First Case Of COVID-19 Research Articles

Comprehensive Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Dynamics in Bangladesh: Infection Trends and Variants (2020-2023).

The first case of COVID-19 was detected in Bangladesh on 8 March 2020. Since then, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has implemented various measures to limit the transmission of COVID-19, including widespread testing facilities across the nation through a laboratory network for COVID-19 molecular testing. This study aimed to analyze the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Bangladesh by conducting COVID-19 testing and genomic surveillance of the virus variants throughout the pandemic. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from authorized GoB collection centers between April 2020 and June 2023. The viral RNA was extracted and subjected to real-time PCR analysis in icddr,b's Virology laboratory. A subset of positive samples underwent whole-genome sequencing to track the evolutionary footprint of SARS-CoV-2 variants. We tested 149,270 suspected COVID-19 cases from Dhaka (n = 81,782) and other districts (n = 67,488). Of these, 63% were male. The highest positivity rate, 27%, was found in the >60 years age group, followed by 26%, 51-60 years, 25% in 41-50 years, and the lowest, 9% in under five children. Notably, the sequencing of 2742 SARS-CoV-2 genomes displayed a pattern of globally circulating variants, Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron, successively replacing each other over time and causing peaks of COVID-19 infection. Regarding the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, it was observed that the positivity rate increased with age compared to the under-5 age group in 2020 and 2021. However, these trends did not remain consistent in 2022, where older age groups, particularly those over 60, had a lower positivity rate compared to other age groups due to vaccination. The study findings generated data on the real-time circulation of different SARS-CoV-2 variants and the upsurge of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh, which impacted identifying hotspots and restricting the virus from further transmission. Even though there is currently a low circulation of SARS-CoV-2 in Bangladesh, similar approaches of genomic surveillance remain essential for monitoring the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants or other potential pathogens that could lead to future pandemics.

Evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on routine childhood immunizations coverage in Zambia.

There are growing concerns about the comeback of vaccine-preventable diseases. Epidemics exert shocks which affect other health performance indicators such as routine immunizations. Early model forecasts indicate decreased use of immunization services, which puts children at greater risk. Concerns about an increase in morbidity and mortality for illnesses other than COVID-19, particularly in children missing routine vaccinations, are of public health interest. In this study, we evaluate COVID-19 effects on the uptake of routine immunization in Zambia.This was an interrupted time series study. National data on routine immunization coverage between January 2017 and December 2022 were analyzed. Interrupted time series analysis was performed to quantify changes in immunization utilization. To determine if changes in the underlying patterns of utilization of immunization service were correlated with the commencement of COVID-19, seasonally adjusted segmented Poisson regression model was utilised.Utilization of health services was similar with historical levels prior to the first case of COVID-19. There was a significant drop in immunization coverage for measles dose two (RR, 0.59; 95% CI: 0.43-0.80). A decreased slope was observed in immunization coverage of Rotavirus dose one (RR, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98) and Rotavirus dose two (RR, 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96-0.98). A growing slope was observed for Oral Poliovirus two (RR, 1.007; 95% CI: 1.004-1.011) and Oral Poliovirus three (RR, 1.007; 95% CI: 1.002-1011). We also observed a growing slope in BCG Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) (RR, 1.001; 95% CI: 1.000-1011) and Pentavalent one (RR, 1.00; 95% CI: 1.001-1008) and three (RR, 1.004; 95% CI: 1.001-1008).The COVID-19 pandemic has had a number of unintended consequences that have affected the use of immunization services. Ensuring continuity in the provision of health services, especially childhood immunization, during pandemics or epidemics is crucial. Therefore, Investing in robust healthcare infrastructure to withstand surges, training and retaining a skilled workforce capable of handling emergencies and routine services simultaneously is very cardinal to avoid vaccine-preventable diseases, causing long-term health effects especially child mortality.

