First Case Of COVID-19 Research Articles

#5344 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF GLOMERULAR DISEASES IN THE PRE- AND POST-COVID-19 ERA IN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

Abstract Background and Aims Development of new onset and recurrent glomerular diseases (GD) following Covid-19 infection or vaccination are increasingly reported in the literature with various proposed pathogenic mechanisms. Australia reported its first case of Covid-19 in January 2020. Currently in Australia, there has been 11.3 million cases of Covid-19 infection and 98% of individuals aged ≥ 16 years received at least 1 dose of Covid-19 vaccination. However, there are no studies in Australia that evaluate the risk of GD after Covid-19 infection or vaccination. We compared kidney biopsy results pre- (01/01/2017-31/12/2019) and post- (01/01/2020-31/12/2022) Covid-19 era to assess for potential changes in the epidemiology of kidney biopsy-proven GD. Method In this single-centred retrospective study, all renal biopsies performed in Central Queensland (CQ) between 01/01/2017 and 31/12/2022 were reviewed. This pilot study is a subset of Queensland Kidney Biopsy Registry which has captured all renal biopsies of adults residing in CQ with a regional population of 220,912 with a land area of 497,714 km2. Results Eighty-seven percent of the CQ population received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccination and 53,234 cases of Covid-19 infection were confirmed by rapid antigen test (RAT) as of the end of January 2023. The total number of kidney biopsies performed pre- and post-Covid-19 era were 47 vs 58, respectively, and the majority were native kidney biopsies (94% vs 95%) in CQ whereby the number of nephrologists in the respective catchment areas and access availability to kidney biopsies remained similar. The mean age of patients was 55.3 years (standard deviation, SD 16.4) vs 55.6 years (SD 15.6) and the majority were males (70% vs 62%) and Caucasians (77% vs 76%). No case of recurrent GD was diagnosed in pre-Covid-19 era whereas 5 cases of recurrent GD {2 membranous nephropathy, 1 minimal change disease, 1 lupus nephritis class III-IV, and 1 ANCA associated vasculitis (AAV)} in post-Covid-19 era, p = 0.025. The commonest cause of GD in the pre-Covid-19 era was IgA nephropathy (IgAN) whereas diabetic nephropathy and AAV was the most common GD during the post-Covid-19 era. The incidence of IgAN decreased from 12 cases (18.1 cases/million person years) in pre-Covid-19 era to 3 cases (4.5 cases/million person years) in the post-Covid-19 era (incidence rate ratio, IRR of 0.25, 95% CI 0.05-0.93, p = 0.020). The incidence of diabetic nephropathy increased from 1 case (1.5 cases million person years) during the three years pre-Covid-19 era to 13 cases (19.6 cases/million person years) for three years post-Covid-19 era (IRR of 13.1, 95% CI 1.95-552.47, p = 0.001). In the post-Covid-19 era, the mean age of patients with diabetic nephropathy was 51.2 years (SD 11.9) and the majority were indigenous Australian (n = 8, 62%) with poor diabetic control. They had kidney biopsies for nephrotic range proteinuria with or without acute kidney injury and haematuria. The incidence of AAV increased from 3 cases (4.5 cases/million person years) during the three years pre-Covid-19 era to 10 cases (15.1 cases/million person years) for three years post-Covid-19 era (IRR of 3.4, 95% CI 0.86-18.85, p = 0.052). In the post-Covid-19 era, the mean age of patients with AAV was 68.4 years (SD 16.1) with Caucasian (n = 10, 100%). PR3-AAV (n = 5) and MPO-AAV (n = 5) are equally prevalent, and 3 patients (30%) had concomitant pulmonary complications. Three cases of AAV each occurred in the first and second years and 4 cases in the third year during the post-Covid-19 era. There was no increase in the incidence rate for other types of glomerular diseases. Conclusion Our findings suggest the frequency of incident and recurrent GD may vary with the emergence of Covid-19 and steps taken to minimise viral complications that include primary preventative measures via vaccination. Larger epidemiological studies are required to better elucidate the risk of Covid-19 infection and vaccination in relation to GD.

