Field Research When There Is Limited Access to the Field: Lessons from Japan

How can scholars conduct field research when there is limited access to the field? This article first identifies how limited and uncertain field access can affect field research and then provides recommendations to address these challenges. We focus on conducting field research in Japan because of our substantive expertise, but we believe that the problems and solutions outlined in this article are applicable to a broad range of countries. Our hope is that this article contributes to the developing literature on conducting research during times of emergency and to the larger literature on best practices for field research.

Biological markers and follow-up after discharge home of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

Background and objective. We aimed to analyze the clinical course of patients discharged from our emergency departament (ED) with pneumonia symptoms compatible with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Methods. We followed 102 patients discharged home with a diagnosis of pneumonia compatible with COVID19 between March 12 and 21, 2020, in our hospital in the southern part of the autonomous community of Madrid. Descriptive statistics (medians and interquartile ranges or frequencies, as appropriate) were compiled for the main variables. Treatments and prognoses were compared with chi(2), Kruskal Wallis, or Mann Whitney tests. The data then underwent logistic regression analysis. Results. Most patients (accounting for 74.5% of the discharges) were treated with hydroxychloroquine alone. The readmission rate was 15.7%;the ED revisiting rate was 25.7%. Admission was associated with an elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (P=.011), elevated creatine kinase (CK) (P=.004), and lymphopenia (P=.034). Hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were also related to admission. lschemic heart disease was associated with longer duration of symptoms. Conclusions. Lymphopenia, and elevated LDH and CK levels predicted the need for hospital admission better than other traditional biological markers in patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Telephone follow-up proved useful for dealing with the overloading of health care services.

Voting in a pandemic: Explaining variation in support for absentee ballots for all

The COVID-19 health pandemic has fundamentally changed all aspects of American life, including for many, how we vote. We explore the question of who supports unrestricted absentee ballots during a pandemic? We argue that women are more likely to support absentee ballots because it allows for greater flexibility and to minimize the potential for exposure. We test this theory using the National Panel Study of COVID-19 (n=1,892) which asked respondents about their preferences for absentee ballots, worry about the coronavirus, and their household composition. Using multinomial logistic regressions, we find women are more likely to support allowing absentee ballots relative to more restrictive voting options and are more likely to say they support absentee ballots for all if they know someone who has contracted COVID-19. The policy implications for these findings are discussed along with other socio-demographic indicators in our analysis. © 2020 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.