ABSTRACT
Objectives: In summer 2021, the number of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations in the United States increased with the surge of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. We assessed how COVID-19 vaccine initiation and dose completion changed during the Delta variant surge, based on jurisdictional vaccination coverage before the surge. Methods: We analyzed COVID-19 vaccination data reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We classified jurisdictions (50 states and the District of Columbia) into quartiles ranging from high to low first-dose vaccination coverage among people aged ≥12 years as of June 30, 2021. We calculated first-dose vaccination coverage as of June 30 and October 31, 2021, and stratified coverage by quartile, age (12-17, 18-64, ≥65 years), and sex. We assessed dose completion among those who initiated a 2-dose vaccine series. Results: Of 51 jurisdictions, 15 reached at least 70% vaccination coverage before the Delta variant surge (ie, as of June 30, 2021), while 35 reached that goal as of October 31, 2021. Jurisdictions in the lowest quartile of vaccination coverage (44.9%-54.9%) had the greatest absolute (9.7%-17.9%) and relative (18.1%-39.8%) percentage increase in vaccination coverage during July 1-October 31, 2021. Of those who received the first dose during this period across all jurisdictions, nearly 1 in 5 missed the second dose. Conclusions: Although COVID-19 vaccination initiation increased during July 1-October 31, 2021, in jurisdictions in the lowest quartile of vaccination coverage, coverage remained below that of jurisdictions in the highest quartile of vaccination coverage before the Delta variant surge. Efforts are needed to improve access to and increase confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, especially in low-coverage areas.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has elicited a wide range of national responses with an even wider range of outcomes in terms of infections and mortalities. Australia is a rare success story, keeping deaths comparatively low, and infections too, until the Omicron wave. What explains Australia's success? Typical explanations emphasise leaders' choices. We agree, but argue that leaders' choices, and whether these are implemented effectively, is shaped by the legacy of state transformation. Decades of neo-liberal reforms have hollowed out state capacity and confused lines of control and accountability, leaving Australia unprepared for the pandemic. Leaders thus abandoned plans and turned to ad hoc, simple to implement emergency measures - border closures and lockdowns. These averted large-scale outbreaks and deaths, but with diminishing returns as the Delta variant took hold. Conversely, Australia's regulatory state has struggled to deliver more sophisticated policy responses, even when leaders were apparently committed, including an effective quarantine system, crucial for border controls, and vaccination programme, essential for exiting the quagmire of lockdowns and closed borders, leading to a partial return to top-down governing. The Australian experience shows that to avoid a public health catastrophe or more damaging lockdowns in the next pandemic, states must re-learn to govern.
ABSTRACT
Objective: On June 17, 2021, Louisiana launched a lottery campaign to reward residents who received a COVID-19 vaccination. We investigated the association between the lottery and vaccination uptake by characteristics of parishes. Methods: We constructed an interrupted time series based on daily parish-level data on COVID-19 vaccinations to analyze the association with the lottery. We used recursive partitioning to separate vaccination uptake due to the Delta variant from vaccination uptake due to the lottery and limited our study period to May 25 through July 20, 2021. We performed subanalyses that grouped parishes by political affiliation, hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status to detect heterogeneous responses to the lottery by these characteristics. We ran models separately for parishes in the top and bottom tertiles of each sociodemographic indicator and used a z test to check for differences. Results: The lottery was associated with an additional 1.03 (95% CI, 0.61-1.45;P < .001) first doses per parish per day. Comparing lottery impacts between top and bottom tertiles, we found significantly larger associations in parishes with lower vaccine hesitancy rates, higher percentage of Hispanic population, higher median annual household income, and more people with a college degree. Conclusions: Results suggest that the lottery was associated with increased COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Louisiana. However, larger associations were observed in parishes with an already higher likelihood of accepting vaccines, which raises equity issues about the opportunity created by the lottery and its effectiveness as a long-term behavioral incentive.
