Performance in distance work and telework modalities in Cuba from a gender perspective

In Cuba, the implementation of telework and distance work has expanded with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. This happened in atypical confinement conditions in the family home, that leads to greater overload for women remote workers, due to the traditional gender roles. This paper discusses the results of the national study on distance work / telework seen from a gender perspective, that show the inequalities that these modalities have on men and women. The need of this approach is confirmed if a more equitable, inclusive and healthy work environment is to achieved for all.

CRIVALVIR-FOCUS: low HIV and chronic Hepatitis B and C infection prevalence among women in reproductive and sexual health services in Valencia, Spain

Background and Aims: In Spain, HIV, HBV, and HCV prevalence are lower in females. A 2017–2018 Ministry of Health serosurvey in 7, 675 primary care patients found 0.35% and 0.08% chronic HCV infection in men and women. A previous opportunistic, population-based screening program in 11, 449 primary care patients seen in our health department found 0.18% and 0.06% HIV infection prevalence, 1.11% and 0.56% chronic HBV infection prevalence, and 0.73% and 0.25% chronic HCV infection prevalence in men and women from February to December 2019. We aimed to assess HIV, HBV, and HCV prevalence among women seeking care in our health department’s 5 Sexual and Reproductive Health Units (SRHU), in the Human Reproduction Unit (HRU), and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service (OGS). Method: We implemented opportunistic HIV, HBV, and HCV screening from March to October 2021, despite challenges related to a fifth wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We used existing infrastructure and staff, aided by electronic health record system modifications, to identify screening eligibility and request serologies. Patients were eligible for testing upon verbal consent if they were between 18 and 80, and had no record of testing in the previous year, and required blood tests in their current health care visit. Follow-up or discharge was given, regardless of test results. A case manager contacted positive patients to ensure and monitor linkage to specialist medical care. Herein we analyze data from patients aged 18 to 45 — the maximum age of patients seen in the HRU. Results: We screened 934 women, of whom 48.1% (449) in SRHUs, 26.0% (243) in the HRU, and 25.9% (242) in the OGS (26%). Regarding age and nationality,14.6.% (136)were aged 18 to 25, 45.5% (425)were 26 to 35, 39.9% (373) were 36 to 45, and 20.6% (192) were foreigners. We found 1 (0.1%) HIV antibody positive patient (a 45-year-old from the Dominican Republic), 1 (0.1%) HBV surface antigen positive patient (a 36-year-old from China), 1 (0.1%) HCV antibody positive patient, and no HCV RNA positive patients. Conclusion: HIV prevalence among Valencian women in reproductive and sexual health serviceswas similar to the general population in primary health care in the area. In contrast, chronic HBV infection prevalence was low, and chronic HCV infection was not found. Our data suggest that opportunistic HBV and HCV screening of women aged 18 to 45 out of populations at increased risk is an inefficient public health strategy in our area

COVID-19 anxiety, psychological well-being and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean: relationships and explanatory model

This study assesses the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and subjective well-being in terms of the mediating role of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Additionally, the contribution of sociodemographic factors (sex and age) and risk perception on COVID-19 anxiety and its potential measurement invariance was tested in 5655 participants from 12 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. A mixture of both latent and observable variables were analyzed using a system of structural equations. The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS), Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) and single-item measures were used to assess the perceived probability of death, perceived severity and concern about transmitting COVID-19. The results indicated that there is a significant and relevant direct effect of COVID-19 anxiety on participants' well-being. Furthermore, COVID-19 anxiety significantly predicted both preventive behavior (beta = .29, p < .01) and well-being (beta = -.32, p < .01). The effects of COVID anxiety and preventive behavior explained 9.8% of the variance in well-being (R-square = .098);whereas, 8.4% of the variance in preventive behavior was associated with COVID anxiety (R-square = .084). Likewise, perceived likelihood of death from COVID, perceived severity of COVID, and concerns about COVID transmission were positively related to anxiety. Age was negatively related to anxiety, with men being less anxious than women. The results are invariant by country, i.e., the broad relationships found in the combined sample are also present in each individual country. The findings indicate that, although the exact relationships between variables may vary between countries, there are enough similarities to provide useful information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in each of the countries included in the study.

OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENT DUE TO COVID-19 INFECTION IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL-HEALTH WORKERS IN THE FIFTH SANITARY AREA OF ASTURIAS

Introduction: In Spain, COVID-19 infection in the health and socialhealth workers is considered as an occupational accident (OA) if the Occupational Risk Prevention Services (ORPS) certificate it.The aim of our study was to verify it in our area and to correct deficiencies. Material and Method: Descriptive study from May 28, 2020 to January 27, 2021.The health Inspection Unit of our area required OA certificate to the ORPS, and the assessment by the National Institute of Social Security (NISS) when the private insurance fund denied OA. Results: Total of 204 cases (55.4% healthcare workers, 52.5% from public centres (33.3% in our area). ORPS OA certificate: 61.8%. NISS recognised OA: 41.2%. OA recognition was greater in socio-health and private workers than in sanitary and public workers.The medical inspection Unit intervention partially improve the results. Conclusions: Despite complying with legal requirements there were no OA recognition in all cases of COVID-19 infection in these workers. The medical inspection Unit was not guarantor enough.

