When fear about health hurts performance: COVID-19 and its impact on employee's work

This study utilized terror management and conservation of resources theory to fulfill its aim of investigating the effects of fear of contamination of COVID-19 on performance of employees in the banking sector of Pakistan. A survey was conducted to collect data in two waves from 206 bank employees in Punjab region. SPSS was used for data analysis. The results demonstrated that such fear leads to emotional exhaustion which in turn negatively affects employee's work performance. However, the perceptions of better precautionary measures taken by the organization against the spread of the disease moderated the said relationship and weakened the strength of fear on performance through emotional exhaustion. Amid the widespread fear, panic and detrimental effects of COVID-19 on organizations and economies of the worlds, this research has implications for policy makers by showing the importance of organizational measures taken and displayed to employees in decreasing the negative effects of extensive fear and uncertainty prevailing due to the pandemic.

I am more inclined to buy online–novel social media engagement stimulated purchase intentions post-COVID-19: a case of Pakistani market

Purpose This study sheds light on the differential impact of social media brand engagement on two distinct types of purchase intentions, i.e. online and physical, in the special context of the post-COVID-19 situation in Pakistan. It has shed light on the factor (trust in online purchases during COVID-19) that has shaped the post-pandemic purchasing attitude. The above-stated association is unlocked based on the mediating role of brand equity. Design/methodology/approach The people who followed the social media pages of major sellers (apparel, grocery, food items and medical supplies) in Pakistan were included as the target population. A time-lagged web-based survey method was employed to collect primary data which generated 308 responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0. After checks for validity and reliability, mediation and moderation analysis were run by Hayes PROCESS model 4 and 14 respectively. Findings Results show that brand equity mediates the relationship of social media engagement with both online and physical purchase intentions. Further, results confirm that trust in online purchases during COVID-19 19 weakens the relationship of social media engagement with physical purchase intentions but strengthens with online purchase intentions. Originality/value This study attempts to unveil the moderation of trust in online purchases during COVID-19 on the relationship of social media engagement with online and physical purchase intentions through the mediation of brand equity.

Remdesivir-Induced Extreme Sinus Bradycardia in COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an urgent need for any medication to help reduce the high death rate experienced during this deadly surge. Remdesivir is an FDA-approved drug for COVID-19 treatment, given its anti-inflammatory properties. Upon extensive literature search, we found two studies and four cases of COVID-19-induced pneumonia treated with remdesivir who were developing bradycardia. In most of these cases, the bradycardia resolved within one-to-two days of holding remdesivir, which correlated with the half-life of remdesivir. Remdesivir was shown to have benefits in COVID-19-induced pneumonia during the COVID-19 surge; however, its use has been controversial. According to the studies, the sinus bradycardia following remdesivir administration does not impact patients' prognosis in terms of ICU admission and in-hospital mortality. There are multiple case reports noted to report several remdesivir-induced cardiac side effects. In our case, prolonged use and high dosages may induce cardiotoxicity, manifesting as severe bradycardia. Several possible mechanisms for cardiac adverse effects with remdesivir need further investigation and research as COVID-19 remains an active global issue. We present a 53-year-old man hospitalized with COVID-19-induced pneumonia who experienced extreme sinus bradycardia that is likely attributable to remdesivir.

Follow-up of COVID-19 recovered patients with mild disease.

COVID-19 may manifest as mild, moderate or severe disease with each grade of severity having its own features and post-viral implications. With the rising burden of the pandemic, it is vital to identify not only active disease but any post-recovery complications as well. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying the presence of post-viral symptomatology in patients recovered from mild COVID-19 disease. Presence or absence of 11 post-viral symptoms was recorded and we found that 8 of the 11 studied symptoms were notably more prevalent amongst the female sample population. Our results validate the presence of prolonged symptoms months after recovery from mild COVID-19 disease, particularly in association with the female gender. Hence, proving the post-COVID syndrome is a recognizable diagnosis in the bigger context of the post-viral fatigue syndrome.

Environmental quality, climate indicators, and COVID-19 pandemic: insights from top 10 most affected states of the USA.

In the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are working with health professionals to inform governments on how to formulate health strategies. In this study, we examine the correlation between environmental and climate indicators and COVID-19 outbreak in the top 10 most affected states of the USA. In doing so, PM2.5, temperature, humidity, environmental quality index, and rainfall are included as crucial meteorological and environmental factors. Kendall and Spearman rank correlation coefficients, quantile regression, and log-linear negative binominal analysis are employed as an estimation strategy. The empirical estimates conclude that temperature, humidity, environmental quality index, PM2.5, and rainfall are significant factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic in the top 10 most affected states of the USA. The empirical findings of the current study would serve as key policy input to mitigate the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the USA.

COVID-19 and Its Psychological Impacts on Healthcare Staff - A Multi-Centric Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Since the first case of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in Pakistan was reported in February 2020, the medical and paramedical staff has been working on the frontlines to deal with this disease. They have been facing significant strain and stress due to the pandemic, affecting their social, mental, and personal life. The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, etiology, personal coping mechanisms, and the strategies that are being adopted to reduce stress by the healthcare workers (HCWs) working in COVID-19 dedicated wards (group 2) and compare it with staff working in other departments but not in COVID-19 wards amid this pandemic (group 1) in various hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. Methods The comparative cross-sectional study was designed which included doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals from various hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A questionnaire was designed which consisted of five sections, and 51 questions. A Chi-square test was used to compare the responses between these two groups. Results The study questionnaire was submitted by 200 participants, 100 responses for each group (see the Appendix). In group 1, HCWs not working in COVID-19 dedicated floors were afraid of getting infected, transmitting the infection to their families and concerned about using personal protective equipment (PPE) improperly. They reported a lack of concentration and tense muscles. The coping mechanisms of this group were exercise, strict precautions at work, and social distancing measures. While HCWs serving in COVID-19 dedicated wards were concerned and afraid of putting their families at risk by working in the high-risk environment; the major stresses in this group were: lack of knowledge about proper strategies for treatment, they faced insecurity due to physical and verbal violence by caretakers of COVID-19 patients, and lack of concentration. The coping mechanism was the support of their families and taking strict precautions, with self-isolation if required, to avoid any disease transmission to their families. The proposed strategies to be implemented included teaching skills for self-rescue as well as the implementation of policies at the administrative level to reduce working hours and frequent shift rotation. Conclusion The COVID-19 outbreak posed a great deal of mental stress among HCWs working on the COVID-19 floor as well as those serving in other departments of the hospital. The HCWs from group 1 were most afraid of getting infected and putting family members at risk, experienced tense muscles and lack of concentration, coped their stress by exercise and being more vigilant, and suggested the strategies of teaching skills for self-rescue and better community awareness. While the staff from the second group were most afraid of being the source of infection and violence from the caretakers of patients, experienced tense muscles, used family support, and strict isolation measures as coping mechanisms and suggested the strategies of self-rescue and increase in wages of directly exposed healthcare workers to deal with such pandemics in future in a better way.