COVID-19 Shutdown Research Articles

Impact of the first COVID-19 shutdown on traumatological patient volumes in Switzerland.

BackgroundThe coronavirus has caused a worldwide pandemic with serious impacts on our healthcare systems. Many countries experienced a decline in traumatological patient volume. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the first lockdown on traumatological patient volume in Switzerland.MethodsWe retrospectively used a prospective national quality measurement database. We compared the period of the first lockdown in Switzerland from March 17 to April 26, 2020 to the same period in the years 2018 and 2019. Included were all adult patients with any S-code (trauma) according to the International Classification of Diseases.ResultsIn total, we assessed 3874 patients (1779 in the year 2018, 1303 in the year 2019, and 792 in the year 2020) with a mean age of 61 ± 21 years. The patients during the lockdown period had significantly more injuries to the hip and forearm, had more comorbidities, and were more likely to have statutory insurance. During the lockdown period, more thromboembolism prophylaxis or anticoagulation was applied, and more patients needed antibiotic treatment.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrated a 40–55% reduction in patient volume during the lockdown period in Switzerland compared to the previous years. The in-hospital mortality and complication rate during the lockdown period remained stable. This study suggests that in-hospital care for trauma patients in Switzerland was not substantially affected by the first lockdown.

The changes in the air quality of Wazirpur, Delhi due to the COVID-19 shutdown

The Corona Virus Disease (COVID)-19 pandemic led to the death of countless lives worldwide, which forced most countries and cities to impose a shutdown, bringing a halt to major human activities. While this shutdown caused a significant economic crisis, resulting in loss of livelihood to many people, it caused relief to the environment. Delhi in India is amongst the highest air-contaminated cities worldwide, and the COVID-19 shutdown helped improve air quality. This paper studied the variation in air quality for Wazirpur, Delhi, during shutdown in 2020 and a similar time-period in 2019. The data was acquired from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) open-access portal for six air contaminants viz. Carbon-monoxide (CO), Nitrogen-dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), and Sulphur-dioxide (SO2). Inferential statistical analysis was done to determine the trend in air quality variation during the shutdown compared to the previous year. Mean, standard deviation, percentage difference, linear regression and correlation analysis were made, and variable reduction in most air contaminants was noted. It was noted that for most of our observed time, the concentration of NO2, O3, PM10, PM2.5 and SO2 in 2020 is lower than in 2019, while the concentration of CO is greater in 2020 than the corresponding time in 2019. The maximum decline was observed for PM10 (70.5%) during phase-1, while the maximum increase was observed in CO (32.3%) during phase-1. As the shutdown restrictions were eased out, an increase in the air contaminants was also noted.

From Full Day Learning to 30 Minutes a Day: A Descriptive Study of Early Learning During the First COVID-19 Pandemic School Shutdown in Ontario

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, the lives of families all over the world were disrupted. Many adults found themselves working from home while their children were unable to go to school. To better understand the potential impact of these educational disruptions, it is important to establish what learning looked like during the first school shutdown in the spring of 2020, particularly for the youngest learners who may feel the longest lasting impacts from this pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of the current descriptive study was to gather information on how kindergarten teaching and learning occurred during this time, what the biggest barriers were, and what concerns educators had regarding returning in person to the classroom setting. The sample for the current study was 2569 kindergarten educators (97.6% female; 74.2% teachers, 25.8% early childhood educators) in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed a questionnaire consisting of both quantitative scales and qualitative open-ended questions. Educators reported that parents most often contacted them regarding technological issues or how to effectively support their child. The largest barrier to learning was the ability of both parents and educators to balance work, home life, and online learning/teaching. With regards to returning to school, educators were most concerned about the lack of ability of kindergarten aged children to do tasks independently and to follow safety protocols. Our findings highlight unique challenges associated with teaching kindergarten during the pandemic, contributing to our understanding of the learning that occurred in Ontario during the first COVID-19 shutdown.

