Surface and Retreat : The China Virus in Three Lunar Years

This essay is an experiment in figuring the pandemic through its reconfigurations of Chineseness. It departs from the Sinophobic cliché that conflates race, geopolitics, and epidemiology: the "China Virus” and its cloud of cognate slurs. It considers the slogan-slur as both an epithet and a conceptual and political challenge to imagine the pandemic as it is lived, still, as a disorientation of Asian and Asian American life, time, and death. The essay pauses at each of the three Lunar New Years of the pandemic, so far, to consider how Chineseness—as a national example, as a mode of racialization, and as a site of racial suspicion—might upset a US-based accounting of the pandemic, which frames it only through its arrival on American shores. © 2023 Regents of the University of Colorado.

Diagnosing gestational diabetes during the Covid-19 pandemic using HbA1c rather than oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology advocated replacing OGTT with HbA1c for gestational diabetes (GDM) screening for women with risk factors during the Covid-19 pandemic. HbA1c >=48mmol/mol/random plasma glucose (RPG) >=11.1mmol/l at booking indicated diabetes, and 41-47mmol/ mol/9-11mmol/ l prediabetes or possible GDM. Testing was repeated at 26 weeks if normal previously, with HbA1c >=39mmol/mol, fasting PG >=5.6mmol/l, or RPG >=9mmol/l diagnostic for GDM. A) At her clinic booking visit at 10 weeks gestation, 36 year-old South Asian female had HbA1c 55mmol/mol/RPG 9.5mmol/l suggesting undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. Initially managed with dietary advice and home blood glucose monitoring, metformin was added when self-monitored glucose above pregnancy targets (fasting and pre-meal <5.3mmol/l or 1 h post meal <7.8mmol/l) but insulin was required later. Metformin and insulin were stopped after delivery at 38 weeks with HbA1c 50mmol/mol three months postpartum, supporting the earlier diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. B) 32 year-old White Caucasian female was screened for GDM on booking at 11 weeks as BMI 38 kg/m2. HbA1c 44mmol/mol and RPG 6.9mmol/l confirmed GDM which was managed by dietary/lifestyle changes with glucose and pregnancy targets achieved until 28 weeks when metformin added. Normal delivery at 40 weeks with HbA1c 40mmol/mol three months postpartum triggered advice on long-term dietary/lifestyle changes and annual HbA1c checks. HbA1c was useful during the pandemic but most centres reverted to OGTT for GDM screening due to a significant fall in diagnoses using HbA1c >=39mmol/mol at 26 weeks. But, HbA1c testing was advantageous at booking to diagnose type 2 diabetes earlier.

Autoethnographically Interrogating School-Based Anti-"Asian” Racism in Post(?)-Pandemic Times: An AsianCrit-Informed Composite Palimpsest

The ongoing racialized violence against "Asian” communities—that was simultaneously illuminated and amplified during COVID-19—is not a geographically isolated phenomenon. Vis-a-vis the Atlanta Massacre of 2021 and other senseless attacks on "Asian” Americans stemming from white supremacist fears of the Yellow Peril, "Asian” Australians have likewise been, and continue to be, victims of everyday old and new racisms rooted in Orientalist discourses and concomitant fears of the invading Other. As microcosms of society, schools are germane for the analysis, confrontation, and transformation of such racialized injustices and so, as a means of intervening in these everyday inequities, this paper weaves an AsianCrit-informed autoethnography with palimpsestuous composite narratives drawn from semi-structured interviews in a broader project with other migrant "Asian” Australian teachers to chronicle personal and professional race-making practices in the face of racism before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also rethinking and re-stor(y)ing a–way toward more hopeful, inclusive futures in schools. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Cultural Studies/Critical Methodologies is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Counter-Frames Against Anti-Asian Racism During the Corona Pandemic in Berlin – Coping With Exclusion, Creating Belonging and Organising Resistance

