Patient Survey in Medical Practices on their Visit during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

Background: Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic medical practices have implemented diverse protective measures to contain the pandemic, practice organization and structures were adapted. In order to get information about patients' perception of their doctors' visit during the pandemic, we conducted a patient survey in medical practices. Method(s): Cross-sectional study of 58 patients, who were interviewed in four medical practices (family physicians and specialists) in the South West of Munich from 02.04.-17.04.2020 on the following topics: "personal risk assessment", "sense of security and perception of protection measures in the practice setting", "importance of the doctor's visit" and "change of medication, nicotine consumption". By means of a questionnaire with 24 items, data were collected anonymously. Results are presented descriptively and via ANOVA as well as via linear regression. Result(s): The personal risk assessments for COVID-19-disease and for a severe course of COVID-19 were rated low moderate, independent of sex or age. Around 8% of the surveyed patients discussed their personal risk with their doctors. The sense of security in the practice setting was rated high. The rating of the protection equipment was good as well, and closely met expectations. The personal importance of the visit varied. Only 6% had considered cancelling their visit beforehand. A change of medication due to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was not observed. Conclusion(s): The patient survey provides a snapshot of the outpatient setting from the patient's perspective in a hyperdynamic pandemic situation. Yet, due to the small study population, the results have to be interpreted with caution.Copyright © 2021, Deutscher Arzteverlag.

Social Contacts and Compliance with SARS-CoV-2 Distancing Measures in the First Lockdown 2020 among Refugees from Syria and Afghanistan in Vienna

The article deals with the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related measures on the social interactions of refugees from Afghanistan and Syria in Vienna during the first lockdown in March/April 2020. The focus is on the challenges for these vulnerable groups in the field of tension between the contact minimisation prescribed in the Corona regulations of the federal government on the one hand and cramped housing conditions, precarious labour market positions, homeschooling and the "digital divide” on the other. Further focal points are how refugees deal with the measures of "social/physical distancing”, its consequences in view of the colliding cultural norms, the extent of contact reduction and its causal factors. The empirical basis was provided by a quantitative online survey and qualitative interviews with refugees as well as experts from refugee support NGOs and organisations from both groups of origin, who were involved in the underlying project within the framework of a community-based participatory approach. Contrasting with the criticism sometimes voiced in the media that primarily certain groups with a migration background have been less compliant with the measures to contain the pandemic, a more differentiated picture is drawn. Above all, the factors of family status, age and housing conditions have had a strong influence on compliance with the distancing measures. The inaccessibility of public space, which is a particularly important resource for the refugees, as well as the discontinuation of social services offered by NGOs have particularly affected these vulnerable groups. © 2022 Austrian Geographical Society. All rights reserved.

Long Term, Pre, and Post Impacts of SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on Road Traffic Crashes in the Case of Budapest, Hungary

SARS-CoV-2 is a pandemic that affects road traffic flaw and crashes globally. This study attempted to compare the situation of road traffic crashes in the city of Budapest before and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to better understand its long-term percussive effects. The study considers 12208 road traffic crashes that registered between 20 May 2018 – 31 December 2021. The rate and severity of road traffic crashes during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic examined by using a percentage frequency distribution and a severity index. This study depicted that most crashes reported during the normal daytime between15:01-18:00 (peak hour). The study indicated that during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic the road traffic crashes were reduced by 20.15%. A rear-end collision was one of the most common type of catastrophes highly registered. Road users, particularly drivers, heavily endorsed crashes. Even though the proportion of road traffic crashes caused by alcohol consumption was modest (6%), the rate of alcohol consumption and its concentration increased slightly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. At the same time the number of crashes caused by high-speed traffic maneuvers reduced. Improper interpretation of road traffic signs, road pavement condition and failure to respect proper sight distance were influential reasons of road traffic crashes among the top. Meanwhile, the distributional impact of careless driving in the aftermath of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic causes a shift in rank. Therefore, this study proved that during SARS-CoV-2 pandemics road traffic crashes reduced, the rate and concentration of alcohol consumption increased, and careless driving was encouraged.