Effects of the COVID-19 shutdown on spatial and temporal patterns of air pollution in New York City

Using spatially- and temporally-resolved data from the New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS) and the New York State (NYS) Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) network, we characterized changes in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) following the COVID-19 shutdown in NYC (3/20/20 – 6/7/20). Difference-in-difference analysis of PM2.5 and NO2 measured at 93 sites were used to estimate the change in citywide pollution attributable to the shutdown. We also quantified how these pollutant changes varied among different demographic groups using difference-in-difference analyses stratified by neighborhood poverty levels and rates of PM2.5-attributable health outcomes. Spatial patterns of PM2.5 and NO2 were interpolated across NYC by fitting land-use regression models to measurements at the 93 sites. Weather conditions and emission source trends were analyzed to determine the potential effects of meteorology and specific emission sources on the observed pollution changes. We estimate that citywide average PM2.5 and NO2 decreased by approximately 25% and 29%, respectively, due to the shutdown. Weather readings show little evidence that meteorology biased our results in the direction of our findings. Data on major sources of PM2.5 and NO2 pollution suggests that decreased vehicle traffic and commercial cooking contributed to declines in air pollution during this period. Pollution reductions occurred disproportionately in the city's central business district (CBD), with smaller changes in other areas of the city, such as those with the highest burden of air pollution-related health impacts. These findings emphasize the need to target pollution sources in communities that suffer the greatest from pollution exposure in the design of equitable environmental health policy.

What Happened When COVID-19 Shut Down In-Person Higher Education? Parents Speak Out

What Happened When COVID-19 Shut Down In-Person Higher Education? Parents Speak Out

Fecal Indicator Bacteria Levels at a Marine Beach Before, During, and after the COVID-19 Shutdown Period and Associations with Decomposing Seaweed and Human Presence

Fecal Indicator Bacteria Levels at a Marine Beach Before, During, and after the COVID-19 Shutdown Period and Associations with Decomposing Seaweed and Human Presence

The latest covid-19 impact on the neurosurgery resident admission and training in Morocco

The Kingdom of Morocco is also affected by the COVID-19 in all filed. The coronavirus shutdown has been a great challenge for health policymakers, the citizens, and those traveling down for various reasons. Among them, there are undergraduate students, physicians seeking postgraduate education…etc. Some were lucky enough to start their courses online, pending the time to come to Morocco for continuing their studies. But unfortunately, this was not the case for the potential neurosurgical residents that were already accepted, and some were even holding scholarships but were unable to join their training centers. Meanwhile, a substantial effort has been made to feel the tremendous lack of neurosurgeons in Sub-Saharan Africa by quality massive education and training of neurosurgeons from those countries. Thus, these consequences of the COVID-19 shutdown are a dropping stone in a quiet lack, delaying the important project of the WFNS and others to fill up this gap. At the same time, it is worth thinking about the innovative model of neurosurgical education and training for the new generation of Sub-Saharan African neurosurgeons.

Modality analysis in Joe Biden’s speech delivered on the anniversary of the Covid-19 shutdown

Covid-19 has been global health problem and become the concern of global leaders in the world. One of them is Joe Biden, current president of American. He delivered his speech on Anniversary Covid-19 Shutdown on March 11, 2021. The clauses in his speech contain modality. Modality is included in interpersonal meaning where language is used to encode interaction between the speaker and the hearer. This research aims to analyze the type of modality used by Biden in his speech and utilize it to find his self-representation. The research uses Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) in term of modality analysis as the tool and discourse analysis as the approach. The finding shows that three types of modalities found; inclination, probability and obligation. The self-representation of Biden found are being visionary, being determined, showing sadness, being powerful, and showing respect. DOI: 10.26905/enjourme.v6i2.6531

Elementary Schools' Response to Student Wellness Needs during the COVID-19 Shutdown: A Qualitative Exploration Using the R = MC2 Readiness Heuristic.

During spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying public health advisories forced K-12 schools throughout the United States to suspend in-person instruction. School personnel rapidly transitioned to remote provision of academic instruction and wellness services such as school meals and counseling services. The aim of this study was to investigate how schools responded to the transition to remote supports, including assessment of what readiness characteristics schools leveraged or developed to facilitate those transitions. Semi-structured interviews informed by school wellness implementation literature were conducted in the spring of 2020. Personnel (n = 50) from 39 urban and rural elementary schools nationwide participated. The readiness = motivation capacity2 (R = MC2) heuristic, developed by Scaccia and colleagues, guided coding to determine themes related to schools’ readiness to support student wellness in innovative ways during the pandemic closure. Two distinct code sets emerged, defined according to the R = MC2 heuristic (1) Innovations: roles that schools took on during the pandemic response, and (2) Readiness: factors influencing schools’ motivation and capacity to carry out those roles. Schools demonstrated unprecedented capacity and motivation to provide crucial wellness support to students and families early in the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts can inform future resource allocation and new strategies to implement school wellness practices when schools resume normal operations.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity habits at a residential university

Objective: To assess changes in physical activity (PA) after a COVID-19 shutdown on a primarily residential university campus. Methods: Eighty students, faculty, and staff (FS) of a university (age: 32.2 ± 13.6 yr) who wore a consumer wearable technology (CWT) device completed an anonymous survey by inputting data for 30 days prior to- and 30 days following an academic break in 2020, in which the university transitioned to remote learning. Results: Steps decreased after spring break in all subjects (p < .001), but steps were impacted to a greater extent in students. 30-day, weekday, and weekend step averages all decreased in students (p < .001). FS were able to maintain their weekend step averages. Conclusions: PA decreased in a university community after the COVID-19 shutdown. Students, no longer active transport for campus life, saw a greater impact on their PA. These changes could have an impact on health status.

Pediatric weight management amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a natural telemedicine experiment

ABSTRACT During the COVID-19 shutdown, our pediatric weight management center instituted telemedicine and expanded educational content on Facebook. The aims of this study were to assess telemedicine utilization and social media engagement (optional). We performed a retrospective chart review and examined Facebook posts. During the first 6 weeks of the pandemic, 129 patients completed a telemedicine visit (52 non-completers). Completers were less likely to be Medicaid-insured (OR 0.252). Families engaged most with Facebook exercise content (avg. views: 449). Further analysis is necessary to determine how to make telemedicine accessible for low-income families and to determine if social media engagement improves anthropometric outcomes.

Unemployment, SNAP Enrollment, and Food Insecurity Before and After California's COVID-19 Shutdown

ObjectivesTo examine whether the decrease in very low food security (VLFS) observed in California shortly after California's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) shutdown remained throughout Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2020. To investigate associations among unemployment, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment, and VLFS across FFY 2020. MethodsTelephone interview responses from mothers from randomly sampled households from low-income areas throughout California to the 6-item US Department of Agriculture Food Security Survey Module identified VLFS families. Logistic regression examined VLFS rates before vs after California's COVID-19 shutdown, with race/ethnicity, age, and education as covariates. Pearson correlations were calculated for unemployment, SNAP enrollment, and VLFS. ResultsMost (66.4%) of the 2,682 mothers were Latina. VLFS declined from 19.3% before to 14.5% after California's COVID-19 shutdown (adjusted odds ratio, 0.705; P = 0.002). The correlation for unemployment and SNAP household participation was 0.854 (P = 0.007), and for SNAP participation and VLFS was −0.869 (P = 0.005). Conclusions and ImplicationsPublicly-funded assistance programs may lower food insecurity, even during a time of increased economic hardship. Examining the specific factors responsible for the observed decline in VLFS has merit. Whether VLFS remains below the rate observed before California's COVID-19 shutdown is worthy of ongoing study.

Distractions towards the Use of Learning Management System (LMS): Evidence from Students during the Covid-19 Lockdown in a Developing Country Context

The study is one of the first of its type to investigate the distractions towards the use of Learning Management System (LMS) during the Covid-19 shutdown and how it affected students’ academic performance. The study sampled 456 learners who had returned to school following the Covid-19 lockout to resume their academic schedule. Data collected was evaluated using the SmartPLS tool for Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Environmental distraction, technological distraction, and learning family distraction all had a detrimental impact on students' LMS usage, as found in the study. The use of the LMS was also found to have a detrimental impact on students' academic performance. The study's findings will assist lecturers, teachers or instructors in being courteous, as well as knowing the sort of evaluation to be utilized to assess students pursuing distance learning, as some of these distractions are likely to occur at home. As a result, the study contributes to the paucity of previous research on e-learning distractions in developing-country environments. Keywords: E-learning, Distraction, Covid-19, Academic performance, Developing Country, SEM DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-35-04 Publication date: December 31 st 2021

