Lessons for the Age of Consequences: COVID-19 and the Macroeconomy

Comparative empirical evidence for 22 OECD countries shows that country differences in cumulative mortality impacts of SARS-CoV-2 are caused by weaknesses in public health competences, pre-existing variances in structural socio-economic and public health vulnerabilities, and the presence of fiscal constraints. Remarkably, the (fiscally non-constrained) U.S. and the U.K. stand out, as they experience mortality outcomes similar to those of fiscally-constrained countries. High COVID19 mortality in the U.S. and the U.K. is due to pre-existing socio-economic and public health vulnerabilities, created by the following macroeconomic policy errors: (a) a deadly emphasis on fiscal austerity (which diminished public health capacities, damaged public health and deepened inequalities);(b) an obsessive belief in a trade-off between ‘efficiency' and ‘equity', which is mostly used to justify extreme inequality;(c) a complicit endorsement by mainstream macro of the unchecked power over monetary and fiscal policy-making of global finance and the rentier class;and (d) an unhealthy aversion to raising taxes, which deceives the public about the necessity to raise taxes to counter the excessive liquidity preference of the rentiers and to realign the interests of finance and of the real economy. The paper concludes by outlining a few lessons for a saner macroeconomics.

COVID-19 and its impacts: The situation in Niger republic.

COVID-19 being a public health emergency of international concern has emerged in most African countries including Niger. Niger, a landlocked country, is tasked with controlling the pandemic. However, of the big challenges the country faced is the fragility of healthcare system which posed limitations to the fight against the virus. The virus overwhelmed the fragile healthcare system which led to inaccessibility of quality healthcare to the citizens coupled with issues of flooding and economic recession that happened during the pandemic. The healthcare sectored has further been crippled by exposure and infection of the already insufficient healthcare workers. In addition to this, there was the burden of NTDs and other communicable and non-communicable diseases that subverted the country in the depths of difficulties. As per the predictions of World Bank, the poverty curve is likely to escalate due to the outrageous impacts of COVID-19. Adding on to this, the occurrence of natural disasters such as flooding has further stretched the country. It's no coincidence that the country would confront plethora of challenges amidst the second wave. Therefore, timely decision and necessary interventions are needed to strengthen the country's fight against the pandemic. However, this is only feasible when Nigerien government, international allies and other wealthy nations work closely to ensure that the challenges faced by the healthcare system are tackled.

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 in older persons: multi-organ complications and mortality.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence on long-term associations between COVID-19 and risks of multi-organ complications and mortality in older population is limited. This study evaluates these associations. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The cohorts included patients aged ≥60 year diagnosed with COVID-19 infection (cases), between 16 March 2020 and 31 May 2021 from the UK Biobank (UKB cohort, n = 11 330); and between 01 April 2020 and 31 May 2022 from the electronic health records in Hong Kong (HK cohort, n = 213 618). Each patient was randomly matched with up to 10 individuals without COVID-19 infection based on age and sex (UKB, n = 325 812; HK, n = 1 411 206) and were followed for up to 18 months until 31 August 2021 for UKB, and up to 28 months until 15 August 2022 for HK cohort. Caracteristics between cohorts were further adjusted with propensity score-based marginal mean weighting through stratification. For evaluating long-term association of COVID-19 with multi-organ disease complications and mortality after 21-days of diagnosis, Cox regression was employed. RESULT: Older adults with COVID-19 were associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular outcomes [major cardiovascular disease (stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease): hazard ratio (UKB): 1.4 (95% Confidence interval: 1.2,1.7), HK:1.2 (95% CI: 1.1,1.3)]; myocardial infarction: HR (UKB): 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4,2.5), HK:1.2 (95% CI: 1.1,1.5)]; respiratory outcomes [interstitial lung disease: HR (UKB: 3.5 (95% CI: 2.6,4.7), HK:6.6 (95% CI: 2.1,21.2); chronic pulmonary disease: HR (UKB): 1.6 (95% CI: 1.2,2.1), HK:1.7 (95% CI: 1.4,2.1)]; neuropsychiatric outcomes [seizure: HR (UKB): 2.7 (95% CI: 1.7,4.2), HK:1.8 (95% CI: 1.4,2.3)]; and renal outcomes [acute kidney disease: HR (UKB): 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1,1.6), HK:1.7 (95% CI: 1.4,2.1)]; and all-cause mortality [HR (UKB): 4.8 (95% CI: 4.4,5.4), HK:2.7 (95% CI: 2.6,2.8)]. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 is associated with long-term risks of multi-organ complications in older adults (aged ≥60). Infected patients in this age-group may benefit from appropriate monitoring of signs/symptoms for developing these complications.

