The association between depression and non-compliance with COVID-19 preventive behaviors in South Korean older adults stratified by sex.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the association between depression and non-compliance with COVID-19 preventive behaviors among community-dwelling South Korean older adults. METHODS: We utilized the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey-a community-based nationwide survey. A score of 10 points or higher on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was defined as depression. Non-compliance with COVID-19 preventive behaviors was assessed on the following three behaviors: washing hands, wearing masks, and watching distance. We also included socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and COVID-19-related characteristics as covariates. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed, and all statistical analyses were stratified by sex. RESULTS: The 70,693 participants included 29,736 men and 40,957 women. Notably, 2.3% of men and 4.2% of women had depression. Non-compliance with washing hands was significantly higher in men than women (1.3% vs. 0.9%), whereas no significant differences were observed in wearing masks and watching distance. The adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that depression was positively associated with non-compliance with washing hands and watching distance in both sexes. The association between depression and non-compliance with wearing masks was significant only in women. CONCLUSIONS: There was an association between depression and non-compliance with COVID-19 preventive behaviors in South Korean older adults. This signifies that health providers need to reduce depression to improve compliance with preventive behaviors in older adults.

Longitudinal examinations of changes in well-being during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic: Testing the roles of extraversion and social distancing.

The present research, by using longitudinal data collected in South Korea (N = 69,986) during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 January-7 April 2020), examined the pandemic-related changes in the relationship between extraversion and well-being. Multilevel analyses revealed that participants experienced decreased well-being during the pandemic. When analyzing the responses (n = 3,229) completed during all the periods encompassing the COVID-19-related events (e.g., outbreak of COVID-19), we found the greater within-person decreases in well-being among extraverts than introverts after the intensive social distancing. This finding suggests that social distancing, as a necessary means to curb the spread of COVID-19, inadvertently reduced well-being of extraverts. Implications for the person-environment fit literature, limitations, and future research avenues are discussed.

"Why rush to get vaccinated earlier?": Regulatory focus and COVID-19 vaccination.

OBJECTIVES: The health psychology literature has paid little attention to individuals' intention to vaccinate earlier. Building on regulatory focus theory, which proposes two distinct self-regulatory foci: promotion and prevention focus (Higgins, 1997), the present study tests whether, how, and why regulatory focus contributes to the intention to vaccinate earlier (IVE) and whether IVE predicts actual behavior. METHOD: This study used a longitudinal design with data collected at two-time points (3.5 months apart). At Time 1, 487 unvaccinated participants completed a survey assessing regulatory focus, ideal and ought reason for IVE (i.e., hopes/wishes and felt obligation/pressure regarding earlier vaccination, respectively), and IVE through leftover vaccines-vaccines that become available due to last-minute vaccination appointment cancellations. At Time 2, 364 participants reported on the attempts they made to get a leftover vaccine, whether they were vaccinated, and if so, the vaccination type (general vs. leftover vaccine), along with the date of vaccination. RESULTS: A promotion focus was associated with IVE via ideal reason (ß = .141, 95% confidence interval, CI [.085, .198]), whereas a prevention focus was associated with IVE via ought reason (ß = .031, 95% CI [.012, .057]). Furthermore, both the promotion focus (ß = .029, 95% CI [.016, .050]) and prevention focus paths (ß = .006, 95% CI [.001, .015]) extended to vaccinating via leftover vaccines. CONCLUSIONS: The present study illuminates how regulatory focus, especially promotion focus, can be a predictor of earlier vaccination. Our findings suggest that promotion-focused messages highlighting desirable outcomes of vaccination may help encourage earlier vaccination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity and Antibody Titer Reduction for 6 Months After Second Dose of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccine in Health Care Workers: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Several studies reported that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 antibody levels change over 6 months in participants receiving the vaccination. From the enrolled 272 health care workers (HCWs), blood samples were obtained at 2, 16, and 24 weeks after the second vaccination dose. In the 267 noninfected HCWs, the neutralizing antibodies decreased by 23.9%, and the anti-spike/receptor binding domain antibody decreased by 53.8% at 24 weeks. We observed no significant difference in antibody reduction between the sexes; however, in younger individuals, there was higher antibody formation and lower reduction rates of the neutralizing antibody. In 3 HCWs with breakthrough infections, the antibody levels were relatively low just before the coronavirus disease 2019 infection. In conclusion, as antibody titers decrease over time after the second vaccination dose and HCWs with low antibody titers tend to have a high probability of breakthrough infection, an additional dose should be considered after several months. Blood samples were obtained from health care workers at 2, 16, and 24 weeks after a second vaccination dose. Antibody titers decreased over time and the participants with low antibody titers tended to have a high probability of breakthrough infection.

