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Businesses have been exposed to various challenges during the global pandemic. Unfortunately, the financially vulnerable groups in society are disproportionately affected by such a difficult time. Therefore, it is important for businesses to recognise this when creating new business models for sustainable corporate management. This paper attempts to (1) identify the factors that affect individual financial vulnerability, (2) develop survey items to assess financial vulnerability and its factors and (3) provide the characteristics of financially vulnerable groups by presenting a complete set of descriptive statistics. The results can help to create more inclusive business models that are better equipped to address the challenges ahead. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with collaboration with an NGO that provides a financial counselling service in Hong Kong. In total, 338 valid responses were collected and the data were used to characterise financially vulnerable groups in terms of (1) change in financial conditions due to COVID-19;(2) exposure to digitised financial services and related push marketing;(3) financial management ability;(4) changes in four financial behaviours and (5) financial vulnerability as measured according to the debt/service ratio. Results show that the respondents have a median debt/service ratio of 0.513, which represents an unsustainable level of debt. Around 1/4 of surveyed respondents reported that their debt/service ratio was 1 or even higher, indicating obvious difficulties in meeting financial obligations. A total of 36.7% of the respondents reported worsening financial conditions since the outbreak of COVID-19. The results presented provide a solid empirical set of data that will help future research work to examine and/or develop a heuristic financial vulnerability model that incorporates the key factors leading to it. Businesses can refer to them when creating new business models that are sustainable, able to meet corporate social responsibility goals and can achieve several targets/goals of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
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Suicide remains to be one of the leading causes of death amongst young people worldwide. Help-seeking, however, remains disproportionately suboptimal in the youth population. Identifying more effective and less stigmatizing markers of suicidal ideation and behaviours can be important for improving early engagement and intervention work. We therefore examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt in a large epidemiological youth sample in Hong Kong (n = 2540) during the period of 2019-2021, as well as the factors associated with each of these outcomes using separate multivariable logistic regression models. In this sample, the 12-month prevalence of suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt was 20.0%, 4.6%, and 1.3%, respectively. In particular, we found 'suicide-related rumination' to be amongst the only factor that was significant for all three outcomes (p < .010). Using a two-stage approach (i.e., selecting only those with suicidal ideation), we found that suicide-related rumination, poorer cognitive ability, and 12-month major depressive episode were specifically associated with 12-month suicide plan, while environmental factors, including COVID-19 stressors, personal life stressors, poorer family relationships, as well as non-suicidal selfharm, were specifically associated with 12-month suicide attempt. A two-stage approach should be considered in future interventions targeting youth suicide. Suicide-related rumination may be an important marker of overall suicidal risk. The role of environmental stressors in addition to intrinsic vulnerability also need to be emphasized to best support young people at risk.
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Previous studies have demonstrated that low-intensity intervention is effective in improving mental health in young people. Whilst interventions have majorly been offered online during COVID-19 pandemic, it is not known whether low-intensity interventions delivered online can also help reduce the level of distress experienced by young people. The study aimed to determine whether a low-intensity online intervention (LiON) can reduce levels of distress in young people greater than those in similar initial distress levels but received no intervention. Young people aged 15 to 24 were recruited for the 4-weekly LiON intervention consisting of three modules namely sleep and relaxation, stress-coping and problem-solving. The reductions in distress level after intervention were compared to those that occurred over a period of 3 months among community young people with similar baseline K6 distress levels. Seventy-four young people (mean age 20.24 [SD 2.26] years, 71.6% female) received the LiON intervention from December 2021 to July 2022. We observed a greater improvement in their distress levels after receiving the intervention than those with no intervention in the community (beta -4.13, 95%CI -5.12, -3.07, p < .001, Cohen's f2 0.027). The findings offered evidence that the LiON intervention significantly reduced young people's distress level in addition to the improvement that may occur naturally. The use of LiON is adaptable to a wider variety of frontline community organizations. Future evaluation of its cost-effectiveness is warranted.