Stochastic Dynamics of the COVID-19 Epidemic Via a New Mathematical Model

This work considers a new stochastic mathematical model for the transmission dynamics of the coronavirusCOVID-19 by providing the healthy compartment together with the quarantine/isolation compartment. In the deterministic model, global stability conditions of the disease-free equilibrium E0 and the endemic equilibrium E*are derived in terms of the threshold quantity Rd0. Based on the chaotic behavior, we develop and analyze a fourdimensional stochastic COVID-19 epidemic model. Uniqueness, boundedness, and positiveness of the proposed stochastic model are investigated in a biologically feasible region. In terms of the stochastic basic reproduction number Rs0 of the stochastic model, extinction and persistence of the COVID-19 disease are derived. Our theoretical findings are supported by some numerical simulations. The sensitivity of the model with respect to the parameters involved in the system is studied to investigate the most sensitive parameter towards the highest number of infected individuals. We confirm the stability analysis by showing the elasticity of Rs 0 with respect to the variation of each parameter. We present real data of a case study with the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United Kingdom. We compare our numerical results with the real data. © 2023 L&H Scientific Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

Blockchain-based voter registry management system

Aims: Excess mortality during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been studied in many countries. Accounting for population aging has important implications for excess mortality estimates. We show the importance of adjustment for age trends in a small-scale mortality analysis as well as the importance of analysing different pandemic phases for mortality in an urban population. Methods: Population data for Frankfurt/Main for 2016-2021 were obtained from the Municipal Office of Statistics, City of Frankfurt/Main. Mortality data from 2016 to 2021 were provided by the Hessian State Authority. For standardized mortality ratios (SMR=observed number of deaths divided by the expected number of deaths), the expected number of deaths was calculated in two ways: For SMRcrude, the mean mortality rate from the years 2016-2019 was multiplied by the total number of residents in 2020 and 2021 separately. For SMRadjusted, this procedure was performed separately for five age groups, and the numbers of expected deaths per age group were added. Results: SMRcrude was 1.006 (95% CI: 0.980-1.031) in 2020, and 1.047 (95% CI: 1.021-1.073) in 2021. SMRadjusted was 0.976 (95% CI: 0.951-1.001) in 2020 and 0.998 (95% CI: 0.973-1.023) in 2021. Excess mortality was observed during pandemic wave 2, but not during pandemic waves 1 and 3. Conclusion: Taking the aging of the population into account, no excess mortality was observed in Frankfurt/Main in 2020 and 2021. Without adjusting for population aging trends in Frankfurt /Main, mortality would have been greatly overestimated. © The Authors.

Presidential elections during the pandemic

The presidential election held in 2020 was special due to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as the electoral process took place in several unusual stages. The first stage was based on the assumption that a standard electoral process would suffice to perform the election. In the second stage, an attempt was made to organise the election by postal voting. The third stage resulted from the failure to hold the vote on the originally scheduled date (10 May 2020). The fourth stage was to hold the electoral process on a new date (28 June 2020). The extraordinary circumstances under which the election took place revealed previously unknown aspects in the application of the law. The paper aims at describing different stages of the process as well as identifying legal problems that were exposed during the elections. The systematics of the article is based on a chronology of events.

Numerical Analysis of the Impact of the Use of Personal Protective Equipment on the Face in the Process of Pollutants Spreading Emitted During Breathing

The study presents the results of a numerical analysis of the effectiveness of the use of personal protective equipment of various designs on the spread of pollutants marked with CO2 emitted during human breathing. In the study of 3D geometry the upper part of the human torso and head was developed. The simulated person was supplied with different personal protective equipment covering the human face (PPE). Two types of face shields worn at a different distance from the face and one fabric face mask was analysed. The reference geometry with no personal protective equipment was also analysed. Transient calculation with full breathing model including breath-in and breath-out and species transport were simulated. The results showed that different PPE generates different airflow patterns in the vicinity of the human face. The most efficient in reducing infection risk is by wearing a face mask or face shields at a small distance from the face, as they most effectively reduce CO2 concentration in the surrounding air. However, they also increase the re-inhalation risk of high CO2 concentration which affects human well-being.