Current Discussions on Employees and Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review.

New concerns have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic that greatly impact employees and many other aspects in organizations. We have highlighted the major organizational issues during COVID-19 and classified the relevant research findings based on 45 recent articles. Main themes identified include (1) work setting, (2) perceptions of COVID-19, (3) employee wellbeing, (4) organizational strategies, and (5) influences on career behaviors. Employees have faced challenges due to work conditions that have shifted from traditional commuting to telework. Employees have also become aware of the negative current situation, so their overall wellbeing has been threatened. In response, organizations have strived to promote positive psychological capital for employees as they attempt to cope with this crisis. Organizations have tried to maintain and manage both their employees and their business. People tended to adjust their career-related behaviors based on how they perceived their own wellbeing and organizational strategies.

Strong SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Response After Booster Dose of BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccines in Uninfected Healthcare Workers.

Despite strict guidelines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), South Korea is facing its fourth pandemic wave. In this study, by using an automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay assay, we tracked anti-spike protein receptor-binding domain (anti-S-RBD) antibody titer from the second dose to 2 weeks after the booster dose vaccination. After the second dose, 234 participants had their anti-S-RBD antibody titers decrease over time. We also showed the booster dose (the third dose) increased antibody titer by average 14 (min-max, 2-255)-fold higher compared to the second dose among the 211-booster group participants, therefore, the booster dose could be recommended for low responders to the second dose. Our findings showed a distinct humoral response after booster doses of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccines and may provide further evidence of booster vaccination efficacy. These data will also be helpful in vaccination policy decisions that determine the need for the booster dose.

Current Discussions on Employees and Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review

New concerns have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic that greatly impact employees and many other aspects in organizations. We have highlighted the major organizational issues during COVID-19 and classified the relevant research findings based on 45 recent articles. Main themes identified include (1) work setting, (2) perceptions of COVID-19, (3) employee wellbeing, (4) organizational strategies, and (5) influences on career behaviors. Employees have faced challenges due to work conditions that have shifted from traditional commuting to telework. Employees have also become aware of the negative current situation, so their overall wellbeing has been threatened. In response, organizations have strived to promote positive psychological capital for employees as they attempt to cope with this crisis. Organizations have tried to maintain and manage both their employees and their business. People tended to adjust their career-related behaviors based on how they perceived their own wellbeing and organizational strategies.

Evaluation of Three Multiplex Real-time Reverse Transcription PCR Assays for Simultaneous Detection of SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A/B, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Nasopharyngeal Swabs.

BACKGROUND: In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic era, the simultaneous detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), influenza virus (Flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is important in the rapid differential diagnosis in patients with respiratory symptoms. Three multiplex real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assays have been recently developed commercially in Korea: PowerChek™ SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A&B Multiplex Real-time PCR Kit (PowerChek; KogeneBiotech); STANDARD™ M Flu/SARS-CoV-2 Real-time Detection Kit (STANDARD M; SD BioSensor); and Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2/FluA/FluB/RSV Assay (Allplex; Seegene). We evaluated the analytical and clinical performances of these kits. METHODS: A limit of detection tests were performed and cross-reactivity analysis was executed using clinical respiratory samples. Ninety-seven SARS-CoV-2-positive, 201 SARS-CoV-2-negative, 71 influenza A-positive, 50 influenza B-positive, 78 RSV-positive, and 207 other respiratory virus-positive nasopharyngeal swabs were tested using the three assays. The AdvanSure™ respiratory viruses rRT-PCR assay (AdvanSure; LG Life Sciences) was used as a comparator assay for RSV. RESULTS: Except in influenza B, in SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A, there were no significant differences in detecting specific genes of the viruses among the three assays. All three kits did not cross-react with common respiratory viruses. All three kits had greater than 92% positive percent agreement and negative percent agreement and ≥ 0.95 kappa value in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and flu A/B. Allplex detected RSV more sensitively than AdvanSure. CONCLUSION: The overall performance of three multiplex rRT-PCR assays for the concurrent detection of SARS-CoV-2, influenza A/B, and RSV was comparable. These kits will promote prompt differential diagnosis of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV infection in the COVID-19 pandemic era.

Individualism-collectivism during the COVID-19 pandemic: A field study testing the pathogen stress hypothesis of individualism-collectivism in Korea.