Brazilian Guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of patients hospitalized with COVID-19

Objective: Several therapies are being used or proposed for COVID-19, and many lack appropriate evaluations of their effectiveness and safety. The purpose of this document is to develop recommendations to support decisions regarding the pharmacological treatment of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Brazil. Methods: A group of 27 experts, including representatives of the Ministry of Health and methodologists, created this guideline. The method used for the rapid development of guidelines was based on the adoption and/or adaptation of existing international guidelines (GRADE ADOLOPMENT) and supported by the e-COVID-19 RecMap platform. The quality of the evidence and the preparation of the recommendations followed the GRADE method. Results: Sixteen recommendations were generated. They include strong recommendations for the use of corticosteroids in patients using supplemental oxygen, the use of anticoagulants at prophylactic doses to prevent thromboembolism and the nonuse of antibiotics in patients without suspected bacterial infection. It was not possible to make a recommendation regarding the use of tocilizumab in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 using oxygen due to uncertainties regarding the availability of and access to the drug. Strong recommendations against the use of hydroxychloroquine, convalescent plasma, colchicine, lopinavir + ritonavir and antibiotics in patients without suspected bacterial infection and also conditional recommendations against the use of casirivimab + imdevimab, ivermectin and rendesivir were made. Conclusion: To date, few therapies have proven effective in the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, and only corticosteroids and prophylaxis for thromboembolism are recommended. Several drugs were considered ineffective and should not be used to provide the best treatment according to the principles of evidence-based medicine and promote economical resource use. © 2022 Associacao de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira - AMIB. All rights reserved.

Evidence of validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale in the adults of Lima, Peru

Introduction and objectives: Safety seeking behaviors allow safety in the face of a potentially threatening situation. Thus, the objective was to adapt and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Coronavirus Reassurance-Seeking Behaviors Scale (CRSBS) in a sample of adults from Lima, Peru. Method: 380 people participated (Age = 31.03 years;SD = 10.37) who answered the CRSBS and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). The content validity was evaluated, in addition to performing an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to evaluate the factorial structure of the CRSBS. Reliability was evaluated with the omega coefficient. A second CFA was performed to assess the convergent validity that related CRSBS and anxiety about COVID-19 © 2021 Sociedad Española para el Estudio de la Ansiedad y el Estrés - SEAS. Colegio de la Psicología de Madrid. Todos los derechos reservados

Job satisfaction associated with distance work modalities in Cuba

Introduction: Distance work and telework are flexible manners of organizing work that have spread out in Cuba after the appearance of the pandemic disease COVID-19. Due to the novelty of these modalities of work, studies are required to give feedback to organizational, local and national decision makers. A study of job satisfaction with workers and executives in these modalities offers outstanding perspectives. Job satisfaction is seen as an attitude or set of attitudes developed by the individual as a result of his experience and situation at work.

Teleworking under COVID-19 conditions. Advantages, challenges and recommendations

Teleworking is a flexible form of work organization that allows you to carry out the work activity without the physical presence of the worker in the work organization. It is based on business-worker communication relationships through computer and communication technologies. In the current pandemic conditions for COVID-19, in which the population is called to stay at home, a large number of Cuban workers have opted for this modality. This allows compliance with the measures aimed at preventing contagion and, at the same time, continuing to contribute with its labor contribution to the country's economy. Advantages, disadvantages and challenges are reported on the experiences of its implementation in the international context. A balance of these allows appreciating the benefits that its application has at a social, institutional and personal level. However, the recent incorporation of this type of work in Cuba requires the rupture of beliefs and myths in this regard, the modification of entrenched management models and work styles, as well as the creation of ideal working conditions for the performance of teleworking, which ensure the expected levels of efficiency, effectiveness and well-being at work. Some reflections and recommendations are offered in this regard.

Unexpected findings and complications in patients with covid-19 pneumonia: Local experience and literature review

COVID-19 is a viral disease produced by SARS-CoV-2 that was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 2020. The pandemic has caused a great impact in several medical disciplines, including radiology. Radiologists have a fundamental role in identifying characteristic imaging findings of the COVID-19 disease. The studies regarding extra pulmonary findings of COVID-19 are relatively new. These findings include cardiac, thoracic and abdominal manifestations as a result of the pro-thrombotic state produced by the virus. Unexpected extrapulmonary imaging findings of COVID-19 patients from two different institutions are presented. In addition, we conducted a literature review of extra pulmonary manifestations and complications of this disease. The aim of this study is to provide information for an early recognition and optimal management of these complications. © 2021, Sociedad Chilena de Radiologia. All rights reserved.

Making the post-2020 global biodiversity framework a successful tool for building biodiverse, inclusive, resilient and safe food systems for all

COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of our economies to shocks, and it has laid bare deep inequalities in our society that threaten to derail the Sustainable Development Goals. Governments around the world are looking for recovery options that deliver new jobs and businesses. Few sectors link job creation so closely to sustainable green production as the food sector. It is the largest source of employment in many countries in the global South. At the same time cities depend upon imported food that is produced in far-Away countries and shipped around the world. The trillions of dollars to be invested in recovery from COVID-19 offers an unprecedented opportunity for a clean, green and just transition to a more biodiversity-friendly agricultural and food system. Key among the political opportunities to shift the post-pandemic world towards sustainability and resilience are the ongoing deliberations of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The Post-2020 Framework will be the precedent for national governments to bridge economic action with the key need for a green, resilient recovery. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has traditionally seen agriculture as one of the biggest threats to biodiversity and has been actively promoting the protection of natural ecosystems by concentrating its efforts on preventing further expansion of agriculture. But it has not explicitly recognized the importance of mixed, diverse agricultural landscapes for their contribution to the conservation of wild biodiversity. The CBD has an opportunity to bring its influence to bear on international policy favouring investments in local production and marketing capacity to replace imported food and beverages. This will contribute to both COVID-19 recovery through creation of rural jobs and income and empowering governments and consumers to support diverse, mixed agricultural systems that conserve and enhance biodiversity as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. © 2020 Institute of Physics Publishing. All rights reserved.