Risk Of COVID-19 Transmission Research Articles

A GIS based multi criteria analysis for determining COVID-19 vulnerability in Lagos state Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic possesses intricate spatial dimensions that, when comprehensively examined, offer profound insights into various aspects of the crisis. Spatial analysis can unravel the multifaceted characteristics of the pandemic, shedding light on its distribution, dynamics, and impact. This research is driven by the imperative need to merge diverse variables, thereby gaining a nuanced understanding of the COVID-19 phenomenon, conducting spatial and spatiotemporal analyses, deciphering its geographical implications for decision-making and daily life, and crafting predictive models to anticipate its evolution. Consequently, this study has a primary objective: determining the COVID-19 vulnerability in Lagos State, Nigeria. The research aims to elucidate the pandemic's spread and distribution patterns, identify its hotspots within Lagos State, and assess COVID-19 vulnerability using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The methodology employed in this research encompasses several key steps. Initially, a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution of COVID-19 cases between 2020 and 2022 was conducted, allowing for an examination of how the pandemic evolved over this period. Subsequently, a COVID-19 prevalence analysis was performed to delineate the areas most affected by the virus, offering a detailed view of the pandemic's reach. Lastly, a vulnerability index analysis was executed to identify zones with varying levels of vulnerability to COVID-19 within Lagos State. The vulnerability index analysis unveiled diverse vulnerability levels across local government areas (LGAs) within Lagos State. Notably, LGAs such as Ikorodu, Badagary, Eti-Osa, Alimosho, and Epe exhibited relatively larger areas characterized by high vulnerability, signifying the elevated risk of COVID-19 transmission and impact in these regions. In contrast, LGAs like Agege, Ajeromi, Ifako, Ikeja, Mainland, Mushin, Oshodi, Shomolu, and Surulere displayed smaller areas characterized by low vulnerability, indicating a lower risk within these locales. These findings bear significant implications for public health management and decision-making. LGAs with the highest number of confirmed cases, particularly Alimosho and Eti-Osa, demand targeted interventions to curtail the spread of COVID-19 and ensure that resources are channeled where they are most urgently needed. This research underlines the utility of geospatial analysis in pandemic response, offering a valuable tool for governments, healthcare authorities, and policymakers to address the dynamic challenges posed by COVID-19 and protect public health effectively.

The influence of mother's belief on determining dental visit in pandemic covid-19: Literature review

Coronavirus disease or known as COVID-19 hugely impacted individual's psychological health and individual’s well-being worldwide. This phenomenon has an impact on maternal dental anxiety. Mothers tend to feel a higher level risk of COVID-19 transmission due to treatment while at the dentist, which might lead to avoiding dental visits. Through maternal dental anxiety, it may affect children’s oral and dental health. This behavioral phenomenon can be studied using the Health Belief Model (HBM). The aim of this review was to analyze the influence of the mother's beliefs in determining the need to visit the dentist during a pandemic in terms of the Health Belief Model (HBM) aspect. In this review, we used The Health Belief Model because it can be used to show disease prevention programs and health promotion. The method that we used in this review is a narrative review. Search for articles via ResearchGate, PubMed, and Google Scholar with databases published in 2019-2023. The keywords that we used to search the article were "Health Belief Model in Mother Dental Anxiety" AND "Maternal Dental Fear and Anxiety in COVID-19" or “Toddlers Dental Anxiety in COVID-19.” Articles that we use are original research articles including full text, open access articles, and articles that discuss dental anxiety during COVID-19. The results for this review is HBM influenced maternal dental anxiety in perceived susceptibility and severity. In conclusion, The Influential Health Beliefs Model affects maternal dental anxiety through the perceived susceptibility and perceived severity component.

Adapting node–place model to predict and monitor COVID-19 footprints and transmission risks

The node–place model has been widely used to classify and evaluate transit stations, which sheds light on individuals’ travel behaviors and supports urban planning through effectively integrating land use and transportation development. This study adapts this model to investigate whether and how node, place, and mobility would be associated with the transmission risks and presences of the local COVID-19 cases in a city. Moreover, the unique metric drawn from detailed visit history of the infected, i.e., the COVID-19 footprints, is proposed and exploited. This study then empirically uses the adapted model to examine the station-level factors affecting the local COVID-19 footprints. The model accounts for traditional measures of the node and place as well as actual human mobility patterns associated with the node and place. It finds that stations with high node, place, and human mobility indices normally have more COVID-19 footprints in proximity. A multivariate regression is fitted to see whether and to what degree different indices and indicators can predict the COVID-19 footprints. The results indicate that many of the place, node, and human mobility indicators significantly impact the concentration of COVID-19 footprints. These are useful for policy-makers to predict and monitor hotspots for COVID-19 and other pandemics’ transmission.

