Immunogenicity Characterization of COVID-19 Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Introduction: Immunogenicity has emerged as a challenge in the development of vaccines against coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Immunogenicity is a determinant of the efficacy and safety of vaccines. This systematic review and associated meta-analysis summarized and characterized the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: Relevant RCTs were systematically sourced from different medical databases in August 2021. The risk ratios and mean differences with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results: Of 2,310 papers, 16 RCTs were eligible for review. These RCTs involved a total of 26,698 participants (15,292 males and 11,231 females). The pooled results showed a significant difference in the geometric mean titer between the vaccinated and control groups in favor of the vaccine group after 1 and 2 months of follow-up, for the young age group (18 -< 55y), and with different doses (P < 0.001). The difference in the older age group (>55y) was insignificant (P = 0.24). The seroconversion rate of spike neutralizing antibodies favored the vaccine groups 1 or 2 months after vaccination (P < 0.001). The seroconversion rate of the vaccine group was significantly different (P < 0.001) from that of the control group. Conclusions: Vaccination elicits immunogenicity in the follow-up period for all age groups and at low and large doses. Therefore, people should be encouraged to receive vaccines currently being offered. A boost dose has been asserted for the elderly.

The Professional Practice of the Brazilian Social Worker: Problems About the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic situation that imposed significant changes in the living and working habits of all working-class members. Social workers are not immune to this, mainly because many are at the frontline in assistance, prevention, and control of the disease. It also aims to question the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work done by social workers in their various sociooccupational spaces. We have chosen the qualitative approach with the use of quantitative resources, with an electronic survey data collection tool, sent by e-mail to the informant subjects. Our universe was constituted of 201 social workers from five Brazilian regions (North, Northeast, South, Southeast, and Center-West), acting in the context of a pandemic. Immersed in a multifaceted national crisis, these workers experienced considerable impacts on their working conditions, on their relationships with institutions and their families, and on their own mental health. This realisation indicates the historical costs of devaluing social policies in the country, the precariousness of a specialised labor force, as well as the paradox that, even when vulnerable, the need for a solid protection system by Brazilians is increasing, reaffirming the obstacles between social expectation and the operational reality of social policies. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THE ACCESS TO JUSTICE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY TO IDENTIFY THE BARRIERS AND IMPROVE THE JUDICIARY RESPONSE

The aim of the article is to present preliminary research results on the role of institutional representatives of the justice system during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.It is assumed that the existing approaches to analyze the judicial system through surveys and censuses through official sources is unable to identify hidden figures that involve domestic violence. Specifically, victims were for some reason unable to access the services of the justice system. Consequently, the research team focused on the minutes of the meetings held by the State Coordination of Women in Situations of Domestic Violence (Coem) for documentary analysis. It is an agency of the Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro which, through periodic meetings, acted strategically in the responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in identifying problems of access to justice and for the integration of a coping network. As a methodological procedure, we used situational analysis to codify and systematize the results found: identification of barriers to access, the way in which institutions act. We observe that this methodology, based on case-by-case and inductive procedures, can be an important tool for institutions to deal with the topic. We also seek to bring reflections on the use of quantitative and qualitative techniques in empirical research involving violence against women. © 2023 Revista de Estudos Empiricos em Direito. All rights reserved.

Artistic-cultural languages in the historic center of Manaus: Rethinking tourist proposals in the surroundings of Teatro Amazonas during COVID-19 pandemic