In 2020, anti-Asian racism re-emerged during the coronavirus pandemic in Germany and elsewhere, manifesting in media narratives, and evoking different forms of violence and exclusion, especially in public space. Racialisation as an everyday process creates "counter-frames” by racialised groups. They are constructed in relation to institutionalised interpellation as "the other.” Building on Feagin's concept of "white framing” and "counter-framing” and Löw's concept of space, this paper discusses the effects of racialisation, coping and anti-racist resistance strategies as developed by the Asian diaspora. Social change regarding racism will be analysed through Foroutan's concept of "postmigrant society.” We based this study on a convenience sample of people with Asian heritage which we conducted in 2020 in Germany. In addition, we included a diary study for which a subset has been sampled. We argue that the pandemic influenced the formation of counter-frames against anti-Asian racism in the specific context of Berlin. © The Author(s) 2023.

"To honour cleanness and shame filth”: medical facemasks as the narrative of nationalism and modernity in China

As the Covid-19 pandemic has swept across the world, the wearing of medical facemasks has become a hot topic on social media. In China, the relevant discourses are entangled with codes of medical science, national self-esteem and appropriated modernity. These discourses can be dated back to the narrative established by Dr Wu Lien-teh, the great fighter in the Manchurian plagues of 1910–1911 and 1920–1921. This paper reveals that Wu and his colleagues used different strategies when displaying to the Western world their achievements in the anti-plague battle and when proving the effectiveness of the Western medical and hygienic system to Chinese people. Wu and his colleagues used metonymies, analogues and metaphors on or related to medical facemasks to illustrate the possibility of building a modernised nation with sovereignty. Because the construction of a sanitary system in China has always been labelled as a patriotic movement (Rogaski, Ruth. 2004. Hygienic Modernity: Meanings of Health and Disease in Treaty-Port China. Berkeley: University of California Press, 285–298), the wearing of medical facemasks has constituted an important part of the narrative of nationalism and hygienic modernity. This discourse continues to play a significant role in today's campaign against the coronavirus.

Asian communities' well-being in Aotearoa during Covid-19: The mitigating role of sense of belonging in the relationship between racism and life satisfaction

INTRODUCTION: Anti-Asian racism was a feature of the social response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and its impact on the well-being of Asian communities warrants closer examination. The current study aimed to gauge whether the sense of belonging mitigated the adverse effects of racism on life satisfaction for self-identified Asian New Zealanders.METHODS: This analysis included 1341 responses to a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 2021. Descriptive analyses outline how components of a sense of belonging were distributed among participants and those who experienced racism during the Covid-19 pandemic. We used linear regression to examine the role of a sense of belonging as a potential pathway variable in the association between experiencing racism and life satisfaction.FINDINGS: In this survey, four out of 10 participants reported experiencing racism in the first 18 months of the pandemic. Participants' life satisfaction decreased slightly since January 2020 (p<0.001). Experiencing racism was associated with decreased life satisfaction. All the components of sense of belonging reduced the magnitude of this negative association between racism experience and life satisfaction, in particular, expressing one's own ethnic identity and belonging in Aotearoa.CONCLUSIONS: Given that anti-Asian racism is currently a feature of life and a significant stressor during the pandemic, this study provides empirical evidence of the protective role of a sense of belonging against anti-Asian racism. This study focused on Asian members in Aotearoa New Zealand, but its practical implications have the potential to support other minoritised ethnic communities who also experience racism during the pandemic and beyond.

The Russian coal industry in an uncertain world: Finally pivoting to Asia?

