ABSTRACT
PurposeDuring the Covid-19 pandemic, people were deprived of their freedom, unable to engage in physical and social activities, and worried about their health. Uncertainty, insecurity, and confinement are all factors that may induce stress, uneasiness, fear, and depression. In this context, this study aims to identify possible relationships of emotions caused by health risks and restrictions to outdoor activities with well-informed decisions about food consumption.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical framework of this research draws on the stimulus-organism-response paradigm yielding six research hypotheses. An online survey was designated to test these hypotheses. A total of 1,298 responses were gathered from Italy, Greece, and the United Kingdom. Data analyses include demographic group comparisons, moderation, and multiple regression tests.FindingsThe results showed that when people miss their usual activities (including freedom of movement, social contact, travelling, personal care services, leisure activities, and eating at restaurants) and worry about their health and the health of their families, they turn to safer food choices of higher quality, dedicating more of their time and resources to cooking and eating.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings showcase how risk-based thinking is critical for management and marketing strategies. Academics and practitioners may rely on these findings to include extreme conditions within their scope, understanding food literacy as a resilience factor to cope with health risks and stimulated emotions.Originality/valueThis study identified food behavioural patterns under risk-laden conditions. A health risk acted as an opportunity to look at food consumption as a means of resilience.
ABSTRACT
The rapid emergence and worldwide detection of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant underscore the importance of robust genomic surveillance systems and prompt information sharing among global public health partners. The Omicron variant has rapidly replaced the Delta variant as a dominating SARS-CoV-2 variant because of natural selection, favoring the variant with higher infectivity and stronger vaccine breakthrough capability. The Omicron variant is also known as B.1.1.529. It has four sub-variants, indicated as BA.1, BA.2, BA.3 and BA.4. Among them, BA.1 is the currently prevailing sub-variant, and BA.2 has been found to be able to alarmingly re-infect patients initially infected by Omicron BA.1. The BA.3 sub-variant is a combination of mutations of BA.1 and BA.2, especially in the spike protein. Today, the BA.4 variant is emerging, which is herein described, and it was the first detected in Italy. Via bioinformatic analysis, we are reporting that the BA.4 that was identified harbors a new mutation, specifically a deletion in the ORF1ab gene, corresponding to KSF141_del in non-structural protein 1 (nsp1), a critical virulence factor able to suppress host translation. The bioinformatics comparison analysis with the other three sub-variants reveals that the deletion was not present before and was never reported until now. Therefore, we can speculate that Omicron BA.4 will become a new dominating "variant of concern" and may also break vaccine protection. Moreover, we show that other proteins are mutated in the BA.4. In particular, seven mutations are recognized in the nucleocapsid (N) protein, and the capability of five different types of rapid antigenic tests are used to identify it.
ABSTRACT
Diagnostic laboratory tools are essential to keep everyone safe and track newly emerging variants; on the other hand, "filter" screening tests recognizing positivity are valuable tools to avoid hectic laboratory work that, besides COVID-19, are also part of the routine. Therefore, complementary assays, such as rapid antigen tests (RATs), are essential in controlling and monitoring virus spread within the community, especially in the asymptomatic population. A subset of nasopharyngeal swab specimens resulted in SARS-CoV-2 positive and investigated for genomic characterization were used for RAT validation. RATs were performed immediately after sampling, following the manufacturer's instructions (reading at 15 min). RT-PCRs were carried out within 24 h of specimens' collection. Out of 603 patients, 145 (24.05%) tested positive by RT-PCR and RAT and 451 (74.79%) tested negative by both methods; discordant results (RT-PCR+/RAT- or RT-PCR-/RAT+) were obtained in 7 patients (1.16%). RATs' overall specificity and sensitivity were 96.03% (95%CI: 91.55-98.53%) and 99.78% (95%CI: 98.77-99.99%), respectively, taking RT-PCR as the reference. Overall, RAT negative predictive value was 98.69% (95%CI 97.17-99.40%). The GeneFinder COVID-19 Ag Plus Rapid Test performed well as a screening test for early diagnosis of COVID-19, especially in asymptomatic subjects. The data suggested that patients with RT-PCR-proven COVID-19 testing negative by RAT are unlikely to be infectious. GeneFinder COVID-19 Ag Plus Rapid Test also works on variants of concern (VOC) delta and omicron BA.1 and BA.2.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily hit international economy giving a particular setback to the tourism sector. Between March and May 2020, during the first lockdown, and between October and December of the same year, during the second lockdown, a questionnaire was administrated in Italy, Greece and Great Britain. Through the questionnaire, people 's feelings and expectations of their desire to take a vacation were collected regarding the period of constraint due to the new coronavirus and the possible end of the pandemic, or the first government approved travel openings. In particular, the question of how long it would take to decide on a holiday, the type and duration, after the period of constriction due to the coronavirus was over, was asked. Both surveys, in the two different lockdown periods, showed the potential desire of tourists to leave relatively quickly, and to take forms of domestic tourism, characterized by small and short-lived trips. The favorite destination being the seaside.
ABSTRACT
In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), emerged in Wuhan, China. Several variants of concern (VOCs) have been identified so far. Recently, the B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly worldwide. We describe the first case of the Omicron genetic lineage BA.1 in our region. The patient is a physician who traveled to Johannesburg (South Africa) and returned to Reggio Calabria (Italy). He underwent a SARS-CoV-2 screening before leaving—a required procedure where travelers present a negative PCR test one-day prior to departing. Three days after arriving in Italy, he started experiencing cold symptoms. Clinically, he was without fever or severe respiratory symptoms and reported suffering from a cold and sore throat. The nasopharyngeal swab specimen was tested by TaqPath COVID-19 RT-PCR and sequenced by Sanger sequencing, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data were processed with their relative software. A peculiar drop-off of the S gene was obtained with TaqPath COVID-19 RT-PCR. S gene mutations indicative of the Omicron variant were obtained with both sequencing methods, pointing out 17 mutations in the 29 recognized by Sanger and the 28 recognized by NGS.