SARS-CoV-2 Positive Pregnant Women Delivering in a Hospital From March 2020 - February 2021 in Three California Counties

Background. Comparing outcomes of both symptomatic and asymptomatic hospitalized pregnant women with COVID-19 can inform both the prognosis during hospitalization for pregnant women with COVID-19 and the relationship of COVID-19 to pregnancy outcomes. Methods. Using population-based surveillance data from COVID-19 Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET), chart reviews were conducted for SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant patients, age 15 to 49 years, residing in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco Counties in California who delivered in a hospital between March 1st 2020 and February 28th 2021. Cases were defined as SARS-CoV-2 positive if they had a positive test during hospitalization or within 14 days prior to admission. Multivariate analysis was used to describe demographic characteristics, underlying medical conditions, vaccination status, and pregnancy outcomes by presence or absence of symptoms upon hospitalization. Chi-square tests assessed significance with p-values < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results. Among the 330 SARS-CoV-2 positive women that delivered in a hospital, 60.3% were Hispanic or Latino, 4.9% were White (Non-Hispanic), 6.4% were Black (Non-Hispanic), 6.7% were Asian or Pacific Islander, 0.9% were multiracial, and 20.9% were unknown race or ethnicity. Symptomatic cases spent a median of 3 days in the hospital while asymptomatic cases spent a median of 2 days in the hospital. Symptomatic women were more likely to have a Caesarian-section (OR 2.49, 95% CI: 1.45, 4.28), have preeclampsia (OR 2.19, 95% CI: 1.17, 4.10), and be admitted to the ICU (OR 3.78, 95% CI: 1.08, 13.29) than asymptomatic women. Invasive mechanical ventilation was required for 3 of the 109 symptomatic women and none of the 221 asymptomatic women (P=0.03). Conclusion. Among hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 positive patients in three California countries from March 1st 2020 to February 28th 2021, symptomatic pregnant women were more likely to have a Caesarian-section, have preeclampsia, and be admitted to the ICU compared to asymptomatic pregnant women. As COVID-19 continues to be prevalent, future studies should examine the associations and potential confounders between COVID-19 symptoms and pregnancy outcomes.

COVID-19: Short- and long-term impacts on work and well-being

The broad risks and drastic changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic pose various psychosocial and physical challenges, which can affect the health and well-being of employees and the organizations they work for. This chapter builds on research undertaken in support of the Canadian military to provide timely insight into how people may react during and after the crisis, and how organizational leaders can support their personnel through it. We took a pragmatic approach in reviewing the scientific literature and available data that (in)directly relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we distilled the information to a manageable set of recommendations deemed relevant to the organizational context. Our review yielded considerations in several key areas, including (a) impacts of disasters, (b) impacts of COVID-19 on work life, and (c) on family life, (d) (non-)compliance with public health directives, (e) reintegration into the workplace, and (f) crisis communication and management. Although certain organizations (e.g., military/public safety), may be well-prepared to manage the effects of the crisis (e.g., with a workforce that is trained for and experienced in dealing with stressful and ambiguous situations), our review suggests that some workers, regardless of organizational affiliation, may be particularly susceptible to its negative effects based on their perceptions, demographic characteristics, personal or financial circumstances, family dynamics, pre-existing health conditions, and the nature of their work. In this chapter, we discuss the various risk factors and offer evidence-informed recommendations for how organizational leaders might mitigate the potential harmful and enduring effects of COVID-19 and future crises, and we offer a research agenda to address critical knowledge gaps. © E. Kevin Kelloway and Sir Cary Cooper 2021. Crown Copyright is retained for Chapter 12.