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Objectives: Several attributes may be important in flu vaccine and since Covid-19, the role of health care professionals (HCPs) may have become more important in increasing flu vaccine uptake. We conducted a literature review to assess if previous preference research could inform future flu vaccination policies. Method(s): We conducted a literature review to assess the most common attributes used in stated-preference studies to determine seasonal flu vaccination preferences. PubMed with key terms such as "discrete choice", "stated preference" and "flu/vaccin*" was used to retrieve relevant research. Result(s): In total, twelve studies investigating consumer and HCP preferences for flu vaccines using a discrete-choice experiment were included. Six studies were conducted in vaccine-eligible populations, three were conducted with parents (specifically, two focused on older adults and one elicited preferences directly from HCPs in Hong Kong). Three studies were conducted in the Netherlands, two in Japan and four in China. Vaccine efficacy was most often framed in terms of percentage (n=7). Out of pocket cost and duration of immunity were common attributes. Source of recommendation for vaccination (i.e., regulatory or public health body) was assessed in 25% of the studies. In studies assessing parental preferences for their children influenza vaccination, risks of fewer side effects were, unsurprisingly, preferred. Finally, among HCPs, vaccine effectiveness and vaccination location (staff clinic/mobile vaccination center) were most important and could increase the probability of vaccination. Conclusion(s): Information incompleteness and asymmetry could play a role in vaccine hesitation and/or aversion. To increase vaccination rates, evidence on the attributes perceived to be important to both HCPs and the general population may help the design and delivery of vaccines that match consumers' preferences. Currently, there is a critical need for more stated-preference studies among HCPs to better understand the attributes likely to increase vaccination rates against seasonal influenza.Copyright © 2023
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Total waste from human activities, including waste plastics, is huge in Hong Kong. In particular, as a result of the prevention and control measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, take-away meals increased tremendously in Hong Kong, generating disposable plastic tableware (DPT). Although Hong Kong has a charging scheme for plastic bags, it does not have a scheme for plastic tableware. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the attitudes and behavior of people in Hong Kong toward DPT. Our study focused on undergraduate students in Hong Kong, given that they will play a significant role in the future of environmental sustainability. The attitudes and behavior of Hong Kong undergraduate students toward DPT were examined through an online survey with 385 respondents. A multiple stepwise regression was conducted to investigate whether cognitive attitude formation factors could explain the sustainable attitudes formed by undergraduate students in Hong Kong. The survey results revealed that most undergraduates considered DPT to be one of the major causes of environmental damage in Hong Kong;however, many of them, particularly those who strongly agreed with this statement, said that the problem of DPT did not affect their quality of life. The regression analysis showed that imposing a DPT charge would be the most significant driver to reduce its use. The research findings identified gaps between attitudes and behavior regarding the use of DPT and the factors influencing sustainable DPT consumption.
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Since the emergence of the Coronavirus disease outbreak, the world has witnessed great changes that have impacted humanity. A study of the pattern of the pandemic would be of great importance to understand the trending behavior for the spreading of the disease within any country. Visualization of the outbreak progression - through accumulated records in the datasets - using statistical tools showed that the initial fast increase rate of the affected cases in the original province in China was followed by a stability period till the end of the reporting date. Hong Kong - which was next to Hubei province in the cases - showed a different surge of slow growth curve with distinct major wave levels. The remaining territories showed a much smaller magnitude of morbidities. However, investigating the similarity levels for the daily kinetics of cases showed a clustering tendency between different political regions suggesting a significant correlation. The technique would be useful for public health authorities work.
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Person-environment fit theory (PE-fit) theory emphasises a match between a person's attribute (P) and the workplace environment (E). However, a differential predictions hypothesis emphasises the different contributions of personal and environmental inputs to outcomes. Higher education students in Hong Kong (N = 380) completed a survey on their personal interest (P) and the contemporary threatening environment (E) (fear of pandemic, social unrest, international disputes) related to tourism-related outcomes (intent to join tourism, lifelong commitment, leadership, and anxiety) during COVID-19. Structural equation modelling found that P strongly predicted Intent, Lifelong, and Leadership, whereas E strongly predicted Anxiety, supporting the differential predictions hypothesis. PE-fit (P × positive E) predicted Intent in addition to the prediction of P, supporting the PE-fit hypothesis. The findings imply the different merits of PE-fit and differential predictions hypotheses for various vocational outcomes, and the importance of reinforcing students' interest to launch their career in challenging times. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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There are few specific epidemiological studies focusing on youth mental health in a non-western population. In particular, studies which are designed to include a broad range of youth-relevant potential risk and protective factors during the COVID-19 period are scarce. Such data are important for formulating programs to enhance healthy coping, as well as to facilitate the screening of risk factors. We present data from a comprehensive youth epidemiological study in Hong Kong from innovative angles which extend beyond conventional prevalence reporting. For example we investigated the change in major depressive episode states in a cohort with longitudinal data, which provide us with insight into what determines the persistence of depression. We also look into suicidal ideation and the role of rumination in this population. We also report the use of a recently identified marker for brain inhibition/excitation balance (visual stress) as a predictor associated with mental health outcomes. Finally, we studied the role of personality in mediating mental health outcomes.