Multiply improved positive matrix factorization for source apportionment of volatile organic compounds during the COVID-19 shutdown in Tianjin, China

Ambient concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) vary with emission rates, meteorology, and chemistry. Conventional positive matrix factorization (PMF) loses information because of dilution variations and chemical losses. Multiply improved PMF incorporates the ventilation coefficient, and total solar radiation or oxidants to reduce the effects of dispersion and chemical loss. These methods were applied to hourly speciated VOC data from November 2019 to March 2020 including during the COVID-19 shutdown. Various comparisons were made to assess the influences of these fluctuation drivers by time of day. Dispersion normalized PMF (DN-PMF) reduced the dispersion variations. Dispersion-radiation normalized PMF (DRN-PMF) reduced the impact of chemical loss, especially at night, which was better than Dispersion-Ox normalized PMF (DON-PMF). The conditional bivariate probability function (CBPF) plots of DRN-PMF results were consist with actual source locations. The DN-PMF, DRN-PMF, and DON-PMF results were consistent between 10:00 and 15:00, suggesting dispersion was significantly more influential than photochemical reactions during these times. The DRN-PMF results indicated that the highest VOC contributors during the COVID-19 shutdown were liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (28.8%), natural gas (25.2%), and pulverized coal boilers emissions (19.6%). Except for petrochemical-related enterprises and LPG, the contribution concentrations of all other sources decreased substantially during the COVID-19 shutdown, by 94.7%, 90.6%, and 86.8% for vehicle emissions, gasoline evaporation, and the mixed source of diesel evaporation and solvent use, respectively. Controlling the use of motor vehicles and related volatilization of diesel fuel and gasoline can be effective in controlling VOCs in the future.

An analysis of the impact of school closings on gifted services: Recommendations for meeting gifted students’ needs in a post-COVID-19 world

Gifted support services were directly impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown in Spring 2020. This qualitative research study consisting of parents ( n = 110) and gifted support teachers ( n = 53) explored the impact on gifted students’ services and instruction. Utilizing surveys, open-ended response questions, and in-depth interviews, teachers and parents shared their thoughts and perceptions about challenge, enrichment, and students’ social-emotional health throughout the shutdown. Data analysis found that gifted services were directly impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown and parents and teachers shared that challenge and enrichment were lacking. However, data collected also showed that there is much potential to meet students’ academic and social-emotional needs virtually. Utilizing the data collected, a model was created to help teachers, parents, and school districts provide challenge, enrichment, and acceleration, as well as address social-emotional concerns in a virtual environment.

Covid-19, Human Displacement, and Expanding Crises of Insecurity in Africa: The case of Almajiri Children in Nigeria

Governance failures, inadequate policy efforts, poverty, unemployment, insurgency, climate change, socio-economic downturns, religious fanatics or bandits, and other related factors have all been blamed for insecurity in Africa. This has left some holes in assessing Africa's present catastrophic insecurity situation via the prism of Covid-19 and human displacement. The research fills the gaps by presenting a fresh understanding of how Covid-19 and the illogical displacement of Almajiri children play a role in Nigeria's recent rise in instability. It makes considerable use of secondary sources and reviews empirical works on the issue. The results demonstrated that the Covid-19 shutdown sparked more banditry. Almajiri children were exposed to rebels and bandits who used them to carry out dangerous attacks on the Nigerian state. The breakout of Covid-19, according to results, partly contributed to the increase in insecurity in Nigeria.

Hindsight is 2020: identifying missed leadership opportunities to reduce employee turnover intention amid the COVID-19 shutdown

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight how organizational leaders influenced the high 2021 turnover rates amid the COVID-19 shutdown. Design/methodology/approach This paper explores several factors that contributed to employee turnover intention before the pandemic and how unresolved leadership behaviors and toxic organizational cultures exacerbated circumstances that led to what is now known as The Great Resignation of 2021. Findings This paper suggests that while the pandemic shutdown temporarily paused employee turnover, organizational leaders missed an opportunity to retain their employees by not recognizing and changing factors that led to pre-existing employee turnover intention. Originality/value This paper explores solutions to help leaders support and retain current and future employees as the pandemic continues and in the event of futures crises. It offers recommendations for leadership development support to help strengthen leaders in their highly complex roles.