Excess mortality during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the City of Frankfurt/Main, Germany, in 2020 and 2021, adjusted for age trends and pandemic phases.

Aims: Excess mortality during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been studied in many countries. Accounting for population aging has important implications for excess mortality estimates. We show the importance of adjustment for age trends in a small-scale mortality analysis as well as the importance of analysing different pandemic phases for mortality in an urban population. Methods: Population data for Frankfurt/Main for 2016-2021 were obtained from the Municipal Office of Statistics, City of Frankfurt/Main. Mortality data from 2016 to 2021 were provided by the Hessian State Authority. For standardized mortality ratios (SMR=observed number of deaths divided by the expected number of deaths), the expected number of deaths was calculated in two ways: For SMRcrude, the mean mortality rate from the years 2016-2019 was multiplied by the total number of residents in 2020 and 2021 separately. For SMRadjusted, this procedure was performed separately for five age groups, and the numbers of expected deaths per age group were added. Results: SMRcrude was 1.006 (95% CI: 0.980-1.031) in 2020, and 1.047 (95% CI: 1.021-1.073) in 2021. SMRadjusted was 0.976 (95% CI: 0.951-1.001) in 2020 and 0.998 (95% CI: 0.973-1.023) in 2021. Excess mortality was observed during pandemic wave 2, but not during pandemic waves 1 and 3. Conclusion: Taking the aging of the population into account, no excess mortality was observed in Frankfurt/Main in 2020 and 2021. Without adjusting for population aging trends in Frankfurt /Main, mortality would have been greatly overestimated.

Reflective, pragmatic, and reactive decision-making by maternity service providers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic health system shock: a qualitative, grounded theory analysis.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant and postpartum women were identified as having particular vulnerability to severe symptomatology of SARS-CoV-2 infection, so maternity services significantly reconfigured their care provision. We examined the experiences and perceptions of maternity care staff who provided care during the pandemic in South London, United Kingdom - a region of high ethnic diversity with varied levels of social complexity. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative interview study, as part of a service evaluation between August and November 2020, using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a range of staff (N = 29) working in maternity services. Data were analysed using Grounded Theory analysis appropriate to cross-disciplinary health research. ANALYSIS & FINDINGS: Maternity healthcare professionals provided their views, experiences, and perceptions of delivering care during the pandemic. Analysis rendered three emergent themes regarding decision-making during reconfigured maternity service provision, organised into pathways: 1) 'Reflective decision-making'; 2) 'Pragmatic decision-making'; and 3) 'Reactive decision-making'. Whilst pragmatic decision-making was found to disrupt care, reactive-decision-making was perceived to devalue the care offered and provided. Alternatively, reflective decision-making, despite the difficult working conditions of the pandemic, was seen to benefit services, with regards to care of high-quality, sustainability of staff, and innovation within the service. CONCLUSIONS: Decision-making within maternity care was found to take three forms - where at best changes to services could be innovative, at worst they could cause devaluation in care being delivered, and more often than not, these changes were disruptive. With regard to positive changes, healthcare providers identified staff empowerment, flexible working patterns (both for themselves and collectively as teams), personalised care delivery, and change-making in general, as key areas to capitalise on current and ongoing innovations borne out of the pandemic. Key learnings included a focus on care-related, meaningful listening and engagement of staff at all levels, in order to drive forward high-quality care and avoid care disruption and devaluation.

Comparing the COVID-19-related PTSD symptoms between psychiatric patients and healthy subjects: an observational retrospective study from Northern Italy.

COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on mental health, both in the general population and psychiatric patients. Little is known about the difference between these two populations in perceiving the pandemic as a traumatic event. The aim of the study was to compare psychiatric patients and healthy controls (HC) in terms of change over time of post-traumatic (PTSD) symptoms. Demographic and clinical variables were collected. Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R) scores were registered at T1 as lockdown period (March-April 2020) and T2 as restarting (May-June 2020). Descriptive analyses and linear regression models were performed. A total of 166 outpatients and 57 HC were recruited. Time (F = 15.76; p < 0.001) and diagnosis (F = 4.94; p < 0.001) had a significant effect on the change of IES-R scores, which resulted T1 > T2 (p < 0.001), except for subjects affected by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Overall, IES-R scores were < in patients than in HC (p = 0.02), particularly in the schizophrenia (SKZ) subgroup (p < 0.001). IES-R scores of subjects with personality disorders (PDs) resulted to be > HC, although not statistically significant. The lockdown period was perceived as more traumatic than the reopening phase by both groups, with the exception of OCD patients, probably because of the clinical worsening associated with the urge of control against risks of contamination. Overall, HC reported more PTSD symptoms than psychiatric patients did, particularly SKZ ones. PD patients, in contrast, may be more vulnerable to PTSD symptoms probably as a result of poor coping skills. Together with OCD patients, subjects with PDs may need closer monitoring during the different phases of the pandemic. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04694482.

Fractional order epidemiological model of SARS-CoV-2 dynamism involving Alzheimer's disease

In this paper, we study a Caputo-Fabrizio fractional order epidemiological model for the transmission dynamism of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic and its relationship with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is incorporated into the model by evaluating its relevance to the quarantine strategy. We use functional techniques to demonstrate the proposed model stability under the Ulam-Hyres condition. The Adams-Bashforth method is used to determine the numerical solution for our proposed model. According to our numerical results, we notice that an increase in the quarantine parameter has minimal effect on the Alzheimer's disease compartment.Copyright © 2022 The Author(s)

The impact of leader in me on elementary school culture: A quantitative study of the impact of leader in me on school culture during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The purpose of this quantitative study is to understand the role that character education curriculum, specifically the Leader in Me, plays on overall elementary school culture. The primary question guiding this study is, has the implementation of Leader in Me provided any measurable impact on elementary school culture prior to and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic? The review of the literature demonstrates a rich history of character education throughout the history of education and the impact that it plays on self-efficacy, school culture, and student achievement. This study intends to investigate the impact that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had on elementary school culture and determine whether the implementation of Leader in Me provided better conditions for positive school culture. In order to achieve this overall objective, the following research questions framed this quantitative study: 1. What is the relationship between the length of implementation of the Leader in Me character education curriculum on elementary school culture? 2. What impact did the implementation of the Leader in Me character education curriculum play on elementary school culture prior to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic? 3. What impact did the implementation of the Leader in Me character education curriculum play on elementary school culture during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?A quantitative approach has been chosen for this study to examine the impact that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had on elementary school culture and determine if the implementation of Leader in Me provided any benefit. Archival data was utilized to provide a foundation for the analysis of the data through the utilization of the 5Essentials Survey and the Measurable Results Assessment. The study also utilized an independently created survey to measure the school culture of schools that have and have not implemented Leader in Me. The data included responses from staff and administrators at 817 elementary schools across Northern Illinois. Statistical tests were conducted to determine the impact that the implementation of Leader in Me may have on elementary school culture.While this study was unable to replicate the results of prior studies regarding the impact that Leader in Me plays on school culture, it did find a statistically significant difference in school culture during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Furthermore, the research concluded that regardless of the implementation of Leader in Me, school culture was negatively impacted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.Recommendations from this study include the need to analyze school culture following the pandemic to understand the true impact of Leader in Me during the pandemic, utilize a greater population size in order to provide more generalized results, and consider the use of a mixed methods study to gain a greater understanding as to why respondents perceive their school culture to be the way that it is. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The mental health continuum during the Covid-19 pandemic in a general population of Argentine adults