Despite the urgent need to reduce coal consumption to mitigate climate change, coal has received renewed interest as a source of energy due to the perfect storm of climate, health, geopolitical and energy crises. Post-COVID recovery boosted global coal production and Asian coal consumption. Because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, coal saw a rise in demand in Europe to replace sanctioned natural gas and oil. Combined with volatile prices, these developments highlight profound uncertainties for the world's coal exporters. This paper focuses on Russia, which so far has been the world's largest fossil fuel exporter and third-largest coal exporter and where the coal sector is the backbone of several regional economies and local communities. Using the Triple Embeddedness Framework (TEF), the paper reviews internal and external pressures on the Russian coal industry and evaluates its capacity to adapt to the rapidly changing socio-political and techno-economic environment. Russian coal exporters have attempted to accelerate their shift to the East following the European Union's sanctions over the war in Ukraine and the Russian coal infrastructure is being expanded to serve the Asia-Pacific market. The analysis concludes that the Russian coal industry is not preparing for more long-term changes in international coal markets, and this exacerbates the magnitude of risks for local communities and regional economies within Russia as well as for global decarbonisation.

The mediating effects of socio-behavioral factors on the needs for help among Asian American breast cancer survivors

Background: Breast cancer survivors often report their high needs for help during the transition to cancer survivorship. During the COVID-19 pandemic, technology-based programs are increasingly popular because of their high flexibility and accessibility in delivering information and coaching/support to address the current needs for help among cancer survivors. Yet, little is known about how socio-behavioral factors influence the effects of a technology-based intervention on the needs for help of racial/ethnic minority breast cancer survivors, especially Asian American breast cancer survivors. Purpose(s): The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine the multiple socio-behavioral factors (including attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and social influences related to breast cancer survivorship) mediated the effects of a technology-based intervention on the needs for help among Asian American breast cancer survivors. Method(s): This analysis was conducted with the data from 199 Asian American breast cancer survivor women who were recruited from January 2017 to June 2020 through online and offline communities/groups. The needs for help were measured using the Support Care Needs Survey-34 Short Form (SCNS) with five domains on psychological, information, physical, support, and communication needs. Mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro within SPSS. The analysis determined the mediating effects of four socio-behavioral mediators on the needs for help at pre-test [T0 ], post 1-month [T1 ], and post 3-months [T2 ] of a technology-based intervention. Result(s): Overall, all the mediators had statistically significant mediation effects on all types of needs for help (p < .05) at different points. Attitudes and social influence presented statistically significant mediation effects on the total needs for help score over 3 months (T0 , T1 , and T2 ). Perceived Barriers had mediation effects on all types of needs for help over 1 month (T0 , T1 ). Self-efficacy mediated the effects on all types of needs for help only at post 1 month (T1 ). Conclusion(s): The findings supported that all the socio-behavioral factors (attitudes, self-efficacy, perceived barriers, and social influences) mediated the effects of a technology-based intervention on the needs for help of Asian American breast cancer survivors. Future research and practice should consider socio-behavioral factors to reduce their needs for help during their survivorship process.

The COVID-19 pandemic required a rapid expansion of teledermatology services

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic required a rapid expansion of tele dermatology services. Objective(s): Analyse demographic shifts in a pediatric dermatology practice session with children of colour. Method(s): A retrospective chart review of pediatric dermatology patients seen in the four practice weeks preceding the New York COVID-19 lockdown and comparable tele dermatology visits during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Demographic differences (e.g., race, age, gender and household income) were analysed. Result(s): A greater proportion of patients seen were White during lockdown (59.7%), compared to pre-lockdown (43.6%), with a reduction in Asian patients seen in lockdown (6.0%) compared to prelockdown (24.5%). A lower proportion of no-show patients (4.3%, 3/70 scheduled) were noted in lockdown compared to pre-lockdown (16%, 18/112). Preferred provider organizations and higher-income zip codes were more common for children seen during lockdown. Limitation(s): The sample addresses a limited New York pediatric dermatology practice during a short time-period. Conclusion(s): White patients and patients with preferred provider organizations were more likely to access telehealth, supporting disparity in tele dermatology services. These results demonstrate reduced healthcare access for lower-income and Asian children during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

Grandparent-grandchild relationships and ethnic identity in asian and asian american undergraduate students

