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1.
Malaysian Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences ; 19:49-56, 2023.
Article in English | Academic Search Complete | ID: covidwho-20243462

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The covid-19 disease can be prevented, including by knowledge and public compliance, especially with adolescents in efforts to prevent Covid-19 disease. A preliminary survey of 40 adolescents showed that 30% of teenagers are knowledgeable and 60% of teenagers in Bangkalan are non-compliant in covid-19 prevention efforts. This study aimed to determine the level of compliance to prevent Covid-19. Methods: This research was conducted using a quantitative descriptive survey method. The population and sample were taken by simple random sampling, namely, all adolescents aged 14-21 years in Bangkalan as many as 200 respondents. The instrument uses a questionnaire about Covid-19 prevention efforts. Quantitative data analysis by calculating the frequency of values in a variable. Results: The results showed that 66% of adolescents washed their hands, 95.5% stated that they already knew how to wash their hands properly, and 96.5% used clean water and soap to wash their hands. All adolescents still leave the house, 46% avoid crowds and 97% have kept their distance. 96.5% of adolescents used masks when leaving the house. 84.5% of respondents exercised during a pandemic. 64% of respondents consume nutritious food, exercise, and add vitamins to maintain their immunity, and 59% wear masks, wash their hands and keep a suitable distance health protocol as an effort to prevent Covid-19. Conclusion: The level of adolescent adherence is very good in terms of all aspects of the efforts to prevent Covid-19 except for the physical distancing aspect, so there is a need for increased socialization to eliminate the stigma about physical distancing. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Malaysian Journal of Medicine & Health Sciences is the property of Universiti Putra Malaysia 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.)

2.
BIOpreparations ; Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment. 23(1):65-75, 2023.
Article in Russian | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-20243399

ABSTRACT

Preventive vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection is currently receiving close attention in the Russian Federation. Improving public confidence in immunisation with new vaccines largely depends on a guarantee of the absence of side effects caused by contamination. A high risk of contamination is inherent to biological products, including coronavirus prevention vaccines, due to their properties and the nature of raw materials used. This risk adds to the need for using effective contaminant detection approaches. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility to improve sterility testing of preventive vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This article presents an analysis of the procedures proposed by pharmaceutical developers for sterility testing of ten Russian vaccines approved in the country for COVID-19 prevention. The authors considered specific characteristics of these vaccines, including their physical and chemical properties, the presence of antimicrobial components, and other critical factors affecting the correctness of the experimental setup. The results suggest that it is possible to improve sterility testing. According to the authors, the main directions for its improvement are the proposal to develop an alternative procedure based on compendial method 2 (OFS.1.2.4.0003.15, Ph. Rus. XIV), as well as the use of a universal culture medium. If used for refining the established procedures and developing new ones, the authors' recommendations will improve the reliability and applicability of sterility testing during both manufacturing and pre-approval regulatory assessment of updated coronavirus vaccines for subsequent release to the market. The proposed approaches can be applied to testing other medicinal products for sterility.Copyright © 2023 National Electronic-Information Consortium (NEICON). All rights reserved.

3.
2023 3rd International Conference on Advances in Electrical, Computing, Communication and Sustainable Technologies, ICAECT 2023 ; 2023.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-20232247