The Impact of Covid-19 on Gold Price in Indonesia Using ARIMA Intervention

On March 2, 2020, Indonesia experienced first case of Covid 19. As a result, investors should be careful in investing so that investors choose gold in investing. Purpose of this study is analyze impact of Covid-19 on gold price in Indonesia. Research method uses ARIMA intervention. The results showed that the impact of Covid-19 on gold price in Indonesia is gradual temporary, meaning the intervention to influence the movement of gold price gradually and temporarily. Intervention of Covid-19 cases against gold price in Indonesia began to be felt after two weeks of the first case of Covid-19 in Indonesia which demonstrated by the increase in the gold price out of ordinary since the 16th day. On the 19th day after intervention, the gold price in Indonesia decreased. Furthermore, the gold price in Indonesia is again rising and expected to increase. The forecast results of the next 31 days show gold price in Indonesia has always increased. When Covid-19 has not been able to be resolved so that the confirmed positive case of Covid-19 continues to increase, gold investment is one of the safe investments. However, investors should pay attention to gold price movements if they want to invest in gold.
 Keywords: ARIMA Intervention, Covid-19, Gold Price 
 JEL Classification: E22, H54, O16

Disaster management and mitigation instruments used in Brazil in response to the Covid-19 pandemic

The seriousness and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic required high quality decision-making and quick, positive actions by different levels of government in Brazil and in other countries. The question is: How did the Brazilian government respond to the crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic? We explored the theoretical context of the pandemic by using the Sendai framework, to analyze the quantitative aspects of the disease. The analysis was performed as an analytical, descriptive, and systematic study, using bibliographic research covering the period from Jan. 2020 to Apr. 2021. We used the process-tracing method. Brazil reported the first case of COVID-19 in South America, on Feb. 26. Since then, there has been an accelerated spread of the disease in South America. The Brazilian government’s responses to the pandemic were characterized by intergovernmental incoordination, caused by the lack of leadership from the federal government, resulting in increased losses in human lives.

The Epidemiological and Clinical Manifestations of COVID-19 Variants in the Punjab Tertiary Care Hospitals

The first case of COVID-19 originated in China which then started spreading rapidly all over the world as a deadly pandemic. A huge number of people started to suffer due to the rapid attacks and virulent nature of the COVID-19 virus. This virus swiftly spreads from person to person. Initially considered as pneumonia due to similar signs and symptoms, with the passage of time its gravity was realized as compared to that of pneumonia. This virus attacks human respiratory system, damaging it to death. A survey was conducted during the pandemic to determine the prevalence and distribution of COVID-19 spread and its patient rate. Swabbed sticks were collected from different government and private hospitals following COVID-19 SOPs. A systematic data analysis was conducted by using different epidemiological tools to evaluate the prevalence and distribution rate of COVID across the country. Data was collected from all types of COVID-19 patients, including those on ventilator, admitted patients, patients with minor signs and symptoms, and patients having no symptoms but tested positive for COVID-19 by qRT-PCR. People who were already vaccinated were also included in this survey. A number of people showed positive vaccination effects, while most of them were not willing to receive vaccination. The study also illustrated that most of the patients who were admitted in hospitals showed severe symptoms, whereas some exhibited minor symptoms. It could be due to the fact that hospitals lack the facilities to accommodate every patient. Therefore, they only admit individuals with major symptoms and those having minor symptoms but with other complications. Whereas, patients with minor symptoms were referred to home isolation.

Impact of the Irregular Disposal of Masks and the Perception of the Community of the Federal Institute of Sergipe, Campus Aracaju/SE

In early 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Brazil. The pandemic continued to advanced, which led to the adoption of the use of masks in commercial establishments, parks, workplaces, public transport, as a protective measure. This situation generated another concern, the impact generated by irregular disposal. In view of the above this study aims to perform a survey of the impacts caused by the irregular disposal of masks and verify the perception of the academic community (students, teachers and administrative technicians) of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Sergipe, Aracaju Campus. A questionnaire was elaborated to be applied to the academic community where we sought to identify the perception of the interviewees about the use of masks, and the impact that their irregular disposal can cause. These data were tabulated, and graphs were generated. The results show that: masks are efficient in combating the proliferation of COVID-19 and irregular disposal has numerous impacts. It is concluded that most interviewees do not properly sanitize the masks, are aware of the impacts generated by incorrect disposal, but do not perform the correct disposal.