Research on urban country parks based on emergency medical facilities for public health emergencies-a case study of Guangzhou, China.

As COVID-19 has swept across the world, the escalating number of confirmed and suspected cases overwhelmed the admission capacity of the designated hospitals. Faced with such a grim situation, governments made a quick decision to build emergency medical facilities to address the outbreak. However, the emergency medical facilities faced a huge risk of epidemic spread and improper site could lead to serious secondary transmission. Using the disaster prevention and risk avoidance function of urban green space can solve the problem of selecting the location of emergency medical facilities to a certain extent, with country parks having a high degree of compatibility with the latter. Based on the location requirements of emergency medical facilities, using Analytic Hierarchy Process and Delphi method, through analyzing the type of country parks, effective risk avoidance area, spatial fragmentation, distance from water sources, wind direction, and distance from the city, quantification of 8 impact factors such as hydrogeology and traffic duration was conducted to comprehensively compare 30 country parks in Guangzhou. The results showed that the overall quality of country parks approximated a normal distribution, with Lianma Forest Country Park having the highest comprehensive score and the most balanced distribution of scores for various impact factors. Considering safety, expandability, rehabilitation, convenience, pollution prevention, and fecal isolation, it is a preferred destination for emergency medical facility construction.

Barriers and Enablers to Using an Emergency Operations Center in Public Health Emergency Management: A Scoping Review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to review the role of public health emergency operations centers in recent public health emergencies and to identify the barriers and enablers influencing the effective use of a public health emergency operations center (PHEOC) in public health emergency management. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in 5 databases and selected grey literature websites. RESULTS: Forty-two articles, consisting of 28 peer-reviewed studies and 14 grey literature sources matched the inclusion criteria. Results suggest that PHEOCs are used to prepare and respond to a range of public health emergencies, including coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Factors found to influence the use of a PHEOC include the adoption of an incident management system, internal and external communications, data management, workforce capacity, and physical infrastructure. CONCLUSIONS: PHEOCs play an important role in public health emergency management. This review identified several barriers and enablers to using a PHEOC in public health emergency management. Future research should focus on addressing the barriers to using a PHEOC and looking at ways to evaluate the impact of using a PHEOC on public health emergency outcomes.

The Proposal of Former President Lenin Moreno Garces for the Granting of General Regulations of the Organic Law of Humanitarian Support, in Ecuador and the Current Ones of President Guillermo Lasso 2020 - 2023

This research analyzes the proposal of former President Lenin Moreno Garces for the granting of the proposal of the General Regulation of the Organic Law of Humanitarian Support to combat the health crisis derived from COVID 19, in Ecuador in 2020. The Humanitarian Support Law includes labor measures such as the option of signing agreements between employers and workers, a new type of fixed-term contract for an emerging special purpose, reduction of working hours, early vacation, and teleworking. In addition, the interpretation of fortuitous event or force majeure as grounds for dismissal is established. Within the solidarity measures for social welfare and productive reactivation, it was provided that the pensiones some alternatives such as the reduction and analysis of educational pensions, in the case of temporary eviction in the matter of tenancy: In order for the lessee of a commercial premises to benefit from the temporary suspension referred to in article 4 of the Law, you must pay your landlord at least twenty percent (20%) of the value of any royalties outstanding or due;and submit to the lessor the VAT returns for both the month of February 2020, the n or increase in costs in basic services was considered, Prohibition of cancellation or suspension of coverage of contracts, Rescheduling of life insurance quotas, Productive credits for economic reactivation and protection of employment in the private sector, Annual motor vehicle tax, Labor stability, Exceptional pre-bankruptcy agreements, Financial institutions: In the case of financial institutions, the debtor will maintain its credit rating for the duration of the mediation process and this will maintain the rating granted the month prior to the entry of its request to initiate the pre-bankruptcy agreement to a Mediation Center. In the case of obligations or debts restructured or novated through pre-bankruptcy agreements with the National Customs Service. Ecuadorian Social Security Institute, public financial institutions, Decentralized Autonomous Governments (GADS), public companies, among others, will become enforceable when the pre-bankruptcy payment agreement has been formalized, forself-financed post-graduate doctors and scholarship holders who are providing their services in the health system in the months since the declaration of the emergency until the issuance of this Regulation, and who are in their training period, sign a contract for occasional services, on the scale of public servant 7 (SP7), With these measures help people who lost their jobs or family members who lost their lives with the pandemic in the health crisis due to COVID 19

A scoping review of non-professional medication practices and medication safety outcomes during public health emergencies.