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Purpose: This study aims to fill this paucity of knowledge by exploring and formulating a formative index to measure the up-to-date quality of online food delivery (DEQUAL). The quality measurements for online food delivery have not been well recognized and even little is known after the COVID-19 outbreak. This study fills this paucity of knowledge by exploring and formulating a formative index to measure the up-to-date quality of online food delivery (DEQUAL). Design/methodology/approach: Owing to the explorative nature and the lack of developed quality theory under the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, DEQUAL is conceptualized as a formative construct. This study adopts a mixed-method approach including expert interviews and online surveys to ascertain the underlying structure of DEQUAL. Findings: Using partial least squares structural equation modeling as the analytical method, the results support that DEQUAL is a formative construct with 32 indicators. This study provides a measurement index with robust psychometric properties to assist practitioners in evaluating DEQUAL. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes a theoretical and empirical-based conceptualization of DEQUAL as a multi-dimensional construct. Supplementing the past studies which commonly applied the reflective approach, this study evinces that the formative approach is also appropriate and thence furnishes the relevance of the formative index in the service management theories. Practical implications: Practitioners are suggested to apply the validated indicators for service audit and customer relationship management. By systematically monitoring and measuring the online food delivery service quality, restaurants can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Originality/value: This study offers various insights to the service quality literature in the food delivery service context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the short-term capital markets' reactions to the public announcement first local detection of novel corona virus (COVID 19) cases in 12 major Asian capital markets.Design/methodology/approachUsing the constant mean return model and the market model, an event study methodology has been implied to determine the cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) of 10 pre and post-event trading days. The statistical significance of the data was assessed using both parametric and nonparametric test statistics.FindingsFirst discovery of local COVID 19 cases had a substantial impact on all 12 Asian markets on the event day, as shown by statistically significant negative average abnormal return (AAR) and cumulative average abnormal return (CAAR). The single factor ANOVA result has also demonstrated that there is no variability among 12 regional markets in terms of short-term market responses. Furthermore, there is little evidence that these major Asian stock market indices differ significantly from the FTSE All-World Index which might suggest possible spillover impact and co-integration among the major Asian capital markets. The study further discovers that market capitalization and liquidity did not have any significant impact on market reaction to announcement.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's contribution might have been compromised by the absence of socio-demographic, technical, financial and other significant policy factors from the analysis.Practical implicationsThese findings will be considerably helpful in tackling this unprecedented epidemic issue for personal and institutional investors, industrial and economic experts, government and policymakers in assessing the market in special circumstances, diversifying risk and developing financial and monetary policy proposals.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to examine the effects of local COVID 19 detection announcement on major Asian capital markets. This study will add to the literature by investigating unusual market returns generated by infectious illness outbreaks and the overall market efficiency and investors' behavioral pattern of major Asian capital markets.
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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.
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Introduction: Ethnic minorities are considered one of the most vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the explanatory pathway of how their disadvantaged experiences during epidemics are related to the embedded and longstanding stigmas against them and how these embedded stigmas can affect their resilience in disease outbreaks are not well understood. This study investigated the experiences of ethnic minorities in the COVID-19 pandemic, and how their experiences were related to the embedded stigma toward them. Methods: This study adopted a qualitative approach, interviewed 25 individuals (13 women and 12 men) from ethnic minority groups residing in Hong Kong from August 2021 to February 2022 in a semi-structured format. Thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the data. Results: The participants were isolated and stereotyped as infectious during the COVID-19 pandemic at community and institutional levels. Their experiences did not occur suddenly during the pandemic but were embedded in the longstanding segregation and negative stereotypes toward ethnic minorities in different aspects of life before the pandemic. These negative stereotypes affected their resilience in living and coping with the pandemic. Conclusion: The participants' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic were mostly disadvantageous and predominantly initiated by the mainstream stigmatization toward them by the local Chinese residents and government. Their disadvantaged experiences in the pandemic should be traced to the embedded social systems, imposing structural disparities for ethnic minorities when accessing social and medical resources during a pandemic. Because of the preexisting stigmatization and social seclusion of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, the participants experienced health inequality, which stemmed from social inequality and the power differential between them and the Chinese locals. The disadvantaged situation of the participants negatively affected their resilience to the pandemic. To enable ethnic minorities better cope with future epidemics, merely providing assistance to them during an epidemic is barely adequate, but a more supportive and inclusive social system should be established for them in the long run.
