Management Of COVID-19 Pandemic Research Articles

Factors Influencing Healthcare Workers’ Perception of South African Health System Capability for Managing COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: During the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa in March 2020, there was an urgent mobilization of healthcare workers (HCWs) who had to adapt quickly to a challenging health system. Therefore, this paper examines factors associated with HCWs’ perceptions of the South African health system’s capability for managing COVID-19 during the early stages of the pandemic. Methods: Data utilised in this paper were obtained from an online survey conducted among HCWs using a structured questionnaire on a data-free online platform. The study population included all HCWs in South Africa. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the factors influencing HCWs’ perceptions of the South African health system capability for managing COVID-19. Results: Of the 5,274 respondents, 22.0% indicated that the South African health system would manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased odds of perceiving that the South African health system was capable of managing COVID-19 were significantly associated with being male (aOR = 1.55 95%CI [1.22-1.97], p<0.001), being 50-59 years old (aOR = 1.94 [1.31-2.87], p=0.001) and 60 years and older (aOR = 2.27 [1.34-3.84], p=0.002), working in other sector (aOR = 1.42 [1.10-1.84], p=0.007), and having confidence in their overall knowledge about COVID-19 (aOR = 1.92 [1.52-2.41], p<0.001). Decreased odds of perceiving that the South African health system was capable of managing COVID-19 were significantly associated with HCWs being White (aOR = 0.29 [0.22-0.38], p<0.001) and Indian/Asian (aOR = 0.45 [0.33-0.62], p<0.001), being medical practitioner (aOR = 0.55 [0.41-0.73], p<0.001), and having moderate (aOR = 0.70 [0.50-0.99], p=0.042) or high risk perceptions (aOR = 0.55 [0.39-0.77], p<0.001) of contracting COVID-19. Conclusion: In the early days of the pandemic, most HCWs felt that the health system would not cope with COVID-19. Healthcare workers’ experience (a proxy for HCWs’ age), work sector, confidence in their knowledge about COVID-19, and their risk perceptions were key factors affecting their perception of the health system’s capability.

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants of bejaia localities from algeria to prevent and treat coronavirus (COVID-19) infection shortened title: phytomedicine to manage COVID-19 pandemic

The propagation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Algeria has pushed the population searching alternative therapies as preventives and treatment selections. The use of medicinal plants is a promising alternative solution to strengthen immunity and chase COVID-19. The aim of this study was to carry out an ethnobotanical survey in the Bejaia department (Algeria) to identify the plants used during the current pandemic. The study was conducted from February to May 2021. The interviews were conducted with 400 informants in order to assemble socio-demographic and floristic features of the respondents and used plants. The data analysis was performed by means of Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Family Importance Value (FIV), and Plant Part Value (PPV). 23 medicinal plants belonging to 12 families were adopted by the population of the Bejaia localities to prevent and treat COVID-19 infection. Aloysia citriodora Palau (RFC = 0.248), Mentha spicata L. (RFC = 0.145), Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (RFC = 0.135), Thymus vulgaris L. (RFC = 0.118), Zingiber officinalis Roscoe (RFC = 0.09), Artemisia herba-alba Asso (RFC = 0.065), and Eucalyptus globules labill (RFC = 0.063) were the most cited species. The leaves of these plants which are used (65%) in the form of infusion (43.6%) are administered orally (95.03%) to treat and relieve certain symptoms of COVID-19. The current survey is the only one in the Bejaia department regarding the exploitation of medicinal herbs in the COVID-19 pandemic. These plants can be used as a platform to manage COVID-19.

Nanotechnology Role Development for COVID-19 Pandemic Management

The global outbreak of coronavirus disease has sent an ominous message to the field of innovative and advanced technology research and development (COVID-19). To accomplish this, convectional technology and recent discoveries can be combined, or new research directions can be opened up using nanotechnology. Nanotechnology can be used to prevent, diagnose, and treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. As the pandemic spreads, a thorough examination of nanomaterials' role in pandemic response is highly desirable. According to this comprehensive review article, nanotechnology can be used to prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID-19. This research will be extremely useful during the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of developing rules for designing nanostructure materials to combat the outbreak.