The pathogen stress hypothesis posits that pathogen-related threats influence regional and individual differences in collectivism since behavioral practices associated with collectivism limit the spread of infectious diseases. In support of the hypothesis, previous research demonstrates the association between individualism/collectivism and pathogen stress based on historical records or experimental manipulation. However, it is still unclear whether individuals would indeed value collectivism during the outbreak of infectious diseases. Thus, we investigated the concurrent effects of pathogen-related stress on the endorsement of individualism/collectivism by examining 9322 Koreans for 14 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed that the level of collectivism among respondents were higher after than before the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the average level of collectivism on a given day showed a significant association with the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the same day during the outbreak. Interestingly, individualism did not significantly change for the same period.

Positivity of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies among Korean Healthy Healthcare Workers 1 and 2 Weeks after Second Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccination.

The antibody titer of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was observed in 289 healthy healthcare workers who had completed the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Antibody tests were performed using both the automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and the chromatographic lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). All subjects had antibodies against the receptor binding domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 only one week after completing the vaccination, and the antibody titer became significantly higher after another week (P < 0.001). Since there was a large amount of antibody formation within two weeks after completion of vaccination, the less sensitive method, LFIA, also showed high sensitivity. There was no significant difference between whole blood and serum in detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after vaccination. This is an early study of vaccinations among Koreans and is expected to contribute to the establishment of national guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination.

Life-Changing Experiences of Mothers with School-Age Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focusing on Their Health Risk Perceptions and Health-Related Behaviors.

This study aimed to explore health risk perceptions, changes in health-related behaviors, and life experiences of mothers with school-age children during the early coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Data were collected between 16 July and 10 September 2020, by individual interviews and analyzed through qualitative content analysis. After the twelve participants' experiences were analyzed, four themes and ten sub-themes were derived. The four themes were: "Struggling to identify the substance of COVID-19," "Taking the initiative to protect the health of the family," "Frustrated by the brutal reality of no end in sight," and "Trying to adjust wisely to an inevitable new lifestyle." The findings suggest that while the world remains in an ongoing battle with COVID-19, national health institutions should prepare a health education system for specific infection prevention methods that can be practiced by individuals in daily life.

How COVID-19 affected mental well-being: An 11- week trajectories of daily well-being of Koreans amidst COVID-19 by age, gender and region.

The present study examined the daily well-being of Koreans (n = 353,340) for 11 weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic (January 20 -April 7). We analyzed whether and how life satisfaction, positive affect, negative affect, and life meaning changed during the outbreak. First, we found that the well-being of Koreans changed daily in a cubic fashion, such that it declined and recovered during the early phase but declined substantially during the later phase (after COVID- 19 was declared world pandemic by WHO). Second, unlike other emotions, boredom displayed a distinctive pattern of linear increase, especially for younger people, suggesting that boredom might be, in part, responsible for their inability to comply with social distancing recommendations. Third, the well-being of older people and males changed less compared to younger people and females. Finally, daily well-being dropped significantly more in the hard-hit regions than in other regions. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Sequential Analysis of Viral Load in a Neonate and Her Mother Infected With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.

We report changes in viral load over time in a 27-day-old neonate with coronavirus disease 2019 who presented with fever, cough, and vomiting. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA was detected in the nasopharynx, oropharynx, stool, saliva, plasma, and urine. The highest viral RNA copies in nasopharynx decreased over time while viral load in stool remained high.

Effects of Storage Temperature and Media/Buffer for SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Detection.

OBJECTIVES: The increase in the number of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has delayed real-time reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), requiring proper shipping and storage conditions, especially in hot weather. This study aims to assess how some conditions, such as storage period, temperature, media or buffer, and sample types, affect the results of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-qPCR. METHODS: SARS-CoV-2-positive specimens were collected from Boramae Medical Center for 2 months (from May to June 2020) and stored in different media or buffers at different temperatures. RESULTS: As a result of examining confirmed patient samples, RT-qPCR results were not significantly affected by 2°C to 8°C storage until after 7 days. When stored at 20°C to 22°C or above 35°C, the results were affected negatively even after 1 day. Higher storage temperatures resulted in a lower probability of detecting viral nucleic acids because of degradation. Samples stored in pH-controlled media or buffer were more stable than those stored in nonbuffer states. CONCLUSIONS: These results emphasize the importance of storage temperature and media or buffer and performing RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid detection as soon as possible after sample collection.

Viral RNA Load in Mildly Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Children with COVID-19, Seoul, South Korea.

Along with positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA in nasopharyngeal swabs, viral RNA was detectable at high concentration for >3 weeks in fecal samples from 12 mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic children with COVID-19 in Seoul, South Korea. Saliva also tested positive during the early phase of infection. If proven infectious, feces and saliva could serve as transmission sources.