COVID-19 epidemic phases and morbidity in different areas of Chinese mainland, 2020.

Background: In the early stage of COVID-19 epidemic, the Chinese mainland once effectively controlled the epidemic, but COVID-19 eventually spread faster and faster in the world. The purpose of this study is to clarify the differences in the epidemic data of COVID-19 in different areas and phases in Chinese mainland in 2020, and to analyze the possible factors affecting the occurrence and development of the epidemic. Methods: We divided the Chinese mainland into areas I, I and III, and divided the epidemic process into phases I to IV: limited cases, accelerated increase, decelerated increase and containment phases. We also combined phases II and III as outbreak phase. The epidemic data included the duration of different phases, the numbers of confirmed cases, asymptomatic infections, and the proportion of imported cases from abroad. Results: In area I, II and III, only area I has a Phase I, and the Phase II and III of area I are longer. In Phase IV, there is a 17-day case clearing period in area I, while that in area II and III are 2 and 0 days, respectively. In phase III or the whole outbreak phase, the average daily increase of confirmed cases in area I was higher than that in areas II and III (P = 0.009 and P = 0.001 in phase III; P = 0.034 and P = 0.002 in the whole outbreak phase), and the average daily in-hospital cases were most in area I and least in area III (P = 0.000, P = 0.000, and P = 0.000 in phase III; P = 0.000, P = 0.000, and P = 0.009 in the whole outbreak phase). The average number of daily in-hospital COVID-19 cases in phase III was more than that in phase II in each area (P = 0.000, P = 0.000, and P = 0.001). In phase IV, from March 18, 2020 to January 1, 2021, the increase of confirmed cases in area III was higher than areas I and II (both P = 0.000), and the imported cases from abroad in Chinese mainland accounted for more than 55-61%. From June 16 to July 2, 2020, the number of new asymptomatic infections in area III was higher than that in area II (P = 0.000), while there was zero in area I. From July 3, 2020 to January 1, 2021, the increased COVID-19 cases in area III were 3534, while only 14 and 0, respectively, in areas I and II. Conclusions: The worst epidemic areas in Chinese mainland before March 18, 2020 and after June 15, 2020 were area I and area III, respectively, and area III had become the main battlefield for Chinese mainland to fight against imported epidemic since March 18, 2020. In Wuhan, human COVID-19 infection might occur before December 8, 2019, while the outbreak might occur before January 16 or even 10, 2020. Insufficient understanding of COVID-19 hindered the implementation of early effective isolation measures, leading to COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, and strict isolation measures were effective in controlling the epidemic. The import of foreign COVID-19 cases has made it difficult to control the epidemic of area III. When humans are once again faced with potentially infectious new diseases, it is appropriate to first and foremost take strict quarantine measures as soon as possible, and mutual cooperation between regions should be explored to combat the epidemic.

We are stuck in the middle: intercultural adjustments and adaptations of Western-educated mainland PhD students at one Hong Kong university

This paper examines the academic and sociocultural adjustment processes, challenges, and coping strategies of Chinese students who studied at top Western universities prior to relocating to Hong Kong for PhD study. Through purposeful sampling, 30 individuals from one elite university in Hong Kong, the majority of whom won prestigious scholarships, were invited to semi-structured interviews. Our findings suggest that Hong Kong's geopolitical proximity to mainland China and generous scholarship packages, in addition to compatibility with supervisors and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the West, were major factors that motivated students to select Hong Kong. Academic challenges participants reportedly encounter include interpersonal hierarchies, output-oriented academic culture, and unsatisfactory teaching. The sociocultural challenges are predominantly the difficulty of learning and speaking Cantonese, Mandarin discrimination, and a divided campus. Three forms of response were identified: expectation management, need-based adjustments, and struggle and resistance. This study reveals that students set their Western experience as a benchmark against which they judge their education in Hong Kong. We confirm the role of supervisors as the gatekeepers of students' intercultural adaptations and highlight the importance of an inclusive campus environment, which is focused on academic excellence alongside student wellbeing rather than prioritizing publications.

