Pandemic Policy Research Articles

The COVID-19 pandemic and social policy narratives in Costa Rica: the story of a (fleeting) opportunity

The COVID-19 pandemic and social policy narratives in Costa Rica: the story of a (fleeting) opportunity

Research on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Medical Industry in China

From the end of 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in China to the end of 2022 when the Chinese government announced the removal of the containment of the pandemic situation, the 3-year-long pandemic has caused a large impact on the medical industry. Through a study on the trend of PE (price to earnings ratio) value of A shares in the medical industry and a linear regression analysis, this paper explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical industry as well as its correlation to the severity of the pandemic situation and Chinas pandemic prevention policy. It was found that, on the whole, the PE value of the medical industry and the industry valuation increased significantly in comparison with that before the pandemic. Although its changing pattern in the past three years has no obvious correlation with the severity of the pandemic situation in China, it is quite consistent with the three stages of China's pandemic prevention divided according to the pandemic prevention and control policies.

Chinas Labor Market Dynamics under Covid-19 Pandemic: Youth, Adult, and Overall

At the end of 2019, COVID-19 suddenly emerged in various countries around the world. Its rampant global spread has resulted in immeasurable loss and effect for most nationalities and citizens. Unfortunately, the indeterminacy elements of economic development and environment increased dramatically especially in China caused by the pandemic situation, the depression of economy further highlighted contradiction of the employment structure. Citizens of different ages faced divergent challenges like staff reduction, great competitive pressure of obtaining occupation, and so on. As a consequence, diverse elevation of unemployment rate occurred in all citizens, youths, and adults respectively. In this article, three divergent unemployment rates for overall citizens, youths, and adults respectively are selected and the data from January 2018 to October 2022 are extracted. This research applies ARIMA Model to structure and analyze data in order to study the scope of addition and subtraction of three separate unemployment rates on account of serious pandemic. Meanwhile, based on the prediction of future trend of Chinas unemployment rates from January 2022 to October 2022 and contrasting it with the actual data, it can be seen obviously that over unemployment rate increases dramatically as a result of pandemic, and the most heavily affected part is one in young citizens. Finally, this paper furnishes referential recommendations for pandemic policy in economic progress and employment aspects.

Engaging Agamben on the Time that Remains

Giorgio Agamben's work at the intersection of political theology, biblical exegesis, and culture criticism is taken up appreciatively. In an argument framed by Paul's Damascus Road experience, key texts such as 1 Corinthians 7 and Romans 9–11 are explored with Agamben, new proposals being made, to set the stage for a discussion of 2 Thessalonians 2. Successful treatment of this last text, and of the dialectic of law and lawlessness as it appears there, requires more attention to context than Agamben affords. That includes the Thessalonian correspondence as a whole, the teaching of Jesus, and the book of Daniel that underlies both. It also includes an appreciation of the narrative and liturgical framing of Pauline eschatology. While Agamben is questioned on this score, and his reading of 2 Thessalonians 2 challenged, common cause is made in critique of church/state alliances around pandemic policy, alliances based on a lawless use of law.

Facing a dual threat: Pandemic stress and immigration policy vulnerability on mental health among Latinx immigrant parents.

Exclusionary immigration policies rooted in structural racism threaten the wellbeing of Latinx families, increasing stress, anxiety, depression, and distress among immigrant parents. The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating and disproportionate impacts on communities of color with unique impacts on Latinx immigrant parents in mixed-status families. From a syndemic theory lens, we explored the convergence of structural racism and the COVID-19 pandemic to explore if the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic may compound harmful immigration-related policies. Our community-based participatory research cross-sectional study administered 145 surveys among Latinx immigrant parents in mixed-status families in Georgia. We examined the relationship of pandemic stress and perceived statewide immigration policy vulnerability to depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. We conducted multiple linear regression analyses to test these relationships and their interaction. We found that that greater perceived policy immigration vulnerability and reported pandemic stress were associated with higher symptoms of depression. Increased PTSD symptoms were also associated with immigration policy vulnerability, but not pandemic stress. Tests to assess if pandemic stress strengthened the relationship between policy vulnerability on depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms revealed no statistically significant interactions. Our findings suggest that stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and longstanding anti-immigrant policies in Georgia were salient for and related to the mental health of these Latinx immigrant parents.

Risk Perception and Public Pandemic Fatigue: The Role of Perceived Stress and Preventive Coping.