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COVID-19 , Minorías Étnicas y Raciales , Disparidades en el Estado de Salud , Estigma Social , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Pueblos del Este de Asia , Etnicidad , Grupos Minoritarios , Pandemias , Hong KongRESUMEN
Adolescents all over the world are vulnerable in facing developmental challenges. Recent studies have evidenced that the unexpected interruptions of school learning during the COVID-19 pandemic have raised concerns about the well-being of adolescents. This present study sought to investigate the relationship between mindfulness, stress, savoring beliefs, and satisfaction of life among adolescents in Hong Kong during COVID-19. A total of 240 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age (M = 15.60; SD = 0.70) from schools with different religious backgrounds completed an online survey. Findings from hierarchical linear regression indicated that statistically, mindfulness negatively predicted stress and positively predicted life satisfaction and savoring beliefs. Students with faiths did not show any significant differences in mindfulness and other variables in this study from students without faiths. In terms of implications, these findings provide positive evidence that mindfulness may be an important aspect for interventions designed to enhance life satisfaction and savoring beliefs, and reduce stress of adolescents over challenging times. Overall, this study suggests youth service providers to develop effective strategies in schools and communities for further promoting wellbeing and resilience of adolescents.
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BACKGROUND: Hong Kong has a relatively low incidence rate of COVID-19 across the globe. Nevertheless, ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, especially South Asians (SAs) and Southeast Asians (SEAs), face numerous physical, mental, social, economic, cultural and religious challenges during the pandemic. This study explores the experiences of SA and SEA women in a predominantly Chinese metropolitan city. METHODS: Ten SA and SEA women were recruited and face-to-face interviews were conducted. Questions about participants' daily life experience, physical and mental health conditions, economic situation and social interaction amid COVID-19 pandemic were asked to assess the impact of COVID-19. RESULTS: SAs and SEAs have a distinctive family culture, and women experienced significant physical and mental impact of COVID-19 due to their unique gender role in the family. In addition to taking care of their family in Hong Kong, SA and SEA women also had to mentally and financially support family members residing in their home countries. Access to COVID-related information was restricted due to language barrier. Public health measures including social distancing imposed extra burden on ethnic minorities with limited social and religious support. CONCLUSIONS: Even when COVID-19 incidence rate is relatively low in Hong Kong, the pandemic made life even more challenging for SAs and SEAs, which is a community already struggling with language barriers, financial woes, and discrimination. This in turn could have led to greater health inequalities. Government and civil organizations should take the social determinants of health inequalities into account when implementing COVID-19-related public health policies and strategies.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , Femenino , COVID-19/epidemiología , Pandemias , Hong Kong/epidemiología , Pueblos del Sudeste Asiático , Grupos Minoritarios/psicologíaRESUMEN
This study aims a more thorough understanding of individuals' motivations and determinants of working from home (WFH) at various phases of the pandemic. To achieve this research goal, we analyze attitudes towards WFH, the profiles of various types of workers engaged in WFH, and the determinants of the current and future expected frequency of WFH among 816 workers in Hong Kong. We identify four types of teleworkers: (1) those with little employer support, (2) those distracted with tech problems, (3) those with good home office, and (4) those with substantial employer support. Separate latent-class choice models present that WFH frequencies in early phases of the pandemic (and at the moment), attitudes towards WFH, and certain constraining/facilitating factors affect the (expected) frequency of WFH. This study provides valuable insights into the types of teleworkers and the determinants of WFH, which will help policymakers create ways to encourage (or discourage) the future frequency of WFH.