ABSTRACT

The fast human-to-human spread of COVID-19 has caused significant lifestyle changes for many individuals. At the end of January 2020, the pandemic began, and many nations responded with varying degrees of testing, sanitation, lockdown, and quarantine centers. New normals of testing, sanitization, social separation, and lockdown are being implemented, and people are gradually returning to work and other daily routines. The COVID-19 infected population is monitored by testing individuals regularly. But it's a resource-heavy endeavor to test everyone without good reason. An optimum strategy is required to efficiently identify persons who are most likely to test positive for COVID-19. Sanitation is utilized for both persons and public spaces to eliminate germs. However, the disruption of governmental operations and economic development makes the use of lockdown and quarantine centers a resource-intensive endeavor. Conversely, it degrades the standard of living across a society. Furthermore, keeping people inside their houses or quarantine centers for an unlimited amount of time would not allow the government to care for everyone. These variables impact virus propagation, human health and happiness, available resources, and the economy's health, making their management resource-intensive. counting and density estimation are both attempts to create clever and efficient algorithms that can interpret the data provided by images to carry out Efficiency. GANs have been proven to have promising applications in overcoming the data dearth problem in COVID-19 lung image analysis. The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models built for the diagnosis of COVID-19 have benefited from the GAN-generated data used to refine their training. Moreover, GANs have helped improve the performance of CNNs by super-resolving pictures and performing segmentation. This work highlights the Reinforcement deep learning model over the fundamental constraints of the possible transformation of GANs-based approaches. This work proposes the model be developed with a new intelligent approach using RL to quantify these different types of testing considered for social distancing, face mask detection, limiting the gathering, and locking the location using the Q Learning technique. Different RL algorithms are implemented, and agents are equipped with these algorithms so that they may interact with the environment and learn the optimum method for doing so. © 2023 IEEE.

4.
Behav Sci (Basel) ; 13(5)2023 May 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20238364

ABSTRACT

The petrochemical industry is relatively strict regarding safety rules in the workplace. The workplace involves high-risk categories that are intolerant of human error. Especially in the current situation with COVID-19, concerns regarding prevention and safety in the workplace have increased. In light of this pandemic, the company must know whether all employees recognize the implementation of COVID-19 prevention. In addition, employee awareness of safety grounded in the affective domain of human thought is lacking. This study investigates the safety attitudes and COVID-19 prevention in the workplace based on the affective domain of employees. A survey questionnaire based on the Likert scale was utilized to collect data from 618 employees in the petrochemical industry. Descriptive analysis and analysis of variance were used to examine the data. The results reveal that employees in the petrochemical industry have a positive degree of responses to COVID-19 prevention, safety attitudes, and the affective domain, regardless of employment characteristics such as gender, age, position, and work experience. This study concludes that a positive affective domain of employees is followed by a positive safety attitude; thus, effective COVID-19 prevention was established in the workplace based on the perspectives and attitudes of the employees.

5.
Acta Neurol Taiwan ; 32(2):82-85, 2023.
Article in English | PubMed | ID: covidwho-2321519

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The onset of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in December 2019 created the need for multiple scientific research activities and clinical trials in an attempt to find solutions to mitigate the impact of the virus. One of the important tools to combat the virus is the development of vaccination programs. All types of vaccines have been associated with a mild to severe risk of neurological adverse events. One of these severe adverse events is Guillain-Barré syndrome. CASE REPORT: Here, we describe a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome after the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and review the literature to increase the current knowledge regarding this complication. CONCLUSION: Guillain-Barré syndrome after COVID-19 vaccination is responsive to treatment. The benefits of administering the vaccine outweigh the risks. Due to the negative impact of COVID-19, it is essential to recognize the development of neurological complications that are potentially associated with vaccination, including Guillain-Barré syndrome.

6.
BIOpreparations ; Prevention, Diagnosis, Treatment. 23(1):65-75, 2023.
Article in Russian | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-2326503

ABSTRACT

Preventive vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection is currently receiving close attention in the Russian Federation. Improving public confidence in immunisation with new vaccines largely depends on a guarantee of the absence of side effects caused by contamination. A high risk of contamination is inherent to biological products, including coronavirus prevention vaccines, due to their properties and the nature of raw materials used. This risk adds to the need for using effective contaminant detection approaches. The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibility to improve sterility testing of preventive vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This article presents an analysis of the procedures proposed by pharmaceutical developers for sterility testing of ten Russian vaccines approved in the country for COVID-19 prevention. The authors considered specific characteristics of these vaccines, including their physical and chemical properties, the presence of antimicrobial components, and other critical factors affecting the correctness of the experimental setup. The results suggest that it is possible to improve sterility testing. According to the authors, the main directions for its improvement are the proposal to develop an alternative procedure based on compendial method 2 (OFS.1.2.4.0003.15, Ph. Rus. XIV), as well as the use of a universal culture medium. If used for refining the established procedures and developing new ones, the authors' recommendations will improve the reliability and applicability of sterility testing during both manufacturing and pre-approval regulatory assessment of updated coronavirus vaccines for subsequent release to the market. The proposed approaches can be applied to testing other medicinal products for sterility.Copyright © 2023 National Electronic-Information Consortium (NEICON). All rights reserved.