This study explores the status of pandemic fatigue, predictors, and their mechanisms of action based on a stress-response framework and a parallel model of future-oriented response. Study 1 investigated 8426 Chinese adult residents' understanding of and willingness to cooperate with the pandemic prevention and control policies and Study 2 surveyed 1635 Chinese residents on their activeness of pandemic prevention and control (APPC), pandemic risk perception, perceived stress, and future-oriented coping. Study 1 found that public understanding of and willingness to cooperate with prevention policies were significantly lower in 2022 than in 2020 and 2021. Study 2 found that risk perception negatively predicted the APPC; perceived stress and preventive coping significantly mediated the relationship between risk perception and APPC; but perceived stress and proactive coping did not significantly mediate the relationship between risk perception and APPC. This revealed an increase in public fatigue in the third year of the pandemic. Pandemic fatigue can be predicted by pandemic risk perception, but the direct pathway of action is not significant and requires the mediation of perceived stress and preventive coping.

Does Agricultural Zoning Policy Impact on Price Spatial Dependence?: Red Chili Pepper Price In Java Island During COVID-19 Pandemic

A sustainable equal distribution of price stability is the goal of agricultural zone policy. By performing an empirical study comparison of the districts on Java Island, 2,066 before and after the implementation of the policy, this research aims to demonstrate it. The spatial effects of agricultural zone policy on red chili pepper price are used to measure the policy’s impact. The findings of the estimation revealed that the price of red chili peppers, which serves as a gauge of the degree of spatial dependence, is significantly influenced by factors related to the world economy. Once the COVID-19 pandemic policy was put into place, there has been a strengthening of spatial dependence, and the price variations of red chili peppers in the agricultural development zone are relatively better than in the others.

Under What Conditions Can People With Severe Dementia in Nursing Homes Benefit From a Multicomponent Psychosocial Intervention?

The majority of psychosocial interventions are considered effective in the treatment of dementia symptoms. However, there are hardly any evaluated concepts for people with severe dementia. An RCT study of patients with severe dementia in nursing homes during the Covid-19 pandemic found no effect of the newly developed multi-component intervention MAKS-s (motor, activities of daily living, cognitive, social version for persons with severe dementia) on patients' quality of life, behavioural and psychological symptoms. At the end of the controlled phase, 6 months after beginning of the study, the nursing staff of the control groups were also trained in MAKS-s. They were then free to decide whether and how often they wanted to use MAKS-s (open phase). By means of a written follow-up survey, conducted with trained therapists, after another 6 months, predictors for positive effects of the intervention on people with severe dementia were to be identified. The survey also aimed to identify predictors of therapy fidelity. Data acquisition based on a self-developed questionnaire, assessing the therapists' subjective ratings of the three areas of structure, process and outcome quality of the MAKS-s intervention. Apart from descriptive evaluations, the predictors of benefit for people with severe dementia were analysed using a linear regression model and the predictors of therapy fidelity by using a binary logistic regression model. The more pronounced the normative restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic were, the more frequently manual deviations were observed. Fewer deviations from the manual were significantly associated with positive effects on people with severe dementia. The results indicate the importance of therapy fidelity for the success of MAKS-s intervention. Therapy fidelity is decisive for the extent of the positive effects of MAKS-s, experienced by the therapists. Furthermore, the survey results show that activity-restricting pandemic policies in nursing homes negatively influenced the perceived effectiveness.

Expert knowledge for global pandemic policy: a chorus of evidence or a clutter of global commissions?

Abstract “Global Commissions of Inquiry” have usually been associated with the multilateral initiatives of governments and international organizations. However, various styles of “global commission” have emerged over time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global commissions have been a key aspect of the COVID-19 international policy landscape, quickly emerging, in 2020 and 2021, to corral knowledge and evidence. These include “formal” commissions, such as the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response and the Global Commission for Post-Pandemic Policy, and “informal” commissions, including the Reform for Resilience and The Lancet Covid Commissions. This paper considers whether these Commissions have been engines for new ideas and global policy knowledge or whether this “chorus” of COVID Commissions represented a “clutter” of ideas at a time when global policy focus was needed. Global Commissions, in general, deserve greater scholarly attention to their design and the construction of their legitimate authority as hybrid and private commissions enter global policy making alongside official commissions.

