Collaborative mapping of the noise level in Guayaquil during COVID-19

The SARS-CoV-2 virus triggered a never-before-seen scenario worldwide. Ecuador declared a state of emergency to contain coronavirus transmission by applying social isolation policies and mobility limitations. During this period, noise pollution decreased in Guayaquil city. This study proposes the use of smartphones to collect noise data and generate soundscape maps of Guayaquil during different time slots. The results revealed traffic as the predominant type of noise, followed by vehicles, buses, and people´s voices. This article demonstrates the feasibility of crowdsourcing for the collection of environmental variables. © 2022 National Institute for Space Research, INPE. All rights reserved.

Mapeamento colaborativo do nível de ruído em Guayaquil durante o COVID-19

The SARS-CoV-2 virus triggered a never-before-seen scenario worldwide. Ecuador declared a state of emergency to contain coronavirus transmission by applying social isolation policies and mobility limitations. During this period, noise pollution decreased in Guayaquil city. This study proposes the use of smartphones to collect noise data and generate soundscape maps of Guayaquil during different time slots. The results revealed traffic as the predominant type of noise, followed by vehicles, buses, and people´s voices. This article demonstrates the feasibility of crowdsourcing for the collection of environmental variables. © 2022 National Institute for Space Research, INPE. All rights reserved.

Acoustic contamination assessment during the transition between the COVID-19 restrictions and reactivation: A exploratory analysis in Guayaquil

Noise pollution is becoming a critical health risk for city life. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many cities to implement several mobility restrictions. These restrictions changed human activity patterns and decreased the noise levels and noise pollution that often affect urban settings. As the number of infections decreased, so did the outdoor activities, influencing the population's perception of noise. This paper aims to evaluate the changes in noise levels associated with mobility restrictions between 2020 and 2021 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. This study used crowdsourcing with the help of smartphones and mobile applications to collect geo-referenced environmental noise data. The data was used to generate noise maps in different time frames. Finally, noise level maps were created using GIS-based tools to identify the urban areas that experienced the highest noise level variation during the study period. The results show that the most significant noise increase occurred at night. Furthermore, when analyzing noise level changes in different urban areas, the western area of Guayaquil was the one that experienced the most significant noise level variation. Findings inform the perception of noise pollution and could potentially serve as a reference for decision-makers during the proposal of public policies that ensure a better quality of life for its citizens. © 2023 The Authors

TRANSFER TRAUMA AND MAJOR EVENTS AMONG NURSING HOME RESIDENTS BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The negative consequences of transfers are known as transfer trauma. Nursing home (NH)-to-NH transfers place long-term NH residents at risk for developing transfer trauma and this risk may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the setting of a state policy that increased the number of residents who transferred between NHs. The objective of this cross-sectional cohort analysis was to assess the incidence of transfer trauma and major events (hospitalization/death/discharges) among long-term NH residents who transferred from one NH to another before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using a composite measure of transfer trauma based on validated scales from Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments. A total of 750 residents transferred in the pre-COVID cohort and 795 in the COVID cohort were eligible for assessment of transfer trauma and major events. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, residents in the COVID cohort were almost twice more likely to die and almost three times more likely to discharge within 90 days compared to those in the pre-COVID cohort (AOR=1.94, 95%CI [1.15, 3.26] and AOR= 2.86, 95%CI [2.30, 3.56], respectively). Residents in the COVID cohort were less likely to experience transfer trauma compared to those in the pre-COVID cohort. In the during-COVID cohort, 26% of residents had a COVID-19 diagnosis and they were less likely to experience transfer trauma compared to residents without a COVID-19 diagnosis (AOR=0.34, 95%CI [0.23, 0.50]). It is important to note that some residents may have not stayed in the nursing home long enough to assess them for transfer trauma.

Pre-professional Community Service Internships in Virtual Learning Environments

Community service projects and activities allow a comprehensive academic training of university students by exposing them to real learning environments. The Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) promotes the development of it's students professional skills through active learning in the form of pre-professional practices. Student training practices were modified as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the establishment of social distancing as a main bio safety policy. This article shines a light on the experience of the students who carried out community service practices during the social isolation produced by the pandemic. Seventy students participated in the project "Noise pollution in the city of Guayaquil during isolation and reactivation of activities", students used mobile devices to measure the noise level of the city of Guayaquil from their homes. The results of this study indicate a high efficacy of the use of virtual technologies future community service projects. For this reason, it is suggested to consider this type of practice in future community service projects in virtual mode. © 2022 Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions. All rights reserved.