7.
17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022 ; 2022.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2325432

ABSTRACT

Following a COVID-19 outbreak in an elderly-care home in Belgium by winter/2020, an assessment of the ventilation conditions at said care home was conducted in summer/2021. Four common-rooms were selected as the most-likely involved in the outbreak and assessed via (artificially-injected) CO2-decay test for average air change rates (ACHs) measurement. Two of the rooms were also assessed via passive tracer gas test for long-term ACHs measurement, using decane-D22 as tracer. The average ACHs measured (via both methods) ranged from 1, 8 to 3, 6 h-1 in summertime, being thus probably higher than the ACHs during the outbreak. Nevertheless, none of the ACHs measured comply with the latest recommendations for COVID-19 prevention. Ventilation grilles and decentralized ventilation systems in common areas could enhance the building's ventilation, but thoughtful installation is essential;experience shows that thermal discomfort often leads to closing ventilation grilles even during a pandemic, resulting in significantly diminished fresh-air supply. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.

8.
Int J Public Health ; 68: 1605624, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2324684

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) COVID-19 guidelines for non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) identify safety, hygiene and physical distancing measures to control SARS-Cov-2 transmission in schools. Because their implementation requires complicated changes, the guidelines also include "accompanying measures" of risk communication, health literacy and community engagement. Although these are considered crucial, their implementation is complex. This study aimed to co-define a community partnership that a) identifies systemic barriers and b) designs recommendations on how to implement the NPI to improve SARS-Cov-2 prevention in schools. Methods: We designed and piloted a System-Oriented Dialogue Model with the participation of 44 teachers and 868 students and their parents from six Spanish schools during 2021. The results were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants identified 406 items addressing issues related to system characteristics, which is indicative of the complexity of the challenge. Using a thematic analysis, we defined 14 recommendations covering five categories. Conclusion: These findings could help in developing guidelines for initiating community engagement partnerships in schools to provide more integrated prevention interventions.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humans , COVID-19/prevention & control , Spain , Schools , Students
9.
BMC Infect Dis ; 23(1): 335, 2023 May 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2321725

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In Ghana, contact tracing received heightened attention in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic during its peak period. Despite the successes achieved, numerous challenges continue to limit the efforts of contact tracing in completely curtailing the effect of the pandemic. Despite these challenges, there are still opportunities that could be harnessed from the COVID-19 contact tracing experience for future eventualities. This study thus identified the challenges and opportunities associated with COVID-19 contact tracing in the Bono Region of Ghana. METHODS: Using a focus group discussion (FGD) approach, an exploratory qualitative design was conducted in six selected districts of the Bono region of Ghana in this study. The purposeful sampling technique was employed to recruit 39 contact tracers who were grouped into six focus groups. A thematic content analysis approach via ATLAS ti version 9.0 software was used to analyse the data and presented under two broad themes. RESULTS: The discussants reported twelve (12) challenges that hindered effective contact tracing in the Bono region. These include inadequate personal protective equipment, harassment by contacts, politicisation of the discourse around the disease, stigmatization, delays in processing test results, poor remuneration and lack of insurance package, inadequate staffing, difficulty in locating contacts, poor quarantine practices, poor education on COVID-19, language barrier and transportation challenges. Opportunities for improving contact tracing include cooperation, awareness creation, leveraging on knowledge gained in contact tracing, and effective emergency plans for future pandemics. CONCLUSION: There is a need for health authorities, particularly in the region, and the state as a whole to address contact tracing-related challenges while simultaneously harnessing the recommended opportunities for improved contact tracing in the future for effective pandemic control.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Contact Tracing/methods , SARS-CoV-2 , Pandemics/prevention & control , Ghana/epidemiology
10.
Phys Sportsmed ; : 1-7, 2022 Feb 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2323861