How COVID-19 pandemic affected nutrition behaviors

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had started as a global pandemic and public health emergency back in year 2020. Starting in year 2023, which was a little more than three years afterwards, World Health Organization (WHO) removed COVID-19’s public health emergency status.1 During the past three years, the pandemic, quarantine, and lockdown policy had changed many aspects in life, sosio-economic and public health alike. This included nutrition behaviors which significantly affected the global population’s nutritional status. A study to adults and elderly living independently in Amsterdams revealed an increase of nutritional behavior presdisposing to overnutrition, such as more snacking and decreased physical activity to those who had not been in quarantine. Whereas those who were in quarantine, behavior changes related to undernutrition, such as eating less, skipping meals, and drinking more alcoholic beverages, were more seen in the study results.2 An online survey study to lockdown countries e.g Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia, and United States showed a decrease in both frequency and the duration of physical activity, included an increase of time spent in sedentary behavior. The study also revealed a significant increase in consuming unhealthy food, eating out of control, snacking between meals, alcohol binge drinking, and number of main meals per day.3An online study to students in Indonesia showed changes in eating patterns consisted of increased meal portions and snacks. The sedentary behavior was also excalated.4 What factors contributed to these changes? As we all aware, confinement influence our daily activities and mental health. Those who usually commute to the office had to work from home thus limiting physical activities. We also saw the increased numbers of anxiety, depression, and boredom which may led to more snackings or skipping meals.We had learned that the restriction to stay at home had influenced dietary and physical activity. These changes may or may not expected, however, they surely altered global nutritional status. The numbers of overweight and obesity are more prevalent post-pandemic thus may lead to the increase of non-communicable diseases.We certainly hope that there will be no more pandemic which warrants lockdown in the future, however the future itself is not a certainty. In the present, we will have to tackle many nutritional-related problems in any population. Within the course of time, if a similar pandemic should occur, we might have to compile a public health, nutrition, mental health, and physical activity policy to minimize the problems.

Psychology, stress, insomnia, and resilience of medical staff in China during the COVID-19 policy opening: a cross-sectional survey.

Since 8 January 2023 China has liberalized its control of COVID-19. In a short period of time, the infection rate of COVID-19 in China has risen rapidly, which has brought a heavy burden to medical staff. This study aimed to investigate the psychological status, stress, insomnia, effort-reward imbalance, resilience, and influencing factors of medical staff in China during the period of epidemic policy liberalization. This survey was conducted from 6 February to 27 March 2023 with non-random sampling. An online questionnaire survey was conducted using HADS, PSS-14, ISI, ERI, and the resilience assessment scale for medical staff. The levels of psychological, stress, insomnia, effort-reward imbalance, and resilience of medical staff during the pandemic policy opening period were measured. A total of 2,038 valid questionnaires were collected. 68.5% and 53.9% of medical staff had different degrees of anxiety and depression, respectively. Excessive stress, insomnia, and high effort and low reward were 40.2%, 43.2%, and 14.2%, respectively. Gender, Profession, education level, and age are important factors that lead to anxiety and depression. Women, nurses, higher education, longer working years and hours, high effort, and low reward are risk factors for the above conditions. There was a certain correlation among the five scales, among which anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, effort-reward imbalance, and other factors were positively correlated, while resilience was negatively correlated with these factors. This study found that anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, and other psychological problems of medical staff in China during the policy opening period of COVID-19 were more serious than before. At the individual and organizational levels, it is necessary to improve the well-being of medical staff, optimize the allocation of human resources, and promote the mental health of medical staff with a focus on prevention and mitigation, with the entry point of improving resilience and preventing the effort-reward imbalance.

The Effect of Human Resource Competence on Entrepreneurial Intention among Millennial Generation: Mediating Role of Technology

Today, the COVID-19 pandemic impacts declining economic activities due to an increase in the number of unemployed on a large scale. The significant increase in the number of open unemployed is not only caused by a slowdown in economic growth but also due to changes in people's behavior related to the COVID-19 pandemic and social restriction policies, both on a small and large scale. This study investigates the mediating role of technology in the relationship between human resource competence and entrepreneurial intention among the millennial generation. This quantitative study was designed using a survey questionnaire to 97 respondents. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Partial Least Square (PLS). SEM consists of two sub-models: measurement model (outer model) and structural model (inner model). The result indicates that human resource competence significantly affects the role of technology and entrepreneurial intention. Besides that, this study found that the role of technology mediates the relationship between human resource competence and entrepreneurial intention. In conclusion, this study proves that the role of technology is a significant factor in the relationship between the competence of human resources and the millennial generation's entrepreneurial intention.

