impact of Global Pandemic Shock

The COVID-19 outbreak devastated business operations and the world economy, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With limited capital, poorer risk tolerance, and difficulty in withstanding prolonged crises, SMEs are more vulnerable to pandemics and face a higher risk of shutdown. This research sought to establish a model response to shutdown risk by investigating two questions: How do you measure SMEs' shutdown risk due to pandemics? How do SMEs reduce shutdown risk? To the best of our knowledge, existing studies only analyzed the impact of the pandemic on SMEs through statistical surveys and trivial recommendations. Particularly, there is no case study focusing on an elaboration of SMEs' shutdown risk. We developed a model to reduce cognitive uncertainty and differences in opinion among experts on COVID-19. The model was built by integrating the improved Dempster's rule of combination and a Bayesian network, where the former is based on the method of weight assignment and matrix analysis. The model was first applied to a representative SME with basic characteristics for survival analysis during the pandemic. The results show that this SME has a probability of 79% on a lower risk of shutdown, 15% on a medium risk of shutdown, and 6% of high risk of shutdown. SMEs solving the capital chain problem and changing external conditions such as market demand are more difficult during a pandemic. Based on the counterfactual elaboration of the inferred results, the probability of occurrence of each risk factor was obtained by simulating the interventions. The most likely causal chain analysis based on counterfactual elaboration revealed that it is simpler to solve employee health problems. For the SMEs in the study, this approach can reduce the probability of being at high risk of shutdown by 16%. The results of the model are consistent with those identified by the SME respondents, which validates the model.