This study examined how Asian and Asian American grandparent-grandchild relationships related to ethnic identity in the context of COVID-19-related racial discrimination. Asian and Asian American grandchildren (N = 102) answered questions about discrimination, ethnic identification, grandparent-grandchild relationships, and ethnic behaviors. There was no significant relationship between exposure to discrimination and strength of ethnic identity, but strength of ethnic identity was a significant predictor of frequency of synchronous contact with grandparents and ethnic behaviors. Findings suggest that stronger ethnic identities in Asian and Asian American undergraduate students could be related to better relationships with their grandparents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Racial Diversity In Covid-19 Clinical Trails: A Mixed Quantitative And Qualitative Review

Introduction: Historically, clinical trial patient populations have lacked adequate diversity while studies have shown that differences exist in the biological response of different ethnicities to various healthcare interventions. Minority populations have suffered higher rates of Covid-19 infection, hospitalization, and mortality than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. It is vital that Covid-19 treatment research is appropriately diverse. This paper aims to define the demographic characteristics of COVID-19 therapeutic clinical trials to date. Method(s): A literature search initially returned 117 unique publications, 67 of which met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Main variables of interest were reporting of demographic data, percent white, Black, and Asian, and type of study. Statistical analysis was carried out via Stata software. Result(s): Among analyzed studies, 74.63% reported demographics. The demographic representation was 78.87%, 12.27% and 8.86% for white, Black, and Asian populations. Among vaccine related studies, the representation for Black, Asian, and Hispanic individuals was 5.01%, 6.40%, and 13.71%. A qualitative analysis of outlier studies with high (>30%) Black populations revealed that none were vaccine related, 1/3 were in hospitalized patients, and none were related to pharmacologic interventions. Of the studies with low levels (<2%) of Black patients, 4/6 were vaccine related, none were in hospitalized patients, and all were related to pharmacologic interventions. Conclusion(s): This analysis reveals concerning trends in therapeutic clinical trial enrollment to date. In the context of yet another health insult that disproportionately affects minority populations, America's scientific community is not doing enough to produce equitable scientific evidence on Covid-19 treatment.

Reading Chinese anti-COVID-19 pandemic narratives on facemasks as the art of disaster governance: a semiotic and biopolitical survey

In China and around the world, the global spread of COVID-19 has made wearing a facemask more than a pragmatic or aesthetic individual-level issue: it has instilled in people deontic value. In Chinese anti-epidemic narratives, the semiotic ideology of wearing a facemask has been closely related to collectivism, patriotism and, to a certain degree, nationalism. The facemask not only serves as a protective biomedical device but also as a cultural, political and spatial sign of the line of defence against disorders of the natural system, to establish the order of the social system. This paper argues from the perspective of semiotics and life politics that such mask narratives have effectively helped China prevent the large-scale spread of the epidemic across the nation and have served as a means of collective psychotherapy, paradoxically transforming individual separation into collective spiritual cohesion. Previous semiotic studies of disaster have not paid much attention to plagues or disaster governance discourse, between which biomedicine plays an important role. Thus, this paper aims to shed light on how biomedicine works with politics in coding and decoding the relationship between the natural system of the plague and the social system of governance.