OBJECTIVES: Public health emergencies (PHE) can disrupt personal medication practices and increase the risk of medication-related harm and other negative medication-related outcomes. Our aim was to examine the extent and nature of published research on this topic to guide future research and practice. STUDY DESIGN: Scoping review. METHODS: Standard electronic databases were searched. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed. Extracted data were organised in response to review questions and narrative accounts developed. RESULTS: A total of 129 studies were included, conducted across 32 countries, mostly in the USA (n = 42). Sixty-eight (53%) reported on infectious events, 49 (39%) climatological or ecological events and the remainder a mixture of terrorism, war or other disasters. The studies described several medication safety outcomes (medication-related harm, adherence, supply) and adaptive medication practices (self-altering prescribed medications, sharing medications and changing healthcare providers). Challenges to maintaining routine medication practices during a PHE included transport, finance, quarantine and knowledge-related issues. Twenty-eight studies (22%) examined health inequalities pertaining to adverse medication-related outcomes, with findings suggesting that gender, age, ethnicity, educational and socio-economic status may be related to inequalities. Research gaps identified included carers', children's and minority communities' experiences and intervention studies. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable evidence of disruptions to routine personal medication practices during PHEs and of medication-related harm and other negative outcomes. Maintaining medication supply for the management of chronic conditions is a universal problem across all emergency types. Research is needed to address these disruptions, particularly amongst people who experience health inequalities who may need additional support.

Investigating the cumulative lag effects of environmental exposure under urban differences on COVID-19.

Although all walks of life are paying less attention to COVID-19, the spread of COVID-19 has never stopped. As an infectious disease, its transmission speed is closely related to the atmosphere environment, particularly the temperature (T) and PM2.5 concentrations. However, How T and PM2.5 concentrations are related to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and how much their cumulative lag effect differ across cities is unclear. To identify the characteristics of cumulative lag effects of environmental exposure under city differences, this study used a generalized additive model to investigate the associations between T/PM2.5 concentrations and the daily number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases (NNCC) during the outbreak period in the second half of 2021 in Shaoxing, Shijiazhuang, and Dalian. The results showed that except for PM2.5 concentrations in Shaoxing, the NNCC in the three cities generally increased with the unit increase of T and PM2.5 concentrations. In addition, the cumulative lag effects of T/PM2.5 concentrations on NNCC in the three cities reached a peak at lag 26/25, lag 10/26, and lag 18/13 days, respectively, indicating that the response of NNCC to T and PM2.5 concentrations varies among different regions. Therefore, combining local meteorological and air quality conditions to adopt responsive measures is an important way to prevent and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

The stochastic evolutionary game analysis of public prevention and control strategies in public health emergencies

PurposeThe COVID-19 epidemic is still spreading globally and will not be completely over in a short time. Wearing a mask is an effective means to combat the spread of COVID-19. However, whether the public wear a mask for epidemic prevention and control will be affected by stochastic factors such as vaccination, cultural differences and irrational emotions, which bring a high degree of uncertainty to the prevention and control of the epidemic. The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze the epidemic prevention and control strategies of the public in an uncertain environment.Design/methodology/approachBased on the stochastic evolutionary game model of the Moran process, the study discusses the epidemic prevention and control strategies of the public under the conditions of the dominance of stochastic factors, expected benefits and super-expected benefits.FindingsThe research shows that the strategic evolution of the public mainly depends on stochastic factors, cost-benefit and the number of the public. When the stochastic factors are dominant, the greater the perceived benefit, the lower the cost and the greater the penalty for not wearing masks, the public will choose to wear a mask. Under the dominance of expected benefits and super-expected benefits, when the number of the public is greater than a certain threshold, the mask-wearing strategy will become an evolutionary stable strategy. From the evolutionary process, the government's punishment measures will slow down the speed of the public choosing the strategy of not wearing masks. The speed of the public evolving to the stable strategy under the dominance of super-expected benefits is faster than that under the dominance of expected benefits.Practical implicationsThe study considers the impact of stochastic factors on public prevention and control strategies and provides decision-making support and theoretical guidance for the scientific prevention of the normalized public.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, no research has considered the impact of different stochastic interference intensities on public prevention and control strategies. Therefore, this paper can be seen as a valuable resource in this field.