ABSTRACT
Background: Information regarding effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant strains on clinical manifestations and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in pregnant women is limited. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using the data from the nationwide COVID-19 registry in Japan. We identified pregnant patients with symptomatic COVID-19 hospitalized during the study period. The Delta and Omicron variants of concern (VOC) predominant periods were defined as August 1 to December 31, 2021 and January 1 to May 31, 2022, respectively. Clinical characteristics were compared between the patients in the Delta and Omicron VOC periods. In addition, logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for developing moderate-to-severe COVID-19. Results: During the study period, 310 symptomatic COVID-19 cases of pregnant women were identified;111 and 199 patients were hospitalized during the Delta and Omicron VOC periods, respectively. Runny nose and sore throat were more common, and fatigue, dysgeusia, and olfactory dysfunction were less common manifestations observed in the Omicron VOC period. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, onset during the later stage of pregnancy (OR: 2.08 [1.24-3.71]) and onset during the Delta VOC period (OR: 2.25 [1.08-4.90]) were independently associated with moderate-to-severe COVID-19, whereas two doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were protective against developing moderate-to-severe COVID-19 (OR: 0.34 [0.13-0.84]). Conclusions: Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in pregnant women differed between the Delta and Omicron VOC periods. SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was still effective in preventing severe COVID-19 throughout the Delta and Omicron VOC periods.
ABSTRACT
Hygiene organization is an essential part of infection prevention in nursing homes. The Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) published recommendations on necessary structures as early as 2005 [i]. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have also drawn public, professional and political attention to hygiene in nursing homes. Standard operating procedures for hygiene are available in most nursing homes. The situation is different for the infection control practitioner, for whom there are currently no uniform specifications. The establishment of a hygiene com-mission can support infection prevention in the home;however, has so fat only rarely existed. The article gives an overview of the organizational structures of hygiene in nursing homes.
ABSTRACT
Breast cancer screening programs in increasing the survival rate and decreasing the mortality rate has been widely confirmed;medical system was not paralyzed due to Covid-19, but due to pandemia priority and breast cancer screening programs have been shut down, with a real impact on womens' health and quality of life. Pandemia gave us the opportunity to rearrange breast screening modality, with the possibility of use social media (f.e. Whatsapp or a dedicated app) to add, cancel of modify an appointment, virtual consultations with a breast radiologist and adding automatized breast ultrasound systems (ABUS) to FFDM (full-field digital mammography) or DBT (digital breast tomosynthesis). A new era of breast cancer screening could raise prevention programs also in low-adhesion population.
ABSTRACT
The consciousness of plants (i.e., the strength of homologation against diversity). The definition of sentient being implies the ability to feel. This concept has animated heated discussions, so much so that the belonging of plants to sentient organisms has also been supported by some groups of researchers. As long as these statements remained within the scope of the hypotheses, they were not given much weight. To give a scientific confirmation to these hypotheses it is necessary to enter into the merits and establish exactly on which scientific experiments these affirmations are based, which would even lead to admitting the presence of "consciousness" in plant organisms. In recent years, some plant biologists have insisted that plants have a consciousness, while others have been very surprised by such conclusions. The word has passed to the scientific proofs of both sides. In this article, both points of view are compared.
ABSTRACT
It is hardly surprising that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both stress levels and sleep patterns. According to a survey by the American Psychological Association, two out of three persons have admitted to feeling more stressed out during the pandemic, and four out of ten claim to have had sleep issues during the pandemic. Consumers are increasingly looking for ways to manage with stress and sleep problems, from mobile apps like Headspace and Sleep Cycle to food and beverage products that claim to offer comfort. Herbal teas, particularly those containing chamomile, valerian root, or lavender, have long been popular for aiding sleep and relieving stress, but recent product launches in this area go beyond more conventional offerings. For instance, Nightfood Holdings has introduced Nightfood sleep-friendly ice cream in hotels throughout more than 40 states in the nation. The frozen treat is designed to satisfy ice cream cravings at night while being more sleep-friendly. It comprises vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that may promote sleep in addition to having less sugar and fat. The variety of snacks and beverages that aid in improving sleep quality and lowering stress will keep expanding as studies delve deeper into more nutritional elements.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) emerged in late 2019 and has reached pandemic proportions. It affected all age groups, including pregnant women and newborns. Pregnant women are prone to respiratory infections, including COVID-19, due to anatomical and physiological changes that occur during pregnancy. In the course of the disease, there are a number of changes in paraclinical and laboratory indicators such as enzymes, blood cells, etc. We set out to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the change of these parameters. We followed the progress of pregnancy and birth. We found that a large number of clinical and paraclinical methods are applicable for monitoring the course of the disease. Pregnant women with COVID-19 have similar perinatal outcomes. There is no increase in the frequency of Caesarean sections. Cases of the birth of a premature child occur more often compared to the rest of the patients. The Apgar score is somewhat lower compared to other newborns.