Eyeglasses and risk of COVID-19 transmission—analysis of the Virus Watch Community Cohort study

ObjectivesThe importance of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via the eyes is unknown, with previous studies mainly focusing on protective eyewear in healthcare settings. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that wearing eyeglasses is associated with a lower risk of COVID-19. MethodsParticipants from the Virus Watch prospective community cohort study responded to a questionnaire on the use of eyeglasses and contact lenses. Infection was confirmed through data linkage, self-reported positive results, and, for a subgroup, monthly capillary antibody testing. Multivariable logistic regression models, controlling for age, sex, income, and occupation, were used to identify the odds of infection depending on frequency and purpose of eyeglasses or contact lenses use. ResultsA total of 19,166 participants responded to the questionnaire, with 13,681 (71.3%, CI 70.7-72.0) reporting they wore eyeglasses. Multivariable logistic regression model showed a 15% lower odds of infection for those who reported using eyeglasses always for general use (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% 0.77-0.95, P = 0.002) compared to those who never wore eyeglasses. The protective effect was reduced for those who said wearing eyeglasses interfered with mask-wearing and was absent for contact lens wearers. ConclusionsPeople who wear eyeglasses have a moderate reduction in risk of COVID-19 infection, highlighting that eye protection may make a valuable contribution to the reduction of transmission in community and healthcare settings.

Community-Based Digital Contact Tracing of Emerging Infectious Diseases: Design and Implementation Study With Empirical COVID-19 Cases.

Contact tracing for containing emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19 is resource intensive and requires digital transformation to enable timely decision-making. This study demonstrates the design and implementation of digital contact tracing using multimodal health informatics to efficiently collect personal information and contain community outbreaks. The implementation of digital contact tracing was further illustrated by 3 empirical SARS-CoV-2 infection clusters. The implementation in Changhua, Taiwan, served as a demonstration of the multisectoral informatics and connectivity between electronic health systems needed for digital contact tracing. The framework incorporates traditional travel, occupation, contact, and cluster approaches and a dynamic contact process enabled by digital technology. A centralized registry system, accessible only to authorized health personnel, ensures privacy and data security. The efficiency of the digital contact tracing system was evaluated through a field study in Changhua. The digital contact tracing system integrates the immigration registry, communicable disease report system, and national health records to provide real-time information about travel, occupation, contact, and clusters for potential contacts and to facilitate a timely assessment of the risk of COVID-19 transmission. The digitalized system allows for informed decision-making regarding quarantine, isolation, and treatment, with a focus on personal privacy. In the first cluster infection, the system monitored 665 contacts and isolated 4 (0.6%) cases; none of the contacts (0/665, 0%) were infected during quarantine. The estimated reproduction number of 0.92 suggests an effective containment strategy for preventing community-acquired outbreak. The system was also used in a cluster investigation involving foreign workers, where none of the 462 contacts (0/462, 0%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. By integrating the multisectoral database, the contact tracing process can be digitalized to provide the information required for risk assessment and decision-making in a timely manner to contain a community-acquired outbreak when facing the outbreak of emerging infectious disease.

Principal stratification for quantile causal effects under partial compliance.

Within the principal stratification framework in causal inference, the majority of the literature has focused on binary compliance with an intervention and modelling means. Yet in some research areas, compliance is partial, and research questions-and hence analyses-are concerned with causal effects on (possibly high) quantiles rather than on shifts in average outcomes. Modelling partial compliance is challenging because it can suffer from lack of identifiability. We develop an approach to estimate quantile causal effects within a principal stratification framework, where principal strata are defined by the bivariate vector of (partial) compliance to the two levels of a binary intervention. We propose a conditional copula approach to impute the missing potential compliance and estimate the principal quantile treatment effect surface at high quantiles, allowing the copula association parameter to vary with the covariates. A bootstrap procedure is used to estimate the parameter to account for inflation due to imputation of missing compliance. Moreover, we describe precise assumptions on which the proposed approach is based, and investigate the finite sample behavior of our method by a simulation study. The proposed approach is used to study the 90th principal quantile treatment effect of executive stay-at-home orders on mitigating the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the United States.

