Time Of Pandemic Research Articles

The Oral History of “Pandemic Time”: Students’ Lives Through the Global COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT This article offers a reflective account of student memories of the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic in both the Czech Republic and Israel. By comparing the narratives of students from these nations, we introduce the notion of “pandemic time” to describe the ways in which personal experiences of time rest betwixt and between objective historical events and individual meaning-making. In this way, we argue that university students narrated the crisis inherent in pandemic time on two overlapping levels. On the one hand, students’ memories revolved around the broader objective timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic (to include specific dates of lockdowns, university closures, openings, etc.). On the other hand, our student informants in both countries appeared to experience these events in ways that diverged from this objective timeline. Specific events in both countries that appeared to supersede the health threat posed by the pandemic shaped how they recounted their experiences of the pandemic. Using narrative analysis, we identified several key themes to explore student perspectives about pandemic time: how social isolation impacted an understanding of time, both referentially (when things happened in relation to each other) and temporally (within the overall span of the pandemic); how our narrators perceived the pandemic overall; broad and intimate experiences with COVID-19; how long remote learning lasted; and when narrators perceived the pandemic as having ended. By exploring this concept of pandemic time, we show how an international focus on oral history across national and cultural boundaries makes it possible to tease apart diverging experiences of time, memory, and crisis and to demonstrate how that relates directly to oral history theory and methodology.

Internet Addiction Predicted Insomnia among Bangladeshi Undergraduate Students at the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Internet Addiction Predicted Insomnia among Bangladeshi Undergraduate Students at the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic

MUCORMYCOSIS: Re-emerging opportunistic fungal infections in COVID-19 pandemic times in Indian patients (South Indian) – A series of seven cases

Abstract Opportunistic fungal infections are associated with patients having compromised systemic health. In India, a slow rise in cases of mucormycosis has been observed as the country has seen a rising number of diabetes mellitus cases in the recent decades. This apart, an enormous increase in case numbers was seen in association with COVID-19 infections in the Asian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, markedly in India. Many cases of mucormycosis were reported in association with COVID-19 positive history and post-treatment for COVID-19. They were presented in the form of rhino-cerebral-mucormycosis, in patients with and without diabetes. The presentation of the disease differed at different times of the pandemic to some extent. Some of the cases initially came in an acute format, but at the later end of the epidemic, they presented in an indolent form. A compilation of cases is provided to illustrate the variation in presentations and findings of mucormycosis cases diagnosed at different times of infection of the COVID-19 waves.

Relationship of burnout with empathy dimensions in healthcare workers in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundBurnout and empathy are distinct but related constructs essential to effective healthcare delivery. Although their relation-ship is widely acknowledged, existing research shows inconclusive findings regarding the direction and the nature of this association. The predominant evidence supports a negative correlation, but studies usually did not take into account that the empathy construct is multidimensional. Little is known about the interplay of empathy and burnout dimensions in healthcare workers (HCWs), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic times. The present study was intended to fill the above-mentioned gaps.Participants and procedureA total of 412 HCWs (nurses – 47.3%, physicians – 28.4%, psychologists – 13.6%, and other health care professionals – 10.7%), aged 21 to 69 years (M = 36.63, SD = 11.76) took part in a web-based cross-sectional study from June to November 2020. The participants filled out a survey with measures assessing two dimensions of burnout (exhaustion and disengage-ment), three dimensions of empathy (empathic concern – EC, personal distress – PD and perspective taking – PT), depres-sion and anxiety symptoms.ResultsWe found a negative association between the disengagement dimension of burnout with EC and PT and a positive associa-tion with PD, whereas exhaustion was positively related to EC and PD. Hierarchical regression analysis, however, revealed that EC, PT, and PD are predictors of disengagement, whereas exhaustion is predicted exclusively by PD. We also found no evidence that working in a place dedicated to COVID-19 moderated the relationships between dimensions of empathy and burnout.ConclusionsPrevious studies suggested a negative relationship between empathy and burnout. We found, however, evidence for both positive and negative correlations between different aspects of the empathy and burnout dimensions, with positive associa-tions of personal distress with burnout being stronger than negative associations of PT and EC with disengagement, sug-gesting that the relationship between empathy and burnout is more complex.