Role of Big and Emerging Powers in the Post-Covid World Order

The outbreak of Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) is one of the biggest dangers humanities has faced so far in the twenty-first century. Big international actors, militarily-powerful and economically-vibrant nations across the globe have fallen prey to an unprecedented human tragedy. The world community continues to be engaged in protecting its citizens as the top most priority using every possible means. In the meantime, the pandemic has added new dimensions, altering the international order both economically and strategically. The pandemic may well be remembered as the turning point of the end of an American-led global system that has paved way for the arrival of an Asian century with two Asian giants and emerging global powers, China and India, at the forefront. This chapter, at the outset, dilates upon various dimensions of the pandemic. This chapter foresees big power rivalry in the world stage. While the state of affairs during and following the pandemic will prompt USA to make earnest efforts in resurrecting its lost power, position and preponderance in the global corridor, the chapter argues, Russia will not leave any stone unturned to regain its lost name, fame and glory. Besides, China would make earnest efforts to position itself as a power to reckon with as it has done in the last one decade or so. The paper argues further that amidst struggle for power among big powers, traditional powers from Europe (Great Britain, France and Germany), Asia (India and Japan), Latin America (Brazil) and Australia will have leverage in the new global order that marks the beginning of a new saga of multipolar world. The chapter argues that with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) loosing its significance, important regional organizations like Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), G-20 and BRICS will come forward for a far bigger role in international affairs. However, the paper ends with a positive note that competition among global and emerging powers will continue in a healthy manner, and in case of any conflict or confrontation, strong cooperation will be the only way to achieve peace and stability across the world. This chapter offers a balanced overview of the global order (some may call it disorder) before the pandemic occurred, during and the post-pandemic period, where many a factors and actors play their respective roles. Further, this qualitative study will add significantly and give a varied dimension to the existing researches on the international political and economic order. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022, corrected publication 2022.

Telemedicine and the Utilization of Outpatient Mental Health Services By Patients with Incident Major Depressive Disorder during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: To examine the role of telemedicine in providing access to outpatient psychotherapy for children and young adults with incident major depressive disorder (MDD) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, overall and by race and ethnicity. Method(s): Medical claims from a large, national insurer were retrospectively analyzed to identify two cohorts of individuals aged 10-26 years old, based on incident diagnosis ("index") date of MDD (pre-COVID: March-December 2018, COVID: March-December 2020). We tracked health care utilization, utilization by site of care, modality of care, and psychotherapy Results: The majority of patients in the two cohorts (pre-COVID: N=7,758, COVID: N=8,517) were White (78.9% and 78.8%, respectively), followed by Hispanic (11.5% and 10.9%), Black (6.6% and 7.1%), and Asian (3.0% and 3.2%). While pre-index utilization was similar between cohorts, the COVID cohort had 919 psychotherapy visits per 1,000 patients compared to 735 for the pre-COVID cohort in the month post-index. The increase in visits is largely attributable to an increase in telemedicine visits for the COVID cohort. Similarly, psychotherapy visits increased for all racial and ethnic groups in the COVID cohort compared to the pre-COVID cohort in the month post-index: 22.3% for Whites (931 visits per 1,000 patients in COVID cohort vs. 759 in pre-COVID cohort), 45.0% for Asians (951 vs. 656), 20.5% for Blacks (792 vs. 657) and 46.5% for Hispanics (860 vs. 587). Conclusion(s): Telemedicine increased access to mental health services during the pandemic across races and ethnicities, but racial and ethnic disparities persisted. Health systems should capitalize on the telehealth infrastructure developed during the pandemic to sustain this increased access to care while continuing work to reduce disparities.Copyright © 2023

Asian in the Time of COVID-19: Creating a Social Work Agenda for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities.

The health of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities remains an understudied area of racial/ethnic minority research in the United States, and even more so in the field of social work. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how AAPI health and social welfare issues have not received adequate attention in social policy, social work practice, and research. Contrary to model minority myths, AAPIs are subject to racialized attitudes and discrimination, which have been associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes, including increased anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Drawing from the theoretical framework of AsianCrit, which is grounded in critical race theory, authors analyze health disparities among AAPI communities as reflected in COVID-19 hospitalizations and fatalities, as well as increases in acts of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia. Better understanding health disparities of AAPI communities needs to be a key research issue for social workers in future years. The authors conclude by offering a short set of recommendations to improve social policy, social work practice, and research to more aptly address contemporary social issues impacting AAPI communities.

Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo for reparameterized Stochastic volatility models using Asian FX rates during Covid-19.

In this paper, reparameterization and student-t are applied to Stochastic Volatility (SV) model. We aim to reduce the amount of autocorrelation of the SV parameters and to introduce heavy-tailed model via the Bayesian computation of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samplers. This research paper helps support better MCMC estimation of the SV model for volatile Asian FX series during Covid-19.