ABSTRACT
This special section contains 18 articles that discuss quality biomedical research in the form of original research articles, review articles, short papers, short notes, focusing on public health situation in India regarding COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has lately changed the way that people learn and teach by making it accessible at any time, from any location, and for a reasonable price. Traditional face-to-face teaching and learning are losing in popularity as more students choose hybrid or online mode study. The gig economy expansion in today's fast-paced business requires the cultivation of people and specialists with increasingly specific skill sets to fill increasingly specialized positions. Micro-Credential is a prominent actor in 21st-century training and education that offers higher education providers a more dynamic and quick learning style to match these demands. It is observed that learners in Malaysia are substantially new to the Micro-Credential and Digital Badge. Hence, this paper aims to present the findings on survey instrument validation in measuring the motivation of learners to attain the digital badge. The study uses a cognitive interviewing method for pre-test in validating the items of the adopted survey instrument. Then, in a pilot test, the survey instrument is again evaluated to measure the validity and reliability of the items using SPSS statistical software. The findings from the pre-test summarized the feedback and suggestions for improvements in fitting the study context and language used. The improved survey instrument undergoes a pilot test to confirm the validity and reliability of the survey items. The finalized survey instrument is then adopted for the main study with a larger sample of learners - university students, working professionals, business owners, and non-working adults using purposive sampling.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To assess the risk of public health emergencies, both the indigenous ones and the imported ones, which might occur in the mainland of China in February 2022.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To understand the RNA detection performance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern (VOCs) in 32 provincial or municipal CDC laboratories in COVID-19 surveillance network in China through an external quality assessment (EQA), and evaluate the clinical performance of the current SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acids detection kits used and provided by the participating laboratories.
ABSTRACT
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a huge problem on the health-care system due to its growing occurrence, high risk of process to final phase kidney disease, and increased death rate. It is gradually increasing into a major public health problem. An early diagnostic method to measure renal function is necessary and highly needed in many respects. Machine Learning technique uses understanding of various key medical problems, including diabetes projection, heart observation, and coronavirus detection. Machine learning may be a better solution to achieve higher performance in the prediction of CKD and may be effective for other diseases as well. The main purpose of this study is to determine the optimal and appropriate machine learning techniques which may effectively identify and predict the CKD status. The dataset from Kaggle has been used for this study. Machine learning models such as Random Forest, Decision Tree and SVM have been used in this research to predict chronic kidney disease. Therefore, the results showed that Random Forest provides the highest accuracy in identifying chronic kidney disease. The overall accuracy of an algorithms used in this research is basically greater than that of previous research, intimating that this research is also more reliable than previous model.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: It is the responsibility of dentists to maintain a protocol preventing or reducing the spread of infection in dental clinics for their patients, their staff, and dentists themselves. This can be done by following the recommended infection control work practice procedures. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 310 undergraduate dental students in Riyadh by using an online survey during October 2020 to December 2020. All dental universities in Riyadh were contacted and students from clinical levels were requested to fill up the survey forms. All the research proposals were submitted, and ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional ethical review board. An online written consent was obtained from all study participants and their contribution was completely voluntary. A structured, closed-ended, and self-administered questionnaire consisting of 22 items was developed after reviewing published literature and the guidelines issued by the Centre for Disease Control and health ministry, Saudi Arabia, towards COVID-19. A Shapirowilk's test (p < 0.05) and visual examination of the histograms indicated the non-normal distribution of the data. Descriptive statistics on frequency distribution and percentages have been determined for categorical variables. Mean, median and interquartile ranges and mean ranks were calculated for continuous variables (knowledge, awareness, and attitude). Non-parametric tests and Mann-Whitney U were used to compare the mean ranks between gender, nationality, and marital status. Whereas the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare mean ranks between different experiences, health sector, and qualification categories of study participants. Bivariate and multivariable analysis were performed for the factors associated with knowledge, attitude, and practice. All data were analyzed using IBM-SPSS (version 25 Armonk, NY: USA). A value of p < 0.05 was considered to be significant for all statistical tests.