Management of COVID-19 Pandemic in Morocco: Lessons learned.

Management of COVID-19 Pandemic in Morocco: Lessons learned.

An Analytical Study of Kalmegh (Andrographis Paniculata) and Kiratikta (Swertia Chirayita): An Economic Substitution for Metro Cities in Global Pandemic with Healthcare 4.0

An Analytical Study of Kalmegh (Andrographis Paniculata) and Kiratikta (Swertia Chirayita): An Economic Substitution for Metro Cities in Global Pandemic with Healthcare 4.0

Serological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease treated with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs: A cohort study and a meta-analysis

IntroductionVaccination is considered as a cornerstone of the management of COVID-19 pandemic. However, while vaccines provide a robust protection in immunocompetent individuals, the immunogenicity in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) is not well established.MethodsA monocentric observational study evaluated the immunogenicity of a two-dose regimen vaccine in adult patients with IRD (n = 123) treated with targeted or biological therapies. Serum IgG antibody levels against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike proteins were measured after the second vaccination. In addition, a search for observational studies performed in IRD under biologic or targeted therapies up to September 31, 2021 (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021259410) was undertaken in publication databases, preprint servers, and grey literature sources. Studies that reported sample size, study date, location, and seroprevalence estimate were included. A meta-analysis was conducted to identify demographic differences in the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.ResultsOf 123 patients (median age 66 IQR 57–75), 69.9% have seroconverted after vaccination. Seroconverted patients were older than non-seroconverted ones in our cohort. Rituximab was associated with a significantly low antibody response. Besides, we identified 20 seroprevalence studies in addition to our cohort including 4423 participants in 11 countries. Meta-analysis confirmed a negative impact of rituximab on seroconversion rate and suggested a less substantial effect of abatacept, leflunomide and methotrexate.ConclusionRituximab impairs serological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with IRD. This work suggests also a negative impact of abatacept, methotrexate or leflunomide especially when associated to biological therapy.

Improving morbidity information in Portugal: Evidence from data linkage of COVID-19 cases surveillance and mortality systems

BackgroundCOVID-19 rapidly spread around the world, putting health systems under unprecedented pressure and continuous adaptations. Well-established health information systems (HIS) are crucial in providing data to allow evidence-based policymaking and public health interventions in the pandemic response. This study aimed to compare morbidity information between two databases for COVID-19 management in Portugal and identify potential complementarities. MethodsThis is an observational study using records from both COVID-19 cases surveillance (National Epidemiological Surveillance System; SINAVE) and related deaths (National e-Death Certificates Information System; SICO) systems, which were matched on sex, age, municipality of residence and date of death. After the linkage, morbidity reported in SINAVE and identified in SICO, through the application of Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity indexes algorithms, were compared to evaluate agreement level. ResultsOverall, 2285 matched cases were analyzed, including 53.9% males with a median age of 84 years. According to the method of data reporting assessment, the presence of any morbidity ranged between 26.3% and 62.5%. The reporting of ten morbidities could be compared between the information reported in SINAVE and SICO databases. The proportion of simultaneous reporting in both databases ranged between 5.7% for diabetes and 0.0% for human immunodeficiency virus infection or coagulopathy. Minimal or no agreement was found when assessing the similarity of the morbidity reporting in both databases, with neoplasms showing the highest level of agreement (0.352, 95% IC: 0.277–0.428; p < 0.001). ConclusionDifferent information about reported morbidity could be found in two HIS used to monitor COVID-19 cases and related deaths, as data are independently collected. These results show that the interoperability of SICO and SINAVE databases would potentially improve available HIS and improve available information to decision-making and address COVID-19 pandemic management.