Determinants of risk factors for COVID-19 transmission in densely populated areas: Insights from the first wave of the pandemic

<b>Introduction:</b> COVID-19 spreads quickly, especially in densely populated countries like Indonesia. Understanding transmission factors can support in reducing transmission rates. The purpose of this study is to analyze the various factors that may contribute to the transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesia, especially in the first wave of pandemic.<br /> <b>Methods: </b>This was a cross sectional study design. The sample was selected from the new all record data or the database for recording COVID-19 cases at the health office at the research location by online system. The research was conducted in seven districts and cities across three provinces to obtain an overview of transmission in each regional characteristic. The number of samples was as high as 2,010, with confirmed cases and close contacts in Banda Aceh City, Aceh Besar District, Semarang City, Magelang District, Ternate City, South Halmahera District, and Tidore Islands City. Data analysis was done descriptively and were analyzed using Chi-square and logistic regression with SPSS software.<br /> <b>Results: </b>The multivariate analysis shows that five dominant factors the risk of COVID-19 transmission, there are, age, employment status, activities outside the home, medical history, and vaccination status. Age group of 20-39 years (odds ratio [OR]=1.6-1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-2.71), working of employment status (OR=1.51; 95% CI 1.10-2.07), have a comorbid in medical history (OR=2.39; 95% CI 1.67-3.4), have activities outside home (OR=1.82, 95% CI 1.39-2.39), and have not been vaccinated of COVID-19 (OR=3.03; 95% CI 3.37-3.87) were significantly related with an increased risk of COVID-19 transmission.<br /> <b>Conclusions: </b>productive age,<b> </b>work and activities outside the home, having comorbidities, and not having received COVID-19 vaccination are all risk factors for COVID-19 exposure. Eliminating all of these factors at the same time will undoubtedly be difficult. As a result, cross-sectoral collaboration is needed to control the spread of COVID-19 at the community and individual levels, as well as to support policy interventions to accelerate the elimination of COVID-19 cases.

Telehealth Uptake and Impact on Care Activities in Australian General Practice During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift in the delivery of patient care, with telehealth rapidly scaled to facilitate access to care while reducing risks of COVID-19 transmission. In this paper, we present an overview of key findings regarding telehealth use from a large program of work examining the impact of the pandemic on general practice activity in Australia. Our findings demonstrate the pivotal role telehealth played in enabling patient access to care during the first two years of the pandemic. Importantly, however, we identified several facets of telehealth use including equitable access, workflow and infrastructure, and adequate funding, which require attention to optimise telehealth services in practice.

Understanding the impact of Covid-19 on the delivery and receipt of prison healthcare: an international scoping review

BackgroundPeople being held in prison are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 infection, as places of detention are high-risk environments for spread of infection. Due to this risk, many prisons across the globe introduced measures to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission. The pandemic changed almost all aspects of prison life, including prison healthcare provision. We undertook a scoping review to understand what is known about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the receipt and delivery of prison healthcare. This scoping review is part of a wider mixed-methods study focusing more specifically on the impact that Covid-19 had on prison healthcare delivery in England.MethodsWe conducted an international scoping review of peer-reviewed articles published between December 2019 and January 2022, across six electronic databases. We also conducted a hand search of key journals and the reference lists of included articles.ResultsTwelve articles met our inclusion criteria. The articles focused primarily on prisons in high-income countries and mostly explored the impact that the pandemic had on the provision of drug treatment services. Some aspects of drug treatment services were more impacted than others, with those delivered by external providers and preparations for release particularly hindered. Whilst prison mental health services were purportedly available, there were changes regarding how these were delivered, with group therapies suspended and most consultations taking place using telehealth. The articles reported both digital and non-digital adaptations or innovations to prison healthcare services to ensure continued delivery. Collaboration between different agencies, such as the prison itself, healthcare providers, and non-governmental organisations, was key to facilitating ongoing provision of healthcare to people in prison.ConclusionsCovid-19 impacted on prison healthcare internationally, but different treatment services were affected in disparate ways, both within and between countries. The published literature concentrates on the impact on drug treatment services. Prison healthcare providers rapidly adapted their processes to attempt to maintain service provision.