Global Pandemic and Human Security: Using Health-EDRM Risk Assessment Framework to Enhance Technology Support for DRR

‘Biological hazard' is regarded as a major human security threat to people's well-being and development. In the era of globalisation and rapid technological development, COVID-19 pandemic once again revealed how an emerging communicable disease might impact not only health but also the socioeconomic ecology of people globally, while the related health risk can be mitigated by the employment of appropriate technology. The chapter examines how the latest World Health Organization Health-EDRM framework (2019) may inform the conceptualisation and assessment of health risks and proposes a Health-EDRM assessments framework for biological hazard. A case study of how health risks and vulnerability associated with home care may be reduced by employing technology in non-standard living context during pandemic and a case study of community resilience and community engagement are also included. The discussion also puts Health-EDRM framework into a human security perspective. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer 2022.

Ophthalmic manifestations of monkeypox infection.

After the global COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an alarming concern with the monkeypox (mpox) outbreak, which has affected more than 110 countries worldwide. Monkeypox virus is a doublestranded DNA virus of the genus Orthopox of the Poxviridae family, which causes this zoonotic disease. Recently, the mpox outbreak was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). Monkeypox patients can present with ophthalmic manifestation and ophthalmologists have a role to play in managing this rare entity. Apart from causing systemic involvement such as skin lesions, respiratory infection and involvement of body fluids, Monkeypox related ophthalmic disease (MPXROD) causes varied ocular manifestations such as lid and adnexal involvement, periorbital and lid lesion, periorbital rash, conjunctivitis, blepharocounctivitis and keratitis. A detailed literature review shows few reports on MPXROD infections with limited overview on management strategies. The current review article is aimed to provide the ophthalmologist with an overview of the disease with a spotlight on ophthalmic features. We briefly discuss the morphology of the MPX, various modes of transmission, an infectious pathway of the virus, and the host immune response. A brief overview of the systemic manifestations and complications has also been elucidated. We especially highlight the detailed ophthalmic manifestations of mpox, their management, and prevention of vision threatening sequelae.

Risk perception in the era of COVID-19 and related factors among nurses: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: Our study aimed at investigating the risk perception of nurses and related factors in the era of COVID-19 period. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Four hundred and forty-two participants completed an online questionnaire relating to their risk perception on public health emergencies. Data were collected between 25 November 2020 and 1 December 2020. Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test and Ordinal logistic regression analysis were used to examine factors impacting on risk perception. RESULTS: 65.2% of nurses' risk perception of COVID-19 was the moderate level even below the moderate level in the postperiod of COVID-19. Kruskal-Wallis test results indicated significant differences in gender, age, education status, working years, professional title, postlevel, COVID-19 contact experience, marital status and health status (p < 0.05). Ordinal logistic regression showed that gender, education status, professional title, work department, COVID-19 contact experience, character, health status and nursing work environment are associated with risk perception (p < 0.05). No Patient or Public Contribution.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): a scoping review.

BackgroundIn December 2019, a pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China and has rapidly spread around the world since then.AimThis study aims to understand the research gaps related to COVID-19 and propose recommendations for future research.MethodsWe undertook a scoping review of COVID-19, comprehensively searching databases and other sources to identify literature on COVID-19 between 1 December 2019 and 6 February 2020. We analysed the sources, publication date, type and topic of the retrieved articles/studies.ResultsWe included 249 articles in this scoping review. More than half (59.0%) were conducted in China. Guidance/guidelines and consensuses statements (n = 56; 22.5%) were the most common. Most (n = 192; 77.1%) articles were published in peer-reviewed journals, 35 (14.1%) on preprint servers and 22 (8.8%) posted online. Ten genetic studies (4.0%) focused on the origin of SARS-CoV-2 while the topics of molecular studies varied. Nine of 22 epidemiological studies focused on estimating the basic reproduction number of COVID-19 infection (R0). Of all identified guidance/guidelines (n = 35), only ten fulfilled the strict principles of evidence-based practice. The number of articles published per day increased rapidly until the end of January.ConclusionThe number of articles on COVID-19 steadily increased before 6 February 2020. However, they lack diversity and are almost non-existent in some study fields, such as clinical research. The findings suggest that evidence for the development of clinical practice guidelines and public health policies will be improved when more results from clinical research becomes available.