Intentions to use ride-sourcing services in Vietnam: What happens after three months without COVID-19 infections?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new risks and stress for paid transport users worldwide. COVID-19 has changed mobility dynamics worldwide, including low- and middle-income countries (e.g., Vietnam). The present study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of ride-sourcing passengers' behavioural intentions when COVID-19 pandemic management successfully prevented community transmission by extending the TPB with two constructs: perceived virus infection risk and problem-focused coping. Using self-administered questionnaires, data were collected from ride-sourcing customers in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). A total of 540 responses were used for validating the proposed theorethical model. The structural equation model results indicate that problem-focused coping is a multi-faceted construct with two dimensions: problem-solving and self-protection. Also, problem-focused coping has the highest total effect on the intention to use ride-sourcing services following a period of COVID-19 suppression (3 months without identified cases). The findings also reveal that attitude partially mediates the link between problem-focused coping and behavioural intention. The results of this study could be used to develop strategies to promote ride-sourcing services in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trust and Engagement on Twitter During the Management of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Effect of Gender and Position.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, health and political leaders have attempted to update citizens using Twitter. Here, we examined the difference between environments that social media has provided for male/female or health/political leaders to interact with people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The comparison was made based on the content of posts and public responses to those posts as well as user-level and post-level metrics. Our findings suggest that although health officers and female leaders generated more contents on Twitter, political leaders and male authorities were more active in building networks. Offensive language was used more frequently toward males than females and toward political leaders than health leaders. The public also used more appreciation keywords toward health leaders than politicians, while more judgmental and economy-related keywords were used toward politicians. Overall, depending on the gender and position of leaders, Twitter provided them with different environments to communicate and manage the pandemic.

The Roles of Community Health Nurses' in Covid-19 Management in Indonesia: A Qualitative Study.

ABSTRACTBackground: The majority of Covid-19 cases occur at the community level requiring health services to be available at the primary health care level, which also includes Community Health Nursing (CHN) services. It is important to understand various perspectives of the parties involved, effective solutions, and strategies used by nurses in managing Covid-19 in order to be able to provide these services. The purpose of this study was to explore the community health nurses’ (CHNs) roles in the Covid-19 management in Indonesia.Methods: A qualitative method was used to explore the perspective from nurses and health cadres as participants. Data were collected through in-depth phone interviews with 11 participants from December 2020 to February 2021 in Bandung. Data were analyzed manually using thematic analysis.Results: Five themes were extracted in this study, namely providing comprehensive services by CHNs; utilizing technology to bridge the information needs; implementing family nursing care; spreading the wings of health cadres by CHNs; and collaborating as the heart of Covid-19 prevention and management.Conclusion: CHNs should employ health education, empowerment strategies, group processes, and advocacy in adapting to the Covid-19 pandemic situation. The five themes identified in this study can be used by policy makers to develop strategies in optimizing the CHN in Covid-19 pandemic management and the possible challenges of future global pandemics.

Proactive Innovation in a Prolonged Conflict Setting: Facing COVID-19 in a Specialized Cancer Hospital in Palestine.

The prolonged ongoing conflict in Palestine exacerbated socioeconomic conditions and weakened the health system, complicating the management of COVID-19 pandemic, especially for cancer patients who are doubly-at risk. Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) is Palestine's only specialized cancer hospital, receiving patients from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank for oncology, nephrology, hematology, and radiotherapy. AVH's preparedness measures enabled its agile response. These proactive and innovative preparedness measures included: implementing a facility-level preparedness and response plan; utilizing multidisciplinary team-based and evidence-informed approaches to decision making; prioritizing health workers' safety and education; establishing in-house PCR testing to scale up timely screenings; and accommodating health workers, patients, and their relatives at hospital hotels, to maintain daily, continuous and critical health care for cancer patients and limit the spread of infection. At the facility-level, the biggest challenge faced by AVH was continuing essential and daily care for immunocompromised patients while protecting them from potential infection from relatives, hospital staff and other suspected patients. At the national level, the lack of preparedness, inequalities in vaccine distribution, political instability, violence, delays in obtaining medical exit permits to reach Jerusalem, weakened AVH's response. AVH's flexible financing, hospital accreditation, and strong leadership and coordination enabled its agility and resilience. Despite compiling challenges, the hospital's proactive and innovative interventions minimized the risk of infection among two high-risk groups: the immunocompromised patients and their health workers, providing invaluable lessons for health facilities in other fragile-and-conflict-affected settings.