The Influence of Government Policy in Period Covid-19 Pandemic Against Stock Value Automotive Companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange

The purpose of this research find out the difference in stock returns from before and after the announcement of the first national case of covid-19 and the announcement of the PPKM Emergency Covid-19 and to find out the difference in stock transaction volume from before and after the announcement of the first national case of covid-19 and the announcement of the PPKM Emergency Covid-19.The population in this study were 15 automotive and component sub-sector companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), using a purposive sampling technique so thatobtained a sample of 8 companies. The observation period used in this study is a period of 31 days around the event date, namely 15 days before the event, 1 day during the event, and 15 days after the event. Data analysis using test parametric paired sample t-test, but if the data is not normally distributed, a non-parametric statistical test is used, namely the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The results of this study indicate that there are differences in stock returns from before and after the national announcement of the first case of Covid-19, there are no differences in stock returns from before and after the announcement of the Covid-19 Emergency PPKM, there are differences in the volume of stock transactions from before and after the national announcement of the first case Covid-19, there are differences in the volume of stock transactions before and after the announcement of the Covid-19 Emergency PPKM.

This Asian Guy has Coronavirus: Racial Discrimination Experienced by Asian International High School Students in the Northeastern United States

As the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Wuhan, China, the Novel Coronavirus pandemic has rapidly swept the world. As COVID-19 proliferated in the United States, the longstanding negative stereotypes of Asian Americans in society were revealed, and xenophobia among whites and non-Asian Americans was activated. During the pandemic, microaggression, negative bias, and violent crime significantly increased all Asian ethnic groups, especially in big cities and the northeastern United States. During this time, most literature focuses on the racial discrimination and mental health of Chinese/Asian college students. However, scant research explores Chinese/Asian high-school students in America, whose total number has risen dramatically in recent years. Therefore, this paper uses the snowball sampling method to conduct in-depth semi-structured interviews with 7 Asian high school students in the United States and tracked them for around one year, from September 2021 to October 2022. The purpose is to expose their real campus life and true racial discrimination feelings under COVID-19. The study found that Chinese high-school students seldom suffer from severe racism on campus. This is because private international schools in northeastern America are susceptible to racism. Their schools have strict anti-racial discrimination policies, severe punishment measures, and open channels for complaints to protect their students from racism. However, when Chinese high-school students are off campus, they are more likely to suffer intense hate incidents like weapon threats. Even though interviewees do not recognize that they or their friends have encountered extremely severe anti-Asian hate incidents, we should keep in mind that schools may control the public voice about racism on campus in order to keep their reputation and ranking, and therefore those serious events are not exposed to us.

COVID-19 Disruptions of Food Systems and Nutrition Services in Ethiopia: Evidence of the Impacts and Policy Responses.

Since its first case of COVID-19 on March 13, 2020, Ethiopia has exerted efforts to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) without imposing a nationwide lockdown. Globally, COVID-19 related disruptions and mitigation measures have impacted livelihoods and food systems, nutrition, as well as access and use of health services. To develop a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems, health services, and maternal and child nutrition and to synthesize lessons from policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia. We conducted a review of literature and 8 key informant interviews across government agencies, donors, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to map the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food and health systems in Ethiopia. We summarized policy responses and identified recommendations for future actions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other future emergencies. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were felt across the food system and include limited agriculture inputs due to travel restrictions and closed borders restricting trade, reduced in-person support by agriculture extension workers, income losses, increases in food prices, and the reduction in food security and dietary diversity. Maternal and child health services were disrupted due to fear of contacting COVID-19, diversion of resources, and lack of personal protective equipment. Disruptions eased over time due to the expansion of social protection through the Productive Safety Net Program, and the increased outreach and home service provision by the health extension workers. Ethiopia experienced disruptions to food systems and maternal and child nutrition services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, by expanding existing social protection programs and public health infrastructure and leveraging partnerships with non-state actors, the extent of the impact of the pandemic was largely minimized. Nevertheless, vulnerabilities and gaps remain and there is a need for a long-term strategy that considers the potential for future pandemics and other shocks.

