COVID-19 Contagion Research Articles

Implementing Anchor Free Model for Social Distancing Detection on FPGA Board

Since 2019, the world has known a global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. The epidemic was spreading very fast and many precautions should be respected to fight the disease. In order to limit the CVID-19 spread, different ways can be adopted. Social distancing is one of the most important cautions that should be respected. It means keeping a safe social distance between persons in order to avoid COVID-19 contagion. The social distance is about one meter at least. Building new tools used to perform social distance system present a very challenging task. We propose in this paper to build a social distancing system based on one-stage neural networks. The proposed system is developed based on an improved version FCOS model. In order to ensure an embedded implementation of the proposed work, we used EfficientNet v1 as a network backbone and we applied compression techniques to reduce the model complexity and computation resources. The inference stage of the model has been performed on a ZCU 102 board. Training and testing experiments have demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed work in terms of accuracy as well as processing time.

Having any mental health condition before the COVID-19 pandemic as a risk factor of COVID-19 contagion during the first year of pandemic: A Spanish adult cohort.

Numerous studies suggest that subjects suffering from a mental health condition before the COVID-19 pandemic were at higher risk of contagion, but mostly are cross-sectional or retrospective. The BIOVAL-D-COVID-19 is a longitudinal cohort study design with 922 subjects who full filled two evaluations from an online survey of Spanish residents before and during the pandemic. Mental health conditions assessed were: Major Depressive Episode (MDE), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours (STB) and subthreshold of panic and bipolar disorder (BD). Mental health screening instruments used were: the Spanish version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) version 3.0 for the evaluation of MDE, the GAD-7 scale to evaluate GAD; STB was evaluated with four items from the CIDI questionnaire. Panic Disorder and BD were screened from a modified and self-reported version of the CIDI. A bivariate plus five logistic regression models were developed for each mental health condition adjusted by socio-demographic variables; employment status; general and physical health; comorbidity; and including all previous variables and the other mental health conditions. We found in bivariate model that MDE; GAD and STB were statistically significant risk factors of contagion of COVID-19. The logistic regression models developed reveal that having a previous GAD (aOR 3.30 1.31-8.31) or STB (aOR 2.16 CI 95% 1.01-4.62) was statistically significant associated with COVID-19 contagion, independently of all variables included. MDE was not a risk factor of contagion when it was adjusted by comorbidity (aOR 0.99 CI 95% 0.47-2.09). It is recommended to detect those subjects with previous GAD or STB as vulnerable groups of infection to reduce contagion rates.

The emotional states and associated behavioral responses (flexible-adaptive behaviors vs. inflexible-maladaptive behaviors) of cancer patients during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak: A multi-center cross-sectional study in Italy.

Distress during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak affected also cancer patients' well-being. Aim of this study was to investigate patient' reactions and behavior (flexible-adaptive vs. inflexible-maladaptive) during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. A cross-sectional survey was designed with a self-report questionnaire, "the ImpACT questionnaire," developed for the study. Regression analysis was performed on data. Four hundred and forty five cancer patients from 17 Italian regions participated in the study. 79.8% of participants were female (mean age of 58 years). 92.6% of participants reported feeling vulnerable to COVID-19 contagion; 75.6% reported helpless, 62.7% sad, 60.4% anxious, and 52.0% anger. Avoidance of thinking about coronavirus is the principal maladaptive behavior that emerged. Participants who reported feeling anxious were more likely to have fear of staff being infected with COVID-19 (OR = 3.01; 95% CI = 1.49-6.30) and to have disrupted sleep due to worry (OR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.23-4.83). Younger participants reported more anxiety (OR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.94-1.00); men reported feeling calm more than women (OR = 2.60; 95% CI = 1.27-5.43). Majority of cancer patients reported serious concerns regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection; reliable information and psychological support must be offers to respond to these needs.

