Comprehensive sentimental analysis of tweets towards COVID-19 in Pakistan: a study on governmental preventive measures.

Sentiments are the key factors that lead to influence our behavior. Sentiment analysis is a technique that analyzes people's behaviors, attitudes, and emotions toward a service, product, topic, or event. Since 2020, no country has remained untouched by COVID-19, and the governing bodies of most countries have been applying several anti-pandemic countermeasures to combat it. In this regard, it becomes tremendously important to analyze people's sentiments when tackling infectious diseases similar to COVID-19. The countermeasures taken by any country to control the pandemic leave a direct and crucial impact on each sector of public life, and every individual reacts to them differently. It is necessary to consider these reactions to implement appropriate messaging and decisive policies. Pakistan has done enough to control this virus's spread like every other country. This research aims to perform a sentimental analysis on the famous microblogging social platform, Twitter, to get insights into public sentiments and the attitudes displayed towards the precautionary steps taken by the Government of Pakistan in the years 2020 and 2021. These steps or countermeasures include the closure of educational institutes, suspension of flight operations, lockdown of business activities, enforcement of several standard operating procedures (SOPs), and the commencement of the vaccination program. We implemented four approaches for the analysis, including the Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner (VADER), TextBlob, Flair, and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT). The first two techniques are lexicon-based. Flair is a pre-trained embedding-based approach, whereas BERT is a transformer-based model. BERT was fine-tuned and trained on a labeled dataset, achieving a validation accuracy of 92%. We observed that the polarity score kept varying from month to month in both years for all countermeasures. This score was analyzed with real-time events occurring in the country, which helped understand the public's sentiment and led to the possible formation of a notable conclusion. All implemented approaches showed independent performances. However, we noticed from the classification results of both TextBlob and the fine-tuned BERT model that neutral sentiment was dominant in the data, followed by positive sentiment.

Knowledge, Adherence, and the Lived Experiences of Refugees in COVID-19

Introduction and Background. The extent to which refugee communities were aware of the COVID-19 pandemic and adhered to related preventive measures remained largely unknown at its onset. This research was conducted in two settings: among urban refugees in Kampala's informal settlements and refugees in established rural settlements. Objectives. The study assessed pre-post knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among refugees;explored local perception of risk or exposure;and analysed implementation of Uganda's national response to determine feasibility and adherence. Our study also identified existing systems in the COVID-19 response and determined their efficacy. Methodologically, this was a mixed-method cross-sectional study using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. It was conducted among 2093 participants in eleven (11) refugee settlements located within three (3) regions and hosting up to five (5) different nationalities. The urban study site was Kisenyi in Kampala, Central Uganda;the rural sites were Kyaka II in South Western Uganda and Adjumani in West Nile. Methods included a community and facility survey, interviews, focus group discussions, and observations. The study's quantitative arm used two-staged cluster sampling, and research instruments were checked for reliability using Cronbach's Alpha. T-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariable linear regression were applied to analyse the data in SPSS version 22. Statistical significance was assumed at p < 0.05. Qualitative interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and thematically analysed in line with study objectives. This chapter presents empirical data from the study's qualitative arm. Findings. Refugee communities were generally aware of COVID-19 and the related preventive measures. Adherence to preventive guidelines was high in the first 12 weeks of the pandemic outbreak in Uganda;however, this behaviour steadily declined after that, and high-risk behaviour was reported alongside heightened vulnerability and breakdown of support systems. Community leadership and the social work professions were largely underutilised in Uganda's mainstream COVID response although they could have helped increase and sustain adherence to preventive guidelines and in light of limited resources. Conclusion and Recommendations. Community adherence to a known threat is contingent on not only recognising but also addressing key social, economic, political, and other determinants. Resource-limited settings with increasing COVID-19 cases such as Uganda will need to leverage a holistic approach to emergency response that effectively engages local leadership and crucial professions such as social work to support those in the biomedical field. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

"Indian Railway—A Galloping Elephant” (Life in the Times of COVID-19)