Environmental Contamination with SARS-CoV-2 in Nursing Homes

Background. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected nursing home (NH) patients, accounting for 5% of all cases and 32% of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide. Little is known about the frequency and persistence of SARSCoV-2 environmental contamination in NHs. We characterize SARS-CoV-2 contamination in the rooms of COVID-19 patients and common areas in and around COVID-19 units. Methods. A prospective cohort study was conducted at four NHs in Michigan between October 2020 and January 2021. Clinical research personnel obtained swab specimens from high-touch room surfaces of COVID-19 infected patients, up to three times per patient. Weekly swab specimens from six high-touch surfaces in common areas were also obtained. Demographic and clinical data were collected from patient clinical records. Our primary outcome of interest was the probability of SARS-CoV-2 detection from specific environmental surfaces in COVID-19 patient rooms. Results. One hundred four patients with COVID-19 were enrolled and followed for 241 visits. Patient characteristics included: 61.5% over the age of 80;67.3% female;89.4% non-Hispanic white;50.1% short-stay. The study population had significant disabilities in activities of daily living (ADL;81.7% dependent in four or more ADLs) and comorbidities including dementia (55.8%), diabetes (40.4%) and heart failure (32.7) (Table 1). Over the 3-month study period, 2087 swab specimens were collected (1896 COVID-19 patient room surfaces, 191 common area swabs). Figure 1 shows contamination rates at sites proximate and distant to the patient bed. SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 28.4% (538/1896 swabs) on patient room surfaces and 3.7% (7/191 swabs) on common area surfaces. Over the course of follow-up, 89.4% (93/104) of patients had SARS-CoV-2 contamination in their room at least once (Figure 2). Environmental contamination detected on enrollment correlated with contamination of the same site during follow-up. Functional independence increased the odds of proximate contamination. Conclusion. We conclude that environmental contamination of surfaces in the rooms of COVID-19 patients is nearly universal and persistent. Patients with greater independence are more likely than fully dependent patients to contaminate their immediate environment.

Why the Pandemic Matters for Philosophy. Why Philosophy Matters for the Pandemic

Our common sense reaction to “pandemic and philosophy” is that we are in a medical emergency when we have to act decisively and not lose time in philo-sophical ruminations. But what if the tremendous impact of the pandemic on our economy, relations of domination, neocolonial divisions, and our mental health requires precisely a philosophical approach? To understand how the pandemic perturbed our ordinary daily lives, we need to reflect on what it means to be hu-man today, on the customs and rituals that make us “normal” human beings, on the need to invent new normality. The text deals with these basic questions through a critical overview of the existing literature on the current pandemic. © 2021, Discusiones Filosoficas. All Rights Reserved.

Emerging remote assessment in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: analysis of experience in higher education

At the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), a classroom course in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) takes place in a laboratory equipped with high-end computers and free of distractions. These conditions place the student in a comfortable environment to exploit their learning potential adequately. On the other hand, the results of this course in virtual modality are subject to the possession and quality of the resources of each teacher and student such as: internet connection, computer performance, and family environment. As a consequence, new ways for the evaluation of the GIS virtual course are proposed to offer (as much as possible) equity among all students. A geo-referenced survey of 40 students of the GIS course was conducted to learn about the possession and quality of technological resources, and ongoing training activities were carried out during the course. In addition, the performance of the students' computers was measured using the Novabench software. Finally, the results show no relationship between final grades and computer performance. It is possible that this is the result of the implementation of multiple evaluations, feedback, and self-regulation instruments by the teacher. © 2021 Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions. All rights reserved.

Crowdsourcing of COVID-19 symptoms map in Ecuadorians

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the city of Guayaquil. The complex dynamics associated with the geography of SARS-CoV-2 made it difficult to monitore the spread of COVID-19 in Ecuador. Data collection and reporting were, in most cases, some of the main obstacles to understanding the (real-time) situation of COVID-19 outbreak. This study presents a crowdsourcing initiative to complement data collection efforts that inform the progress of contagion in Ecuador. We used a digital survey to collect information regarding positive cases and symptoms associated with COVID-19. We further developed an online dashboard that shows descriptive statistics based on collected data. In total, there were 1450 responses. Additional information such as geographical data led to the identification and visualization of the areas with the highest prevalence of symptoms associated with COVID-19 in some of the main urban areas of Guayaquil city. © 2021 Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions. All rights reserved.