Virtual Vaccine: Practical Experiences of Online Dramatherapy

Since it was first identified in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged countries globally. To prevent the rapid spread of the virus, governments around the world have implemented policies such as closing cities and prohibiting gatherings, making direct communication and contact between people difficult. This has not only caused major changes in human life patterns but has also affected the beliefs and assumptions of drama therapists. Compared with that of online psychological counseling, which has been thoroughly researched, the implementation of online drama therapy is still in an exploratory stage. Research has demonstrated that online drama therapy can achieve the same benefits as in-person therapy. Online drama therapy effectively integrates various resources, experiences, and techniques and has the potential to reach out to cross cultural, environmental, and individual borders. Using three-dimensional game technology, therapy can be provided on virtual visual platforms to communicate in a dynamic and visual manner. In addition, online media can be used to overcome geographical limitations, reduce time and economic costs, and enables more clients to receive drama therapy courses. Through the camera, more can be learned about the life of the client, such as their living space and relationships with family members, which helps the therapist to adjust the treatment process. The client's lens is also a window for the therapist to understand their personal life and space. The close-up nature of the screen makes it easier for the therapist to observe the client's facial expressions and potential body language cues, which can be regarded as a form of close communication. This new type of drama therapy uses online platforms as a medium and provides clients with assistance using dynamic images and visual media;however, a lack of analysis and research regarding how online drama therapy should be performed in practice persists. Therefore, this study explored the practical experience of practitioners in drama therapy online groups to accelerate the promotion of online drama therapy. This study had three main research questions: (1) What is the difference between online drama therapy and physical drama work? (2) What are the working methods and strategies of online drama therapy? (3) What are the challenges of online drama therapy? To explore the practical experiences of drama therapists in online groups, this study adopted semistructured in-depth interviews with three drama therapists. The study participants had 5 years of experience in drama therapy and had provided online drama therapy for more than 1 year. The practitioners were all licensed drama therapists: two from the U.K. and one from North America. Their clients included teenagers, children, voluntary clients, college students, youth groups, and adult community groups. After contacting the three research respondents using online messaging, explaining the purpose of the research, and confirming the respondents' wishes, the interview outline was sent by email. The researcher, who was a senior drama therapy and psychological counseling practitioner served as the interviewer, and each semistructured in-depth interview was conducted using an online platform according to the convenience of the interviewee in accordance with epidemic prevention measures. Each interview was approximately 60 minutes long and provided insight into the experience shared in response to the research questions. After data collection, we used thematic analysis to analyze the interview transcripts and used triangulation to compare unified data among coresearchers to improve reliability and validity. The results were as follows: First, the differences between traditional and online drama therapy included that the therapeutic relationship shifted from "presence in a relationship” to "one-way relationship”;participants shifted from closed groups to more open groups;the therapy strategy shifted from interventional to supportive work;group leadership shifted from improvisational to hi hly structured;and the space for the entirety of the therapy shifted from a physical conversation space to a highly anonymous online space. Second, the working methods and strategies used in online drama therapy included: Using imagination and rituals to create a virtual space, using digital media to enhance the self-expression of participants, using real-life materials to strengthen the transformation of virtuality into reality, using images to catalyze role-playing, and promoting self-talk through virtual mirroring. Third, the challenges of online drama therapy included that the online platform limited the possibilities of interaction in theater, the dilemma of instrument theatre creation by verbal or metaphorical supplementation, the mental labor of familiarity at a high concentration and high uniformity, and the challenge of environmental privacy in therapy. The results of this research revealed that: (1) The objective perception experience in the digital work environment reduces the possibility of exploration and transformation of the client's emotional experience. Therefore, online drama therapy is not only a simple transfer of physical drama therapy technique to the computer but influences the essence of the experience. (2) Online drama therapy encourages the client to engage in role-playing and emotional release from a first-person performer position. The client simultaneously occupies a third-person audience position because of the mirroring that occurs on the screen. This process causes the simultaneous mental states of clients as both performers and audience members. (3) Online drama therapy practitioners must enhance clients' understanding of each other's behavior using the guidance of highly structured activities and language, and at the same time, they must consider the client's ability to create spontaneously. Therefore, practitioners must direct and exhibit rich imagination. However, thinking about the themselves as shown through the screen to create an aesthetic experience and having to consider the relationship between the image and the psychology of the client using logical reasoning causes a high degree of psychological labor for practitioners. Three recommendations are proposed by the researcher, based on the findings of the study. First, how practitioners should balance trauma intervention and emotional support in a digital environment is an ethical matter that requires further investigation. Second, training model should be designed that promotes a new type of online drama therapy that enhances drama therapists' ability to use digital technology and new media, improving the editing and directing ability of practitioners in image analogy and logical derivation and deepening the exploration and integration of clients' perceptual and rational experiences. Third, attention should be paid to the high degree of psychological labor that online drama therapy causes practitioners. Being aware of the sense of isolation and limitation caused by screen work, reducing performance anxiety related to work effectiveness, and undertaking self-adjustment and relaxation are necessary. Finally, through the interpretation of practitioners' practical experiences in this study, practical reference material for the application of online drama therapy can be expanded. We also hope that online drama therapy can be a "virtual vaccine,” offering the possibility of rehabilitating the body and mind among individuals suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023, National Taiwan Normal University. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Epidemics on Green Innovation: Global Analysis

Epidemics and their resulting pandemics have become essential factors influencing economic development, financial stability, poverty, and ultimately a country's innovation level, including green technology innovation. This research thus investigates epidemic events' correlation to green innovation by operating with skewed panel data involving 134 countries from 1971 to 2018 and provides compelling proof that Epidemics have a detrimental effect on green innovation, not only for the current year but also for the next six years. We also show that the quality of institutions and financial development levels weaken epidemics' detrimental effects on green innovation. Overall, the findings would draw particular attention from policymakers.

China-Europe freight transportation under the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic and government restriction measures

International freight transportation experienced significant disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of the pandemic and related government restriction measures on international freight transportation is worth analysing for the development of transportation policies and practices in the post-pandemic period, but has received limited attention. To fill the gap, this study applies structural equation models to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international transportation market and the relationships among the pandemic, government restriction measures, and international transportation market. The impact is also differentiated for different modes of transportation. Results confirm that both demand and supply of interna-tional transportation services have been negatively affected by the first wave of the pandemic, with sea trans-portation being more affected by the reduction of demand and air transportation more by the supply volatility. The government restriction measures are found to play a mediation role, in the way that the impact of the pandemic on the supply of transportation service is suppressed through the government restriction measures. Our findings provide important guidance for transportation industry players and governments in their decision-making process facing with global market shocks such as a pandemic.