COVID-19 Pandemic Management in Oil and Gas Company, a Corporate Office Experience Based

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a human tragedy that has played out across the globe. People are experiencing unprecedented levels of disruption in their homes and communities, as well as in their jobs. Office worker of an international oil and gas company located in Jakarta was also had the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. The company must establish system to protect their worker to perform their work safely and avoid COVID-19 exposure.Objective: To describe COVID-19 statistic period 2020 – November 2021 and how company address the system to prevent outbreak and the re-occurrence.Methods: A case study based on company record and performance on tackling COVID-19 problem during 2020 – 2021.Result: Two cases started in March 2020 and total were up to 111 of 800’s workers until Nov 2021. 56% were asymptomatic, 39% were 50 yo or above. 74% did not have co morbid. 46% were domestic cluster. Cases trend were like local and national cases statistic trend.Conclusion: COVID-19 had also impact to corporate office workers which potentially lead to business disruption. The company set dedicated health system to prevent and control COVID-19 system. Principally, it must be set higher than local government standard other than 3M as follows: WFH policy, lowered body temperature identification to min 370C for COVID-19 testing, applied mobile application for health monitoring and tracing, biweekly COVID-19 screening test prior to work at office and included COVID-19 prevention behavior into individual key performance indicator.

Burnout Syndrome in Personnel of an Infectious Diseases Hospital, One Year after the Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are important players in the COVID-19 pandemic management and are inescapably in the first line to be exposed to the SARS CoV-2 virus. They were at risk of losing their lives while caring for their duty for COVID patients. This pandemic has substantial psychological impact on HCWs. This study describes the prevalence of burnout between HCWs handle with COVID-19 pandemic. The study explored the level of burnout in this population and examined factors involved in development of this psychological consequence. This cross-sectional survey was conducted on personnel from an Infectious Diseases monospecialty Hospital, which provides care for COVID-19 patients. The study was attended at 12 months after the outbreak. A questionnaire- based survey using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was conducted for all personnel. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Age, gender, job category and the level of burnout in each subscale was measured. 186 persons completed the questionnaire (79%from employees). 61.86% experienced medium and high levels of burnout comparable with other country studies. The mean score and SD in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment were 23.26+8.45, 11.11+4.05, and 22.62+6.83, respectively. The prevalence of burnout in the hospital`s personnel was 38.179% in low rates, 46.77% had medium level and 15.05% high level. Doctors and administrative staff were more affected than others. Nevertheless, there are no significant statistical differences in the level of the three domains of burnout studied regarding the age and job profile. In conclusion, in our hospital, designated to treat moderate and severe COVID-19 patients burnout is equally present among HCWs.

Adverse Events and Immunogenicity of mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccine among Healthcare Workers: A Single-Centre Experience.