The people's mental health analysis in SARS-Cov-2 pandemic context constitutes a highly relevant challenge for current psychology. The present research had two goals, firstly to analyze the associations between the mental health continuum and symptoms of anxiety, depression and intolerance to uncertainty in Argentine adults in the COVID-19 pandemic, and secondly to compare the levels of emotional, psychological and social well-being according to psychological assistance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included a sample of 1120 adults between 18 and 84 years of age (Mage 37.32, SD = 14.81), 60.1% women and 39.9% men. The results reported that the associations between levels of emotional, psychological, social and total well-being and symptoms of depression and intolerance of uncertainty were negative and significant. However, the correlations with anxiety symptoms were positive and significant. Significant differences were found in the levels of emotional, psychological, social and total well-being according to attendance to psychotherapeutic treatment. In all cases, people who attended psychotherapeutic treatment showed higher levels of well-being compared to those who did not. It is concluded that people who were in the flourishing mental health category and underwent psychotherapeutic treatment showed lower indicators of depression and intolerance to uncertainty. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Portuguese) A analise da saude mental das pessoas no contexto de uma pandemia de SARS-Cov-2 e um desafio altamente relevante para a psicologia actual. A presente investigacao tinha dois objectivos, primeiro para analisar as associacoes entre a continuidade da saude mental e os sintomas de ansiedade, depressao e intolerancia a incerteza em adultos argentinos numa pandemia COVID-19, e segundo para comparar os niveis de bem-estar emocional, psicologico e social de acordo com a assistencia psicologica no contexto de uma pandemia COVID-19. O tipo de estudo foi descritivo, correlacional e de diferenca de grupo, sob um desenho transversal nao experimental. Foi utilizada uma amostra de 1120 adultos de 18-84 anos (Midade 37.32, DP = 14.81), 60.1% feminino e 39.9% masculino. Os resultados relataram que as associacoes entre os niveis de bem-estar emocional, psicologico, social e total e os sintomas de depressao e de intolerancia a incerteza eram negativas e significativas. No entanto, as correlacoes com sintomas de ansiedade foram positivas e significativas. Foram encontradas diferencas significativas nos niveis de bem-estar emocional, psicologico, social e total de acordo com a assistencia ao tratamento psicoterapeutico. Em todos os casos, as pessoas que assistiram ao tratamento psicoterapeutico mostraram niveis mais elevados de bem-estar em comparacao com as que nao o fizeram. Conclui-se que as pessoas que se encontravam na prospera categoria de saude mental e foram submetidas a tratamento psicoterapeutico mostraram indicadores mais baixos de depressao e intolerancia a incerteza. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Spanish) El analisis de la salud mental de las personas en contexto de pandemia por SARS-Cov-2 constituye un reto de gran relevancia para la psicologia actual. La presente investigacion se propuso dos objetivos. En primer lugar, analizar las asociaciones entre el continuo de salud mental y los sintomas de ansiedad, depresion e intolerancia a la incertidumbre en adultos argentinos en pandemia por COVID-19 y, en segundo lugar, comparar los niveles de bienestar emocional, psicologico y social segun asistencia psicologica en contexto de pandemia por COVID-19. El tipo de estudio fue descriptivo, correlacional y de diferencia de grupos bajo un diseno no experimental de corte transversal. Se utilizo una muestra de 1120 adultos de entre 18 y 84 anos (MEdad 37.32, DE = 14.81), 60.1% mujeres y 39.9% varones. Los resultados informaron que las asociaciones entre los niveles de bienestar emocional, psicologico, social y total y los sintomas de depresion e intolerancia a la incertidumbre fueron negativas y significativas. Sin embargo, las correlaciones con los sintomas de ansiedad fueron positivas y significativas. Se hallaron diferencias significativas en los niveles de bienestar emocional, psicologico, social y total segun asistencia a tratamiento psicoterapeutico. En todos los casos, las personas que asistieron a tratamiento psicoterapeutico demostraron mayores niveles de bienestar en comparacion a quienes no lo realizaron. Se concluye que las personas que se encontraban en la categoria de salud mental floreciente y realizaban tratamiento psicoterapeutico presentaron menores indicadores de depresion e intolerancia a la incertidumbre. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Addressing Chronic Gynecological Diseases in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on healthcare systems worldwide. Since the actual influence of the pandemic on gynecological care is still unclear, we aim to evaluate the effect of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on gynecological procedures compared to the pre-pandemic period in Romania. Materials and Methods: this is a single-center retrospective observational study, involving patients hospitalized in the year before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (PP), in the first year of the pandemic (P1), and in the second year of the pandemic until February 2022 (P2). The percentages of interventions were analyzed globally but also according to the type of surgery applied on the female genital organs. Results: during pandemic, the number of gynecological surgeries dropped considerably, by more than 50% in some cases, or even decreased by up to 100%, having a major impact on women's health, especially in the first year of the pandemic (P1), before slightly increasing in the post-vaccination period (PV). Surgically treated cancer cases dropped by over 80% during the pandemic, and the consequences of this will be seen in the future. Conclusions: the COVID-19 pandemic played an important part in gynecological care management in the Romanian public health care system, and the effect will have to be investigated in the future.