Ontarians' Perceptions of Public Health Communications and Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Clear, accurate, and transparent risk communication is critical to providing policy makers and the public with directions to effectively implement public health strategies during a health emergency. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the public's preferred sources of obtaining COVID-19 information, perceptions on the prevalence and drivers of misinformation during the pandemic, and suggestions to optimize health communications during future public health emergencies. METHODS: We administered a web-based survey that included Likert scale, multiple choice and open-ended response questions to residents of Ontario, Canada. We aimed to recruit a sample that reflected population diversity with respect to age and gender. Data were collected between June 10, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics; open-ended data were analyzed using content analysis. Subgroup analyses to explore perceptions by age and gender were conducted using ordinal regression. RESULTS: A total of 1823 individuals participated in the survey (n=990, 54% women; n=703, 39% men; n=982, 54% aged 18-40 years; n=518, 28% aged 41-60 years; and n=215, 12% aged ≥61 years). Participants most commonly obtained COVID-19 information from local television news (n=1118, 61%) followed by social media (n=938, 51%), national or international television news (n=888, 49%), and friends and family (n=835, 46%). Approximately 55% (n=1010) of the participants believed they had encountered COVID-19-related misinformation; 70% (n=1284) of the participants reported high levels of trust in health authority websites and health care providers; 66% (n=1211) reported high levels of trust in health ministers or public health organizations. Sources perceived to be less trustworthy included friends and family, talk radio, social media, as well as blogs and opinion websites. Men were more likely to report encountering misinformation and to trust friends or family (odds ratio [OR] 1.49, 95% CI 1.24-1.79) and blogs or opinion websites (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03-1.50), compared to women. Compared to those aged 18-40 years, participants aged ≥41years were more likely to trust all assessed information sources, with the exception of web-based media sources, and less likely to report encountering misinformation. Of those surveyed, 58% (n=1053) had challenges identifying or appraising COVID-19 information. CONCLUSIONS: Over half of our participants perceived that they had encountered COVID-19 misinformation, and 58% had challenges identifying or appraising COVID-19 information. Gender and age differences in perceptions of misinformation and trust in information sources were observed. Future research to confirm the validity of these perceptions and to explore information-seeking patterns by population subgroups may provide useful insights on how to optimize health communication during public health emergencies.

Does Public Health Emergency Experience Have an Impact on Individual Reactions during COVID-19?

Local historical experience in public health emergencies has been perceived to largely affect COVID-19's social influence. Specifically, individuals' personal experience in public health emergencies would likely have an impact on their reactions to the next similar event. Herein, we combined life course and risk analysis frameworks to explore how individuals' experiences influence current risk perception and protective behaviors. We collected 1000 questionnaires of random network samples in six Chinese provinces of different risk levels from 29 April to 8 May 2020, and used the propensity score matching (PSM) model and multivariable linear regression to process the data. We categorized individual public emergency experience into three patterns: (1) having ever witnessed a public health emergency, (2) having ever experienced a public health emergency, and (3) currently experiencing a public health emergency. The study indicates that individuals' experiences had significant positive effects on protective behaviors against COVID-19. The average effects of the three patterns on behaviors were 0.371 (p < 0.001), 0.898 (p < 0.001) and 0.319 (p < 0.05), respectively. The study also shows that for those experiencing any one pattern, the effect of risk perception on protective behaviors appeared null in the early stage of the pandemic. We propose the potential interactive mechanism of risk factors in the life course at the individual level. Academically, this study develops the risk theory of perception and behavior and expands the application of the life course approach in the public health arena. Practically, our research indicates that public health emergency experiences are valuable for responding to a future pandemic and normalizing prevention policies.

The Emergence of Mpox: Epidemiology and Current Therapeutic Options.

The world recently witnessed the emergence of new epidemic outbreaks like COVID-19 and mpox. The 2022 outbreak of mpox amid COVID-19 presents an intricate situation and requires strategies to combat the status quo. Some of the challenges to controlling an epidemic include present knowledge of the disease, available treatment options, appropriate health infrastructures facilities, current scientific methods, operations concepts, availability of technical staff, financial funds, and lastly international policies to control an epidemic state. These insufficiencies often hinder the control of disease spread and jeopardize the health of countless people. Also, disease outbreaks often put a huge burden on the developing economies. These countries are the worst affected and are immensely dependent on assistance provided from the larger economies to control such outbreaks. The first case of mpox was reported in the 1970s and several outbreaks were detected thereafter in the endemic areas eventually leading to the recent outbreak. Approximately, more than 80,000 individuals were infected, and 110 countries were affected by this outbreak. Yet, no definite vaccines and drugs are available to date. The lack of human clinical trials affected thousands of individuals in availing definite disease management. This paper focuses on the epidemiology of mpox, scientific concepts, and treatment options including future treatment modalities for mpox.