Classification of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 lung computed tomography images using machine learning

A novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China in late December 2019. In March 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) declared this sudden epidemic as a global pandemic. It is highly contagious and can cause serious lung inflammation. The typical symptoms are fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache and sore throat. Till 23 August 2021, a total of more than 211 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported to WHO worldwide, with a total of more than 4.4 million of deaths. Hence early detection is crucial to control the spread. Currently, the key diagnosis method is the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test using swab samples. However, it is subject to certain limitations, such as low sensitivity and shortage of kits. To address these issues, lung computed tomography (CT) scan can be the alternative as it is fast, easy, and proven to be sensitive in detecting COVID-19 cases. This study presents an automated method to differentiate the COVID-19 CT images from the Non-COVID-19 images using different convolutional neural networks (CNN) through three stages procedures. In the first stage, the dataset which consists of 746 images of COVID-19 and Non-COVID-19 was split into 3 parts for training, validation, and testing, respectively. The training and validation data were then applied with different augmentation techniques to increase the dataset, while the testing data remained with no augmentation. In stage 2, 10 different pretrained CNNs were initialized to train and classify the binary class. In stage 3, gradient descent class activation mapping (GradCAM) was used for abnormality localization. The best performance was achieved by ResNet152, ResNeXt, GoogleNet, and DenseNet201 with the highest overall accuracy of 98.51%. ResNet152, GoogleNet, and DenseNet201 had achieved a sensitivity of 100%, and specificity of 97.06%, whereas ResNeXt had achieved a sensitivity of 96.97%, and specificity of 100%. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

COVID-19: Recent Advances in Lung Ultrasound

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV 2) has become a global threat that has led to tremendous societal instability. The SARS-CoV-2 can exhibit a drastic variation in terms of the signs and symptoms in the patient's body. This virus manifests its existence through cough, fever, sore throat, body aches, chest pain, headaches, and dyspnoea. These can lead to life-threatening respiratory insufficiency, thereby affecting several other organs such as the kid-ney, heart, lungs, liver, and nervous system. The lungs are the primary target site for SARS-CoV-2 and several diagnoses are being deployed in real time for treatment purposes. Although chest CT is the standard method for early diagnosis and management of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), lung ultrasound (US) has some merits over chest CT and may be used in addition to it in the workup of COVID-19. The goal of our review is to look at the observations of the reports on lung ultrasound in COVID-19 patients and the current advances.Copyright © 2023 Bentham Science Publishers.

A New Study of Integration Between Social Robotic Systems and the Metaverse for Dealing with Healthcare in the Post-COVID-19 Situations

With the popularity of the metaverse, researchers are turning to augmented reality and virtual reality to innovate their recent pain points, particularly healthcare issues during COVID-19. At the same time, social robots can be a great tool for alleviating many challenges during the pandemic. However, before the integrated technology's possibilities for the metaverse and social robots can be suitably harnessed, certain recent developments for integration during the pandemic should be addressed. For this reason, this paper proposes a new systematic summary of pioneering social robotic systems using the metaverse through immersive experiences from an interdisciplinary healthcare perspective during the COVID-19 outbreak. We also highlight social robots to deal with medical healthcare issues during the virus outbreak both elderly adults and younger people. Moreover, we compare recent metaverse-driven social robotic works for dealing with assisted living and healthcare issues through telepresence and remote interaction during COVID-19. Ultimately, we provide a recommendation and forecast a future scenario for the integration between socially interactive robots and metaverse technology to improve and help the quality of life both in the current COVID-19 situation and in the post-COVID-19 society. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Effect of N-acetyl cysteine in a patient cohort with severe or very severe COVID-19 pneumonia