Changes in familial discussions among East Asian American families during the COVID-19 pandemic

Objective: We examined the degrees of change in familial discussions about racial issues (i.e., race, ethnicity, racism, and discrimination) due to the surge of anti-Asian discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.Background: Asian American family racial-ethnic socialization that teaches the values, information, and perspectives about racial-ethnic group membership and race relations carry great implications for youth development. However, little is known about how anti-Asian sentiments may have contributed to the degrees of change in racial issues.Method: The participants included 143 second-generation East Asian American youth (e.g., Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese) ages 11-18 years (M = 14.96, SD = 1.98). Youth were attending middle (38%) or high (62%) schools in the United States.Results: Latent profile analysis identified four profiles of degrees of change in familial discussions: (a) moderate change in racial discussions about other ethnicities, (b) much change in racial discussions, (c) moderate change in racial discussions about own ethnicities, and (d) little change in racial discussions.Conclusion: Our findings provide a snapshot of the ways East Asian American families' racial discussions are changing, which in turn shape youth's experiences in navigating their social contexts.Implications: The findings provide valuable directions for research and interventions to promote important racial discussion among East Asian American families.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Mental Well-Being Using Health Behavior Data from University Students.

BACKGROUND: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the importance of timely and effective assessment of mental well-being has increased dramatically. Machine learning (ML) algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques can be harnessed for early detection, prognostication and prediction of negative psychological well-being states. METHODS: We used data from a large, multi-site cross-sectional survey consisting of 17 universities in Southeast Asia. This research work models mental well-being and reports on the performance of various machine learning algorithms, including generalized linear models, k-nearest neighbor, naïve Bayes, neural networks, random forest, recursive partitioning, bagging, and boosting. RESULTS: Random Forest and adaptive boosting algorithms achieved the highest accuracy for identifying negative mental well-being traits. The top five most salient features associated with predicting poor mental well-being include the number of sports activities per week, body mass index, grade point average (GPA), sedentary hours, and age. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the reported results, several specific recommendations and suggested future work are discussed. These findings may be useful to provide cost-effective support and modernize mental well-being assessment and monitoring at the individual and university level.

Racism, Risk, and Supply: U.S. Policies Toward COVID-19 and Asia, and Current and Future Impacts on Asian Americans

COVID-19 illuminates the contradictions of U.S. relations with Asia economically, culturally, and socially in relation to Asian immigrant labor, goods and manufacturing, and with Asian Americans. We explore the importance of Asia as a supplier of labor and goods to the U.S. health system in order to analyze how the U.S. navigates its interdependence with Asia while demonizing Asians/Americans and attempting to protect its borders metaphorically and materially. We analyze how Asian American nurses are fighting the battle against the pandemic on the frontlines while also fighting the stereotypes and stigma that some Americans may have against them because they associate Asian Americans with the spread of COVID-19. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Social Work Practice with Asians and Pacific Islanders

This chapter focuses on the United Nations' classification of subregions: Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific Islands. Asian and Pacific Islander (API) is used as an inclusive term to refer to the diverse people with origins in countries, states, territories, and jurisdictions in the identified Asia-Pacific geographic region. APIs include immigrants, refugees, United States (U.S.)-born citizens, naturalized citizens, undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, native communities in U.S. jurisdictions, non-immigrants. Racialization in the United States occurs along a continuum, which reflects longstanding systems of racial categorization and oppression. The COVID-19 pandemic presents sociopolitical challenges for APIs with the emergence of Sinophobia. Like other Asian American communities, the South Asian community has long been described as a model minority due to its members' increasing socioeconomic status and vast educational achievements in the United States. Heterogeneity and disparities among APIs are not fully understood due to the dearth of ethnic-specific studies. Social workers should be mindful of the diverse political, colonization, and immigration histories of API clients to fully consider the person in their environment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)