Post Covid-19 Invasive Renal Mucormycosis with acute renal failure; a case report and review of literature

Abstract: The worst nightmare of twenty first century has been discoverd, The Coronavirus, has been risen the incidence of mucormycosis during the( COVID-19) pandemic. There are many case reports of rhinoorbito-cerebral and pulmonary mucormycosis. Hypertension, COVID, and mucormycosis are lethal combination associated with high mortality. This is the first case of Covid-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM) in the kidneys from Pakistan. We report the case of a 68-years old woman who presented with fever, abdominal pain and renal failure. Mucormycosis was diagnosed on renal biopsy. She was managed with Amphotericin- B and hemodialysis via tunneled vascular catheter. She refused nephrectomy. The case highlighted CAM can present as localized renal mucormycosis. In this era of Covid pandemic CAM should be in the differential diagnosis

“Implementation of intensified COVID-19 vaccination optimization (ICVOPT) campaigns strategy in complex humanitarian emergency settings and hard-to-reach areas; a case of South Sudan”

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic is still a public health concern in South Sudan having caused suffering since the first case of COVID-19 was introduced on 28th February 2020. COVAX vaccines have since been introduced using a number of strategies including fixed site, temporary mobile, hit and run in flooded and conflict affected areas. We aim to describe the 2 ICVOPT campaigns that were conducted to improve the uptake and document lessons learnt during the initial rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programin South Sudan between February 2022 and June 2022 each lasting for 7-days.MethodologyWe conducted an operational cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological study of a series of the intensified COVID-19 vaccination Optimization (ICVOPT) campaigns from February 2022 to June 2022. Before the campaign, a bottom up micro-planning was conducted, validated by the County Health Departments (CHDs) and national MOH team. Each of the 2 campaigns lasted for 7 days targeting 30% of the eligible unvaccinated target population who were18 years and above. Each team consisted of 2 vaccinators, 2 recorders and 1 mobilizer. The teams employed both fixed site, temporary mobile, hit and run in flooded and conflict affected areas. The number of teams were calculated based on the daily workload per day (80 persons per team/day) for the duration of the campaigns.ResultsA total of 444,030 individuals were vaccinated with primary series COVID-19 vaccine (J&J) out of the targeted 635,030 persons. This represented 69.9% of target population in the selected 28 counties and 10 states of South Sudan in 7 days’ ICVOPT campaigns. More eligible persons were reached in 7 days campaigns than the 9 months of rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine prior to ICVOPT campaigns using the fixed site strategy at the health facility posts.ConclusionIntensified COVID-19 vaccination Optimization (ICVOPT) campaigns were vital and fast in scaling up vaccination coverages as compared to the fixed site vaccination strategies (2022 progress report on the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All Stronger collaboration for an equitable and resilient recovery towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, incentivizing collaboration, 2022) in complex humanitarian emergency settings and hard-to-reach areas of South Sudan.

Adaptasi Masyarakat Di Sekitar Kawasan Wisata Religi Pamijahan Terhadap Covid-19

Pamijahan religious tourism is a tourist attraction that is often visited by domestic tourists for pilgrimage. However, on March 2, 2020 the first case of Covid-19 occurred in Indonesia. This had an impact on community activities with the establishment of lockdown policies and travel restrictions as an effort to prevent the wider spread of Covid-19. The research method used is a qualitative method through direct observation with in-depth interviews. This research aims to examine the impact and adaptation of the community to Covid-19 in Pamijahan Village. Based on the results of the research, it is known that when the lockdown policy and travel restrictions were enforced, the economy of the community around the Pamijahan tourist attraction was almost paralyzed, because the community only relied on sources of income from the tourist attraction. However, some of them have other sources of income to fulfill their needs.