A New Tailored Approach to Calculate the Optimal Number of Outdoor Air Changes in School Building HVAC Systems in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Air conditioning systems can play a positive or negative role in the spread of COVID-19 infection. The importance of sufficient outdoor air changes in buildings was highlighted by the World Health Organization, therefore these should be guaranteed by mechanical ventilation systems or adequate air conditioning systems. The proposed case study concerns the optimal number of outdoor air changes to limit COVID-19 contagion for a school building in Central Italy. The Wells–Riley model is used to assess the risk of airborne infection, while energy consumption is calculated by a dynamic energy simulation software. The scope of the paper offers an innovative method to define the optimal ventilation strategy for the building’s HVAC system design to reduce the risk of infection with limited increases in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Results show that the desirable approach is the one in which the same low value of contagion risk is set in all rooms. This new approach results in significant energy savings, compared to the most common ones (setting the same high outdoor air rates for all rooms) to counteract the risk of infection. Finally, the zero-emission building target is verified by introducing a suitable photovoltaic system to offset pollutant emissions.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in geographic science

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted geographers and specialists of other areas, driving them to generate knowledge aimed to explain and find solutions to the health crisis that emerged in March 2020. Within the field of geography, quantitative methods, and geotechnologies have been employed to collect measurable data which prove useful explanation and the logical relationship between variables, verifying hypotheses related to COVID-19 contagion and mortality cases. Health geography, as a disciplinary branch, has investigated the spatial-temporal distribution and dynamics of diseases, seeking to understand the processes explaining the spatial structure of them during a pandemic. In this context, a case of study, Mexico City, seeks to address questions from a health geography perspective, such as: What were the causes behind the high levels of pandemic contagion? Which environmental, social, and health factors in time and space relate and contribute to a greater impact of the pandemic? How do these factors interact with each other, and how have they influenced the increase or decrease in contagion and mortality cases? What are the short, medium, and long-term scenarios of COVID-19? To address these inquiries, spatial analysis methods and geotechnological techniques, approached holistically and have efficiently supported the identification of COVID-19 contagion risk zones and their specific characteristics. These insights prove invaluable information for spatial decision-making in comprehensive planning and territorial management.

The fear of COVID-19 contagion: an exploratory EEG-fMRI study

Pandemics have the potential to change how people behave and feel. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception; thus, it may serve as a "challenging context" for understanding how pandemics affect people's minds. In this study, we used high-density electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural correlates of fear of contagion during the most critical moments of COVID-19 in Italy (i.e., October 2020–May 2021). To do that, we stimulated participants (N = 17; nine females) with artificial-intelligence-generated faces of people presented as healthy, recovered from COVID-19, or infected by SARS-CoV-2. The fMRI results documented a modulation of large bilateral fronto-temporo-parietal functional brain networks. Critically, we found selective recruitment of cortical (e.g., frontal lobes) and subcortical fear-related structures (e.g., amygdala and putamen) of the so-called social brain network when participants observed COVID-19-related faces. Consistently, EEG results showed distinct patterns of brain activity selectively associated with infected and recovered faces (e.g., delta and gamma rhythm). Together, these results highlight how pandemic contexts may reverberate in the human brain, thus influencing most basic social and cognitive functioning. This may explain the emergence of a cluster of psychopathologies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study underscores the need for prompt interventions to address pandemics' short- and long-term consequences on mental health.

Effects of COVID-19 contagion in cohabitants and family members on mental health and academic self-efficacy among university students in Sweden: a prospective longitudinal study

ObjectiveThis study used causal inference to estimate the longitudinal effects of contagion in cohabitants and family members on university students’ mental health and academic self-efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignA prospective...

The impact of vaccine hesitancy on psychological impairment among healthcare workers in a Total Worker Health© approach.