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate COVID-19 transmission rates in athletes upon return to sport (RTS), as well as the effectiveness of preventive and surveillance measures associated with RTS. METHODS: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify all articles reporting on RTS during COVID-19. Articles were excluded on the basis of the following criteria: (1) non-English text, (2) only abstract available, (3) population not athlete-specific, (4) outcome not RTS-specific, (5) COVID-19 transmission data not quantified, (6) editorial, or (7) review article or meta-analysis. Study characteristics; athlete demographics; COVID-19 preventive, surveillance, and diagnostic measures; COVID-19 transmission outcomes; and RTS recommendations were collected from each included article and analyzed. RESULTS: 10 studies were included in the final analysis, comprising over 97,000 athletes across a wide variety of sports, levels of play, and RTS settings. Of the 10 studies, eight identified low transmission rates and considered RTS to be safe/low risk. Overall, COVID-19 transmission rates were higher in athletes than in contacts, and more prevalent in the greater community than in athletes specifically. The risk of COVID-19 did not appear to be necessarily higher for athletes who played high-contact team sports, shared common facilities, or lived in communities impacted by high transmission rates, provided that rigorous COVID-19 safety and testing protocols were implemented and followed. Mask wearing and physical distancing during active play presented the greatest challenge to athletes. CONCLUSION: Rigorous preventive and surveillance measures can mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission in athletes upon RTS. However, the heterogeneity of RTS playing conditions, availability of COVID-19 resources, rise of unforeseen novel variants, and undetermined long-term impact of vaccination on athletes remain a challenge to safe and effective RTS in the era of COVID-19.

11.
J Thorac Dis ; 15(4): 1675-1683, 2023 Apr 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2327386

ABSTRACT

Background: At present new epidemic has entered a stage of normalized management, but there is still sporadic distribution, public already had certain protective knowledge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). G County of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture is located in the mountainous area of southwest Sichuan Province, which also is ethnic minorities and as national-level poverty-stricken areas, residents in the region to the migrant workers as the main economic source of personnel with high mobility. In order to ensure the resumption of work and production, the effective implementation of epidemic prevention measures has certain guiding significance for epidemic prevention and control and economic recovery. This study investigated and analyzed the status quo of villagers' attitudes and behaviors toward COVID-19 prevention and control in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, providing evidence for COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the resumption of rural work and agricultural production. Methods: Snowball sampling was used to survey 117 villagers from an impoverished village in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture on February 10-19, 2020. A total of 120 questionnaires were collected, the recovery rate is 97.5%. Based on literature review, a self-designed questionnaire on attitudes and behaviors related to COVID-19 prevention and control was designed, the expert validity score was 0.912, and Cronbach α coefficient was 0.903. Results: The overall score for respondents' attitude toward COVID-19 prevention and control was 29.65±3.23, which was considered a good level. The total score for prevention and control behavior was 114.74±17.09, which was medium level. A statistically significant difference was found for the attitudes and behaviors of different ethnic groups toward epidemic prevention and control. Conclusions: The people in this village had a positive attitude toward epidemic prevention and control, but there was still room for improvement in prevention and control behavior. Training on hand hygiene and wearing masks outside should be strengthened, and relevant training for ethnic minorities should be further strengthened.