Introduction: COVID-19, as of 9 June 2020, had been responsible for 404,396 deaths worldwide. Throughout the pandemic, IRCU and ICU directly cared for patients with severe or very severe respiratory failure due to COVID19 pneumonia. Objective(s): To determine if N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) could be associated with lower mortality risk. Methodology: 1141 patients from March to May 2020 admitted to the ICU and IRCU of the Fundacion Jimenez Diaz were analysed. Patients with <3 days of hospital admission and those with CURB-65 equal to or <0 were excluded. A multivariate regression logistics models have been used to respond to our hypothesis and investigate the relationship between each variable and the mortality. Result(s): Of all patients analyzed, 44% received treatment with NAC associated with other drugs according to established protocols. Of these, 55% were male, most non-smokers with a mean age of 74.43 years. In table 2 we describe statistically significant predictive parameters associated with a decreased risk of mortality in severe or very severe patients with an area AUC of 0.80 Conclusion(s): Adjuvant treatment with NAC in severe or very severe COVID-19 pneumonia is associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality by 30% in elderly patients, principally males, and with associated co-morbidities.

Gender disparities in remote teaching readiness and mental health problems among university faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives: The main purpose of this study was to examine (1) gender differences in remote teaching readiness and mental health problems among university faculty, and (2) to what extent remote teaching readiness is associated with mental health problems among university faculty, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Survey participants of the study comprised 779 university faculty (58.2% men, 39.4% women, and 2.4% other gender identities or did not report) from 122 higher education institutions in the United States. Results: Chi-square tests and independent t-test findings showed that female faculty reported significantly greater remote teaching challenges–in terms of both technology and course design–and higher levels of anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modelling results indicated that remote teaching readiness was associated with mental health problems among faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: The findings suggest that gender differences in remote teaching readiness can partially explain the gender disparities in mental health problems among faculty, with female faculty being disadvantaged. © 2022 Australian Psychological Society.

Strategies for the sustainable development of China in the post-epidemic era

Countries around the world are facing enormous challenges in their economic and social development as COVID-19 continues to spread, resulting in slower economic recovery in the post-pandemic era. Considering the impact of economic growth on future sustainable development in this new era, green economic recovery (GER) can achieve a win-win situation between economic recovery and environmental improvement and bring forth environmentally sustainable economic growth. This research first lists related COVID-19 literature surveys and GER policies in the post-pandemic era in China. Based on a comparative study of the international experience of GER policy practices, this paper then analyzes the opportunities and challenges China faces for GER and puts forward countermeasures and suggestions on how to promote its sustainable development in the post-epidemic era. We believe our research presents useful enlightenments for sustainable economic and social development in the post-epidemic era. © 2022 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

TRANSFER TRAUMA AND MAJOR EVENTS AMONG NURSING HOME RESIDENTS BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The negative consequences of transfers are known as transfer trauma. Nursing home (NH)-to-NH transfers place long-term NH residents at risk for developing transfer trauma and this risk may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the setting of a state policy that increased the number of residents who transferred between NHs. The objective of this cross-sectional cohort analysis was to assess the incidence of transfer trauma and major events (hospitalization/death/discharges) among long-term NH residents who transferred from one NH to another before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using a composite measure of transfer trauma based on validated scales from Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments. A total of 750 residents transferred in the pre-COVID cohort and 795 in the COVID cohort were eligible for assessment of transfer trauma and major events. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, residents in the COVID cohort were almost twice more likely to die and almost three times more likely to discharge within 90 days compared to those in the pre-COVID cohort (AOR=1.94, 95%CI [1.15, 3.26] and AOR= 2.86, 95%CI [2.30, 3.56], respectively). Residents in the COVID cohort were less likely to experience transfer trauma compared to those in the pre-COVID cohort. In the during-COVID cohort, 26% of residents had a COVID-19 diagnosis and they were less likely to experience transfer trauma compared to residents without a COVID-19 diagnosis (AOR=0.34, 95%CI [0.23, 0.50]). It is important to note that some residents may have not stayed in the nursing home long enough to assess them for transfer trauma.

FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE: bridging the “ knowledge-action” gap

This chapter discusses the inadequate application of the available scientific knowledge to the improvement of human health in urban areas, leading to what we define as a “knowledge-action” gap. The current state of efforts to implement the “Nature as Health” concept is reviewed, and recommendations are made to adopt an evidence-based design process as a framework for addressing the knowledge-action gap and the science-action gap. While Chapter 39 provided case studies from near the Pacific Rim, this chapter details the cases in Taiwan that bridged the knowledge-action gap in the relationship between nature and public health. Chapter 40 discussed several research tools, methods, and interdisciplinary concepts that might lend light to future studies. This chapter will discuss more detailed information of the HealthCloud app and its application, which provides psychological questionnaires and monitors heart rate and environmental information and could be a useful tool for data collection on the changing behaviors and patterns of humans experiencing nature, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. A “Landscape and Health Information Note” application could be used to connect health data and environmental information as a feedback system for users. The chapter concludes with the following questions: what is the future relationship between human and environment interaction? Given the rapid advancement of technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, how can we apply this technology and the strategies of landscape design to fill the knowledge-action gap? Finally, how can we respond to sustainable development goals (SDGs)? © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Yizhao Yang and Anne Taufen;individual chapters, the contributors.

A Booster Dose of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vaccine Induced C7-C8 Radiculitis Leading to Hand Dysfunction: A Case Report

Case Diagnosis: A 71-year-old female developed C7-C8 radiculitis with left hand weakness 4 days after receiving her booster dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Case Description or Program Description: Patient with a significant past medical history of cervical fusion and bilateral carpal tunnel releases over 20 years ago presented to outpatient office because of decreased hand grip strength 4 days after receiving her booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Her left hand weakness was spontaneous in onset, making her unable to flex her index finger and type. No pain or paresthesia. No trauma, swelling, color or temperature change in her left hand. Nerve conduction study and electromyography performed 19 days after the onset of her symptoms revealed acute greater than chronic changes mainly in distal muscles innervated by C7-C8 nerve roots, compatible with left C7-8 radiculopathy. MRI findings were chronic and compatible with her history of cervical fusion. Her clinical presentation was thought to be an inflammatory rather than mechanical etiology associated with the booster. Patient was referred to outpatient occupational therapy to help her restore hand function. Setting(s): Outpatient office of acute rehabilitation hospital Assessment/Results: Patient underwent occupational therapy and reported mild improvement in hand strength and function after 3 months of therapy. Discussion (relevance): The clinical course of this patient suggested an association between her symptoms and the booster dose of SARS-Cov-2 vaccine. It is possible that some component of the booster might have triggered an immune response and cross-reacted to the peripheral nerve system, leading to acute neuritis and the weakness of her hand. Conclusion(s): Neurologic complications after SARSCov- 2 vaccination is usually mild and self-limiting. We present a rare case of acute radiculitis that was associated with SARS-Cov-2 vaccination with residual impairment in function. Although the causality cannot be confirmed due to the lack of a biological marker, this case may help guide further research into a potential pathogenic mechanism.

Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention: Interpretation of the Updates in 2022

Asthma is a serious health problem affecting people of all ages worldwide. To address asthma，the Global Initiative for Asthma Expert Group published the Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention in 1995，and an updated version （GINA 2022） with new evidence being incorporated，on the World Asthma Day，May 3，2022. Asthma prevalence is increasing but is unsatisfactorily controlled generally in China. We mainly interpreted the update points in the GINA 2022，discussed the management of asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic，and assessed the significance of the GINA 2022 for the diagnosis and treatment of asthma in China. © 2022 Chinese General Practice. All rights reserved.

MENTAL HEALTH SOCIAL WORK IN HONG KONG DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Civil unrest during the COVID-19 pandemic, fears of contracting the virus, challenges for families, and disrupted daily routines complicated mental health in Hong Kong. During the pandemic, most professional social workers worked either in overburdened medical settings, or in community settings where services were suspended, and outreach discouraged. Services disproportionally focussed on information giving and essential tangible support, with fewer providing emotional support. Lessons for practice gleaned from experiences thus far include using a strength perspective to build new normal life, improving service coordination, mobilising peer support, strengthening primary prevention, and enhancing crisis intervention capability in social work education. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Patricia Fronek and Karen Smith Rotabi-Casares;individual chapters, the contributors.

