ABSTRACT
E-commerce packaging waste is a matter of concern, especially with the increasing popularity of online shopping due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This leads to the generation of a massive amount of e-commerce packaging waste as well as resource utilisation and CO2 emissions that go into the production of packaging. The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on consumer trends in the e-commerce industry, quantitatively analyse the carbon emissions of packaging used, and present a circular model to reduce the demand for virgin packaging. Using a convenience sampling method, an online questionnaire was administered to 285 respondents to gather data on changes in shopping practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumer awareness levels and observations on packaging materials, and practices employed by e-commerce companies. It was found that the number of orders placed per month increased after the onset of the pandemic and that most households dispose of packaging with household wastes as opposed to reusing or recycling. Primary data (study participants packaging waste production) in combination with secondary data (emission factors) was further used to calculate emissions due to mixed packaging waste, which came out to be 2,705.94 kg CO2e per metric tonne of waste produced. In addition, the paper presents a practical solution to reducing virgin packaging material production, as well as modifications in packaging used to ensure efficient working of the packaging reuse model when implemented by the e-commerce companies. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43615-022-00231-4.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The swine (H1N1) virus responsible for worldwide pandemics since 2009 is now causing seasonal epidemics. Since then alarming spikes of swine flu cases have been reported from Uttarakhand every year. There are limited studies conducted in this Himalayan belt to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of the patients admitted in tertiary care hospitals. AIMS & OBJECTIVES: This study aims to summarize the clinical and epidemiological attributes of swine flu and to approximate the burden of Influenza A H1N1 (Swine Flu) cases in this Himalayan belt. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of influenza A H1N1 cases from October 2018 to April 2019 were retrospectively and descriptively analyzed using data from the Medical Records Section and the isolation ward at Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences; Shri Mahant Indiresh hospital. RESULTS: A total of 1126 (51.6%) patients were tested of which 30% (338) patients were found to be H1N1 positive. Maximum cases and positivity were detected in the months of January (26.4%), February (50.3%), and March (14.8%), and the patients in the age groups of 41-50 (21.9%) and 51-60 years (19.3%) accounted for majority of the cases. The most common symptoms were fever (85.8%), cough (82.2%), sore throat (82%), and breathlessness (71.3%). A case fatality ratio of 10.9% was observed. A significant statistical association (p value < 0.00001) was reported between co-morbid conditions and death. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, close caution should be exercised in case of patients infected with H1N1 particularly those with co-morbidities.