Media Coverage of China During COVID-19: A Systematic Review

The first case of COVID-19 appeared in China in late 2019, followed by a global outbreak of the virus. There are many articles examining the content of media coverage of China, but the topics examining media coverage of China during COVID-19 are still very new and have not been adequately studied. Knowledge related to Media coverage of China during COVID-19 was analyzed and visualized using CiteSpace software with the Web of Science Core Collection as the data source. The main findings suggest that media coverage of China during COVID-19 is a relatively recent topic of research. (1) The three most influential journals in this area are Communication, Psychology Multidisciplinary, and Public Environmental Occupational Health. Zhang W., Chen Q, et al. are among the most influential authors. (2) Co-author networks are decentralized, whereas transnational collaborations take place in groups. 10 clusters are considered to be of high interest, of which "covid-19 governance" "contesting coronavirus narrative" "understanding public protective behavioral intention" has persisted to this day. (3) Thirteen emergent terms illustrate the evolution of the field's research frontiers, the earliest being "social media," "fake news," etc., followed by "support," "emotions," "media," etc., and finally "media satisfaction" and "media perceptions."Finally, its contributions, limitations and directions for further research are discussed. The findings of this study predict future trends in research on media coverage of China during COVID-19 and provide a basis for more in-depth research.

Regional disparities in COVID-19 case fatality rates: A comparative analysis of Nigerian Geopolitical Regions in 2020 and 2023

In December 2019, first case of COVID-19 was documented in the Wuhan, China. The symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19 include cough, fever, fatigue, and breathing difficulties. In 30th January 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The coronavirus entered Nigeria through an infected Italian citizen who came in contact with a Nigerian citizen who was subsequently infected with the coronavirus. The coronavirus then spread to other citizens in Lagos and to other parts of the country. This study focuses on analysing the Case fatality rates (CFR) of COVID-19 in different geopolitical regions of Nigeria in the years 2020 and 2023. The regions considered are North Central, North East, North West, South South, South West and South East. This was a retrospective study using national surveillance data collected from all 36 States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria. Epidemiological indices of COVID-19 of 12th July, 2020 and data as at 26th February, 2023 were downloaded from the official update database of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) weekly report within the same period of this study The confirmed cases and deaths were extracted directly while the Case fatality rates (CFR) were computed. The total confirmed cases, death cases, and Cases Fatality Rates (CFR) as at 12th July 2020 was 31,323, 706 and 2.3% respectively. However, in 2023, the values had changed to 440,139 confirmed cases, 3156 death cases an a CRF of 0.7% respectively. The North Central region was observed to have the highest fatality rate of 62.1% and 47.2% in 2020 and 2023 respectively. The North East accounted for 32.5% and 12.6%, Noth West 36.4% and 16.4%, South- South, 37.5% and 12.4%, South East 16.9% and 4.7% and South West 15.4% and 10.1% respectively in 2020 and 2023. The 6 geopolitical regions of the country experience decrease at different proportion in Case Fatality Rates and this can be attributed to various factors, including increased vaccination coverage, better understanding of the virus, improved healthcare infrastructure and more effective public health measures. Despite the decrease in case fatality rate, regional disparities still exist which may be linked to underlying socioeconomic and healthcare disparities between regions. Addressing these disparities is crucial for a more equitable response to future pandemics

Four Years Since COVID-19 Day Zero: A Time to Evaluate Past and Future Pandemic Control Policies and Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Four years after the first case of COVID-19, the world is still determining how best to prevent and control the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were employed at the start of the pandemic as the only available options, prior to effective vaccines and antiviral agents. The World Health Organization recommended dual vaccination for 70% worldwide as the threshold for a return to "normal" community life. Immunization rates needed to increase in all global regions, irrespective of socioeconomic status, necessitating more equitable access. During the pandemic, wealthier countries hoarded vaccine supplies even when their citizens were immunized. This highlights the already enormous difficulties in healthcare provision faced by low-income sub-Saharan African countries, which remain at risk as industrialized nations have progressed to a post-pandemic era. Thus, in addition to redoubling vaccination efforts public health policymakers should consider ongoing and future use of NPIs. In this narrative account, we advocate that various NPI practices should not be shelved; rather, more research is needed to evaluate their impact in parallel with booster vaccination. This especially applies to so-called "long COVID". Lessons learned from implementing best practices in resource-limited settings should be incorporated into preparedness guidelines for future infectious disease outbreaks.