The impact of gender and secondary education on accounting learning outcomes at university in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic time

The impact of gender and secondary education on accounting learning outcomes at university in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic time

Mengembangkan Minat dan Kemampuan Bahasa Inggris Remaja di Lingkungan Bappeda Kota Tebing Tinggi

The problems that children face today are related to learning in pandemic times like these. Children ranging from high school to high school have difficulty learning English. Besides that English is not the everyday language that makes them strangers use it, English is also considered to be a difficult language. It's happening in many places where a lot of parents can't afford or want to enroll their children in English courses, like children in the BAPPEDA High Hill neighborhood. They want to understand and master English because English is an international language. In this practice I as a practitioner helped develop the interest and ability of the English language in teenagers who are in the BAPPEDA neighborhood. The solutions offered in the practical activities of the appropriate intervention program are used in this problem, namely micro intervention by Skidmore (Adi, 2013), case work consisting of stages such as Engagement, Intake and contract, Assessment or Program Planning, Intervention, Evaluation, and Termination. By using Skidmore's method, it's easier to practice solving client problems. The results of this activity aim to make the youth in this BAPPEDA neighborhood more confident, able to compete and not lag behind other teens on English language skills

Pattern of Suicidal Deaths and Most Affected Section of Society during Covid-19 Pandemic Time in Bhopal Region

Pattern of Suicidal Deaths and Most Affected Section of Society during Covid-19 Pandemic Time in Bhopal Region

Migrant domestic workers and transnational foodcare chains in pandemic times

AbstractIn view of heightened food security issues in COVID‐19 times, we employ a transnational lens to give bifocal attention to migrant women’s experiences during the pandemic, as they sought to secure access to food for themselves and for left‐behind children and family members in Indonesia and the Philippines. In conjunction with the classic idea of global care chains and the notion of foodwork, we propose the idea of transnational foodcare chains. This distinctly agentic, migrant, and maternal food labour came to the fore under exceptional times of pandemic‐induced social distancing, economic precarity, and limited travel. First, we argue that these foodcare chains are multi‐relational, involving interdependence and reciprocity among a web of caregivers to secure food gaps. Second, we suggest that foodcare chains also extend to friendship networks forged among fellow migrant domestic workers in Singapore. Third, under pandemic conditions, we argue that foodcare chains enter the domain of well‐being and healthcare as food becomes evoked as medicine and cures. Drawing on findings from 40 qualitative interviews with Indonesian and Filipino migrant domestic workers in Singapore, we focus on developing, within studies of food (in)security, the idea of foodcare chains by foregrounding the maternal, relational, and often invisible labour of achieving food security for migrant women and their left‐behind families.

Increased number of ruptured aortic aneurysms during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Background and purpose: The aim of the study was to verify whether ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic or Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination has any influence on established increased number of ruptured aortic aneurysms (RAA) during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (years 2020-2021) regarding two-year of pre-pandemic period (2018-2019). Materials and methods: Medical records of patients treated for the ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) by surgical or endovascular reconstruction at the Department of Surgery, University Hospital Center Zagreb, between 2018 and 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. Categorical variables were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test, while numerical variables were analyzed using Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, depending on the normality of the distribution. Results: The analysis revealed an increase in number of RAAAs by 55.56% in pandemic time (28 versus 18 in pre-pandemic years), decrease in their 30-day mortality by 18.65 % (53.57% vs. 72.22% respectively) and decrease in outpatient examinations during pandemic by 13.82%, but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: No statistically significant relation between SARS-CoV-2 pandemic or the COVID-19 vaccination and the number of treated RAAAs could be established. History of COVID-19 positivity or vaccination were not associated with RAAA outcome. The increase of RAAAs in pandemic along with decrease of its 30-day mortality compared to pre-pandemic time suggests patients’ hesitance to go to elective surgery and avoidance of regular check-ups in the hospitals, where lots of patients with SARS-CoV-2 are presumed to be concentrated, since hospital service policy and protocols remained the same. The patients were never directly asked to answer this question, so even if the fear of getting SARS-CoV-2 infection remains the most plausible answer, it should be verified by an independent survey.

Beyond the Border, the Rights, and the Reception: mobility and immobility in Pandemic Times

Beyond the Border, the Rights, and the Reception: mobility and immobility in Pandemic Times

Sudden Hearing Loss before, during, and after the Pandemic: Investigating COVID-19 Illness and Vaccine-Related Symptoms.