Living with epilepsy during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions: A longitudinal perspective.

The purpose of our study was to explore how people with epilepsy fared during two of the most stringent 4-month society-wide COVID-19-related pandemic restrictions in Ireland, in 2020 and one year later in 2021. This was in the context of their seizure control, lifestyle factors, and access to epilepsy-related healthcare services. A 14-part questionnaire was administered to adults with epilepsy during virtual specialist epilepsy clinics in a University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland at the end of the two lockdowns. People with epilepsy were questioned on their epilepsy control, lifestyle factors, and quality of epilepsy-related medical care, compared to pre-COVID times. The study sample consisted of two separate cohorts of those diagnosed with epilepsy (100 (51.8%) in 2020, and 93 (48.2%) in 2021, with similar baseline characteristics. There was no significant change in seizure control or lifestyle factors from 2020 to 2021, except for deterioration in anti-seizure medication (ASM) adherence in 2021 compared to 2020 (p = 0.028). There was no correlation between ASM adherence and other lifestyle factors. Over the two years, poor seizure control was significantly associated with poor sleep (p < 0.001) and average seizure frequency in a month (p = 0.007). We concluded that there was no significant difference between seizure control or lifestyle factors between the two most stringent lockdowns in Ireland, in 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, people with epilepsy reported that throughout the lockdowns access to services was well maintained, and they felt well supported by their services. Contrary to the popular opinion that COVID lockdowns greatly affected patients with chronic diseases, we found that those with epilepsy attending our service remained largely stable, optimistic, and healthy during this time.

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as a catalyst? Development of emotional problems of preschool children of mothers with childhood maltreatment experiences in the course of the pandemic-a longitudinal analysis.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have posed great challenges for all families and children. Health risks and fears associated with SARS-CoV-2 negatively affect the parental mental health and perceived stress, which in turn influence parental coping and thereby impairs the mental health and well-being of their children. Additional risk factors within the parents, such as maternal childhood maltreatment (CM) experiences, may increase the risk of children to develop emotional problems during the pandemic. Objective: The purpose of this longitudinal study is to determine whether preschool children of mothers with CM are at higher risk of developing emotional problems during the pandemic than preschool children of mothers without CM. Method: 74 mothers from a birth cohort examining pathways to resilience or vulnerability in the transgenerational transmission of CM, provided information on emotional problems of their children (aged 3-7 years) at two measurement time points (t1: May 2020, t2: March 2021) as part of an online "SARS-CoV-2 pandemic" survey. In addition, parents were asked for a retrospective assessment of their children's emotional problems before the pandemic at time t1. Children's emotional problems were assessed using the "emotional problems" scale of the German version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and linked to previously collected data on mothers' childhood maltreatment experiences, which were collected using the German short version of the Trauma in Childhood Questionnaire (CTQ). Results: Our analyses showed that children's emotional problems increased significantly over the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic [F(1.86, 116.88) = 3.72, p = 0.030 η 2 = 0.06] and were rated significantly higher in the group of children of mothers with CM, than in the group of mothers without CM [F(1, 63) = 126.06, p < 0.001 η 2 = 0.67]. Furthermore children's emotional problems of mothers with CM increased significantly more and reached a clinically significant value during the pandemic than for children of mothers without CM [F(1.86, 116.88) = 8.89, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.12]. Conclusions: Children of mothers with CM appear to be at increased risk of developing emotional problems during the pandemic. CM therefore needs to be considered as an additional risk factor in the impact of the pandemic on children.