Vaccination practice is a well-known individual protective measure for biological risk in healthcare. During the COVID-19 pandemic vaccine hesitancy has grown among healthcare workers (HCWs). The study aims to investigate how vaccine hesitancy influences the psychological burden experienced by healthcare workers. This study aimed to explore attitudes of HCWs in acceptance or refusal of vaccinations related to the risk of psychological impairment (PI) and describe the associated occupational factors, during the seasonal flu/COVID-19 vaccination campaign of 2022-2023. 302 HCWs were enrolled in the study. A questionnaire was self-administered, including two scales on the risk of psychological impairment (Psychological Injury Risk Indicator, PIRI) and vaccine hesitancy (Adult Vaccine Hesitancy Scale, AVHS). PIRI scores revealed that 29.8% of participants were at risk of PI. Differences in sex, age, occupational seniority, professional category, and night shifts were found between HCWs at risk of PI and those not at risk. Females registered a four-fold higher risk than males (85.6% vs. 14.4%, χ2 = 4.450, p < 0.05). Nurses were the highest risk category, followed by physicians and technicians (54.4% vs. 30.0% vs. 12.2%, χ2 = 14.463, p < 0.001). 41.7% of participants received the flu vaccination, and 98.9% received the COVID-19 vaccine. HCWs were prone to being vaccinated to protect patients and family members. Conversely, vaccine refusal was attributed to the perception of flu vaccines as not beneficial and COVID-19 contagion at low risk. The latter was more frequently reported for HCWs at risk of PI (16.7% vs. 4.7%, χ2 = 11.882, p = 0.001). Finally, hesitant HCWs were at higher risk of psychological impairment than others. HCWs expressed vaccine acceptance considering their social role in the community as protectors. However, the underestimation of the risk of severity of COVID-19 was more relevant among HCWs at risk of PI than others. Psychological aspects need to be considered by healthcare providers when fighting vaccine hesitancy.

Stopping times occurring simultaneously

Stopping times are used in applications to model random arrivals. A standard assumption in many models is that they are conditionally independent, given an underlying filtration. This is a widely useful assumption, but there are circumstances where it seems to be unnecessarily strong. We use a modified Cox construction along with the bivariate exponential introduced by Marshall and Olkin (1967) to create a family of stopping times, which are not necessarily conditionally independent, allowing for a positive probability for them to be equal. We show that our initial construction only allows for positive dependence between stopping times, but we also propose a joint distribution that allows for negative dependence while preserving the property of non-zero probability of equality. We indicate applications to modeling COVID-19 contagion (and epidemics in general), civil engineering, and to credit risk.

Analysis Of the Impact of Social Networks on The Spread of Covid-19

A worldwide pandemic was brought on by the infectious disease COVID-19, which was caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus. In this essay I will shortly introduce the background and existing impact of COVID-19 and the former epidemiology understanding of the contagion of COVID-19, I will use the Sir model, basic reproduction number, and other epidemiology and network science measurement to analysis about will the social network effect or not in the contagion of COVID-19 and if it play a role will the government intervention influence the extent of its effect.It was discovered that social networks, which Sir Model ignores, are crucial to the spread of COVID-19. And some network science knowledge can help people to understand and prevent the contagion. Government institution can reduce network externality,the outcome depends on how strong their policy is ,Thus, this paper concluded that social networks give us a fresh perspective on the COVID-19 contagion, which is quite useful.

Mapping of Philippine Kto10 Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) in Probability and Statistics

The complexity of Probability and Statistics Education was intensified by several concerns in the education sector brought by COVID-19 contagion. This study examined the Philippine Kto10 Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) in Probability and Statistics by comparing the content topics and learning competencies with the Kto10 Mathematics Curriculum. This Critical-Qualitative approach of study used curriculum mapping as a method of analysis in the identification of the gaps in the MELCs across the grade level along with lesson continuity and lesson congestion backed up with the experiences and responses of 12-Math teachers (5 Elementary,7 Secondary) who were informants of the study. This investigation found out that the learning competencies in Probability and Statistics of the Kto10 Mathematics Curriculum were reduced (from 89 to 66 learning competencies) across grade level to cope up with the present educational crisis brought by the pandemic. The issuance of Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) arranged in increasing complexity was seen as a good initiative in decongesting the overcrowded Kto10 Mathematics Curriculum. However, gaps were still seen along lesson continuity across grade level particularly in grade 9 (no lesson in Probability and Statistics). This study provides insights among educational authorities and researchers to further explore how the Probability and Statistics are taught across grade level. It uncovers the gaps along lesson continuity and congestion for the need of revision of Philippine Kto10 Mathematics Curriculum.