;The current paper presents the considerations of a research focused on the Semiotics of Tourism, with a focus on Interdisciplinarity. Linked to this line of research, an exploratory and interpretativanalysis of the context of artistic-cultural languages present in the cultural spaces surrounding the TeatrAmazonas in the Centro's neighborhood in Manaus is analyzed as an ofler for local tourist practiceThe respective cultural spaces chosen for this research were: "Ateliê 23", "Casarão de Idéias", "Galerido Largo", "Palácio da Justiça", and "Casa das Artes". These places are home to diflerent aspects thavaries between the arts of theater, visual arts, cinema, literature and many others, diflerent perspectiveof a living and inhabited historical center formed by the arts that represent a diflerent angle of thdaily life of the society of Manaus and Amazonas. In this research, an appropriate interdisciplinarity oSemiotic theories was used, in order to analyze how artistic-cultural languages and the cultural spacethemselves in search of understanding the diversity of the local cultural dynamics, Tourism theories iorder to understand new possibilities of studies in the area that involves ways to cover varied oflers tvisitors, theories of Arts that are thought of in the field of culture frequently, seeking to understand theunder tourism studies, theories of Geography with a special understanding of the dynamics present in thterritorial spatiality of a cluster. urban Amazon and finally, Cartography theories to map these phenomena for a better visualization of the artistic aspects and their determined occurrences in the historiccenter of the Amazon capital for a better approach about the problematic presented in this work. Thresults present as varied cultural dynamics that are commonly excluded from the local tourism sectowhen they are absent from tourist maps and itineraries around the city. Illustration methods were useto better address the importance of image in the study of Tourism Semiotics and to present more clearlsome of the artistic-cultural languages present in the historic center of Manaus. After the research, was concluded that there is a great diversity of oflers that are not absorbed by the manauara touristrade that could renew the activities of the tourism field to maintain a greater attention in the urbaspace of the city, generating income for the local community and knowledge deeper understanding of the visitor with the Amazonian culture and arts. © 2022, Universidade de Aveiro. All rights reserved.

Social characterization of COVID-19 in the state of Amazonas, Brazil

Objectives: To compare the number of deaths that occurred in the state of Amazonas and in Brazil, from March 16th to August 20th 2020, using the variables skin color, sex, place of death, age group and association with COVID-19, and secondly, to verify whether between 2019 and 2020, in the period from March 16th to August 20th, there was a significant change in the number of deaths from diseases not associated with COVID-19. Methods: We searched the databases of the Brazilian public agency "Transparency Portal" for the data on deaths that occurred in the state of Amazonas and Brazil in the period from March 16th to August 20th, 2019 and 2020. The absolute frequencies and percentages of the variables studied were used for statistical analysis. Results: COVID-19 was responsible for an 11.01% increase in deaths in Brazil;however, this rate quadrupled in the state of Amazonas. In relation to age group, there was a similar percentage between Amazonas and the national average. The stratified analysis showed significant differences between genders and races, with higher death rates in men and people of brown/black skin. The number of deaths at home increased significantly, especially those from causes not associated with COVID-19. Conclusions: The national drop in deaths from diseases not associated with COVID between March and August 2020 in Brazil is misleading and may be due to the result of misreported causes of death.

The influence of telework and management controls on the congruence of civil servant objectives

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of telework and management control systems (MCSs) on the congruence of civil servant objectives in the Brazilian justice system. Design/methodology/approach: To this end, the authors have carried out a survey with 468 employees of the Ministério Público Federal (Federal Public Ministry), whose data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: Among the main results are the perceived efficiency of telework, and the finding that action and personnel controls are positively related to the congruence of objectives. However, the moderating relationship of the MCSs presented individual characteristics. Action controls showed no evidence of moderating the relationship between the perceived efficiency of telework and congruence of objectives. However, personnel controls showed a significant and negative relationship, that is, more intense personnel controls in telework weakened the congruence of individual objectives with those of the organization. Practical implications: This study contributes to practice by identifying barriers and facilitators in organizational telework programs and also spotting how controls can be planned for their activities. Originality/value: The authors’ research evaluates the effect of MCSs on the relationship between the perceived efficiency of telework and the congruence of employee objectives, considering that the telework regime is in its initial phase of implementation in public entities, but this has been intensified by the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. © 2022, Edicreia Andrade Dos Santos, Jonatas Dutra Sallaberry and Alcindo Cipriano Argolo Mendes.

Spread of Gamma (P.1) Sub-Lineages Carrying Spike Mutations Close to the Furin Cleavage Site and Deletions in the N-Terminal Domain Drives Ongoing Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Amazonas, Brazil