Accumulating reports suggest an increase in sudden sensorineural hearing loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination periods. However, clear evidence is lacking. The goal of this study was to determine if sudden sensorineural hearing loss is associated with COVID-19 illness or its vaccine. Retrospective chart review of 50 randomly selected patients from three, 6-month time periods: "pre-pandemic," "early pandemic," and "late pandemic." Group comparisons were performed for demographics, comorbid conditions, audiologic history, audiometric data, speech reception thresholds, and word recognition. One hundred 50 patients were included in this study. A mean difference was observed in that the relative percentage of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) cases increased over time, corresponding to a relative decrease in conductive hearing loss cases. However, this change was not explained by proportional changes in sudden SNHL. Patients in the early pandemic time period were more likely to report tinnitus. Otherwise, the patient groups did not differ on demographic variables, hearing health history, hearing loss presentation, pure tone averages, speech reception thresholds, or word recognition performance. Proportion of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss did not change over time from the pre-pandemic period to the early or late pandemic phases. Despite a randomized sample, these findings do not support the hypothesis that COVID-19 illness or vaccine is associated with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

The age pattern of the gender gap in mortality: stylized evidence across COVID-19 pandemic times

The age pattern of the gender gap in mortality: stylized evidence across COVID-19 pandemic times

Home Sweet Home? The Mediating Role of Human Resource Management Practices in the Relationship between Leadership and Quality of Life in Teleworking in the Public Sector

Remote work in pandemic times has become a strategic alternative for organizations and has persisted in the post-pandemic context, remaining present in hybrid models of work arrangements, blending in-person work and telework. Thus, this paper proposes a model to identify the relationships between leadership, human resource management (HRM) practices, and quality of life in teleworking (QoLT) for civil servants. For this purpose, a structural model was tested in which HRM practices mediated the relationship between leadership and QoLT. The relationships assumed in the analysis of the tested mediation model were significant, confirming all four hypotheses researched. The novelty of the tested mediation model is the greatest contribution of this work, demonstrating the crucial role that HRM practices play in the relationship between leadership and QoLT. As practical implications, this research has yielded a diagnosis, allowing for a better understanding for public managers of how leadership and HRM practices are related and how they influence quality of life in the challenging context of teleworking. The findings suggest that leadership has a strong impact on HRM practices, highlighting the crucial role of leadership in shaping teleworkers’ perceptions of HRM practices. Additionally, leadership significantly influences the quality of life in telework, amplifying this impact through the perception of HRM practices. Therefore, leaders should be attentive to how relationship-building, training and development, and performance and competency evaluation in HRM practices are implemented and executed, as they profoundly influence the promotion of quality of life, considering the complex and challenging environment of telework, including workload, social distance, and work–family conflict.

Development of a Culture-Common Formal Characteristics of Behavior – Temperament Markers Inventory (FCB-TMI-CC)

The goal was to create a brief temperament inventory grounded in the Regulative Theory of Temperament (FCB-TMI-CC), with a user-friendly, online applicability for studies in different cultures. As the regulative role of temperament is strongly revealed under meaningful stress, the study was planned within the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure high diversity in terms of culture, economic and environmental conditions, data from nine countries (Poland, United States of America, Italy, Japan, Argentina, South Korea, Ireland, United Kingdom and Kazakhstan) were utilized (min. N = 200 per country). Validation data were gathered on the level of COVID-19 stressors, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, and Big Five personality traits. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis served as the basis for the inventory’s construction. The final culture-common version includes 37 items (5–6 in each of the 7 scales) and covers the core aspects of temperament dimensions. Temperament structure was confirmed to be equivalent across measured cultures. The measurement is invariant at the level of factor loadings and the reliability (internal consistency) and theoretical validity of the scales were at least acceptable. Therefore, the FCB-TMI-CC may serve as a valuable tool for studying temperament across diverse cultures and facilitate cross-cultural comparisons.