A Spatial Network-Based Assessment of Individual Exposure to COVID-19

This study seeks to examine the possible impacts of sociodemographic factors, individual mobility patterns, and daily activities on individual exposure to COVID-19 risk when assessed by different risk measures. Taking Hong Kong as the study area, we first model the risk of COVID-19 using a density-based approach and a network-based approach and reveal the differences in the spatial distributions of COVID-19 transmission risk they obtained. Then, using two-day individual Global Positioning System trajectory data and travel diaries collected from individuals in two communities, we measure individual exposure to COVID-19 transmission risk based on their mobility patterns and reveal the disparities in COVID-19 risk exposure among residents of different demographic groups and neighborhoods when conducting different activities. This study reveals the differences in the spatial patterns of COVID-19 transmission risk when the risk is conceptualized by density and network. It demonstrates the power of a spatial network approach in enhancing our understanding of individual exposure to infectious diseases. This study also advances the existing literature by exploring COVID-19 risk exposure, considering individual daily mobility and addressing the uncertain geographic context problem in analyzing individual COVID-19 risk exposure.

Alcohol policy framing in South Africa during the early stages of COVID-19: using extraordinary times to make an argument for a new normal

IntroductionPublic health and alcohol industry actors compete to frame alcohol policy problems and solutions. Little is known about how sudden shifts in the political context provide moments for policy actors to re-frame alcohol-related issues. South Africa’s temporary bans on alcohol sales during the COVID-19 pandemic offered an opportunity to study this phenomenon.MethodsWe identified Professor Charles Parry from the South African Medical Research Council as a key policy actor. Parry uses a Twitter account primarily to comment on alcohol-related issues in South Africa. We harvested his tweets posted from March 18 to August 31, 2020, coinciding with the first two alcohol sales bans. We conducted a thematic analysis of the tweets to understand how Parry framed alcohol policy evidence and issues during these ‘extraordinary times.’ResultsParry underlined the extent of alcohol-related harm during ‘normal times’ with scientific evidence and contested industry actors’ efforts to re-frame relevant evidence in a coherent and well-constructed argument. Parry used the temporary sales restrictions to highlight the magnitude of the health and social harms resulting from alcohol consumption, particularly trauma, rather than the COVID-19 transmission risks. Parry portrayed the sales ban as a policy learning opportunity (or ‘experiment’) for South Africa and beyond.ConclusionsCrisis conditions can provide new openings for public health (and industry) actors to make salient particular features of alcohol and alcohol policy evidence.

Public Transportation Strategy in Response to Covid-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on public transportation worldwide. At the beginning of the pandemic, public transportation systems reduced their performance by 80-90% in major cities in China, Iran, and the United States, and by 70% in the UK, including a significant decline in Indonesia. Several studies have shown that public transportation contributes significantly to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This study aims to review the use of public transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A systematic review using the PRISMA guidelines was conducted on literature published between 2020-2023 with inclusion criteria of national and international research articles in English related to the title "Public Transportation Strategy in Response to COVID-19". The database sources used were Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Results: Based on the literature review, it is concluded that efforts to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in public transportation include providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for all public transportation crew, implementing strict physical distancing policies among passengers inside the vehicle, ensuring good ventilation, and enforcing the use of masks and hand hygiene. Another solution is to provide non-cash payment options to reduce physical contact between passengers and transportation personnel. The government and public transportation operators should consistently prepare supporting facilities and educate users about physical distancing, using masks, and hand hygiene through posters, social media, and regular announcements in public transportation areas. Implementing strategies in public transportation in response to COVID-19 requires collaboration between the government, transportation operators, and the public.

An interactive agent-based modelling framework for assessing COVID-19 transmission risk on construction site

The outbreak of COVID-19 has impacted the world and society in its entirety. The labour-intensive construction industry is especially disrupted by COVID-19 and construction workers have a higher chance of exposure to COVID-19. Despite the extensiveness of qualitative and quantitative research around the impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry, it is observed that very limited proportion of such research actually investigated the COVID-19 dynamics within a specific construction site as well as the effectiveness of the corresponding safety control measures. Given this context, this study developed an interactive agent-based modelling framework embedded with a modified susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) model for assessing COVID-19 transmission risk on construction sites, with the application of five safety control measures (i.e., SCM including face covering, vaccination, ventilation, social distance and isolation). This study afterwards set up 108 SCM scenarios based on the five SCM and sensitivity analyses were conducted in order to generate robust results. Based on the simulation results, the efficacy of the 5 SCM in preventing COVID-19 spread was assessed. Therefore, the results of the 108 scenarios are a useful scientific reference for stakeholders or policymakers when making decisions regarding mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases within the construction sector.