Socioeconomic conditions and contagion dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic with and without mitigation measures: Evidence from 185 countries

It is well documented that COVID-19 contagion and mortality rates differed systematically across countries. Less is known, however, on whether these differences could be explained by socioeconomic conditions that may determine both the extent to which individuals voluntarily take protection measures in the absence of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) or comply with imposed NPIs, when these are in place. Using data from 185 countries, we examine associations of COVID-19 infection and mortality dynamics with socioeconomic conditions, as measured by poverty rates, in periods before and after NPIs have been imposed. We find that, in the initial period of the pandemic, when no NPIs were in place, daily growth of COVID-19 cases and deaths are positively associated with the share of the population living in poverty, whereas, in the following period, when NPIs were implemented, these associations turn negative. We argue that these results could be explained by the fact that NPIs are expected to be more effective in countries with high poverty rates where voluntary physical distancing is low and physical distancing practices are more responsive to imposed measures.

A Preference-Based Value Assessment of the Fear of COVID-19 Contagion.

To assess the preference-based value of the fear of COVID-19 contagion. We conducted a web-based, cross-sectional discrete choice experiment among 544 US adults. We used a Bayesian efficient design to generate choice sets. Each choice set comprised two hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine options characterized by seven attributes: chance of COVID-19 infection, chance of having severe symptoms from COVID-19 infection, vaccine protection duration, chance of mild to moderate adverse events from vaccination, chance of serious adverse events from vaccination, chance of future exposure to COVID-19 after vaccination, and out-of-pocket cost. We used mixed logit (ML) and latent class (LC) models to analyze data. Furthermore, we calculated the willingness-to-pay for eliminating the chance of future exposure to COVID-19, shedding light on the value attributed to the fear of contagion. The ML model demonstrated all attributes, including the chance of future exposure to COVID-19, were statistically significant. The participants were willing to pay approximately $13,046 to eliminate the chance of future exposure to COVID-19 or their fear of contagion when COVID-19 was still pandemic. The LC model unveiled two participant classes with distinct preference weights for the chance of future exposure to COVID-19 and out-of-pocket cost attributes. Nevertheless, the chance of future exposure to COVID-19 exposure held a significant degree of importance in both classes. The chance of future exposure to COVID-19 exposure or fear of contagion was a significant element in the value assessment of COVID-19 vaccines. Further studies should be conducted to verify the value of fear of contagion and include it in the value assessment of healthcare technologies for infectious diseases.

Impacts of energy saving measures on IEQ, task performance and COVID-19 contagion risk in public buildings: analysis of a case-study in Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

The recent 2022 energy crisis has pushed several Italian public administrations to adopt solutions to reduce energy demand for space heating in public buildings. Reduction of HVAC system operation time, decrease of heating setpoint and changes to ventilation schedules are some examples of typically implemented measures. However, some of them are in direct competition with those adopted so far to limit the risk of COVID-19 contagion, such as higher ventilation rates. Furthermore, limited operation time and lower setpoints can lead to suboptimal thermal comfort conditions for workers in public buildings, with subsequent decrease of their task performances. In this framework, to assess the global efficacy of the most recent energy saving policies in public buildings, this research focuses not only on the quantification of energy savings but also on the analysis of increased COVID-19 contagion risk, as well as performance loss due to suboptimal building operation conditions. To investigate the impact of new building operation policies for energy savings, an intermediate storey of a public office building in Bolzano, Italy, was selected as a case-study.