Using generalized structured additive regression models to determine factors associated with and clusters for COVID-19 hospital deaths in South Africa

BackgroundThe first case of COVID-19 in South Africa was reported in March 2020 and the country has since recorded over 3.6 million laboratory-confirmed cases and 100 000 deaths as of March 2022. Transmission and infection of SARS-CoV-2 virus and deaths in general due to COVID-19 have been shown to be spatially associated but spatial patterns in in-hospital deaths have not fully been investigated in South Africa. This study uses national COVID-19 hospitalization data to investigate the spatial effects on hospital deaths after adjusting for known mortality risk factors.MethodsCOVID-19 hospitalization data and deaths were obtained from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). Generalized structured additive logistic regression model was used to assess spatial effects on COVID-19 in-hospital deaths adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Continuous covariates were modelled by assuming second-order random walk priors, while spatial autocorrelation was specified with Markov random field prior and fixed effects with vague priors respectively. The inference was fully Bayesian.ResultsThe risk of COVID-19 in-hospital mortality increased with patient age, with admission to intensive care unit (ICU) (aOR = 4.16; 95% Credible Interval: 4.05–4.27), being on oxygen (aOR = 1.49; 95% Credible Interval: 1.46–1.51) and on invasive mechanical ventilation (aOR = 3.74; 95% Credible Interval: 3.61–3.87). Being admitted in a public hospital (aOR = 3.16; 95% Credible Interval: 3.10–3.21) was also significantly associated with mortality. Risk of in-hospital deaths increased in months following a surge in infections and dropped after months of successive low infections highlighting crest and troughs lagging the epidemic curve. After controlling for these factors, districts such as Vhembe, Capricorn and Mopani in Limpopo province, and Buffalo City, O.R. Tambo, Joe Gqabi and Chris Hani in Eastern Cape province remained with significantly higher odds of COVID-19 hospital deaths suggesting possible health systems challenges in those districts.ConclusionThe results show substantial COVID-19 in-hospital mortality variation across the 52 districts. Our analysis provides information that can be important for strengthening health policies and the public health system for the benefit of the whole South African population. Understanding differences in in-hospital COVID-19 mortality across space could guide interventions to achieve better health outcomes in affected districts.

Evaluation of the Canadian government policies on controlling the COVID-19 outbreaks

In this paper, we investigate the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and evaluate the Canadian government policies on controlling COVID-19 outbreaks. The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Ontario on 25 January 2020. Since then, there have been over million cases by now. During this time period, the federal, provincial and local governments have implemented regulations and policies in order to control the pandemic. To evaluate these government policies, which may be done by analysing the infection rate, infection period and reproductive number of COVID-19, we approach the problem by introducing an extended susceptible-exposed-infectious-removed (SEIR) model and conduct the model inference by using the iterated filter ensemble adjustment Kalman filter (IF-EAKF) algorithm. We first divide the time period into phases according to the policy intensities in each province by segmenting the time period from 4 March 2020 to 31 October 2020 into three time phases: the exploding phase, the strict policy implementation phase, and the provincial reopening phase. We then use IF-EAKF algorithm to obtain the estimates of the model parameters. We show that the infection rate in the second phase is lower than that in both first and third phases. We also discuss the number of new COVID-19 cases under different policy intensities and different policy durations in the third wave of the pandemic.

Perbandingan Kinerja Sub Sektor Makanan-Minuman dan Farmasi pada Kasus Pertama Covid-19 di Indonesia


 
 
 
 Research aim : This study aims to prove whether the consumer goods sector is a sector that is immune to the Covid-19 pandemic, considering that investment in this sector is an investment in defensive stocks.
 Design/Methode/Approach : Apply an event study approach, this study will compare the abnormal returns on stocks in the food-beverage and pharmaceutical sub-sector before and after the first case of Covid-19 entered Indonesia.
 Research Finding : This study showed a significant differences in positive abnormal returns before and after the first case of Covid-19 in the stocks of the food-beverage sub-sector. However, it is different from the pharmaceutical sub-sector. It has a positive abnormal return difference before and after the first case of Covid-19, but it is not significant statistically.
 Theoretical contribution/Originality : In addition to being influenced by internal factors, stock performance is also influenced by external factors and even external factors outside the market, such as the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Covid-19 Pandemic has impacted a country's economy due to anticipatory policies undertaken to reduce the spread of the virus, including work-from-home and social distancing.
 Practitionel/Policy implication : Investments in the Consumer Goods sector, in this case, the food-beverage and pharmaceutical sub-sector during the Covid-19 Pandemic, need to be included in the stock portfolio because its performance is stable and tends to increase. Investment in Consumer Goods sector stocks is essential as a defensive stock to stabilize the stock portfolio's performance. Especially during the Covid-19 period, the primary basic human needs are still needed, especially health and the need for PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), vaccines, and medicines the Pandemic.
 Research limitation : The event window is too short, namely, only five days before the event day and five days after the event. It is recommended that the number of days the event window can be extended so that the abnormal return reaction to the event of the first case of Covid-19 can be better analyzed. 
 