Mapping the spatial transmission risk and public spatial awareness in the use of personal protective equipment: COVID-19 pandemic in East Java, Indonesia

This study aimed at developing a machine learning-based COVID-19 transmission risk spatial model and an analysis of the public spatial awareness in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in their spatial environment (i.e., a spatial-based COVID-19 transmission risk model). Random Forest model combined with Information Gain was used in this study. Twenty-three geospatial variables that passed a feature selection process were inputted to build a spatial-based COVID-19 transmission risk model. The validation outcome reveals that Random Forest (RF) model achieved excellent COVID-19 transmission risk prediction result (AUC value of 94.7%). Transmission risk modeling results show that the moderate-to-high class risk pattern was concentrated in residential areas with complex road infrastructure. The model showed that land use, road infrastructure, minimum temperature, and close to urban areas is important for spatial modeling of COVID-19 transmission risk. The results of the public spatial awareness analysis show variations in respondents' use of PPE based on their spatial environment. They tend to carry one PPE whose use increases significantly from low-risk to high-risk. While being indoor, the majority used hand sanitizer, and a face mask when being outdoor. Thus, developing a spatial-based COVID-19 transmission risk prediction linked with public spatial awareness can be used as a reference to establish health policies or regulations by decision-makers, health boards, and governments to control and simultaneously reduce the risk of transmission more effectively and efficiently.

COVID-19 cleaning protocol changes, experiences, and respiratory symptom prevalence among cleaning services personnel.

Cleaning protocols were changed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with unknown occupational health impacts. There is evidence that COVID-19 transmission risks from contaminated surfaces are low and that exposure to cleaning products can increase risks of work-related asthma. The study objective was to investigate relationships between reported COVID-19-related changes in cleaning protocols and prevalence of asthma-related respiratory symptoms for asthmatic and non-asthmatic janitors and maids. A secondary objective was to characterize experiences of respiratory symptoms associated with cleaning and barriers to personal protective equipment (PPE) use. Employees from two Tucson-based maid service companies (approximately 30 personnel in total) and one Phoenix-based school district (>300 janitors/custodians) were invited to participate in a written survey and/or a one-on-one interview in Spanish or English. Fisher's exact tests (α = 0.05) were used to test for statistically significant associations between reported respiratory symptoms by self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma status and changes in cleaning protocols. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed by at least two researchers in English or Spanish. Eighty-three percent reported that cleaning protocols had changed during COVID-19, with the two most reported changes including increased cleaning frequency (92%) and change of application type (e.g., fog, spray, wipe) (53%). There was a statistically significant association between multiple respiratory symptoms and self-reported physician diagnosed asthma. Reporting a type of application change (e.g., fog, spray, wipe) and being awakened during the night by attack/episode of cough were statistically significantly associated (p = 0.04). Interviews elucidated respiratory issues related to fogging devices. This study provides preliminary evidence that changes in cleaning and disinfection protocols during COVID-19 (namely, the use of fogging/mechanical spraying devices) may have had negative impacts on the health of workers in the cleaning industry with little benefit to reducing COVID-19 risks. Further research is needed to evaluate the generalizability of our findings across larger geographical areas and to develop guidance for employers and employees on how to protect and promote respiratory health.

Seat allocation optimization for railways considering social distancing during the post-pandemic period

IntroductionEnsuring social distance is crucial for protecting public health and reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission, particularly in enclosed spaces like public transport. However, it implies a reduction in seat occupancy and thereby cuts the revenue of railway operators. In the post-pandemic period, increase revenue while ensuring passenger safety is becoming increasingly important for railway operators. MethodsThis study proposes a group seat allocation method (GSAM) to ensure different social distancing requirements between passenger groups from different risk-level areas. An integer linear programming model is established to maximize the operator’s revenue, and an efficient adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm is developed to solve the large-scale problem of interest. ResultsA set of numerical experiments is conducted to validate the proposed model and assess the computational efficiency of the algorithm. The results obtained from a real-word example demonstrate that the GSAM can improve revenue by a considerable 62.64%, while maintaining public health and safety standards, relative to current seat allocation methods. Furthermore, railway operators can adopt varying levels of social distancing measures in response to different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as implementing more rigorous social distancing requirements during the pre-pandemic period to ensure stringent public health measures. ConclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrate that railway operators can increase revenue while also ensuring passenger safety during an epidemic. These results have practical implications for the railway industry, and the study aspires to provide new insights for operators on how to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and similar respiratory virus transmissions in the future.

