ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 is a recently discovered member of coronaviruses (CoVs) family that is very contagious and has a high infectivity rate. Expanding the search for antivirals which act against SARS-CoV-2 would allow more treatment options for infected patients, accelerate their recovery time, and avoid some serious adverse effects that the limited number of approved medications might cause. In this study, we assess 74 antiviral agents, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine inhibitory activity against the virus's main protease (Mpro), which is essential for its replication. Virtual screening of the compounds has been conducted where the screened ligands were assessed according to their binding energy to the main binding pocket of Mpro. Ten antivirals, in addition to chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine were further studied through molecular docking simulations and assessed for their binding conformations and interactions with the protein's catalytic dyad residues. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations were established to study delavirdine, dolutegravir, raltegravir and vicriviroc for 100 ns. Results show that delavirdine and dolutegravir are excellent candidates that can inhibit the catalytic activity of Mpro. This could significantly reduce patients' hospitalisation time and the need for secondary measures. © 2022 Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved
ABSTRACT
The hit of COVID-19 worldwide has given impacts on the healthcare services and their workers. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to a complex health and safety hazards while delivering care and services to the sick and infected. The interruption of the healthcare service and their workers will definitely endanger life, health and safety of the citizens. HCWs' position is worsened considering the severe and high risk of the coronavirus disease may cause. They risk their lives while ensuring the continuity of public health and safety. There is a high possibility of HCWs being infected or even facing death due to COVID-19 infection while on duty. They even fear and distress more thinking if they have caused the family members infected by the disease. In such cases, what is the social protection measure available to safeguard the HCWs? Is there any social insurance protection provided to them especially during this time of pandemic? This paper aims to theoretically examine the social protection law and policy in Malaysia, particularly in safeguarding the HCWs during the pandemic of COVID-19. Applying doctrinal legal research with a content analysis approach, secondary sources such as article journals and government initiatives are analysed together with the related policy and law. This study anticipates comprehensive social insurance protection as a means to support and safeguard the frontline HCWs for the sustainability of the health care industry. © 2022 Bangladesh Institute of Legal Development. All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
Flexible work arrangements are common during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of the movement restriction and the closure of the economic sector. Among the flexibility practices is the implementation of remote working, in particular, working from home (WFH) where employees are physically working outside and remote from their organisations. The mandated WFH has changed the working scenario without confirming whether employers and employees are prepared for this new norm. However, the WFH arrangement requires legal consideration as its arrangement needed a legal predicament. The concern over WFH must be addressed on the grounds of managerial rights and boundaries besides determining the rights of employees while working remotely. From the legal viewpoint, there is a question of whether the existing labour law in Malaysia is accommodating to the WFH practice. Hence, this paper aims to examine the employmentrelated matters concerning WFH practice in Malaysia on employment terms like wages and leaves, matters on safety and health, social security, and confidentiality and security of information. This study applied a doctrinal approach using authoritative legal texts in solving the legal problems that arise from WFH. The analysis of legal provisions and case studies were employed to present the benefits of the employment relationship and industrial relations in the changing employment landscape and work culture linked to WFH. © 2022