 
 
 

Therapeutic uses of Antihistamines in the Management of COVID-19: A Narrative Review

Background: The first case of COVID-19 emerged in China in 2019 and spread rapidly worldwide. Therefore, all researchers worldwide sought ways to treat and prevent the disease. Since the production of vaccines and new drugs is time-consuming, a good way is to look at existing drugs to find new effects. Objective: Due to the pathogenic mechanism of COVID-19, most of its symptoms, including anosmia, ageusia, and cytokine storm, are dependent on the release of histamine and its activities. Therefore, one category of drugs that may be effective in treating and improving the symptoms of COVID-19 is antihistamines. This paper reviewed studies that have been done so far on the effects of antihistamines, specially famotidine, in COVID-19. Method: A literature search was performed using scientific databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar from the beginning up to December 2021. The most relevant articles considering the potential impacts of antihistamines against COVID-19 were collected. Results: In addition to the current medications prescribed for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2, H1 and H2 blockers are promising drugs for repurposing in the COVID-19 remedy. Several studies on famotidine were performed using virtual screening to determine whether they are effective. Many studies have shown that famotidine use improved COVID-19 symptoms and reduced the need for intubation and mortality. However, few studies concluded that famotidine is ineffective. Conclusion: Antihistamines, and specifically famotidine, are effective in reducing COVID-19 symptoms. Therefore, they are a good choice for combination therapy with other drugs to treat COVID-19.

Combined epidemiology and genetic sequencing surveillance in the era of COVID-19 pandemic; Abu Dhabi experience, United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates, has reported the first case of COVID-19 in January 2020 and by October 2022, a total of 1 Million cases and 2348 deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported. The Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, has led a novel initiative to conduct a large scale genomic surveillance project. The aim of this surveillance project is to generate data to guide public health pandemic response decision making. Samples mainly from the community, points of entry to the emirate and healthcare facilities were collected for surveillance using both targeted PCR and/or Genome sequence analysis. Sample criteria were defined and specific metadata were collected in parallel. Using the unique identifiers and through the available datasets, epidemiological and clinical data were integrated. A total of 385,191 sample undertake analysis (from January 2021 to October 2022) either genotyping and/or sequence analysis. The most frequently encountered lineages in the community and among severe cases were reported. Genomic surveillance is a major tool essential for guiding public health measures throughout the pandemic.

New proposal of viral genome representation applied in the classification of SARS-CoV-2 with deep learning

BackgroundIn December 2019, the first case of COVID-19 was described in Wuhan, China, and by July 2022, there were already 540 million confirmed cases. Due to the rapid spread of the virus, the scientific community has made efforts to develop techniques for the viral classification of SARS-CoV-2.ResultsIn this context, we developed a new proposal for gene sequence representation with Genomic Signal Processing techniques for the work presented in this paper. First, we applied the mapping approach to samples of six viral species of the Coronaviridae family, which belongs SARS-CoV-2 Virus. We then used the sequence downsized obtained by the method proposed in a deep learning architecture for viral classification, achieving an accuracy of 98.35%, 99.08%, and 99.69% for the 64, 128, and 256 sizes of the viral signatures, respectively, and obtaining 99.95% precision for the vectors with size 256.ConclusionsThe classification results obtained, in comparison to the results produced using other state-of-the-art representation techniques, demonstrate that the proposed mapping can provide a satisfactory performance result with low computational memory and processing time costs.