Planning for the next pandemic: Reflections on lessons from the uncontained transmission phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and their impacts on emergency departments in Australia.

Australia was a world leader in managing the earlier waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, three major turning points changed the trajectory of the pandemic: mass vaccinations, emergence of more transmissible variants and re-opening of Australia's borders. However, there were also concomitant missteps and premature shifts in pandemic response policy that led to mixed messaging, slow initial vaccination uptake and minimal mitigation measures in response to the Omicron variant. The latter marked Australia's entry into a new phase of (or approach to) the pandemic: widespread transmission. This led to an exponential increase in cases and significant impacts on the health system, particularly, EDs. This paper reflects on this phase of the pandemic to urge for system-level changes that instal better safeguards for ED capacity, safety and staff well-being for future pandemics. This is essential to strengthening our health system's resilience and to better protecting our communities against such emergencies.

User Compliance With the Health Emergency and Disaster Management System: Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Health-related hazards have a detrimental impact on society. The health emergency and disaster management system (Health EDMS), such as a contact-tracing application, is used to respond to and cope with health-related hazards. User compliance with Health EDMS warnings is key to its success. However, it was reported that user compliance with such a system remains low. OBJECTIVE: Through a systematic literature review, this study aims to identify the theories and corresponding factors that explain user compliance with the warning message provided by Health EDMS. METHODS: The systematic literature review was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. The search was performed using the online databases Scopus, ScienceDirect, ProQuest, IEEE, and PubMed, for English journal papers published between January 2000 and February 2022. RESULTS: A total of 14 papers were selected for the review based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Previous research adopted 6 theories when examining user compliance, and central to the research was Health EDMS. To better understand Health EDMS, based on the literature reviewed, we mapped the activities and features of Health EDMS with the key stakeholders involved. We identified features that require involvement from individual users, which are surveillance and monitoring features and medical care and logistic assistance features. We then proposed a framework showing the individual, technological, and social influencing factors of the use of these features, which in turn affects compliance with the warning message from Health EDMS. CONCLUSIONS: Research on the Health EDMS topic increased rapidly in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An in-depth understanding of Health EDMS and user compliance before designing the system is essential for governments and developers to increase the effectiveness of Health EDMS. Through a systematic literature review, this study proposed a research framework and identified research gaps for future research on this topic.

The Untimely Dismissal of Workers with Disabilities in the Private Sector, during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ecuador

Since March 2020, as a result of the health crisis caused by Covid-19, Ecuador has faced a sensitive panorama in the field of labor relations. The so-called states of emergency, which gave rise to restrictions on freedom of movement and assembly, led to the suspension of activities to safeguard the health of the population;and;consequently, in the issuance of new rules and guidelines for workers. Undoubtedly, a devasting scenario wordwide;and specifically for Ecuador, where, in addition to losing human lives, significant sources of work were lost and working conditions were modified to the detriment of workers, regardless of their condition. From this perspective, in this paper the labor regulations that were applied during the pandemic caused by Covid-19 are analyzed, in contrast to the norm applicable to disabled workers subject to the Labor Code, to finally, propose the procedural scenario that faces this priority care group in the courts of the country.

The Impact of a Public Health Emergency on the Demand for Life Insurance – An Empirical Analysis Based on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

We examined changes in personal life insurance purchase decisions after a public health event by incorporating perceived health risk and regret into the expected utility function. The model predicts that the epidemic will create incremental insurance demand. Based on the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in China, we used a panel dataset of 30 provinces from 2000 to 2007 and applied the difference-in-differences method to confirm the prediction empirically. The results showed that the epidemic did not significantly impact the demand for life insurance in the short term but played a role in the long term. People increased their health-care expenditure and premiums for new policies after the severe acute respiratory syndrome event, suggesting that the epidemic changed people's perceived risk and triggered anticipated regret, which increased life insurance demand. Some robustness checks also supported our findings. © 2023 Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.