The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on prostate cancer screening and diagnosis in Korea

Background: The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in early 2020, has had multiple impacts on cancer care. This study assessed how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced prostate cancer (PCa) screening and diagnosis in South Korea. Methods: Patients who visited the outpatient clinic at a single institution for PCa evaluation were included in this study and divided into a pre-COVID-19 group and a COVID-19 pandemic group, based on the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing policies on March 1, 2020. The number of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, patients with elevated PSA levels, and prostate biopsy results were analyzed. Results: In total, 8,926 PSA tests were administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 15,654 before the pandemic (p<0.05). Of 2,132 patients with high PSA levels, 1,055 (49.5%) received prostate biopsies before the pandemic and 1,077 (50.5%) did so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic group had a higher detection rate of PC, and increased rates of Gleason scores (GS) 7 and 9–10, while the rate of GS 6 decreased compared to the pre-COVID-19 group (p<0.05). The rate of clinically significant PCa (csPCa) was also higher during the pandemic (p<0.05). In both magnetic resonance imaging-guided and standard biopsies, the GS 6 rate decreased, and the csPCa rate increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (each, p<0.05). Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the detection rate of prostate biopsies and the rate of csPCa increased significantly. Thus, PCa was diagnosed at a more advanced state in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inovasi Pelajar dan Penggunaan Sistem Teknologi Pendidikan Baru Setelah Pandemi COVID-19

This study aims to identify the factors that influence the use of a new online learning system by students in tertiary institutions, especially in Indonesia. The results of the research show that students' innovativeness has a positive influence on their willingness to use the system. In addition, learning interactions in a subject can increase student learning satisfaction. Innovation can also link between learning satisfaction, intention to use the system, and the expected impact of the system. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing policies, the new online learning system has become a necessary educational service. Although many universities have shifted back to in-person courses, online learning systems can be a meaningful complement to traditional learning methods. This study emphasizes the importance of students' innovativeness in adopting a new online learning system. Good interaction between instructors and students is also important to increase learning satisfaction. The findings of this study indicate that instructors and universities need to provide new opportunities to increase students' willingness and motivation to take online courses and interact in learning. However, keep in mind that this study has some limitations. The data used in this study is limited to students majoring in management and other fields in Indonesia. Furthermore, future research can broaden the scope by involving data from universities in other countries.
 Key words: Learner Innovation, Mixed Learning, Learning Interaction Education, Management Educational Innovation

China's pivot from zero-COVID strategy and the role of vaccines

ObjectiveThis paper aims to examine China's vaccine policy within the context of broader policy interventions and evaluate their impact on both health and non-health outcomes. MethodWe first utilize the categorizing Policy & Technology Interventions (CPTI) framework to assess the intensities of different policy responses during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. We adopt a process inspired by the Delphi method to evaluate the timelines and intensities of the policy measures comprehensively. Subsequently, we probe the results generated from this process to identify distinctive patterns in China's pandemic policy changes, particularly in relation to the country's reopening process. To explain this distinctive pattern, we employ the governmentality perspective, drawing on Foucault's theories, which focus on the power dynamics between techniques and governance. ResultsThe policy interventions in China during the COVID-19 pandemic significantly differ from those in the other countries in the four policy areas. Despite the massive vaccination efforts, vaccines did not play a decisive role in China's reopening in late 2022. Our analysis reveals that the vaccines are only used in China as part of a broader social governing system in conjunction with zero-COVID policy, such as lockdowns, travel restrictions, and mass tracking. ConclusionsChina's approach to COVID vaccines and the policies governing their use are distinctive, shaped by a governmentality perspective that prioritizes the strengthening of governance.