Evaluation of Handwashing Facilities in Basic Schools in Ejura-Sekyeredumase Municipality, Ghana

Hand washing has been recognized as an effective measure against the transmissions of different communicable diseases. This article provided insights into hand washing facilities, students’ knowledge, and patronage of the facilities in basic schools in Ejura-Sekyeredumase Municipality of Ghana motivated by the Covid-19 pandemic. We pointed out the current state of handwashing facilities and knowledge of proper handwashing among basic schools in the second Covid-19 hotspot region. The study spanned between November 2019 to March 2020. From pre Covid-19 period to the time (month) Ghana recorded its first case of Covid-19. The study was undertaken using well designed structured questionnaire, observation checklist and interviews. It involved randomly sampling 25 public schools and 5 private schools. From each of these 30 schools, 19 students and a teacher were selected randomly and purposively making a total of 600 respondents. Data obtained from the students and staff were compared for their effective relationships using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. The Pearson Chi-Square test was used to show the effect size and the strength of relationship between variables. The results showed that the handwashing facilities were not enough for students and teachers. Many students rated availability of handwashing materials as good (66. 70%). There was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between the availability of hand washing materials and patronage of the facility. Most students claimed water flowed always ( =1.27) with few reporting intermittent water availability (26.70%, SD=0.45). Generally, more students (76.80%) washed their hands with soap and water after visiting the toilet. There was a significant difference between students who knew germs and the number of times they practiced hand washing, X2(4, N=546) =13.26, P=0.01). However, the effect size was relatively small (Cramer’s V=0.15). Inadequate handwashing materials (42.13%) and forgetfulness from students (37.07%) were hindrances to effective handwashing. The government through the ministry of education should ensure all year- round provisions of hand washing facilities and materials coupled with continuous education and awareness to strengthen hand washing habit among the students.

Mortality patterns among COVID-19 patients in two Saudi hospitals: Demographics, etiology, and treatment.

Saudi Arabia (SA) reported its first case of COVID-19 on 2 March 2020. Mortality varied nationwide; by April 14, 2020, Medina had 16% of SA's total COVID-19 cases and 40% of all COVID-19 deaths. A team of epidemiologists investigated to identify factors impacting survival. We reviewed medical records from two hospitals: Hospital A in Medina and Hospital B in Dammam. All patients with a registered COVID-related death between March and May 1, 2020, were included. We collected data on demographics, chronic health conditions, clinical presentation, and treatment. We analyzed data using SPSS. We identified 76 cases: 38 cases from each hospital. More fatalities were among non-Saudis at Hospital A (89%) versus Hospital B (82%, p < 0.001). Hypertension prevalence was higher among cases at Hospital B (42%) versus Hospital A (21%) (p < 0.05). We found statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in symptoms at initial presentation among cases at Hospital B versus Hospital A, including body temperature (38°C vs. 37°C), heart rate (104 bpm vs. 89 bpm), and regular breathing rhythms (61% vs. 55%). Fewer cases (50%) at Hospital A received heparin versus Hospital B (97%, p-value < 0.001). Patients who died typically presented with more severe illnesses and were more likely to have underlying health conditions. Migrant workers may be at increased risk due to poorer baseline health and reluctance to seek care. This highlights the importance of cross-cultural outreach to prevent deaths. Health education efforts should be multilingual and accommodate all literacy levels.

Availability of Medical Services and Teleconsultation during COVID-19 Pandemic in the Opinion of Patients of Hematology Clinics-A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study (Silesia, Poland).