The Amazonas was one of the most heavily affected Brazilian states by the COVID-19 epidemic. Despite a large number of infected people, particularly during the second wave associated with the spread of the Variant of Concern (VOC) Gamma (lineage P.1), SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate in the Amazonas. To understand how SARS-CoV-2 persisted in a human population with a high immunity barrier, we generated 1,188 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from individuals diagnosed in the Amazonas state from 1st January to 6th July 2021, of which 38 were vaccine breakthrough infections. Our study reveals a sharp increase in the relative prevalence of Gamma plus (P.1+) variants, designated Pango Lineages P.1.3 to P.1.6, harboring two types of additional Spike changes: deletions in the N-terminal (NTD) domain (particularly Delta 144 or Delta 41-144) associated with resistance to anti-NTD neutralizing antibodies or mutations at the S1/S2 junction (N679K or P681H) that probably enhance the binding affinity to the furin cleavage site, as suggested by our molecular dynamics simulations. As lineages P.1.4 (S:N679K) and P.1.6 (S:P681H) expanded (Re > 1) from March to July 2021, the lineage P.1 declined (Re < 1) and the median Ct value of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases in Amazonas significantly decreases. Still, we did not find an increased incidence of P.1 variants among breakthrough cases of fully vaccinated patients (71%) in comparison to unvaccinated individuals (93%). This evidence supports that the ongoing endemic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the Amazonas is driven by the spread of new local Gamma/P.1 sublineages that are more transmissible, although not more efficient to evade vaccine-elicited immunity than the parental VOC. Finally, as SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread in human populations with a declining density of susceptible hosts, the risk of selecting more infectious variants or antibody evasion mutations is expected to increase. IMPORTANCE The continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is an expected phenomenon that will continue to happen due to the high number of cases worldwide. The present study analyzed how a Variant of Concern (VOC) could still circulate in a population hardly affected by two COVID-19 waves and with vaccination in progress. Our results showed that the answer behind that was a new generation of Gamma-like viruses, which emerged locally carrying mutations that made it more transmissible and more capable of spreading, partially evading prior immunity triggered by natural infections or vaccines. With thousands of new cases daily, the current pandemics scenario suggests that SARS-CoV-2 will continue to evolve and efforts to reduce the number of infected subjects, including global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, are mandatory. Thus, until the end of pandemics, the SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance will be an essential tool to better understand the drivers of the viral evolutionary process.

Online symptoms screening and testing of Covid-19 through RT-LAMP saliva of students and asymptomatic employees in a public school in Brazil. (preprint)

Objective To evaluate a respiratory symptoms screening system and test asymptomatic individuals (high school students and employees) at a public school in Brazil.Methods SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) of saliva samples was performed weekly.Results A total of 969 samples were tested (mean of 108 tests per week). No asymptomatic participants tested positive for COVID-19, and no cases of COVID-19 transmission occurred at school despite the high transmissibility of the Delta variant, the local predominant variant at the time of the study.Conclusion Implementation of an online system of respiratory symptom screening and testing of COVID-19 through saliva in asymptomatic individuals is a feasible, low-cost and practical option to be used, especially in low-income countries.

Practice of sanitizing the hands of the nursing team to avoid cross-contamination by COVID-19

Introduction: According to ANVISA, hands are the main source of transmission and dissemination of microorganisms, both for patients and for nursing professionals who work. One of the most used precautions as prevention of Covid19 was precisely the hygiene of the hands.

Agenda and conflicts in the context of COVID-19 pandemic: A view from the reality of Rio Grande do Norte

This article aimed to understand how the federative model contributed to the judicialization of the crisis and influenced the responses to combat the pandemic, as well as the role of the Judiciary in the context of crisis. For this purpose, 931 lawsuits filed in Federal and State Courts were analyzed. The results demonstrate problems of coordination and cooperation between federated entities and the need for constant action by the Judiciary in confronting the pandemic and as a key player in conflicts involving public and private actors. In the end, there was a growing trend in judicial action related to COVID-19, with the extension of restrictive measures, revealing multiple crises from a diversity of agendas recurrently brought to the Judiciary. It is concluded that, despite the identification of Rio Grande do Norte (Potiguar) Judiciary power's relevant role with quick responses, health and federative crises cannot be analyzed separately.

THE PANDEMIC OF COVID-19 AND THE LEVEL OF DIGITAL MATURITY OF MICRO AND SMALL BUSINESSES, A GLOBAL CONCERN

The COVID-19 pandemic urged the implementation of new corporate digital strategies which are, in fact, no longer an option but compulsory. Given the context, this study aims to raise the following question: Are the micro and small companies matured enough to face the challenges of digital transformation due to the Covid-19 pandemic? This study has an exploratory approach in order to answer this intriguing question which seems to be a global concern. Data were collected by applying online questionnaires to 256 managers of micro and small enterprises in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The main findings showed that half (50,2%) of respondents considered their enterprises to be in a medium level of digital maturity and 39.13% considered themselves highly prepared to face the challenges of digital transformation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the study showed that it seems to be an inversely proportional relation between managers' age range and level of digital maturity of companies. Young managers are much more open for new technologies than old ones.