Clinical severity of COVID-19 with omicron variant predominance in relation to vaccination status, age, comorbidities- a single center in Selangor, Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION: Recently, the rapid surge of reported COVID-19 cases attributed to the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) created an immediate concern across nations. Local information pertaining to the new variant of concern (VOC) is lacking. We aimed to determine the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 during a period of Omicron prevalence among patients hospitalised from February 1 to 21, 2022 at Sungai Buloh Hospital and to estimate the risks of disease progression presumably caused by this variant in association with gender, age, comorbidity, and vaccination status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective, singlecentered, retrospective cohort study, all hospitalised adults with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, aged 18 and above, were recruited from February 1 to 21, 2022. Clinical characteristics, investigations, and outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 2279 patients aged 18 years and above with laboratory-proven COVID-19 were recruited and analysed, excluding 32 patients owing to incomplete data. Majority of the study population had a mean age of 41.8 ± 17.7, was female-predominant (1329/2279, 58.6%), had completed a primary series of vaccination with a booster (1103/2279, 48.4%), and had no underlying medical conditions (1529/2279, 67.4%). The risk of COVID-19-related disease progression was significantly lower in hospitalised patients under the age of 50 who were female, had no comorbidity, and had completed two doses of the primary series with or without a booster. [respectively, OR 7.94 (95% CI 6.16, 10.23); 1.68 (1.34, 2,12); 2.44 (1.85, 3.22); 2.56 (1.65, 3.97), p< 0.001]. CONCLUSION: During the period of Omicron prevalence, a favourable outcome of COVID-19 was strongly associated with female gender, age below 50, a comorbidity-free condition, and having completed immunization. With this new observation, it could help improve public health planning and clinical management in response to the emergence of the latest VOC.

Challenges of Remote Learning and Mentoring among Engineering Students and Faculty during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has severely affected the higher education system since Spring 2020. During the periods of school closures and limited in-person activities, engineering students and faculty experienced challenges in remote learning and mentoring activities. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this study surveyed 668 faculty and 3,385 undergraduate/graduate students in engineering from 94 institutions in 36 states across the country. Our findings indicated that several faculty and student subgroups were disproportionately negatively affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, women engineering faculty and students encountered more challenges in transitioning to remote teaching and learning. Students with disabilities and those whose households experienced a loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic faced more remote learning challenges, perceived less instrumental mentoring support, and were more likely to delay their graduate dates. Our structural equation modeling results showed that mentoring support could mitigate remote learning challenges and academic disruption for engineering students. The study underscores the importance of mentoring support during the crisis of a pandemic. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.

Household Structure Projection: A Monte-Carlo based Approach

The kernel of an agent based simulation system for spreading of infectious disease needs a so called household structure (HSD) of the area being simulated which contains a list of households with the age of each member in the household being recorded. Such a household structure is available in a Census that is usually released every 10 years. Previous researches have shown the changing of the household structure has a great impact on disease spreading patterns. It is observed that the changing of the household structure e.g., the average citizen ages and household size, is at a faster speed. However, serious infectious diseases, such as SARS (year 2002), H1N1 (year 2009) and COVID-19 (year 2019), occur with a higher frequency now than previous eras. For example, it would be bad to use HSD2010 built using Census 2010 to simulate COVID-19. In view of this situation, we need a better way to obtain a good household structure in between the Census years in order for an agent-based simulation system to be effective. Note that though a detailed Census is not available every year, aggregated information such as the number of households with a particular size, and the number of people of a particular age are usually available almost monthly. Given HSDx, the household structure for year x, and the aggregated information from year y where y > x, we propose a Monte-Carlo based approach "patching" HSDx to get an approximated HSDy. To validate our algorithm, we pick x and y - x + 10 which both Censuses are available and find out the root-mean-square error (RMSE) between Census's HSDy and generated HSDy is fairly small for x = 1990 and 2000. The spreading patterns obtained by our simulation system have good matches. We hence obtain HSD2020 to be used in your system for studying the spreading of COVID-19.