Revisiting the rationale of mandatory masking

In this perspective, we review the evidence for the efficacy of face masks to reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses, specifically severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and consider the value of mandating universal mask wearing against the widespread negative impacts that have been associated with such measures. Before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it was considered that there was little to no benefit in healthy people wearing masks as prophylaxis against becoming infected or as unwitting vectors of viral transmission. This accepted policy was hastily reversed early on in the pandemic, when districts and countries throughout the world imposed stringent masking mandates. Now, more than three years since the start of the pandemic, the amassed studies that have investigated the use of masks to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (or other pathogens) have led to conclusions that are largely inconsistent and contradictory. There is no statistically significant or unambiguous scientific evidence to justify mandatory masking for general, healthy populations with the intention of lessening the viral spread. Even if mask wearing could potentially reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in individual cases, this needs to be balanced against the physical, psychological and social harms associated with forced mask wearing, not to mention the negative impact of innumerable disposed masks entering our fragile environment. Given the lack of unequivocal scientific proof that masks have any effect on reducing transmission, together with the evident harms to people and the environment through the use of masks, it is our opinion that the mandatory use of face masks in the general population is unjustifiable and must be abandoned in future pandemic countermeasures policies.

Experiences of resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study among high and low socio-economic status individuals in the Netherlands

Resilience to adverse events is increasingly recognized as important for human health. Socio-economic status (SES) is also frequently identified as a predictor of resilience. However, it is not well-understood how people define resilience in their everyday lives, and whether individuals have different experiences of resilience based on their SES. This study sought to fill these gaps, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic mitigation policies in the Netherlands.We interviewed high (n = 38) and low (n = 37) SES participants about their understanding and experiences of resilience during this period. Participants took part in individual interviews and focus groups in September 2021. Transcripts were analyzed thematically.A key theme was coping with adversity, in line with commonly-used definitions of resilience. However, we found that resilience was often defined more broadly. Resilience also encompassed aspects of self-reflection and improvement, and faith in oneself, the community and the nation. There were also key differences by SES background: elaborate and optimistic definitions and experiences of resilience were more often described by high SES individuals. For instance, high SES participants more frequently defined resilience as growing and improving. In contrast, low SES participants more commonly experienced resilience as enduring until better times arrived.Having a higher SES seemed to support resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. This indicates that adverse events may exacerbate pre-existing financial and material difficulties among low SES individuals. This finding underscores the importance of addressing financial precarity prior to adverse events.

Public Health Policies and The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Performance: A Comparative Case Study

Although the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses has been addressed in previous studies, there has been a significant gap in terms of sectoral and geographical focus. The purpose of this study is to understand the necessity of public health policies and the sectoral and geographical impact of COVID-19 on small business performance. To this end, the study applied a comparative case study method and collected secondary longitudinal data to get insights into the disparity between the sectoral and geographical impact of COVID-19 on small business performance. The results show that the severity and timing of impacts varied, in part due to different approaches to reopening and reclosing. While improvements were seen, businesses were still operating well below the pre-pandemic levels. The long-term recovery of these sectors will depend on the ongoing management of the pandemic and further policy measures, customizing on their sensitivity and adaptivity.

Patterns of participation in early childhood education before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected children’s care and education worldwide. This article reports on patterns of participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) across Australia as influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and national policies. Using ECEC data from Xplor – a software platform used across Australian childcare centres (2019: n = 229,349; 2020: n = 229,468), patterns of attendance rates were examined nationally in 2019 and 2020 by service-level and family-level characteristics. The average attended hours per week of ECEC nationally in 2020 (18.32 hours) was less than that in 2019 (21.26 hours). Attendance rates at ECEC in 2020 declined rapidly from 66% to 26.2% at the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. Fee-free subsidy from Australian governments did not substantially increase attendance or reduce disparities in attendance for vulnerable families. Low ECEC attendance rates for prolonged periods could have significant implications for child development, particularly for children from vulnerable backgrounds.

Reshaping Healthcare: A Bibliometric Analysis of Lessons Learned in Post-COVID-19 Health Policy

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted health policy globally, leading to heightened concern and urgency. However, previous studies have been hampered by limited resources and insufficient discussions on the long-term implications for health policies following multiple COVID-19 waves. Thus, this study examined the evolution of international studies on post-COVID-19 health policy. A comprehensive analysis used well-known literature databases Scopus and Web of Science to explore parameters including publication growth, participating countries, areas of interest, and keyword analysis of topics such as"COVID-19" and "Health Policy." The United States emerged as an active participant, focusing on "Computer science." Key themes included "COVID-19 Pandemic," "Public health policy," and "Epidemiology," highlighting current trends. It emphasized the significance of global cooperation and knowledge exchange in addressing the complex challenges posed by the pandemic and shaping resilient health policies for the future. The contribution of this study lies in providing a comprehensive overview of post-COVID-19 health policy research and its implications for the health field.