Using Convolutional Neural Networks for Classifying COVID-19 in Computerized Tomography Scans

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome. The disease has spread rapidly around the world and can lead to death in just a few days. In this context, the early detection of a disease can provide the time needed for a well-defined treatment or action. This paper investigates 11 convolutional neural network architectures using transfer learning. A database consisting of 2477 computed tomography images was used in 2 classes: patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and patients who had a negative diagnosis for COVID-19. The results induced by DenseNet169 present the best results in relation to the classification, reaching an average accuracy of 96.4%, an average precision of 96.3%, an average recall of 96.4%, and an F1 score average score of 96.4%. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

THE VIRALIZATION OF ONLINE EDUCATION: THE LEARNING BEYOND OF THE NEW CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

With the spread of the new Coronavirus, in Brazil, educational institutions have suspended face-to-face classes. In this context, educators, managers and entire families had to find new ways to learn and teach. Remote teaching strategies gained strength, based on the transmission of content and mass distribution. Faced with this situation, we present, in this article, reflections on online education, as a possibility of generating knowledge, in a more participatory, dialogical and interactive way, with a view to the training of self-employed and author citizens in and beyond pandemic. In addition, we suggest an activity for the production of videos and comic stories, based on participatory processes, made possible by Online education. In this perspective, the production of knowledge is materialized in the association between the teacher and the student, and the leading role in the learning process occurs in the relationships established between these actors and, mainly, with the object of knowledge.

Post-marketing biopharmaceutical evaluation of dipyrone tablets: reference, generic and similar medicines

Introduction: Dipyrone is a potent analgesic and antipyretic registered in the Brazilian List of Essential Medicines. Furthermore, it is strategically indicated in special cases, such as the palliative treatment of dengue, chikungunya, zika and COVID-19. Post-marketing problems have been identified for this drug, such as quality non-conformities, resulting in frequent withdrawals of medicines containing dipyrone by Anvisa. Objective: To investigate the quality and pharmaceutical equivalence of dipyrone tablets (reference, generics and similar), commercially available in Salvador-Bahia. Method: An experimental study was carried out using methodologies described in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia 6th edition monograph of sodium dipyrone tablets. Three different brands were analyzed (one generic, two similar and one reference), all collected in Salvador-Bahia. In addition, an alternative analytical method by UV spectrophotometry was developed for the analysis of sodium dipyrone tablets, validated based on RDC No. 166/17. Results: The reference, generic and similar sodium dipyrone tablets met the requirements for identification and characteristics tests. A similar drug sample did not meet the dissolution test and only two generic samples were satisfactory for interchangeability. The assay pharmacopoeial method for dipyrone sodium tablets showed problems related to the analyst's subjectivity and method uncertainty. The proposed alternative method proved to be selective, linear, precise, accurate, and robust, and indicated for the quantification of dipyrone in tablets. Conclusions: From the results obtained, it was observed that post-marketing monitoring of medicines with a population high consumption pattern, such as dipyrone, can signal issues to be investigated by health surveillance, with the objective of supporting its mission that is to protect population's health.

INFORMATION FLOW IN THE FOODSERVICE SUPPLY CHAIN DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PERIOD

Periods of interruption of activities, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, directly impact several economic sectors, the flow of goods, services, and information, as well as the supply chains. In this context, this paper aims to analyze the flow of information in the supply chain of pizza restaurants that operate in a certain city in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo. To this end, a multiple case study was conducted using a qualitative exploratory approach with questionnaires applied to four companies in this sector. The data collected was tabulated and showed that this supply chain suffered a negative impact, considering the comparison between the period before the pandemic and during the quarantine. These companies maintained their normal operations and supply;however, there was a need to readjust the prices of their products. Furthermore, cost and stock management needed to be reviewed, searching for new suppliers and products, agility in delivery, and more favorable payment terms. As a limitation of the research, we point out its qualitative nature and the low number of interviewees. Its value consists in contributing to the knowledge in terms of informational management in the foodservice supply chain in atypical situations such as the current global health crisis.