Implementasi Manajemen Risiko Penularan Covid-19 terhadap Perawat Indonesia di Kuwait melalui Metode Bowtie

Purpose: The purpose of this service is to obtain an overview of the implementation of COVID-19 transmission risk management for Indonesian nurses working in Kuwait through the Bowtie method. Methodology: This research is quantitative in nature using a scientific approach to the implementation of risk management for the transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesian nurses working in Kuwait where these nurses work in various health services in Kuwait. This research was conducted using a descriptive analytic method using a cross-sectional study design. Result: The results of the study found that: 1) The application of risk management (risk control or mitigation) in handling COVID-19 in various health services in Kuwait such as the implementation of hospitalization for staff who were confirmed positive and the existence of a COVID-19 vaccination program had a significant effect on the transmission of COVID-19 -19 in Indonesian Nurses working in Kuwait. 2) The level of knowledge about the importance of preventing and transmitting COVID-19 to Indonesian nurses in Kuwait has a very significant influence on the transmission of COVID-19. 3) The level of compliance of Indonesian nurses with infection prevention control measures or health protocols has a significant effect on the transmission of COVID-19 in Indonesian nurses working in various health services in Kuwait.

Community Compliance in Implementing 5M COVID-19 Prevention in Kampung Tengari, Praya City

Background: COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has spread worldwide. Many people need to be made aware of the risks of COVID-19 transmission and the advantages of implementing the 5M health protocol. People's disobedience is a daily occurrence that is accepted in the environment. This noncompliance has accelerated the spread of the virus, increasing the number of positive citizens and the death toll. This research aims to calculate the main health issues that should be prioritized. Method: This community diagnosis used the Hanlon method, which employed a descriptive study design with a quantitative approach. The total sampling technique was used to determine the sample size of 78 people. Results: The issue in RT 07 Kampung Tengari, Praya City, is that many people still need to be more compliant in implementing the 5M COVID-19 prevention strategy. Conclusion: Implementing the 5M strategy within society is currently at a moderate level and requires further education or counseling to enhance compliance.

The Risk of COVID-19 Transmission

This study aimed at investigating the potential effect of emotional regulation on the medical staff ‎in ‎Algerian hospitals. A cross-sectional ‎ approach based on survey design was used in this study in ‎order ‎to answer the research questions. Data were collected by a questionnaire administered to a ‎sample ‎consisting of 153 randomly selected medical staff working at Algerian hospitals. The results ‎revealed ‎that the risk of COVID-19 transmission affected the emotional regulation of the medical staff ‎in ‎Algerian hospitals. It was also found that there were differences among participants in their ‎emotional ‎regulation that could be attributed to the variables of profession and workplace. The ‎results ‎highlighted the contributions of the positive and negative ‎emotional regulation strategies, ‎profession, ‎and workplace as mediating variables in ‎‏predicting the emotional regulation of medical ‎staff.‎ The results ‎have important implications for how best to help the medical staff fulfill their ‎emotions, thus being ‎better qualified for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.‎

Wearable Wireless Sensor Network for Mitigating COVID-19 Transmission Through Physical Distancing

The global community is currently facing a critical situation with the widespread transmission of the Covid-19 virus. The rapid increase in Covid-19 cases has necessitated immediate action and treatment. As the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended, maintaining a minimum distance of one meter between individuals is an effective preventive measure to avoid transmission through respiratory droplets. To address this issue, this paper introduces a cost-effective design and implementation of a wearable wireless sensor network using the ESP32 microcontroller and Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) technology that promotes physical distancing and contact tracing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In this research, we have determined that the safe distance between individuals is 1.5 meters. Proximity testing has indicated that an RSSI value of -62 dBm corresponds to a distance below 1.5 meters. Hence, we set -62 dBm as the distance threshold between wearable devices to ensure safe physical distancing. These wearable wireless sensor network devices are intended to assist individuals in maintaining a safe distance from others, thereby reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.