Covid-19 pandemic brought the most powerful and intelligent of species on earth, to its knees, forcing countries to lockdown. India, a country of 1.37 billion, was under lockdown initially for 21 days, from 24th Mar'20;extended till 31st May'20. The 2nd wave of COVID-19 infections hit the country from Mar'21 and the situation was far worse than first wave and daily infections were four times more than that in Sep'20. Lockdowns may be a recurring feature till the situation comes under control, though the degree and kind of restrictions, would vary dynamically as our experience and the knowledge improves. Indian Railway (IR), the country's lifeline, used to run 20,000 trains daily before Corona struck, using its infrastructure of 72,038 km of route served by 7,318 stations with over 12 lakh employees. It stopped all passenger operations, first time in history, from 22nd Mar'20. However, transportation of essential goods like food grains, petroleum products, coal for the power plants etc. continued uninterrupted. Special parcel trains were started from 7th Apr'20 for the goods which used to move by parcel vans attached to passenger trains and also to make up for tapering of road transport. On demand from states, Specials Trains were run for migrants from 1st May'20. Special passenger trains connecting major metros were started from 12th May'2020. By 01st June'20, when the lockdown eased, 103 passenger trains were running. Paper attempts to codify the knowledge and experience, charting out the journey of IR during pandemic with focus on developments which were either triggered by the pandemic or where there was a quantum shift or acceleration of pace. When this paper was conceived, the pandemic was still unfolding and even now – a year and a half later, things have not yet settled. Nonetheless, Indian Railways has consolidated in certain areas and is still struggling in others. This paper is not only about what IR did exceptionally well but also of what it could not or did not do. It is about the reflection of reality not selective presentations of reality. For that matter the title is misleading and given the choice we would like to change it to -"Indian Railways—An Elephant on the Move” (Life in the Times of COVID-19) © 2023 DMICS.

Revitalization of tourism and hospitality sector: preempting pandemics through lessons learned.

The devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have left many repercussions for the tourism industry to preempt any future catastrophe of this nature. The research aims to propose recommendations for the post-COVID-19 business world to revitalize and reclaim their market space and win back their volumes without any fear of indefinite closures and continued lockdowns in the industry. Drawing from the literature, the study assumed revitalization through responsiveness, use of advanced technology, customers' and employees' willingness, enhanced skills, adherence to standard operating procedures and protective measures, and restructuring via a public-private partnership. For the purpose, survey method was employed to collect data from the industry. After confirmation of the reliability and validity, the regression analyses supported effective revitalization through government responsiveness, use of digital technology, psychological recouping of customers' willingness, enhancing technical skills through training, strict adherence to protective measures, and destination restructuring and reorganization through a public-private partnership. The study proclaimed that Pakistan's tourism and hospitality sector development has evolved through the COVID-19 situation, and is likely to revamp and revitalize into a sustainable business. Once achieving sustainability, the revamped industry will likely to increase revenue, generate employment, and alleviate poverty through thriving public-private partnerships, community involvement, and community well-being without compromising people's health.

Operational considerationsto manage quarantine facility: Lessons learnt in setting-up the first quarantine centre in India for evacuees from Wuhan (The epicentre of COVID-19 outbreak), China

Background: On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a “public health emergency of international concern.” In order to contain the outbreak, China used quarantine measures. India was among the first few to evacuate its citizens. Methods: It is a retrospective cohort study of Indian evacuees who returned from Wuhan, China. Standard operative procedures were developed for daily screening, sample collection, medical management, transport and referral, biomedical waste management, food safety, etc. Lessons learned were incorporated in subsequent trainings to improve effectiveness. Results: India evacuated 647 nationals including seven Maldivian citizens from Wuhan, China in many batches (with first two batches having 104 and 302 evacuees respectively) during the consecutive days of February 1st and 2nd, 2020. These 2 batches of evacuees including seven Maldivian citizens were stationed at Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Chhawla Camp, Delhi;the first quarantine facility in India for novel Coronavirus. Rest of the spassenger were sheltered at a military quarantine facility at Manesar. Conclusion: Developing standard procedures/checklist for routine activities and effective trainings were key to successful quarantining the evacuees in the initial phase of outbreak of COVID-19. Copyright (c) 2021: Author(s).

Structural Modeling on the Determinants of Effectiveness of SOPs Containing COVID-19 in Mass Gatherings.