Quick test performance verification “AMP Rapid Test SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM- Cassettes”

Objective: We aimed to realize a verification of the performance of the rapid serological tests used in Risaralda department. Methods: Analytical, cross-sectional study. Serum samples from health workers in Pereira city, who had a clinical and epidemiological suspicion for SARS-CoV-2 were included. The processing and validation of the tests was carried out at Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira. Sensitivity and specificity of rapid IgM / IgG serological tests were calculated using RT-PCR as the gold standard test. Results: 144 samples of health professionals were included. Rapid serological tests useful to identify or rule out the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies, especially in symptomatic patients, in whom the onset of symptoms is longer than 11 days. Discussion: The use of rapid tests is increasing, not only due to the speed of their results, but also due to the low associated costs and the need to identify non-susceptible patients, who must prioritize their return to work activities in the community as part of the economic reactivation of Colombia. It is necessary to confirm the adequate performance of the test to increase the probability of an adequate classification before proceeding with the routine use of this test. © 2021 Asociacion Colombiana de Infectologia. All rights reserved.

Évaluer l’efficacité des mesures barrières pour limiter la transmission nosocomiale du SARS-CoV-2 : étude EMBELLIE

Introduction La pandémie de COVID-19 a justifié, à partir du 17 mars 2020, l’instauration d’un confinement en France. Le personnel soignant a été rapidement identifié à risque d’infection du SARS-CoV-2, imposant des mesures barrières adaptées aux types d’exposition vis-à-vis des patients et des personnels de santé. L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer la séroprévalence des infections COVID-19 chez des personnels de santé ayant différents niveaux d’exposition au SARS-CoV-2. Matériels et méthodes Étude monocentrique et transversale comparant la séroprévalence du COVID-19 auprès de trois groupes de personnels de santé de notre CHU travaillant dans une unité COVID (fortement exposés), non COVID (faiblement exposés) et sans contact patients (non exposés). Le dépistage sérologique a été proposé au personnel soignant sur la base d’une information généralisée dans chacun des services présélectionnés. Le critère de jugement principal était la présence d’anticorps par test sérologique satisfaisant aux critères de performances de la HAS (ID Screen® SARS-CoV-2-N IgG Indirect [ID.Vet]). Pour l’ensemble des cas positifs, une enquête individuelle a tenté de déterminer l’origine professionnelle ou non de l’infection. Le nombre de sujets à inclure était estimé à 156 par groupe sur la base d’une séroprévalence estimée à 7 %±4 %. Les prévalences ont été comparées entre les trois groupes à l’aide d’un test exact de Fisher. Afin d’ajuster sur l’âge, le sexe et la profession (médecin/interne, paramédical ou autre), une régression logistique a été réalisée. Résultats Entre le 21 avril et le 3 juin 2020, 647 personnes ont été incluses dans l’étude : 261 dans le groupe exposé, 227 dans le groupe faiblement exposé et 159 dans le groupe non exposé. L’âge médian était de 36 ans (écart interquartile [EIQ] : 29–47), 496 (76 %) étaient des femmes. Dix personnes présentaient des IgG anti-nucléocapisdes du SARS-CoV-2 dans le groupe exposé, deux chez les faiblement exposés et une chez les non-exposés, soit des prévalences respectives pour chaque groupe de 3,91 %, 0,88 % et 0,63 % (p=0,022, test exact Fisher). Après ajustement sur l’âge, le sexe et la profession, le fait d’être fortement exposé était toujours significativement associé à une sérologie positive (odds ratio=4,43 [intervalle de confiance à 95 %=1,15–17,06] [p=0,031]). Après enquête, 7 des 13 cas avec des sérologies positives étaient d’acquisition probablement professionnelle. Conclusion L’étude mets en évidence un risque d’infection professionnelle du SARS-CoV-2 dans un contexte de faible incidence régionale du COVID-19 en population générale. Cependant, la séroprévalence SARS-CoV-2 est très faible chez les personnels de santé travaillant en secteur COVID, et souvent d’acquisition extrahospitalière. Les mesures barrières ont donc permis de fortement limiter la transmission nosocomiale. Nos résultats sont à interpréter avec précaution en raison de biais d’échantillonnage possible.