An Effect on Performance Level and Stress of Employees in Private Factory Due to Covid 19 Pandemic Periods

In India the first case of COVID-19 reported on January 30th 2020, following the lock down was executed on 24th March for 21days.This was biggest streams of mass return on in country. The very effort to stave off the pandemic turned into one of greatest human tragedy in India’s recent history. Industries are complete their work with the help of resources such as men, machines, materials and funds. Except manpower other resources are non- living but manpower is a live and generating resources. Manpower is not available like Covid pandemic then other resources are useless and cannot produce anything. Out of all the factors of production, Manpower has the highest priority with most significant factors for production and important role plays in areas of manufacturing and quality. Social impacts of COVID-19 in India there were many challenges migrants faced during the nation-wide lockdown like lack of food, basic amenities, lack of health care, economic stress, lack of transportation facilities to return to their home places and psychological support loss. So present study is carrying out to determine Performance level of Industrial employees of Chhattisgarh before and during pandemic period.

COVID-19 Infection: A Mozambican Case Study

In China, the country of COVID-19 origin, until February 23rd, 2020, more than 77000 cases of COVID-19 infection were reported, and 60% of confirmed cases were reported in the city of Wuhan. Mozambique declared a state of emergency in March 2020, different prevention measures were implemented to control and respond in a timely manner to the pandemic, including the early diagnosis of cases of the disease. The present work reports some details about a larger project with the main objective of computing models of analysis and visualization of COVID-19 data in Mozambique. The topic falls within the area of Statistics with the purpose of providing evidence that explains the stage of the country regarding the evolution of COVID-19 cases, (from the notification of the first case of COVID-19 in Mozambique on March 22nd, 2020, until May 31st, 2022) with the focus on the provinces of Maputo, Nampula, Cabo Delgado and Niassa. The work considered qualitative and quantitative data to allow decision-making in the health area on measures to prevent the pandemic and the trend of cases and deaths from the disease.

An Overview Study on Corana Virus its Symptoms and its Variants

The virus of COVID 19 was first eidentified during December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. COVID-19 was caused by a new virus called SARS-CoV-2. In India, the First case of COVID-19 was reported on January 27, 2020, in Kerala district. Coronaviruses, belonging to the Coronaviridae family. most common symptoms of COVID19 were fever, cough, myalgia, or fatigue.Have many variants found like D614G, N501Y, E484K, Alpha variant, Beta variant, Delta variant, Omicron.

Assessment of Factories on Adherence to COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures: A Case Study of Wakiso, Mukono, Buikwe, and Jinja Districts, Uganda.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Uganda confirmed the first case of COVID-19 on 21st March, 2020, which led to the first total lockdown in the country. During the lockdown, some factories remained operational; hence, there is a need for a study aimed at assessing the level of adherence to COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) in factories as a mitigator for the pandemic. A cross-sectional study to assess compliance of factories to COVID-19 SOPs was conducted in Wakiso, Mukono, Buikwe, and Jinja districts during the month of September, 2021. This involved visitation of factories and collection of data using the KoboCollect tool by interviewing general managers as well as human resource managers of the factories. A total of 39 factories were included in the study and were categorized into four major groups; food and beverages (15), plastics (5), construction (8), and others (11). Data analysis was done using STATA version 14.2. Overall adherence to COVID-19 SOPs by the factories was 64.1% (95% CI = 49.1-79.1). Communication and training of employees (79.5%; 95% CI = 66.8-92.2), wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and respiratory protection (79.5%; 95% CI = 66.8-92.2) as well as enhanced cleaning and disinfection of surfaces (74.4%; 95% CI = 60.6-88.1) were the most implemented SOPs in the factories. Implementation of the SOPs was the highest in Mukono district (88.9%; 95% CI = 68.4-100) and the least in Wakiso district (40.0%; 95% CI = 9.6-70.4). The COVID-19 SOPs were followed mostly in construction material factories (87.5%; 95% CI = 64.6-100) and least in food and beverage factories (40%; 95% CI = 15.2-64.8). There was no significant difference in the adherence of COVID-19 SOPs among the districts (X2 = 5.02 and P=0.17) and factories (X2 = 7.04 and P=0.07). Although good overall adherence to SOPs noted was not dependent on location and type of factory, adherence to some SOPs such as exposure control plan, presence of signages on COVID-19, maintenance of social distance, and implementation of a health control plan varied with location of the district. Likewise, exposure control plan, signages on COVID-19, and maintenance of social distance varied significantly with the type of factory. This study revealed moderately good overall adherence to COVID-19 SOPs by factories, with variations in the level of implementation of individual SOPs being observed.