Background and Objectives: The safety and effectiveness of vaccines are among the key priorities in COVID-19 pandemic management. Moreover, evidence-based data regarding vaccine safety and immunogenicity can play an important role in building the trust of the community regarding vaccination. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety and immunogenicity of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine among healthcare workers in one hospital, 21 days after first dose. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences between February and March 2021. Hospital employees who arrived to receive the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine 21 days after the first one were invited to participate in the study: they were asked to complete an anonymous adverse events questionnaire and were offered a SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM rapid test. The study was performed at a single point, 21 days after the first dose of the vaccine. Results: Data of 4181 vaccine recipients were analysed. The first vaccine dose was associated with a 53.6% incidence of adverse events, mainly local reactions. Adverse events occurred more frequently in younger participants and women. Moderate adverse events were experienced by 1.4% of the vaccine recipients; 6.2% were incapacitated. Of the 3439 participants who performed a rapid IgG test, 94.5% were positive for IgG antibodies after the first vaccine dose. Seroconversion rates were lower in participants older than 47 years. Conclusions: Despite 1.4% moderate adverse events, no safety concerns or anaphylaxis were identified. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine induced an immune response in the overwhelming majority of recipients after a single dose. Younger participants experienced adverse events and were positive for IgG antibodies more frequently than older counterparts. It is important to mention that this study specifically considered short-term safety and reactions following vaccination and that long-term adverse effects were not investigated in the study. Thus, future research into both long-term adverse reactions and immune system programming is essential.

Satisfaction of primary care physicians towards initiation of phone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic management in Qatar: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesTo assess primary care physicians’ satisfaction towards initiation of phone consultation during COVID-19 pandemic management in Qatar and to identify the factors associated with dis/satisfaction.DesignA cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted from 1 June to 30 July 2020.SettingAll the available 27 public primary healthcare centers in Qatar at the time of the study.ParticipantsTwo hundred ninety-four primary care physicians working in the publicly run primary healthcare corporation in Qatar.Primary outcome measuresOverall satisfaction of primary care physicians with the initiation of phone consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar and their satisfaction towards each aspect of this management.ResultsTwo hundred thirty-nine primary care physicians participated in the survey with a response rate of 53.1%. Overall, about 45% and 21% of respondents agreed that COVID-19 disease management has highly impacted and very highly impacted their daily practice, respectively. More than half of the physicians (59.9%) indicated being satisfied/highly satisfied with the initiation of telephone consultation service. On the other hand, few physicians were satisfied (14.3%) or highly satisfied (3.4%) with conducting telephone consultations with patients who lack previous electronic medical records. Also, only 20.3% and 3.8% of physicians were satisfied and highly satisfied with the lack of physical examination in telephone consultations, respectively. On bivariate analysis, primary care physicians’ age was significantly associated with the perceived level of impact of COVID-19 management on daily practice (P = 0.03). There was no significant association between participants’ characteristics and the level of satisfaction toward telephone consultations. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant association between physicians’ age (p = 0.048) and gender (p = 0.014) and their level of satisfaction toward communication and support.

An Audacious Voyage during COVID-19 Pandemic in Management of Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage at Annapurna Neurological Institute and Allied Sciences

Introduction: Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage(SAH) is a neurosurgical emergency for which testing for COVID PCR was not an option and was unlikely to change the management of the case. Hence, all surgeries were performed without COVID PCR and Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) at our center for the welfare of the patient despite risks involved for the surgeons and supporting staff.&#x0D; Methods: Data were collected retrospectively of all cerebral aneurysm patients who received treatment at Annapurna Neurological Institute and Allied Sciences during the covid pandemic between February 2020 to May 2021. Their demographic profile, clinical and imaging characteristics, treatment decision, postoperative complication, postoperative functional status in terms of Modified Rankin Scale were taken into consideration and analyzed.&#x0D; Result: 63 patients were enrolled in study with patient age ranging from 9 years to 81 years. Male to female ratio was 1:3. Amongst them, 28% had hypertension. 82% underwent microsurgical clipping while three patients underwent coiling. Basilar Top aneurysm, Para clinoid aneurysm, PICA aneurysm underwent simple coiling. Wrapping, bypass and trapping were performed in 1,1, and 3 cases respectively. At the time of discharge, most of the patients (77%) achieved good functional recovery (mRS ≤ 2) while mortality was reported in 8% of patients. Based on our experience and limited dataset, posterior location of aneurysm, increasing HuntHess Grade and modified fisher grade had poor prognosis, related with degree of cerebral vasospasm, and delayed cerebral ischemia.&#x0D; Conclusion: Results from our study showed outcomes in surgical patients with aneurysmal SAH at par with international standards. COVID pandemic although posed initial difficulties, with proper guidelines and protocols in place, we were able to perform the emergency surgeries without compromising our standards.&#x0D;