Why Do You Make Things So Complicated? Understanding the Texts of Regulations During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The last two years have been characterized by a considerable increase in the number of national and local regulations to contain and fight the spread of the COVID-19 contagion. The literature suggests that poor readability of regulations comes with a significant cost in terms of public compliance, in various contexts. Does the readability of COVID-19 regulations impact their effectiveness? We study the matter in Italy, a country severely affected by the first wave of COVID-19, and one that has seen many local regulations that have tried to halt the virus. Our empirical evidence, obtained from a corpus built on the basis of all 640 regional COVID-19 regulations that have been published, was collected from the Italian Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces between 21 February and 14 June 2020. Our results, obtained through F-GLS estimations with fixed, hybrid, and random effects, suggest that the readability of the regulations affected the spread of the pandemic, and that an improvement in readability would lead to more efficient outcomes.

Üçüncü basamak bir hastanede COVID-19 aşısı yaptıran bireylerin COVID-19 hastalık algısı ve aşıya yönelik tutumlarının değerlendirilmesi

Objective: It was aimed to evaluate COVID-19 disease perceptions, reasons for getting vaccinated, and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine of individuals who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Methods: In our cross-sectional, descriptive study, people who came to Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal Training and Research Hospital Vaccine Polyclinic between 01.02.2022 and 31.03.2022 and had COVID-19 vaccine were included in our study. Individuals under the age of 18, healthcare workers, people with active mental illness and those who could not communicate verbally were excluded from the study. Results: Of the personnel participating in our study, 282 (47.9%) were male and 307 (52.1%) were female.The results of the Scale of Attitudes Towards COVID-19 Vaccination, age, gender, education status, reasons for vaccination, next COVID-19 vaccination a statistically significant relationship was found between the variables of thinking about getting the vaccine and thinking that they have enough information about the COVID-19 vaccine (p=0.044, p=0.001, p=0.021, p&lt;0.001, p&lt;0.001, p&lt;0.001). With the COVID-19 disease perception scale, education status, getting influenza vaccination, thinking about getting the next COVID-19 vaccine, thinking that they have enough information about the COVID-19 vaccine, There was a significant difference in the reasons for being vaccinated (p=0.021, p=0,031, p=0.015, p=0.017, p&lt;0.001). A statistically significant relationship was found between the Attitudes towards the COVID-19 Vaccine Scale and the COVID-19 disease perception scale (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: As a result of our study, we found that individuals who vaccinated on a voluntary basis had positive COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and higher perceptions of COVID-19 contagion. In addition, we have shown that the attitude towards the vaccine and the perception of the disease affect the desire to have the next dose of vaccination. We think that the reasons for the negative attitude towards the vaccine and the inadequacy in the perception of the disease in the society should be determined and the necessary training should be given.

Workers’ Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Central and Eastern Europe

This article analyses the determinants of worker satisfaction in Central and Eastern European countries, focusing on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, the latest European Social Survey data were utilised in a multilevel framework, covering 5681 workers from eight countries. The results suggest that both the general stringency of policies aimed at containing the spread of the COVID-19 contagion and the resulting disruptions to individuals’ working lives significantly affected the well-being of workers. Workers’ satisfaction with their jobs was negatively affected mainly through decreases in work income, but the impact on their overall life satisfaction was more complex. While income reductions and workplace relocation negatively impacted life satisfaction, the opportunity and possible necessity to stay home more positively affected the life satisfaction of workers. Nevertheless, the overall stringency of governmental policies related to COVID-19 significantly reduced workers’ life satisfaction.