A new virus, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in December 2019, triggering the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 due to the rapid spread and severity of cases worldwide. In Poland, the first case of COVID-19 was reported on 4 March 2020. The aim of the prevention efforts was primarily to stop the spread of the infection to prevent overburdening the health care system. Many illnesses were treated by telemedicine, primarily using teleconsultation. Telemedicine has reduced personal contact between doctors and patients and reduced the risk of exposure to disease for patients and medical personnel. The survey aimed to gather patients' opinions on the quality and availability of specialized medical services during the pandemic. Based on the data collected regarding patients' opinions on services provided via telephone systems, a picture was created of patients' opinions on teleconsultation, and attention was drawn to emerging problems. The study included a 200-person group of patients, realizing their appointments at a multispecialty outpatient clinic in Bytom, aged over 18 years, with various levels of education. The study was conducted among patients of Specialized Hospital No. 1 in Bytom. A proprietary survey questionnaire was developed for the study, which was conducted on paper and used face-to-face interaction with patients. Results: 17.5% of women and 17.5% of men rated the availability of services during the pandemic as good. In contrast, among those aged 60 and over, 14.5% of respondents rated the availability of services during the pandemic as poor. In contrast, among those in the labor force, as many as 20% of respondents rated the accessibility of services provided during the pandemic as being well. The same answer was marked by those on a pension (15%). Overwhelmingly, women in the age group of 60 and over showed a reluctance toward teleconsultation. Conclusions: Patients' attitudes toward the use of teleconsultation services during the COVID-19 pandemic varied, primarily due to attitudes toward the new situation, the age of the patient, or the need to adapt to specific solutions not always understood by the public. Telemedicine cannot completely replace inpatient services, especially among the elderly. It is necessary to refine remote visits to convince the public of this type of service. Remote visits should be refined and adapted to the needs of patients in such a way as to remove any barriers and problems arising from this type of service. This system should also be introduced as a target, providing an alternative method of inpatient services even after the pandemic ends.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF HUMAN BRUCELLOSIS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA; PRE- AND DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Brucellosis is one of the most reported zoonotic diseases that affects human health with subsequent economic losses. Brucellosis is an endemic disease in countries in many regions such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in the Middle East. On 30 Jan 2020, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak (later named COVID-19) a public health emergency of international concern. In KSA, on 2 March 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed. To contain the disease outbreak, partial and full suspension of public activities/curfew started in March and April. In this study, characterization of brucellosis in KSA from 2013-2019 (pre-pandemic), the year 2020 (pandemic control interventions’” year), and the year 2021is presented. Incidence data were obtained from the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) records for laboratory-confirmed cases. Extracted incidence data were analysed according to the nationality of the patients (Saudi and non-Saudi), gender (male and female), age, health regions (20 throughout KSA), and months. From 2013-2019, there were 28073 (mean; 4010) cases of human brucellosis reported. In 2020 and 2021, there were 2372 and 2400 cases of brucellosis reported, respectively. The decrease in 2021, which continued after easing PCI restrictions, is worth noting. This represents a decrease of 59.15% of reported cases compared to incidence means for the period 2013-2019. Compared to other studies, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, patients not seeking medical examination, and dedicating much of the health sector for COVID-19 patients are likely reasons for brucellosis reporting reduction. However, and due to lack of additional necessary data, it is not possible currently to conclude that PCI have (or have not) influenced reducing brucellosis in KSA. Additionally, and in comparison, to reported regional and global incidence rates of the disease, reported rates from 2013-2019 in KSA are likely to be underreported.

The value of public service broadcasting in Japan during COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of WTP by Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition

The first case of COVID-19 in Japan was detected in January 2020, and the first outbreak occurred between March and May of that year. In this study, changes in the willingness to pay (WTP) for public service media (PSM) were analyzed using data from public opinion polls conducted before and after the period of the first outbreak. A comparison of the samples obtained via Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition revealed the importance of and satisfaction with the news that viewers felt, and their viewing frequency increased after the pandemic, as did WTP. The findings can be interpreted as an increase in the demand for news as the infection spread. The analysis also showed that the WTP for PSM decreased a little owing to the reduction in sports programs. The results demonstrate the importance of PSM in moments of crisis, such as pandemics.

Edukasi Perilaku Hidup Bersih dan Sehat pada Anak Sekolah Masa Pandemi Covid-19 di Panti Asuhan Gotong Royong Yogyakarta

Chairman of the Central Board of the Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI), said that Covid-19 cases in children in the country increased by 11-12 percent. During the pandemic, the number of deaths of children under five increased by 50 percent or there were 1,000 deaths in children every week. UGM epidemiologist, said that actually from the beginning children have a risk of being infected with sars cov-2. He mentioned that in DIY itself the first case of Covid-19 was in children.(1) Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (PHBS) is needed by students at school to avoid various diseases. one of them is washing hands with soap and clean water as well as healthy snacks.(2) The purpose of this service is to provide information and education about PHBS for orphanage children, so that they are able to have PHBS. The method used begins with opening, introduction, prayer, and presentation of health education materials, question and answer sessions, evaluation, games, door prizes, closing and group photos. The results of this activity, orphanage children understand PHBS, the orphanage management is helped because children have received information and provision of PHBS during the co-19 pandemic.