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OBJECTIVE: Assess real-world effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19. METHODS: A test-negative study was conducted in January-May 2022 during an Omicron BA.2 wave in Hong Kong. COVID-19 was identified by RT-PCR. 1-1 case-control matching was based on propensity score with vaccine effectiveness adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: Altogether, 1781 cases and 1737 controls aged 3-105 years were analysed. The mean lag time from the last dose of vaccination to testing for SARS-CoV-2 was 133.9 (SD: 84.4) days. Two doses of either vaccine within 180 days offered a low effectiveness against COVID-19 of all severity combined (VEadj [95% CI] for BNT162b2: 27.0% [4.2-44.5], CoronaVac: 22.9% [1.3-39.7]), and further decreased after 180 days. Two doses of CoronaVac were poorly protective 39.5% [4.9-62.5] against severe diseases for age ≥ 60 years, but the effectiveness increased substantially after the third dose (79.1% [25.7-96.7]). Two doses of BNT162b2 protected age ≥ 60 years against severe diseases (79.3% [47.2, 93.9]); however, the uptake was not high enough to assess three doses. CONCLUSIONS: The current real-world analysis indicates a high vaccine effectiveness of three doses of inactivated virus (CoronaVac) vaccines against Omicron variant, whereas the effectiveness of two doses is suboptimal.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Humanos , Vacuna BNT162 , COVID-19/prevención & control , ARN Mensajero , Hong Kong/epidemiología , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Vacunas de Productos InactivadosRESUMEN
COVID-19 vaccines against the earlier strains of SARS-CoV-2 are now available. However, breakthrough infections can still occur due to waning antibodies and immune escape by new variants. We assessed humoral immune responses to the mRNA (BNT162b2) and inactivated (CoronaVac) vaccines in our healthcare worker cohort (HCW). We recruited HCWs from public and private healthcare institutions across Hong Kong and collected blood samples at enrolment and every 6 months from June 2020 to June 2022. A subset of volunteers provided blood samples between 10 – 42 days after each dose of vaccine. Immune responses to vaccination were measured as SARS-CoV-2 binding antibodies detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies by surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Among the 1,736 HCWs enrolled in our cohort, 252 HCWs provided pre- and post-vaccination blood samples after each dose of either vaccine. Two doses of BNT162b2 generated levels of neutralizing antibodies (sVNT inhibition = 96.8%, range = 42.8%, 98.2%) comparable to those generated by natural infections in the first wave (sVNT inhibition = 84.0%, range = 32.9%, 93.8%). Similar levels were achieved with three doses of CoronaVac (sVNT inhibition = 95.3%, range = 64.7%, 98.3%) and heterologous vaccination with two doses of CoronaVac followed by a booster dose of BNT162b2 vaccine (sVNT inhibition = 97.0%, range = 85.8%, 97.7%). These antibody levels waned faster after second doses and slower after third doses for both vaccines. The BNT162b2 vaccine and CoronaVac vaccines can generate robust antibody responses comparable to natural infections. Three doses of the CoronaVac vaccine, or a heterologous boost with the BNT162b2 vaccine following two doses of the CoronaVac vaccine are required to achieve similar levels of neutralising antibodies in vaccinees who received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Infectious Diseases is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
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Intro: It is hypothesized that metagenomics could contribute to the effective sentinel surveillance of emerging infections to identify plausible cause of respiratory symptoms in the population. Method(s): This study forms part of a longitudinal household cohort study involving the collection of respiratory symptoms and vaccination history in Hong Kong. As a pilot, selected households were provided with swab collection kit for collecting nasopharyngeal and throat samples when there was an influenza-like illness (ILI) during a 4-month presumptive period of the year's winter influenza season. Sequence-Independent Single Primer Amplification (SISPA) and nanopore metagenomic sequencing were performed. After basecalling, demultiplexing, and quality filtering, taxonomic classification was done. Unclassified and host reads were removed and only taxon with over 0.1% abundance were included in the analysis. Finding(s): Between December 2021 and April 2022, of 101 collection kits delivered, 36 (36%) participants returned the samples. Two (6%) had previous COVID-19 diagnosis and almost all (97%) received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination. Metagenomics sequencing was performed on 13 samples collected from participants when ILI was present. Of the 1,592,219 reads obtained, 5308 taxa were identified and 136 had over 0.1% abundance, including 128 bacteria, 6 fungi, and 1 virus, which was a bacteriophage. The five most abundant genera of bacteria included Neisseria (19%), Streptococcus (10%), Haemophilus (9%), Veillonella (3%), and Rothia (3%). Haemophilus parainfluenzae was the most abundant species with 97,542 (6%) reads, followed by Neisseria meningitides (5%). Other bacteria identified included Rothia mucilaginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Lautropia mirabilis, Veillonella atypica, Streptococcus salivarius, and Streptococcus pneumonia. Inter-participant abundance profile was significantly different (p<0.001). Conclusion(s): The absence of viral infections identified echoed the extremely low proportion (3/21986, or 0.01%) of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza virus by the government laboratory during the same period. The metagenomic profile could be useful for identifying the likely ILI-causing pathogen.Copyright © 2023
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The study compares the effectiveness, popularity, and ease of applicability of different learning tools in virtual classrooms among university teachers and students concerning the users' technological literacy and training, as well as equipment support offered by the universities during the pandemic. Comparisons between face-to-face teaching in classrooms and online virtual classrooms will be drawn concerning limitations, incentives, motivation, and effectiveness toward learning. This study also leads to the question of future course development by exploring the possibility of course design and assessment restructuring with a switch to online education with the new mode of technology as the trend.