Aging queer in a pandemic: intersectionalities and perceptions

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to highlight the experiences and issues of an overlooked demographic: older LGBTQ + adults in the US, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This allows the authors to explore possible changes in policy and practice regarding the management of the pandemic with attention to elderly LGBTQ.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on the authors’ experience in disaster research and a study of older LGBTQ + adults in the San Francisco Bay Area, the authors analyze key trends in COVID-19 pandemic management while drawing lessons from the AIDS epidemic.FindingsThe authors have found that LGBTQ + people, especially older and transgender individuals, have unique experiences with hazards and public safety and healthcare professionals and organizations (e.g. heteronormative care, traumatic insensitivity, deprioritizing essential treatments as elective). Second, older LGBTQ + adults' perceptions of state responses to pandemics were heavily influenced by experiences with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. And third, experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic have important implications for preventing, responding to and recovering from future epidemics/pandemics.Originality/valueThe authors point to two parallel implications of this work. The first entails novel approaches to queering disaster prevention, response and recovery. And the second is to connect the management of the COVID-19 pandemic to the principles of harm reduction developed by grassroots organizations to suggest new ways to think about contagion and organize physical distancing, while still socializing to take care of people’s physical and mental health, especially the more marginalized like elderly LGBTQ + people.

COVID-19 pandemic management using the 14-day projected incidence.

COVID-19 pandemic management using the 14-day projected incidence.

Prospect Theory, Mental Accounting, Nudges: Applications to Economics, Finance, Marketing, Public Policy, and to COVID-19 Pandemic Management

In this article, we present three important behavioral/cognitive theories: Prospect theory, mental accounting, and nudge theory. We also briefly present applications of these theories to consumer, financial, and product markets, and to public policy decisions. Finally, we discuss the application of these three theories to management of the current pandemic (COVID-19) situation, including strategizing and communicating productively. Specifically, we examine the framing of the non-pharmacological mandates, the applicable models for closing and re-opening decisions, and methods to increase the odds of diffusion of accurate information. There are three useful insights. One, we find that framing matters in increasing the effectiveness of the mandates: exposure to gain frames yielded more support. Two, instead of closing, opening, and closing again, it is better to keep the economy (and schools/colleges) closed for a longer time period so that it does not have to be closed again. Three, an accuracy nudge increases the flow of accurate information and attenuates the false information.

Nurse Case Manager Lifestyle Medicine (NCMLM) in the Type Two Diabetes patient concerning post COVID-19 Pandemic management: Integrated-Scoping literature review.

The American Case Manager Association defines Case Management, in Lifestyle Medicine perspective, a collaborative practice between all the actors involved in the care process. The goal of this review was to evaluate the Nurse Case Manager role in Type 2 Diabetes patients, analyzing the quali/quantitative data related to Nurse Case Management programs in Lifestyle Medicine view. Three independent operators were involved in two distinct phases, applying the Prisma method, specifics PICOS and research strategies from PubMed and Cinahl. The first part integrated a Cochrane systematic review on the Specialist Nurses in Diabetes Mellitus, while the second part evaluated the Nurse Case Manager interventions in Lifestyle Medicine view. The first part includes 13 studies and the second 6. The glycemic control was improved in the Nurse Case Manager groups in Lifestyle Medicine perspective. Good results were appreciated in secondary outcomes: lipid profile, Body Mass Index, quality of life and stress management. The results for the management of self-care and adherence to Lifestyle Medicine programs are encouraging. It emerged unequivocally that, taking care and supporting the diabetic subject, leads to significant benefits in the general health and to reduction of possible complications. After the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Nurse Case Manager Lifestyle Medicine could represent a valid alternative of health management for the improvement of care in Type 2 Diabetic patients.