Community Radio Influence and Project Interventions During the Covid-19 Period

The Ministry of Health in Nairobi, Kenya confirmed the first case of COVID-19 (Corona Virus) on the 12th of March 2020 since the outbreak in China in December of 2019. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and as a result negatively affected the lives of communities globally. Job loss, mental illness, uncertainty, deaths, domestic violence, denial, misconceptions of the existence of COVID-19 and depressed economies are some of the characteristic features of nations during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of community radio in community engagement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic among Voi and Marsabit marginalised communities in Kenya. The study objectives were to determine the influence of Sifa FM community radio station programmes on community development in Voi and Marsabit communities during the COVID-19 period; to establish the COVID-19 intervention projects conducted by Sifa FM community radio stations in Kenya that promote community development initiatives in Marsabit and Voi; to assess the challenges encountered when engaging in COVID-19 intervention projects by Sifa FM Voi and Marsabit community radio stations in Kenya to promote community engagement; and to identify risks and gaps encountered by Sifa FM Voi and Marsabit community radio stations during the COVID-19 period in Kenya. The study adopted the Empowerment Theory. 212 respondents participated in this study and consisted of four groups: The Sifa FM station manager, 11 community leaders and 100 community members in both Voi and Marsabit respectively. Purposive sampling was used to select community leaders and Sifa FM radio station manager, while snowball sampling was adopted to select community members residing in Voi and Marsabit communities. Mixed research design was adopted for this study. Data was collected using two interview guides and a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was collected between July and October 2021. Quantitative data was captured using SPSS version 20 software while qualitative data was analysed using thematic and content analysis.Findings revealed that Sifa FM community radio station programmes aired during the COVID-19 period contributed to increased levels of social and economic development in Voi and Marsabit communities. Social development was achieved to some extent through educating Sifa FM listeners on COVID-19 which influenced community health. Programmes about economic activities that were aired on Sifa FM provided insight that would impact the living standards of community members and economic development. Sifa FM contributed significantly to social-economic development of Voi and Marsabit communities during the COVID-19 period. Findings further revealed that Sifa FM contributed to several project interventions where the highest number of respondents supported public awareness on COVID-19 interventions as the priority. Results indicated that more can be done to increase the scope of outreach for project interventions from Sifa FM. There are challenges which were encountered by Voi and Marsa bit communities such as distribution of low-quality masks. Gaps were identified such as creating awareness of COVID-19. One risk associated with COVID-19 in Voi and Marsabit was job loss at a percentage of 84%

Analisis Reaksi Emiten Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia Terhadap Dampak Covid-19

The purpose of this study was to find out and analyze differences in Abnormal Return & Trading Volume Activity before and after the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia, Micro-Scale Lockdown and Emergency Lockdown in companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2020-2021 period. The type of research used is case study research (Event Study). The samples were 48 companies listed in Healthcare, Technology, Transportation & Logistics sectors listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2020-2021, taken by using a purposive sampling technique. The analysis technique used is the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The results showed there was no significant difference in abnormal returns on the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia, Micro-Scale PPKM, and Emergency PPKM in the Healthcare, Technology, Transportation & Logistics sector. There is a significant difference in Trading Volume Activity on the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia, Micro-Scale PPKM but there is no significant difference in Trading Volume Activity before and after Emergency PPKM in the Healthcare sector. There is a significant difference in Trading Volume Activity on Micro-Scale PPKM but there is no significant difference in Trading Volume Activity before and after the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia and Emergency PPKM in the Technology sector. There is no significant difference in Trading Volume Activity on the announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia, Micro-Scale PPKM, and Emergency PPKM in the Transportation & Logistics sector.