Nature and well-being: The association of nature engagement and well-being during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Numerous studies have shown the positive association between nature engagement and well-being. During the early phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, nature engagement changed dramatically as mental health and well-being declined across the globe. This study examines how psychological connection to nature and engagement with nature in various forms is associated with well-being during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Specifically, we examine which types of nature engagement (i.e. with nearby nature, through nature excursions and media-based) are more strongly associated with well-being based on measures of loneliness, rumination, pandemic emotional impact and mental health. We employed a cross-sectional online survey of adults (N = 3282) residing in the United States, 25% of whom report seldom spending time in nature. Our findings revealed that the psychological construct of connection to nature was associated with less loneliness and greater mental health. Overall, nature engagement was a consistent predictor of well-being, but different types of activities predicted varying outcomes on our four dependent variables. Greater engagement with nearby nature during the pandemic was associated with less rumination, less pandemic emotional impact and better mental health while nature excursions (e.g. camping, backpacking) and media-based nature engagement were associated with greater loneliness, more emotional impact from the pandemic and worse mental health. In addition, nature engagement via media was associated with greater rumination. Our findings suggest that promoting opportunities to increase engagement with and access to nearby nature is associated with better human well-being, especially during challenging events, and should be part of a multi-pronged approach for coping with the next public health crisis. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. © 2023 The Authors. People and Nature published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.

QUANTIFYING RESPONSIVENESS IN THE VACCINE INDUSTRY TO EVALUATE AND IMPROVE PANDEMIC RESPONSE

In the wake of the pandemic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) we can look at many aspects of the global response, including social, scientific, and governmental. Current research in the areas of vaccine development and manufacturing find the process of developing a new vaccine takes an especially long time and is unresponsive. Understanding the factors that influence responsiveness can help organizations be better prepared to address the needs of society should another pandemic strike. Responsiveness can be linked to product, process, and volume. The vaccine development and manufacturing process historically takes years to reach distribution for public use. In the face of potential pandemics, learning from SARS-CoV-2 vaccine responsiveness will provide essential information for future decision making. This paper will propose a method to quantify and evaluate the responsiveness of manufacturing processes and vaccine development within the vaccine industry by considering various elements of an organization's vaccine development and supply chain process. We created a model to evaluate characteristics within the supply chain for vaccine delivery. The model can be used to better understand an organization's strengths and weaknesses in their supply chain. In turn, an organization can be better prepared to act swiftly against a future pandemic. Copyright, American Society for Engineering Management, 2022.

Public Health Measures Enacted by the Norwegian Political Leadership to Protect the Elderly in Response to the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic Crisis

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis is ongoing, and the elderly are still affected by the virus, sometimes with fatal consequences. The political leaders are, inter alia, focussed on protecting citizens, including this vulnerable group. This article aims to describe the response of the Norwegian political leadership, with a focus on the public health measures enacted to protect the elderly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis in the years 2020 and 2021. This study has a descriptive qualitative research design using thematic-content analysis as a methodology to evaluate data collected from official documents, national statistics and public health documents from Norway. Statistics show that the elderly mortality rate per 100,000 person-weeks during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was 2.69 in Norway;during the second wave of the pandemic, it was 1.43. The public health measures the Norwegian political leadership instigated were more effective in containing the crisis when compared to other European countries, and this paper investigates the reasons. The results of our study provide public health policy decision-makers with insights into analytical material showing the usefulness of different measures enacted by the Norwegian government. The Norwegian government's responses to the crisis, such as the public health measures, restrictions, social consequences for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, as well as cross-government and cross-community cooperation, will need further in-depth analysis. © 2023 Miroslava Tokovska et al., published by Sciendo 2023.