The study is aimed to analyze the determinants of the effectiveness of SOPs in mass gatherings for containing COVID-19. The overall design of the study involves a literature review, data collection by field survey, structural modeling, and analysis. The study is built on the experts' opinion of a focus group (representing people who recently participated in and are responsible for mass gatherings). The study uses the discussion of the literature review to identify the determinants, interpretive structural modeling (ISM) for developing and analyzing a structural model, and Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliquée a un Classement (MICMAC) for corroboration of results of the ISM/classification of determinants. From the literature review, a list of determinants is generated and verified by a panel of experts. The results of the ISM revealed that the determinants "legal environment of the country," "practicability of SOPs," "perceived benefit of adapting SOPs," and "possibilities of avoiding gathering" occupied the top of the model, therefore, they are less critical determinants, whereas "nature of gathering" occupied the bottom of the model, and is thus the most critical determinant. The remaining determinants form the middle of the model, and are therefore moderately severe. The results of MICMAC show that the determinant "perceived benefit of adapting SOPs" is dependent, "nature of gathering" is independent, and all others are linked. The results of MICMAC implicitly substantiate the findings of the ISM. The overall results of the study show that "nature of gathering" is the key determinant. This research does not require a priori theory since it is a theory-building study that uses an inductive approach. It is based on real data and it is useful for local authorities, organizers, participants (attendees/visitors) of mass gatherings, health officials/regulators, researchers, and the community at large. This study has fundamental importance for planning and preparing for such events while ensuring the minimum risk of COVID-19 transmission.

A Plan for Emergency Shutdown and Reopening for a Consortium of Biobanks.

Background: The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR) is a network of four regional biospecimen repositories and a technical core in the United States and South Africa. Its mission is to acquire, store, and distribute HIV-associated malignancy specimens and related clinical data to support translational research. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent that existing ACSR Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were not sufficient to ensure long-term maintenance and integrity of inventories during periods of extended shutdown. The ACSR needed an administrative SOP for situations pertaining to epidemics/pandemics. The ACSR Quality Working Group (QWG), comprised of representatives from each of the five ACSR sites and an external member who directs a large university medical center biorepository, addressed the issue. Methods: To understand the individual problems the sites faced, questions were developed to query each of the six QWG sites' contingency plans to cover this type of emergency, the amount of work allowed onsite and by whom, the challenges sites experienced, and the lessons learned to assist with future similar situations, while remaining consistent with the existing IRB protocols. Results: Reported challenges spanned all activities of classical biobanks and differed within the geographical locations of the sites and the local COVID-19 infection rate. Review of the responses to the questions revealed that the general shutdown of society external to the biorepositories presented them with a homogeneous collection of problems, limitations, and needs. This led to creating an SOP that addresses planning for pandemic emergencies, scaling down of activities, shutting down, and reopening plans. Conclusions: The ACSR QWG sites now have a structured response SOP for their sites, including guidance on how to develop and implement an emergency shutdown and reopening plan. The complete SOP is publicly available on the ACSR website.

From Normal to Viral Body: Death Rituals During Ordinary and Extraordinary Covidian Times in Pakistan.

Death is far from being simply a physiologic event; it is a complex phenomenon with sociocultural and politicoeconomic aspects. During extraordinary times such as the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, death becomes a contested site. I argue that the Pakistani government's dealings with the bodies of people who die from COVID-19 have shifted the meaning of a normal dead body to a viral body that poses particular challenges to cultures and people, including the government. This article is both autoethnographic and ethnographic. It concurrently draws on my observations and participation in death rituals in a Pakistani village in Sindh province as a member of that society, and on a recent experience that I faced after the death of a gentle lady of my acquaintance due to COVID-19. I also build on my previous long-term ethnographic research in Pakistan and my ongoing research on COVID-19 in that country. I discuss the death rituals and ceremonies performed during "ordinary" situations as background information; and the changes in these rituals that have resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. My data demonstrate significant differences between usual and customary death rituals and those performed during Covidian times by government mandate, which have severely and negatively affected people's mental health. I show the government's "symbolic ownership" of the viral body, in that the government can control how people deal with their viral dead.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Trauma Theatre Efficiency.

Introduction A large transformation in the management of trauma has ensued following the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. There has been an increase in reliance on guidance for decision-making and alterations in the working of the trauma theatre. This has largely been due to the safety measures implemented. Theatre efficiency has gained increasing importance over the years, and with the added pressure of the pandemic, it is essential that trauma theatres operate efficiently. There has been no data analysing the efficiency of trauma theatre during this pandemic. Methods and Results We retrospectively analyzed the data at our hospital and looked into the parameters to assess trauma theatre efficiency. It was noted that the operative time and anaesthetic time went up significantly in 2020 in comparison to 2019. Also, the change over time and the late start time was significantly high in 2020. A large proportion of cases did not start on time in 2020. This resulted in a decrease in the efficiency of theatre usage. Discussion Reduced productivity of the trauma theatre has been due to several reasons, many of which include implementation of safety measures, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), theatre cleaning, recovery of patients, using designated routes for transfer, and many others. The challenge lies in applying these new measures into our daily practice at the same time while providing efficient care. Conclusion Our study highlights the key areas of concern and improvement which need to be addressed in order to render effective trauma care.