12.
J Multimorb Comorb ; 13: 26335565231176166, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2327346

ABSTRACT

Introduction: There were different studies done and found a highly variable level of COVID 19 prevention practice; however, there was no summarized evidence on the prevention practice of chronic disease patients in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the pooled prevalence of COVID 19 prevention practice and associated factors among chronic disease patients in Ethiopia. Method: Systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Comprehensive literature was searched in international databases. A weighted inverse variance random effect model was used to estimate pooled prevalence. Cochrane Q-test and I2 statistics were computed to assess heterogeneity among studies. Funnel plot and Eggers test were done to assess publication bias. Review manager software was used to identify determinants of COVID 19 prevention practice. Result: Overall, 437 articles were retrieved and finally 8 articles were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of good COVID 19 prevention practices was 44.02% (95%CI (35.98%-52.06%). Being rurally reside (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI (1.30-4.41)), having educational status of cannot read and write (AOR = 2.32, 95% CI (1.22-4.40)), and poor knowledge (AOR = 2.43, 95% CI (1.64-3.60)) positively associated with poor practice. Conclusion: Good COVID 19 prevention practices of chronic disease patients in Ethiopia was low. Rural residence, educational status of cannot read and write and poor knowledge was positively associated with poor practice. Therefore, policymakers and program planners should target those high-risk groups in improving their awareness to enhance their practice specifically focusing on those who are rural reside and with low educational status.

13.
World Journal of English Language ; 13(5):177-190, 2023.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2315145

ABSTRACT

The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 brought a crucial need for clear instructions to control and prevent the virus‟s spread. In the context of the Arabic language, the demand for medical translators soared and the public needed clear health guidance more than ever before. This study aims to investigate the challenges of the English-Arabic translation of COVID-19 prevention and control terminology using a domesticating approach (Venuti, 1995) to overcome any challenges. A set of criteria, "conciseness, precision and appropriateness” (Giaber and Sharkas, 2021) is used for the assessment of the quality of the translation. Additionally, a questionnaire of English-Arabic translation samples is answered by 32 participants (26 males and 6 females), to evaluate the quality of these translations based on "clarity and naturalness” (Halimah, 2015). The results indicate that linguistic and cultural challenges are found in the English-Arabic translation of COVID-19 prevention and control terminology. They also indicate that the application of a domesticating approach improves their quality and helps to overcome linguistic and cultural challenges in translation. © Royal College of Physicians 2023. All rights reserved.

14.
Curr Psychol ; : 1-14, 2021 Nov 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2315449

ABSTRACT

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our societies went into a lockdown model and many organizations required or permitted their employees to work from home. As a result, employees need to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic while they work from home, providing an opportunity to examine how COVID-19 prevention experiences influence those who are working from home. Based on the interpersonal self-regulation perspective, we propose that employees who perceive having more disagreements with their partners over COVID-19 prevention measures are more likely to experience a reduction in their identification with the partner which is subsequently associated with their negative work outcomes through emotional exhaustion. Results from a two-wave survey study with a sample of 282 employees who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic supported our predictions: perceived self-partner disagreements over COVID-19 prevention measures related to a reduction in identification with the partner, which was subsequently associated with exhausted regulatory resources and undermined work outcomes. Furthermore, these negative effects were particularly salient for individuals who were not married. Theoretical and practical implications for family-to-work interference and working from home in times of crisis are discussed.

15.
Health Policy Technol ; 12(2): 100755, 2023 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2313577

ABSTRACT

Objectives: In the digital era, it is important to harness digital technologies to implement effective governance. This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework for the digital governance roadmap. It mainly is the meaningful integration of digital technologies into drafting policy accompanied with comprehensive planning and flexible strategy for better governance. The high-quality, timely, and reliable database is one of the key digital infrastructures for the meaningful employment of digital technologies. Methods: Taiwan's experience in COVID-19 pandemic prevention is employed as the case to explore the roadmap of digital governance. The Taiwan government and civil society harnessed the power of its National Health Insurance (NHI) database, and further employed data science and GIS to develop the Face-mask distribution system and QR code registration system. Comprehensive planning and flexible strategy were conducted to address public concerns, such as data privacy and digital divide. Results: Harnessing the NHI database's power, the GIS-based Face-mask distribution system and QR code registration system contributed to reducing the infections, panics, and public concerns including data privacy and digital divide for pandemic prevention. Conclusions: While exploring the systematic digital governance roadmap, it is necessary to fulfill three basic criteria: (1) comprehensive planning, (2) flexible strategies, and (3) the meaningful employment of digital technologies. As one of the key digital infrastructures for the employment of digital technologies, the high-quality, timely, and reliable database is essential to release the power of data-driven for cross-domain collaborations, multiple engagement, innovative applications, and digital empowerment, towards achieving effective governance. Public Interest Summary: This paper proposes a conceptual framework for the roadmap of digital governance, which highlights the importance of the meaningful integration of digital technologies into drafting policies accompanied with comprehensive planning and flexible strategy to achieve effective governance. During the process, the high-quality, timely, and reliable database acts as a key role in facilitating the operation of digital infrastructure for the employment of digital technologies.Taiwan's experience in COVID-19 prevention by harnessing the power of the NHI database and developing the GIS-based Face-mask distribution system and QR code registration system effectively addressed the public concerns on data privacy and digital divide towards effective pandemic prevention. This could be an example provided for other countries to balance public concerns and effective governance.

