Staying Connected with Aged Populations in Times of COVID-19: An Interview Study of the Role of Portuguese Institutions and Municipalities

In times of social confinement frequently associated with COVID-19 pandemics, an increasing dependence of aged populations on digital media to maintain social interactions and participation in society was observed. Although courses for action on the access to digital media by aged populations and the potential harms of digital inclusion have been acknowledged in the literature, far too little attention has been devoted to the challenges and in situ measures undertaken by local entities targeted to aged populations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the strategies adopted by Portuguese Universities of the Third Age, Municipalities, among other Institutional Care for Aged Populations to ensure communication and active participation of older adults in society and the role of digital media in that process. A total of 72 Portuguese entities developing initiatives addressed to aged populations were interviewed, including Municipalities and Universities of the Third Age, aiming at gathering their perspectives on the challenges and practices of using digital media to involve the ageing population in the community. Data was collected employing a semi-structured interview and content analysis was performed. Findings indicate that although participants found difficulty in adhering to activities owing to the financial and social consequences of the pandemic, most had to restructure their activities to maintain connections and routines. Conclusions offer some important insights into practices to foster participation within the communities using digital platforms. © 2022, Interaction Design and Architecture(s). All Rights Reserved.

Efficacy of hydrogen peroxide wipes for decontamination of AZD1222 adenovirus COVID-19 vaccine strain on pharmaceutical industry materials.

This study aimed to evaluate the performance of accelerated hydrogen peroxide® wipes (HPW) for decontamination of the chimpanzee adenovirus AZD1222 vaccine strain used in the production of recombinant COVID-19 vaccine in a pharmaceutical industry. Two matrices were tested on stainless-steel (SS) and low-density-polyethylene (LDP) surfaces: formulated recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (FCV) and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The samples were spiked, dried and the initial inoculum, possible residue effect (RE) and titre reduction after disinfection with HPW were determined. No RE was observed. The disinfection procedure with HPW resulted in complete decontamination the of AZD1222 adenovirus strain in FCV (≥7·46 and ≥7·49 log10 infectious unit [IFU] ml-1 for SS and LDP carriers respectively) and API (≥8·79 and ≥8·78 log10 IFU ml-1 for SS and LDP carriers respectively). In conclusion, virucidal activity of HPW was satisfactory against the AZD1222 adenovirus strain and can be a good option for disinfection processes of SS and LPD surfaces in pharmaceutical industry facilities during recombinant COVID-19 vaccine production. This procedure is simple and can be also applied on safety unit cabins and sampling bags made of LDP as well.

Case report of Curtobacterium isolated from a catheter tip sample misidentified as Cronobacter.

The Curtobacterium genus is a member of the family Microbacteriaceae, and Curtobacterium species are recognized as plant pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate a dubious result of species identification for an infection located on a catheter tip of a patient with Covid-19. A strain isolated from a catheter tip sample, identified by VITEK® 2 as Cronobacter spp., was submitted to polyphasic analysis: Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) using VITEK® MS, real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting dnaG gene, and 16S rRNA full gene Sanger sequencing analysis for confirmation. The strain presented negative result using qPCR and could not identified by MALDI-TOF MS. 16S rRNA full gene Sanger sequencing analysis identified the strain as Curtobacterium spp. The Gram-variable characteristic (Gram-negative instead of Gram-positive) of the isolated strain was the responsible for the misidentification by VITEK® 2 and VITEK® MS did not identify the strain. 16S rRNA full gene sequencing analysis identified the strain as Curtobacterium genus, but other complementary techniques are necessary to identify at species level.