Use of a toll-free call center for COVID-19 response and continuity of essential services during the lockdown, Greater Kampala, Uganda, 2020: a descriptive study.

on March 21, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Uganda. A total lockdown was initiated on March 30 which was gradually lifted May 5-June 30. On March 25, a toll-free call center was organized at the Kampala Capital City Authority to respond to public concerns about COVID-19 and the lockdown. We documented the set-up and use of the call center and analyzed key concerns raised by the public. two hotlines were established and disseminated through media platforms in Greater Kampala. The call center was open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We abstracted data on incoming calls from March 25 to June 30, 2020. We summarized call data into categories and conducted descriptive analyses of public concerns raised during the lockdown. among 10,167 calls, two-thirds (6,578; 64.7%) involved access to health services, 1,565 (15.4%) were about social services, and 1,375 (13.5%) involved COVID-19-related issues. Approximately one-third (2,152; 32.7%) of calls about access to health services were requests for ambulances for patients with non-COVID-19-related emergencies. About three-quarters of calls about social services were requests for food and relief items (1,184; 75.7%). Half of the calls about COVID-19 (730; 53.1%) sought disease-related information. the toll-free call center was used by the public during the COVID-19 lockdown in Kampala. Callers were more concerned about access to essential health services, non-related to COVID-19 disease. It is important to plan for continuity of essential services before a public health emergency-related lockdown.

Explosive Behavior in COVID-19 and Policy Responses: Lessons Learned for Public Health Management

Since the first case of COVID-19 in Turkey, there has been a lingering question as elsewhere in the world: “When will or should the government impose severe restrictions to protect public health?” From a public health perspective, there is value in developing a model to support proactive implementation of social policies. This study aimed to show the benefits of using a novel econometric test (the Generalized Supremum Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test) to detect explosive behavior (bubbles) in Turkey’s daily COVID-19 cases and deaths. Results from the analysis demonstrated a link between identified explosive episodes and critical public health decisions, especially in the case of daily new deaths. They also showed a negative relationship between the formation of exuberant behavior during the pandemic and the vaccination rate. Public health policymakers can incorporate this method into their arsenal to evaluate the overall health situation in combating the pandemic and respond accordingly. Furthermore, among the lessons learned from the Turkish experience is the importance of having a coronavirus scientific advisory board in the decision-making process and the ability to promptly implement policy measures. JEL Codes: C22, C58, I10, I18

Abnormal Comparison Analysis of Return and Trading Volume Activity Before and After The Announcement of The Covid 19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a significant turning point in global history, not only from a public health perspective but also in the context of its impact on economic stability, including capital markets. This research aims to analyze the reaction of the Indonesian capital market to the first case of Covid-19 by focusing on two indicators, namely Abnormal Return (AR) and Trading Volume Activity (TVA). Observations were carried out seven days before and seven days after the first announcement of Covid-19 in Indonesia. The research population includes Financial sector companies listed in February and March 2020 on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI). The purposive sampling method was used to select 30 financial companies that met certain criteria. A quantitative approach and comparative method were used in this research, tested using the Wilcoxon Signes Rank Test. The research results show significant differences in AR before and after the announcement of the Covid-19 pandemic. The increase in Abnormal Returns after the announcement indicates that investors tend to trust companies that already have a record of returns or profits before the event, rather than having to rely on predictions of future profits. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test results also revealed significant differences in Trading Volume Activity before and after the Covid announcement, indicating changes in trading activity in the capital market. This research provides insight into how the Indonesian capital market responds to health crisis events such as Covid-19, and can serve as a basis for further understanding of economic and financial dynamics in facing similar challenges.