Opportunistic Repression: Civilian Targeting by the State in Response to COVID-19

Abstract Across the globe, states have attempted to contain COVID-19 by restricting movement, closing schools and businesses, and banning large gatherings. Such measures have expanded the degree of sanctioned state intervention into civilians' lives. But existing theories of preventive and responsive repression cannot explain why some countries experienced surges in repression after states in Africa initiated COVID-19-related lockdowns. While responsive repression occurs when states quell protests or riots, “opportunistic repression” arises when states use crises to suppress the political opposition. An examination of the relationship between COVID-19 shutdown policies and state violence against civilians in Africa tests this theory of opportunistic repression. Findings reveal a large and statistically significant relationship between shutdowns and repression, which holds after conditioning for the spread and lethality of the disease within-country and over time. A subnational case study of repression in Uganda provides evidence that the increase in repression appears to be concentrated in opposition areas that showed less support for Yoweri Museveni in the 2016 elections. Opportunistic repression provides a better explanation than theories of preventive or responsive repression for why Uganda experienced a surge in repression in 2020 and in what areas. The results have implications for theories of repression, authoritarian survival, the politics of emergency, and security.

Returning to sport after a COVID-19 shutdown: understanding the challenges facing community sport clubs

ABSTRACT Rationale/Purpose This study investigates the challenges of returning to sport after a COVID-19 shutdown of sport from the perspective of community sport clubs (CSCs). We explore the relationship between the challenges CSCs identified and the challenges the nation’s lead sport agency identified; and similarities or differences in the challenges faced by different types of CSCs. Design/methodology/approach Concept Mapping (online) with 57 CSCs in Victoria, Australia. Findings CSCs identified eight clusters of challenges related to returning to sport after the COVID-19 shutdown (in highest to lowest mean impact rating order): volunteers; club culture; health protocols; membership; finances; facilities; competition; and governance and division of responsibility. Cluster impact ratings differed by club location, competitive season, venue type, club size, and type of sport offered. Practical implications The challenges CSCs face returning to sport are more complex and broader than current national guidelines suggest, with previously existing challenges exacerbated and new challenges emerging. Listening to CSCs is essential to understanding the nuances of, and support needed to address the complex context-specific challenges to returning to operations after a COVID-19 shutdown. Research contribution Understanding the challenges and how they differ for CSCs as they return to sport.

COVID-19 lockdowns drive decline in active fires in southeastern United States

Fire is a common ecosystem process in forests and grasslands worldwide. Increasingly, ignitions are controlled by human activities either through suppression of wildfires or intentional ignition of prescribed fires. The southeastern United States leads the nation in prescribed fire, burning ca. 80% of the country's extent annually. The COVID-19 pandemic radically changed human behavior as workplaces implemented social-distancing guidelines and provided an opportunity to evaluate relationships between humans and fire as fire management plans were postponed or cancelled. Using active fire data from satellite-based observations, we found that in the southeastern United States, COVID-19 led to a 21% reduction in fire activity compared to the 2003 to 2019 average. The reduction was more pronounced for federally managed lands, up to 41% below average compared to the past 20 y (38% below average compared to the past decade). Declines in fire activity were partly affected by an unusually wet February before the COVID-19 shutdown began in mid-March 2020. Despite the wet spring, the predicted number of active fire detections was still lower than expected, confirming a COVID-19 signal on ignitions. In addition, prescribed fire management statistics reported by US federal agencies confirmed the satellite observations and showed that, following the wet February and before the mid-March COVID-19 shutdown, cumulative burned area was approaching record highs across the region. With fire return intervals in the southeastern United States as frequent as 1 to 2 y, COVID-19 fire impacts will contribute to an increasing backlog in necessary fire management activities, affecting biodiversity and future fire danger.