THE REMOTE EMERGENCY TEACHING IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: AN ANALYSIS OF THE COMPLEXITY

This article aims at analyzing, based on principles of complexity, the experiences of teachers in the elementary school with remote teaching, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative approach research had its data generated from a semi-structured interview conducted with three literacy teachers who work in the municipal public school network in Imperatriz-MA. From that analysis, we realized that the pandemic, in addition to revealing the mistakes of the reductionist and unidimensional paradigmatic view of reality, it emphasized the weaknesses of the public school to deal with remote education, revealing a context of social and digital exclusion, and showing the situation of disadvantage of the poorest students during the pandemic. We also found that in this moment of uncertainty, teachers are relying on elements that bring them closer to the emerging paradigm, since they are adapting to reality, using principles of complexity as a way to face new challenges.

The Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on E-Commerce: A Survey on Brazilian Consumer Behavior

Brazil’s e-commerce system has changed around insecurity and low-quality delivery, not being efficient and effective. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Brazilian population was forced to leave insecurity and use e-commerce. But are the significant issues resolved? How do people shop online? What does the Brazilian market like when shopping online? In what ways do Brazilians use e-commerce? Has behavior changed? These are the critical aspects of this study. In an online survey of convenience, a probability sample conducted using a snowball method. The survey pointed out that the acceleration of e-commerce shows the urgency to ensure that the country can better use e-commerce to take advantage of the digitalization opportunities and help the government in its economic recovery. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A Survey on the Effects of the Covid-19 in the Brazilian Population Lifestyle

How far can a whole social routine be transformed after the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic? It is possible that it has impacted human factors and ergonomics, such as sleep, physical activity, mental health and activities of daily living. It is necessary to focus on society currently, and to determine new forms of interaction in search of a better quality of life. The objective of this work is to determine the extent the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 influenced human behavior in relation to style and quality of life, whether or not imposing new routines, and whether these, such as these, may impact the change of a society. To better understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on society, human factors variables were raised, and a survey study, where several people were able to answer and share their experiences in the midst of the restrictions of the pandemic when answering an online questionnaire. The research seeks by asking questions to the target audience on variables related to the home environment, employment situation, work routine and health in general. In addition, the research explores symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as sleep, wakefulness, and physical activity levels. There is a need for a new direction in research to monitor the changes across society, seeking a vision of a new society, which emerges in the face of a disruptive period, which impacts the entire planet. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Achieving the UN’s SDG 6 as a means to control the COVID-19 pandemics in Brazil

Sanitation involves social, economic and environmental dimensions of Sustainable Development and influences the dissemination of diseases. Access to quality water and sanitation is fundamental for good standards of living, so it was defined by the United Nations as the Sustainable Development Goal 6, to be globally achieved by 2030. This goal is of special importance during the COVID-19 pandemic as recent studies identified long survival rates of the virus in human excrements and wastewater. However, data from the UN indicates that around 1.8 billion people worldwide consume fecally contaminated water, mostly in developing nations. Using publicly available data from scientific papers, national censuses and reports, the present research assessed the current access to quality water and sanitation in Brazil and related it to the spread of COVID-19. We conclude that the poor sanitary conditions in most developing nations enhance their vulnerability to the new coronavirus due to high contamination risks. We present and analyze some initiatives in Brazil that aim to address such issues. This study highlights the need for urgent and creative solutions to achieve the SDG 6, especially in developing countries, improving the quality of life and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.

ON LINE SCIENTIFIC EVENTS: THE CASE OF THE LIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID-19 PANDEMICS

The purpose of this article is to present the importance of scientific education within the Brazilian reality and some relevant implications for public policies in relation to doing science in Brazil. For this, the choice was to explain the phenomenon of online scientific event, a phenomenon of scientific education as a resonance of cyberculture and an unfolding of online scientific dissemination. In an epistemological-methodological perspective of training-research in cyberculture, the topics under discussion were mapped in the educational networks that used the Facebook, Instagram and YouTube applications, between the first two quarantine months with social distance in Brazil. It is hoped with this to expand the social understanding of this sociotechnical phenomenon and, at the same time, to describe densely the updating of its nomenclature academic-scientific lives or may lives, preserving the limits of the phenomenal essence. And, still, expand the scientific repertoire on the public perception of science of Brazilian society, as well as collaborate with the reflections currently established in society through the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.