The antecedents of COVID-19 contagion on quality of audit evidence in Egypt

PurposeThis study assesses the perception of academics and practitioners of ramifications that may have impacted audit evidence quality during COVID-19 in Egypt.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was collected and designed regarding the factors affecting the quality of audit evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic using a five-point Likert scale, and detailed descriptive statistics and regression analyses were conducted.FindingsThe study finds that there is no significant association between social distancing (SD), changing in the economic environment (CEE), time constraint (TC) and stress on audit personnel (SAP) as repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic with the quality of audit evidence (QAE). The disruption in operational results (DOR), changes in the internal control (CIC) and the stress on client personnel (SCP) significantly affect the quality of audit evidence. Moreover, there is a significant difference between Big and non-Big Four audit firms in terms of changes in economic conditions, internal controls, disruption of operational results and time-constraint variables. The latter has significantly affected the audit evidence quality for both academics and professionals.Practical implicationsDue to the implementation of SD and work-from-home policies, audit firms are highly recommended to invest more in digital programs and to be more adaptable to work-from-home, which policy and enhances the effectiveness and flexibility of communication between auditors and their clients.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the foremost papers that provides empirical evidence for the antecedents or variables that may affect audit quality evidence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Remote monitoring as a surveillance method in patients on automated peritoneal dialysis for preventing complications and COVID-19 contagion

BackgroundDue to the health emergency of COVID-19, telemedicine has become more relevant. Remote monitoring conspicuous as a valuable tool for the clinical follow-up of kidney patients, in this case, who are treated with automated peritoneal dialysis. This study aims to describe the use of remote monitoring as a surveillance method in a cohort of patients on automated peritoneal dialysis prevent complications and COVID-19 contagion. MethodsStudy of a cohort of patients who initially participated in a randomized block clinical trial in which the use of Automated Peritoneal Dialysis with Remote Monitoring (APD-RM) was compared with conventional treatment. A descriptive analysis was performed of the rates of infection by COVID-19, the time of incidence until this, mortality, and rates of transfer to hemodialysis. In addition, survival was measured by survival curves. ResultsOf the 509 patients, 19 were positive for COVID-19 (incidence rate of 7.0 episodes/100 patient-year), and only six patients recovered from the infection; the death rate was 2.6 % compared to all-cause death of 9.8 %. The most affected group of patients were those over 50 years old, with 71.4 % mortality, in contrast to younger patients infected, with a mortality of 60 %. During the follow-up period, 21 patients were transferred to HD: six due to peritonitis, five due to UF failure, seven due to catheter dysfunction, one due to uremic syndrome, one due to COVID-19, and one by surgical intervention. ConclusionAPD-RM patients have a significant advantage over other dialysis therapies because the use of telemedicine not only provides continuity in the patient's clinical treatment but also favors the prevention of COVID-19 infection, the management and prevention of complications inherent to therapy and the preservation of the life of Peritoneal Dialysis patients.

Compliance with COVID-19 Regulations among Palestinian Citizens of Israel in the Context of Social Norms and Gender Roles

This paper examines the compliance with official recommendations to restrict COVID-19 contagion during the second wave (August–November 2020) among a sample of Palestinian citizens of Israel (N = 1536), aged 18 or more. The dependent variables included the compliance with keeping social distance, using masks, washing hands, avoiding social gatherings, and unnecessary shopping. The independent variables included sociodemographic and health-related factors and beliefs regarding the susceptibility to and seriousness of COVID-19. Special attention was paid to analyzing the content of the recommendations and the behavioral changes required vis-à-vis the norms and values of the population studied. Factor and content analyses yielded two distinct sets of recommendations, which were conceptualized as ‘Adopting New Behaviors’ and ‘Renouncing Usual Behaviors’. Compliance rates for the adoption of new behaviors ranged between 80.5 and 90.3% and were higher in women than men (p &lt; 0.002; p &lt; 0.001; p &lt; 0.001). Compliance rates for the renunciation of usual behaviors ranged between 47.1 and 60.4%. Educational level was positively associated with the compliance with recommendations requiring the renouncing of usual behaviors among men but not among women. The particular values and gender norms and the culture-based reasons for noncompliance among minority populations that were proposed using this method must be identified so that they inform authorities’ strategies to increase compliance with recommendations.