Job Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic amongst Social Workers: A Comparison between Chinese Mainland and Macao

The COVID-19 pandemic may have resulted in front line social workers experiencing job stress, burnout and other psychological distress. Little is known about the work-related stress experienced by Chinese social workers during the pandemic. This study focused on the job stress of social workers from Mainland and Macao. The research aims of this study included: (1) testing whether there is a difference in job stress between social workers from Mainland and Macao during the pandemic and (2) identifying mediating factors that helped explain such regional differences. An online survey collected data from 292 social workers in Mainland China and 108 from Macao in 2020. Mainland participants reported significantly higher job stress than Macao participants. Regional differences in job stress amongst Mainland and Macao social workers were partially attributed to their age and professional role identity. More attention needs to be paid to social workers in Mainland China as they experience higher job stress than their counterparts from Macao. Future research is needed to examine other factors (e.g. job demand and financial compensation) that may contribute to such regional differences. This article studied the job stress of social workers, during COVID-19, in two different Chinese regions. A survey collected data from 292 social workers in Mainland China and 108 social workers in Macao in 2020. The findings showed that the Mainland social workers reported higher job stress than their Macao counterparts. Regional differences in job stress were partially attributed to their age and professional role identity. Future research is needed to examine other factors (e.g. job demand and financial compensation) that may contribute to such regional differences.

A Grounded Theoretical Research on the Perception of College Students' Online Learning under the Background of Cultural Differences

Under the influence of the COVID-19, online learning has become a way for universities around the world to maintain teaching activities. Based on this background, this study selects a class of students from a university in Macao as the survey object. The students come from Macao and Chinese mainland. Through in-depth interviews, this study finds the reactions of students from different regions and influenced by different cultures in online learning. The results of the study show that students in the two places are concerned about the advantages, disadvantages, teaching adjustments, and external conditions of online learning. However, it is worth noting that the actual perception of online learning by students is quite different, and the students in Macao show "emotional stimulation", Chinese Mainland students show "rational cognition". For this reason, we propose that the online classroom should be adjusted in accordance with cultural differences in order to achieve better online learning and teaching effects. © 2022 ACM.

Association of Knowledge with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Under Emergency: A Nationally Study in China

Identifying and understanding the hesitancy degree of public COVID-19 vaccine in emergency may be helpful to the dissemination of vaccine-related public health information. Through a survey among the adult population of Chinese mainland (N = 1080) after the COVID-19 vaccine was approved for mass vaccination, it is found that although more than 80% of the public (87.8%) have a low hesitancy attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine, a considerable number of people still have a medium hesitancy and a high hesitancy attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine (the middle hesitancy rate is 9.8% and the high hesitancy rate is 2.4%). By multiple logistic regression, the subjective and objective knowledge levels of medium-high hesitancy group and low hesitancy group in COVID-19 vaccine were compared. The results showed that there were significant differences in subjective and objective knowledge levels between medium-high hesitancy group and low-hesitancy group in COVID-19 vaccine. Compared with those with low hesitancy, those with medium and high hesitancy have lower subjective knowledge level and objective knowledge level. The influence of subjective knowledge level on public vaccine hesitancy is significantly greater than that of objective knowledge. In addition, through multiple linear regression, the study found that the information channel had a significant impact on the public's subjective and objective knowledge. Receiving vaccine information from television, web pages, health professionals, health departments can promote subjective knowledge and objective knowledge, while receiving vaccine information from family and friends reduces subjective knowledge and objective knowledge. Considering the geographical location of the population in this study, the research results in this paper cannot be extended to the public in other countries. However, the method used in this paper is helpful for researchers to understand the hesitancy degree of COVID-19 vaccines in other places and its relationship with the public knowledge level of COVID-19 vaccines. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Influenza activity during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 in Chinese mainland.

Since coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) might circulate in the following seasons, it is essential to understand how COVID-19 influences other respiratory diseases, especially influenza. In this study, we analyzed the influenza activity from mid-November 2019 to March 2020 in Chinese mainland and found that the influenza season ended much earlier than previous seasons for all subtypes and lineages, which may have resulted from the circulation of COVID-19 and measures such as travel control and personal protection. These findings provide rudimentary knowledge of the co-circulation patterns of the two types of viruses.