16.
Jurnal Ners ; 18(1):64-70, 2023.
Article in English | Scopus | ID: covidwho-2294181

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The government has made vaccination as the primary strategy to control the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the public still needs to implement COVID-19 prevention behavior even though they have been vaccinated. This study aimed to determine the correlation between health literacy and post-vaccination COVID-19 prevention behavior of the community in the work area of the Patrang Public Health Center, Jember Regency, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional design was performed in the public health center in Jember Regency Indonesia, in May 2022. The sample in this study was 435 people selected by purposive sampling with the inclusion criteria of those aged >17 years old and receiving a total primary vaccination dose. The data were collected using the Health Literacy Survey Coronavirus Disease Questionnaire 22 (HLS-COVID-Q22) and the COVID-19 prevention behavior questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using Spearman test with a significance level of α<0.05. Results: The results showed that the most of health literacies were inadequate (n=188, 43.2%), and the post-vaccination COVID-19 prevention behavior was in the moderate category (n=186, 42.7%). There was a moderate correlation between health literacy and post-vaccination COVID-19 prevention behavior (p < 0.001;r = 0.513). Conclusions: The higher the health literacy, the better the post-vaccination COVID-19 prevention behavior. The nurse was important in providing health education about COVID-19 by paying attention to community health literacy ability. Improving health literacy is an important strategy to enhance COVID-19 prevention behavior and reduce coronavirus transmission. © The Authors.

17.
Early Child Educ J ; : 1-12, 2023 Apr 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2291452

ABSTRACT

In Portugal, early childhood education and care services for children under-three were the first educational services to reopen after periods of lockdown. COVID-19 prevention and control measures had to be implemented nationwide, but no knowledge was yet produced on their impact in educational settings. This study aimed to map the implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control measures and examine associations among prevention and control measures, perceived changes to pedagogical practices and children's well-being in early childhood education and care services for children under three. In this study, 1098 early childhood education and care professionals from all districts completed an online survey during January and February 2021. Results indicated that prevention and control measures were widely implemented. Furthermore, early childhood education and care professionals who started to implement prevention and control measures more frequently were more likely to perceive a reinforcement of their pedagogical practices at the level of adult-child interaction, emotional climate, and interaction with families, and reported higher levels of children's well-being. Findings highlighted the potential role of pedagogical practices in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 in early childhood education and care services for children under-three.