The effects of substituting cladribine for fludarabine on outcomes of a reduced intensity conditioning regimen.

e18518 Background: Drug shortages may be encountered especially in times of pandemics and war. The extrapolation of data focusing on different diseases may provide clinical clues for substituting two chemotherapeutic drugs of the same class. The substitution of cladribine for fludarabine in a reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen composed of fludarabine, melphalan and total body irradiation (TBI) may yield similar side effect profile and outcomes. Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing an allogeneic stem cell transplant in our center between November 2019 to December 2022 were included. Within this period cladribine had to be substituted for fludarabine during a drug shortage. All patients received intravenous melphalan 75 mg/m2/day on day -2, and 200 cGy TBI on day -1. The regimen included either subcutaneous cladribine 10 mg/m2/day on days -5 to -2, or intravenous fludarabine 40 mg/m2/day on days -5 to -2. Graft versus host disease (GvHD) prophylaxis included a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) + mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for matched related donor transplants; and post-transplant cyclophosphamide + CNI + MMF for matched unrelated (MUD) and haploidentical donors. The distributions and medians of studied parameters in two cohorts were compared with non-parametric methods. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and transplant-related mortality (TRM) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier Method. The cut-off for statistical significance was defined as p<0.05. Results: A total of 70 patients (27 in cladribine and 43 in fludarabine cohort) were included. Median age was 59 (22 to 76) and 64.3% constituted males. Median follow-up was 10.2 months (0.1 to 44.7). Acute leukemia diagnosis, intermediate to high disease risk index (DRI) and intermediate to high Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) constituted 45.7%, 60.0% and 58.1% respectively. Haploidentical donors were used in 28.6%. The distribution of gender, diagnosis, DRI and CCI scores, donor type, total CD34 dose given, panel reactive antibody (PRA) positivity were similar. Median days to neutrophil engraftment was shorter with fludarabine (19 vs 16, p=0.01), however, median duration of in-unit stay was similar (27 vs 28 days, p=0.73). TRM, nausea and acute GvHD frequency was lower with cladribine (p=0.35, p=0.001 and p=0.02, respectively). Typhilitis and perianal infections were more common with cladribine (p=0.07 and p=0.04, respectively). OS and PFS were similar (p=0.81 and p=0.66, respectively). When cladribine was compared to fludarabine on day +90, OS was 78,0% (95% CI: 62.3-93.7) vs 65,0% (95% CI: 51.3-78.7); PFS was 70.0% (95% CI: 52.4-87.6) vs 65.0% (95% CI: 51.3-78.7); TRM was 19.0% (95% CI: 3.3-34.7) vs 24.0% (95% CI: 10.3-37.7). Conclusions: Cladribine may be safely constituted for cladribine in a RIC regimen and may yield similar, even some favorable, outcomes when compared to fludarabine.

Global value chains before and in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract This paper aims to examine the changes in global value chains (GVCs) in the years 2020–2022 (times of the COVID-19 pandemic) compared to 2019 (last year before the pandemic). GVCs are illustrated by diagrams based on the statistics on international trade measured by value-added exports and imports. In this paper, the final demand approach is applied to measure international trade by value-added exports and imports and they were computed based on inter-country input-output tables delivered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The catchphrase “Made in the World” makes an impression, but in reality, value chains are rarely global. They are rather regional with three centers. “Factory Europe”, “Factory Asia”, and “Factory America” can easily be identified in the years 2019–2022 as there were three large regional supply hubs in GVCs: Germany, China, and the United States. When the years 2020–2022 were compared to 2019, “Factory Asia” with center in China elevated their position in GVCs at the expense of “Factory Europe” with center in Germany and “Factory America with center in the USA.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and dynamics of livelihood assets in the Kwahu South District of Ghana: determinants and policy implications

ABSTRACT The debate on the changes in livelihood assets as a function of health shocks remains inconclusive, thus spurring attention from scientists and development practitioners across the globe. This paper analyses COVID-19-induced changes in the livelihood assets of rural households in Ghana. While content analysis was employed in qualitative data analysis, the quantitative data set was analysed using a binary logistic regression model. The analyses led to the following conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a more significant decline in financial assets than social assets. Although several socio-economic factors determine changes in the livelihood assets of households, the assets base of migrants was disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Further, women were disproportionately affected since market access restrictions significantly affected their income and savings and, consequently, their ability to buy farm necessities. These results suggest the need to emphasise the resilience of financial assets in times of pandemics, especially for migrants. This study provides new insights to inform the sustainable livelihoods framework, emphasising pandemics and changing livelihood strategies. Studies to uncover the coping strategies of migrants in the context of health shocks are required to complement this position.