DIGITAL BANKING STOCK PERFORMANCE: THE IMPACT OF COVID-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has catalyzed a dramatic change in entire banking operations. However, not a few banks have transformed into digital banks to continue providing top services to customers. This study aims to identify Indonesia's banking market reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic especially for digital banking industries. The market reaction is seen from the movement in stock prices and stock trading volumes. The research was conducted using qualitative research methods. The sample is PT Bank Jago Tbk. (ARTO) with observation period from January 2020 to December 2021. The results of this study indicate that the market reacts to information entering the market quickly. The speed of information entering the market also accelerates market reactions that occur. The market reacts negatively to negative events and reacts positively to positive events. In addition to confirming the efficient market theory, the results of this study also confirm the signal theory. The president's announcement of the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia is a bad signal for investors regarding cash flow and the company's future. This study also found that stock prices and volume did not only react to Covid- 19 conditions but also corporate actions. Several corporate actions that have an impact on price movements and volume of ARTO stocks are the issuance of rights issues, changes in the company's business processes, and the entry of the new investors. Based on the results of this study, investors in the stock market can pay attention to certain events that can provide buy or sell signals.

Assessing the impact of the Gamma variant on COVID-19 patient admissions in a southern Brazilian tertiary hospital-A comparison of dual pandemic phases.

Since the first case of COVID-19, Brazil has undergone infection waves with distinct characteristics. The description of new variants has alerted the emergence of more contagious or virulent viruses. The variant of concern Gamma emerged in Brazil and caused an epidemic wave, but its spread outside the country was limited. We report the clinical-epidemiological profile of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 by comparing two periods. A retrospective cohort study was performed. The primary outcome was to assess individuals with COVID-19 admitted in wards and intensive care units at the academic hospital of the Federal University of Parana (CHC-UFPR) between March 2020 and July 2021, correlating demographic, clinical-epidemiologic, and survival data with the most prevalent viral variant found in each period. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis to estimate the probability of survival and ROC curves to evaluate laboratory tests to find a cutoff point for poor outcomes. Data from 2,887 individuals were analyzed, 1,495 and 1,392 from the first and second periods, respectively. Hospitalization predominated among males in both periods, and the median age was significantly lower in the second one. The frequency of comorbidities was similar. Various demographic factors, clinical assessments, and laboratory tests were examined in relation to greater severity. When comparing the two periods, we observed predominance of the Wild virus during the first wave and the Gamma variant during the second, with no significant difference in outcomes. The findings suggest that despite the association of many factors with increased severity, the temporal variation between the two periods did not result in a notable divergence in the measured outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for a long time, with periods marked by peaks of cases, often caused by the emergence of viral variants, resulting in higher infection rates and rapid dissemination but, for variant Gamma, no apparent greater virulence.

Three years of COVID-19 pandemic: comparative analysis of incidence, lethality and mortality among the States of the South Region of Brazil

Introduction: in Brazil, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed on February 26, 2020 As of March 17, 2023, the Ministry of Health recorded 699,634 deaths from COVID-19, with a fatality rate of 1.9%. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil in socioeconomic and health system spheres and a reflection of major regional differences. Objective: to analyze mortality, incidence and lethality due to COVID-19 in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Methods: this is an ecological time series study using official Brazilian secondary data for cases and deaths from COVID-19. The data were extracted from the panel of the State Department of Health of the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná. For trend analysis, time series were developed using the Prais-Winsten regression model. Statistical analyzes were performed using STATA 14.0 software (College Station, TX, USA, 2013). Results: in the analysis of rates in the total period analyzed, the trends for mortality, lethality and incidence in the state of Santa Catarina are decreasing, decreasing and stationary, respectively. In the state of Paraná, rates in the total period showed a stationary, decreasing and increasing trend for mortality, lethality and incidence, respectively. Conclusion: COVID-19 had a devastating effect on the states of Santa Catarina and Paraná. Both states suffered from the progress of the COVID-19 pandemic, with higher lethality and mortality rates being observed in the state of Paraná, while Santa Catarina had a higher incidence rate over the three years it was in effect. COVID-19 pandemic.