ABSTRACT
Background: The arising Covid infection 2019 is rapidly spreading over the world and has been named a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The ABO blood group has been linked to the susceptibility to viral infection in the past. According to research, blood groups A and O are associated with a higher and lower risk of coronavirus disease 2019 positivity. Objectives: The goal of the study was to see if there was a link between ABO blood type and COVID-19 susceptibility in patients recovering in Baghdad and Hilla hospitals, and if the former could be used as a biomarker for the latter.
ABSTRACT
The deep roots of street vending as a profession run deep in our society. The recent COVID 19 outbreak has caused the majority of street vendors' businesses to be disrupted. They are suffering from poverty and unemployment and Seeking for a better life, people migrate. These sellers, who are from the lower rungs of society, do a variety of tasks. unable to work in the formal sector due to a lack of opportunity, education, or skill, and hence ended up working in the shadow economy in the informal sector with no job stability and a constant sense of insecurity. The goal of this research study is to focus on the effects of nationwide lockdown on street vendors and the adverse effect on their lifestyle. The study emphasises the importance of understanding their problems and how to tackle problems, as well as their socioeconomic level, in order to improve the economy's cause. The study conducted on 100 street vendors by Survey method used structured questionnaire and interview schedule and used statistical tools like Descriptive Statistics, Independent sample T-test, one way Anova, Percentage analysis the study revealed that there is a high adverse effect of Covid-19 on street vendors and low level of cope up strategy used and there is a high adverse effect on female street vendors compared to male street vendors during pandemic. And more awareness should be given to street vendors about Registration under NASVI.
ABSTRACT
Organizations these days have to remain alert and adaptive to unforeseen events which can increase uncertainty among their workforce and impose immediate threats to the organization's performance and viability. As the COVID-19 pandemic is progressing towards the recover and reshape phases, many organizations are looking at new ways of addressing the changing social, emotional, physical and financial needs of their worker's. Employee well-being is always found to be strategically relevant to organizations and individuals and has emerged into one of the focal areas of research during this pandemic. Managing and supporting employee well- being is always a challenge however the added stressors of the pandemic situation such as remote working, work-life balance can cause people to experience extreme reactions, resulting in the need for organizational support. The focus of this study is on the key wellbeing areas where employers should focus on for promoting and supporting their employees as a result of impact of the pandemic. This study will be descriptive in nature and is based on primary data. To achieve this objective, the data is collected using an online survey of 150 employees from the IT sector. Snow ball sampling technique is used to collect the responses and they are analyzed using SPSS. A reliability test was conducted for the first 25 responses and the Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.96. Further Correlation, Anova test, T- test regression and will be conducted to test the hypothesis. The theoretical and practical applications of the study are discussed in the context of employee well-being.
ABSTRACT
By the beginning of 2022, the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV-2 continues its escalation around the world, acquiring new strains and, accordingly, changes in the clinical picture of the disease. The most vulnerable category of people, along with the elderly, are pregnant women and women in labor due to low immune resistance. Currently, insufficient studies have been conducted on the effect of COVID-19 on the course of pregnancy and, especially, on the effect of coronavirus infection on the functional state of newborn children born to women with a confirmed diagnosis. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 391 case histories of pregnant women with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and 148 live infected newborns who received medical care from the 1st to the 4th quarter of 2021 in the Republics of the North Caucasus Federal District: the Republic of Ingushetia, the Republic of Dagestan and the Republic of Northern Ossetia-Alania. The results of the analysis revealed the features of the course, outcomes of pregnancy and assessment of the health of newborn children, as well as the effectiveness of the therapeutic strategy in COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people such as an increase in internal symptoms such as anxiety and depression, behavioral disturbances, insomnia, etc;external symptoms such as disruptive, disruptive, hostile behavior, etc. and physical symptoms such as headache, abdominal pain, weight gain, obesity, etc. in children and adolescents since the outbreak of COVID-19. There are a number of reasons children's mental health suffers during this time. Based on actual research through direct interviews with families with children affected by the Covid-19 pandemic;interviews with research experts on this issue;research indicates the influencing factors;then propose solutions to help families guide children to overcome these difficulties.