Challenges facing Members of Canada's Defense Team at the Start of the Pandemic: Key Findings from the Defense Team COVID-19 Survey

Introduction: Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19, there is a need for research assessing pandemic-related challenges and stressors. The current study aimed to assess key concerns and general well-being among members of Canada's Defence Team, including Canadian Armed Forces personnel and members of the Department of National Defence (DND) Public Service. Methods: The COVID-19 Defence Team Survey was administered electronically to Defence Team staff in April and May of 2020 and was completed by 13 688 Regular Force, 5985 Reserve Force and 7487 civilian DND Public Service personnel. Along with demographic information, the survey included assessments of work arrangement, pandemic-related concerns, general well-being and social and organizational support. Weighted data (to ensure representation) were used in all analyses. Results: The majority of respondents were working from home, with a small minority unable to work due to restrictions. Though many concerns were endorsed by a substantial proportion of respondents, the most prevalent concerns were related to the health and well-being of loved ones. The majority of respondents reported their partner, family, supervisors, friends, colleagues and children provided general support. Half of the civilian defence staff and one-third of military respondents reported a decline in mental health. Women, younger respondents, those with dependents and, in some cases, those who were single without children were at risk of lower well-being. Conclusion: The pandemic has negatively impacted a substantial portion of the Defence Team. When responding to future crises, it is recommended that leaders of organizations provide additional supports to higher-risk groups and to supervisors who are ideally positioned to support employees during challenging times.

PAWG Pilot Study on Quantification of SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibody - Part 1

Under the auspices of the Protein Analysis Working Group (PAWG) of the Comité Consultatif pour la Quantité de Matière (CCQM) a pilot study, CCQM-P216, was coordinated by the Chinese National Institute of Metrology (NIM), National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). Eleven Metrology Institutes or Designated Institutes and the BIPM participated in the first phase of the pilot study (Part 1). The purpose of this pilot study was to develop measurement capabilities for larger proteins using a recombinant humanized IgG monoclonal antibody against Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (Anti-S IgG mAb) in solution. The first phase of the study was designed to employ established methods that had been previously studies by the CCQM Protein Analysis Working Group, involving the digestion of protein down to the peptide or amino acid level.The global coronavirus pandemic has also led to increased focus on antibody quantitation methods. IgG are among the immunoglobulins produced by the immune system to provide protection against SARS-CoV-2. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG can therefore be detected in samples from affected patients. Antibody tests can show whether a person has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2, and whether or not they potentially show lasting immunity to the disease. With the constant spread of the virus and the high pressure of re-opening economies, antibody testing plays a critical role in the fight against COVID-19 by helping healthcare professionals to identify individuals who have developed an immune response, either via vaccination or exposure to the virus. Many countries have launched large-scale antibody testing for COVID-19. The development of measurement standards for the antibody detection of SARS-CoV-2 is critically important to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, the SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody is being used as a model system to build capacity in methods that can be used in antibody quantification. Amino acid reference values with corresponding expanded uncertainty of 36.10 ± 1.55 mg/kg, 38.75 ± 1.45 mg/kg, 18.46 ± 0.78 mg/kg, 16.20 ± 0.67 mg/kg and 30.61 ± 1.30 mg/kg have been established for leucine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and proline, respectively. Agreement between nearly all laboratories was achieved for the amino acid analysis within 2 to 2.5 %, with one participant achieving markedly higher results due to a technical issue found in their procedure;this result was thus excluded from the reference value calculations. The relatively good agreement within a laboratory between different amino acids was not dissimilar to previous results for peptides or small proteins, indicating that factors such as hydrolysis conditions and calibration procedures could be the largest sources of variability.Peptide reference values with corresponding expanded uncertainty of 4.99 ± 0.28 mg/kg and 6.83 ± 0.65 mg/kg have been established for ALPAPIEK and GPSVFPLAPSSK, respectively. Not surprisingly due to prior knowledge from previous studies on peptide quantitation, agreement between laboratories for the peptide-based analysis was slightly poorer at 3 to 5 %, with one laboratory's result excluded for the peptide GPSVFPLAPSSK. Again, this level of agreement was not significantly poorer than that achieved in previous studies with smaller or less complex proteins.To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report.