Well-being of family physicians during COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, family physicians (FPs) served as the the initial point of contact for patients potentially infected with the virus, necessitating frequent updates to treatment protocols. However, practices also faced organizational challenges in providing care to other patients who also needed their medical attention. The pressure on FPs increased and affected their well-being. The international PRICOV-19 study, titled “Primary care in times of COVID-19 pandemic,” investigated how FPs functioned during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This article examines the correlation between various organizational and structural COVID-19-related variables and the well-being of FPs in Slovenia.MethodsBetween October 2020 and January 2021, we conducted an online cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire was distributed to 1040 Slovenian FPs and 218 family medicine (FM) trainees. Part of the questionnaire assessed the cooperation and well-being of FPs. The Mayo Clinic Well-being Index was used for the assessment. FP’s well-being was also assessed descriptively by asking open-ended questions about maintaining mental health during the pandemic. Potential factors associated with FPs’ well-being were identified using a multivariate linear regression method.ResultsThe final sample comprised 191 participants (response rate 14.1%). The mean value ± standard deviation of the Mayo Well-being Index was 3.3 ± 2.6 points. The FPs with the poorest well-being had 5–15 years of work experience and worked in a practice where work could not be distributed in the absence of a co-worker without compromising the well-being of colleagues. Physical activity was identified as the most common method of maintaining mental health among FPs.ConclusionsThe results of the study suggest that targeted interventions are needed to support FPs mid-career, increase resilience in practice, promote strong team dynamics, and prioritise physical activity in healthcare. Addressing these aspects can contribute to the well-being of individual FPs and the overall health of the healthcare workers.

Long-Term Emotional Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Barriers and Facilitators to Digital Mental Health Tools in Long-Term Care Workers: Qualitative Study.

The overall pandemic created enormous pressure on long-term care workers (LTCWs), making them particularly vulnerable to mental disorders. Despite this, most of the available evidence on professional well-being during COVID-19 has exclusively focused on frontline health care workers. This study aimed to identify the long-term psychological needs of LTCWs derived from the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore barriers and facilitators related to digital mental health tools. This is part of a project that seeks to develop a digital mental health intervention to reduce psychological distress in this population group. We performed a qualitative study with a rapid research approach. Participants were LTCWs of the autonomous community of Catalonia. We conducted 30 semistructured interviews between April and September 2022. We used a qualitative content analysis method with an inductive-deductive approach. The period of the pandemic with the highest mental health burden was the COVID-19 outbreak, with almost all workers having experienced some form of emotional distress. Emotional distress persisted over time in more than half of the participants, with fatigue and nervousness being the main emotions expressed at the time of the interview. High workload, the feeling that pandemic times are not over, and poor working conditions that have remained since then have been the most frequently expressed determinants of such emotions. Potential barriers and facilitators to engagement with digital tools were also identified in terms of previous experience and beliefs of the target population, possibilities for the integration of a digital tool into daily life, preferences regarding the level of guidance, the possibility of social connectedness through the tool, and privacy and confidentiality. The identified factors may become especially relevant in the context of the pandemic remission phase. More than 2 years after the pandemic outbreak, emotional distress is still relevant. The persistent burden of psychological distress points to a need for institutions to take action to improve working conditions and promote employees' well-being. Considering factors that act as barriers and facilitators for the use of digital mental health tools, it is important to develop tailored tools that could offer valuable support to this population during and after a pandemic.

Relationship between unemployment and inflation in Poland in the context of the Phillips curve — a time of pandemic and war in Ukraine

In this article we undertake a verification of the Phillips curve in Polish conditions during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The theoretical part introduces evolution of Phillips’s theory and the review of literature and its verification in the conditions of Polish economy. Additionally, theoretical aspects regarding crisis and exogenous shocks are discussed. The aim of the empirical part of the work was to investigate the existence of the Phillips curve in the Polish economy in 2013–2022. The direction and strength of the relationship between inflation and unemployment rates were tested based on monthly data on full period and the pandemic period. In the research econometric methods were used in order to estimate parameters of an autoregressive inflation model, including both the influence of unemployment on the inflation rate and exogenous shock that were caused by periods of economic disruption reflected by binary, sustained and interaction variables. It was concluded that in the pandemic time the effect of the Phillips curve was present and that was accentuated by the war. However, in the longer term, this effect was not perceived as a negative relationship between characteristics under study. Nevertheless, in the full period of the study, disruptions in inflation patterns which were caused by the pandemic and the period of Russian aggression against Ukraine were evident.