18.
Cureus ; 15(3): e36003, 2023 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2290828

ABSTRACT

Background The annual Ashura pilgrimage is a mass Islamic gathering during which millions of worshippers converge in the city of Karbala in Iraq. We report on the incidence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Omani pilgrims returning from Karbala in the month of Muharram (August) 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology This is a retrospective study using an electronic, self-completed, and Arab-language survey, composed of 17 questions, that was distributed to all pilgrims returning from Karbala. Participation was voluntary, and consent with confidentiality was obtained. Data on the demographics including sex, COVID-19 vaccination record, type of vaccine, duration of stay, compliance with wearing a face mask, using hand sanitization, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus before the departure from Oman, upon the return to Oman, and on the eighth post-quarantine day were collected. The responses were collected from the period between August 28, 2021, and September 25, 2022. Statistical association and analysis were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY). Results Out of 250 pilgrims, 139 responded to the survey. Fifty-two participants (37.4%) were males, and 87 (63.6%) were females. None of the pilgrims had positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR results before their departure from Oman. Only four pilgrims (2.9%) were detected positive on PCR by the end of a compulsory quarantine on the eighth day after arrival to Oman. No hospital admissions were recorded. The vast majority of the pilgrims were vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccination, while some few pilgrims were not vaccinated at all. Most of the pilgrims were also compliant with mask wearing, and just over half the pilgrims were compliant with hand sanitization. No significant statistical association was found between contracting SARS-CoV-2 virus infection and taking SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, the number of vaccination doses, having had COVID-19 before, wearing a mask, or compliance with hand sanitization. Conclusion The incidence of COVID-19 cases among pilgrims returning from Iraq during the COVID-19 pandemic was low. No significant difference was noted between pilgrims vaccinated and compliant with the protective measures and those who were not vaccinated or compliant. Herd immunity could be a possible explanation for the low incidence of COVID-19 infection. Larger studies are needed to investigate the incidence of COVID-19 in Ashura pilgrims.

19.
Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences ; 84(3-A):No Pagination Specified, 2023.
Article in English | APA PsycInfo | ID: covidwho-2273820

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of Terrebonne Parish's elderly Black pandemic survivors and their mental health conditions while living through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also aims to investigate potential policy solutions that government officials should have used to improve mental health access during the pandemic. In this study, a convenient sample of ten participants who meet the following criteria was used: must be Black, over the age of 60, and live in Terrebonne Parish. Techniques used in this study to understand Terrebonne Parish's Black elderly people's lived experience during the COVID-19 pandemic were phenomenological interviews followed by surveys based on the themes extracted from their interviews. Results of phenomenological interviews and surveys indicate that Black elderly people in Terrebonne Parish experienced trauma from isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also indicate that participants' main concerns during the pandemic centered around staying healthy-both physically and mentally-in order to visit their family once the detrimental impacts of the pandemic began to subside. Another common theme that emanated from the data was that participants believed that Terrebonne Parish officials should have utilized community centers to help elderly Black people understand the impacts of COVID-19 and the resources that were available to them during the pandemic;provided more information regarding the mental health resources that were available to them during the pandemic;and that the government should have provide more targeted resources that would specifically help Black people successfully navigate the pandemic. In conclusion, based on the funding packages that Terrebonne Parish received from the Federal Government, Black elderly people were correct in their assertion that the government could have provided more resources to improve their mental health during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

20.
Acta Politica ; 58(2):337-358, 2023.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-2271053

ABSTRACT

We examine the relationship between individuals' political orientations and their compliance with and attitudes towards COVID-19 prevention measures using a Dutch nationally representative online sample. Due to ideological differences, we predict that people with left-wing and progressive orientations will comply more with and have more favourable attitudes towards COVID-19 prevention measures than people with right-wing, populist, and conservative orientations, while right-wing extremists will have lowest levels of compliance and least favourable attitudes towards prevention measures. Our results support these predictions. Furthermore, we test the effect of individuals' economic precarity and demographic characteristics on compliance and attitudes towards prevention measures. Results show that people experiencing economic difficulties do comply yet have less favourable attitudes towards the measures, while fear of economic loss is related to both lower compliance and less favourable attitudes towards measures. Older citizens have higher levels of compliance and more positive attitudes, whereas gender and education are not consistently related to compliance and attitudes. We further explore how these three sets of factors (political orientation, economic precarity, and demographics) are related to policy preferences for either reducing infection rates or reducing the economic impact of the pandemic. Our results suggest that all three sets of predictors are important in shaping measure compliance as well as attitudes and policy support and should all be considered for a comprehensive understanding of individuals' responses to COVID-19 measures.

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