Investigating the effects of social gameplay elements in gamifying online classes

With the sudden outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 virus, countless academic institutions around the world were driven to shift entirely from teaching in physical classrooms to online teaching overnight. One of the biggest challenges faced by educators is how to sustain student engagement in online delivery. Gamification, the approach of engaging users by employing game design elements and mechanics is one such solution. Nevertheless, in most cases the practice of gamification is more on being results oriented and less experience-centric, while the success of video games is usually more focused on its overall player experience. For the purpose of this paper, the term 'vertical gamification' is used to describe the lower-tier levels of gamification which utilizes game elements such as leader-boards, points and badges as its purpose is to attain higher points for rewards. The utilization of social gameplay elements such as the challenge, opposition, and competition aspects of game design within gamification is termed as 'horizontal gamification'. The horizontal reference refers to a more social-centric aspect of game experience. This paper aims to examine learners and their perceived experience in the gamification of online classes and to gauge the level of engagement and challenges faced by these learners. The research also aims to investigate if a vertical gamification procedure provides a similar level of engagement as the horizontal gamification procedure. Through a series of surveys involving 108 participants within a normal online class environment, online classes utilizing vertical gamification and online classes utilizing horizontal gamification;the research was able to determine at which point the learner's level of engagement increases. The research will apply the GAMEFULQUEST instrument to assess the perceived gamefulness between the various online classes to ascertain the success of using a more distinctive experienced-based gamification approach to enhance engagement for online teaching and learning. © The Authors, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Isolation and genomic analyses of an early sars-cov-2 strains from the 2020 epidemic in gwangju, south korea

Since the first identification of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in China in late December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread fast around the world. RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, have higher gene mutations than DNA viruses during virus replication. Variations in SARS-CoV-2 genome could contribute to efficiency of viral spread and severity of COVID-19. In this study, we analyzed the locations of genomic mutations to investigate the genetic diversity among isolates of SARS-CoV-2 in Gwangju. We detected non-synonymous and frameshift mutations in various parts of SARS-CoV-2 genome. The phylogenetic analysis for whole genome showed that SARS-CoV-2 genomes in Gwangju isolates are clustered within clade V and G. Our findings not only provide a glimpse into changes of prevalent virus clades in Gwangju, South Korea, but also support genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 to aid in the development of efficient therapeutic antibodies and vaccines against COVID-19. © This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License.

Gender-related differences in mental health of canadian armed forces members during the covid-19 pandemic

Introduction: The challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have the potential to not only adversely aff ect mental health in general but also to emphasize and widen disparities in mental health across demographic groups. In particular, research suggests that women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic psychologically, socially, and economically. Methods: The COVID-19 Defence Team (DT) survey was designed to assess the impacts of the pandemic on DT members. The current study focused on the mental health of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Regular Force members and the impacts of gender and family status on key mental health outcomes. Results: Women were more likely to experience mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and worse perceived mental health and stress since the start of the pandemic, compared with men. Most respondents with depression or anxiety experienced some degree of functional impairment. Although overall levels of functional impairment did not differ by gender, men with dependent children at home were more likely to experience functional impairment than those without children, whereas women with dependent children at home were less likely to report such impairment than those without children. Discussion: Th e findings provide a snapshot of the mental health of CAF Regular Force members early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Although most members were doing well, a notable minority were experiencing mental health issues at potentially clinically significant levels. Th e findings suggest the importance of considering gender, work, and family situation in understanding the mental health of military personnel during the pandemic. © 2021 Spandidos Publications. All rights reserved.

Fashion Consumers' Channel Switching Behavior During the COVID-19: Protection Motivation Theory in the Extended Planned Behavior Framework

The purpose of this study is to understand fashion consumers' channel switching to online stores during the COVID-19. We proposed an extended theory of planned behavior by incorporating protection motivation theory. The results showed that consumer assessments of perceived severity and altruistic fear of COVID-19 and response efficacy and self-efficacy of channel switching increased their beliefs (i.e., attitude, perceived behavior control, subjective norm) and intentions to switch shopping channels to online. We also found that the age (young vs. old) moderated the effects of response efficacy and self-efficacy on perceived behavior control, perceived severity on subjective norm, perceived behavior control on channel switching intentions, and channel switching intention on actual switching behavior. The findings provide fashion retailers and the society with a better understanding about fashion consumers' shopping channel switching under the pandemic.