Sleep Quality and Emotional Adaptation among Freshmen in Elite Chinese Universities during Prolonged COVID-19 Lockdown:The Mediating Role of Anxiety Symptoms

Under the effects of COVID-19 and a number of ongoing lockdown tactics,anxiety symptoms and poor sleep quality have become common mental health issues among college freshmen and are intimately related to their emotional adaptation.To explore this connection,this study gathered data from a sample of 256 freshmen enrolled in an elite university in China in September 2022.The association between sleep quality,anxiety symptoms,and emotional adaptation was clarified using correlation analysis.Additionally,the mediating function of anxiety symptoms between sleep quality and emotional adaptation was investigated using a structural equation model.The results reveal that:(1)Chinese elite university freshmen who were subjected to prolonged lockdown had poor sleep quality and mild anxiety symptoms;(2)a significant positive correlation between poor sleep quality and anxiety symptoms was identified;(3)anxiety symptoms were found to have a significant negative impact on emotional adaptation;(4)poor sleep quality had a negative impact on emotional adaptation through anxiety symptoms.This research makes a valuable contribution by offering insights into the intricate relationship between sleep quality and emotional adaptation among freshmen in elite Chinese universities during prolonged lockdown conditions,and it is beneficial for schools and educators to further improve school schedules and psychological health initiatives.

Impact of lockdown policies during the COVID-19 outbreak on a trauma center of a tertiary hospital in China

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is a major and costly public health emergency.AIM To investigate the impact of China’s lockdown policies during the COVID-19 outbreak on the level I trauma center of a tertiary comprehensive hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.METHODS All patients admitted to our trauma center during a lockdown in 2020 and the same period in 2019 were enrolled.We collected data on demographics,daily visits,injury type,injury mechanism,injury severity score,and patient management for comparative analysis.RESULTS The total number of patients in the trauma center of our hospital decreased by 50.38%during the COVID-19 Lockdown in 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.The average number of trauma visits per day in 2019 was 47.94,compared to 23.79 in 2020.Comparing the patients’demographic data,loss of employment was the most predominate characteristic in 2020 compared to 2019,while there was no significant difference in gender,age,and marital status between both periods.During the lockdown period,the proportion of traffic accident-related injuries,injuries due to falls greater than 1.5 m,and mechanical injuries decreased significantly,whereas the proportion of injuries caused by falls less than 1.5 m,cuts,assault,bites,and suicidal tendencies and other injuries increased relatively.In addition,the proportion of patients with minor injuries increased and serious injuries decreased during the lockdown.The hospitalization rate increased significantly,and there was no significant difference in emergency surgery and death rates.CONCLUSION The lockdown policies during the COVID-19 outbreak significantly altered the number and mechanism of traumatic events in our hospital,which can be monitored regularly.Our results suggest that mandatory public health prevention and control measures by the government can reduce the incidence of traumatic events and the severity of traumatic injuries.Emergency surgery and mortality rates remain high,increased because of factors such as family injury and penetrating injury,and hospitalization rates have increased significantly.Therefore,our trauma center still needs to be fully staffed.Finally,from the perspective of the injury mechanism,indoor trauma is a major risk during a lockdown,and it is particularly important to develop prevention strategies for such trauma to reduce the medical burden of the next catastrophic epidemic.

Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on hospital admissions for epistaxis in Germany

BACKGROUND Reports of a decrease in hospital admissions during the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)lockdown period have raised concerns about delayed or missed diagnoses and treatments for non-COVID-19-related illnesses.AIM To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown and its end on hospital admissions of patients with epistaxis in Germany.METHODS A retrospective analysis based on the national database of the Hospital Remuneration System was used to compare hospital admissions during defined time periods between 2019 and 2022 with the lockdown period as the reference period.This was done on a weekly basis before,during,and after the lockdown.An Interrupted Time Series was used as the analysis method.RESULTS In our analysis,we included 26183 patients.The implementation of the lockdown led to a substantial reduction in the overall occurrence of epistaxis among patients(P<0.05).This effect was most pronounced in the age group of 0-39 years,where the decrease was highly significant(P<0.001).However,there was no change observed in patients aged 80 years and older(not significant).With the end of the lockdown period,the overall number of patients,especially in the youngest age group,increased abruptly and significantly(P<0.01).CONCLUSION During the lockdown period,there was a decrease in hospital admissions for younger patients with epistaxis,possibly due to the fear of COVID-19 exposure.We also conclude that the severity of epistaxis was not underestimated in the elderly during the pandemic.

Have the Covid-19 Lockdowns Made Lasting Changes to Everyday Life? Evidence from UK Time Use Surveys

This paper asks whether the turbulence of the Covid-19 lockdowns has left enduring changes to everyday life in the UK which are unlikely to have happened,up to now,in the absence of the pandemic.The analysis disaggregates the UK population by gender,and into age groups and income bands,specifies whose lives were changed during the lockdowns,and exactly how.It is argued that most changes from pre-to post-lockdowns have been spurts in longer-running trends driven by the UK demographic,housing,economic and political contexts.The exceptions,the sole genuine lockdown legacies that the analysis leaves,are the normalisation of working from home and an increase in total time spent doing paid work.

Characterization of the aerosol chemical composition during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Suzhou in the Yangtze River Delta,China

To control the spread of COVID-19,rigorous restrictions have been implemented in China,resulting in a great reduction in pollutant emissions.In this study,we evaluated the air quality in the Yangtze River Delta during the COVID-19 lockdown period using satellite and ground-based data,including particle matter(PM),trace gases,water-soluble ions(WSIs) and black carbon(BC).We found that the impacts of lockdown policy on air quality cannot be accurately assessed using MODIS aerosol optical depth(AOD) data,whereas the tropospheric nitrogen dioxide(NO_(2)) vertical column density can well reflect the influences of these restrictions on human activities.Compared to the pre-COVID period,the PM_(2.5),PM_(10),NO_(2),carbon monoxide(CO),BC and WSIs during the lockdown in Suzhou were observed to decrease by 37.2%,38.3%,64.5%,26.1%,53.3% and 58.6%,respectively,while the sulfur dioxide(SO_(2)) and ozone(O_(3)) increased by 1.5% and 104.7%.The WSIs ranked in the order of NO_(3)~->NH_(4)^(+)>SO_(4)^(2-)>Cl~->Ca^(2+)>K^(+)>Mg^(2+)>Na + during the lockdown period.By comparisons with the ion concentrations during the pre-COVID period,we found that the ions NO 3-,NH 4 +,SO_(4)^(2-),Cl~-,Ca^(2+),K^(+) and Na^(+) decreased by 66.3%,48.8%,52.9%,56.9%,57.9% and 76.3%,respectively,during the lockdown,in contrast to Mg^(2+),which increased by 30.2%.The lockdown policy was found to have great impacts on the diurnal variations of Cl~-,SO_(4)^(2-),Na^(+) and Ca^(2+).

Variation and dispersal of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) during COVID-19 lockdown over Kolkata metropolitan city,India investigated through HYSPLIT model

The higher concentration of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) in the lower atmosphere is severely harmful for human health and it also makes visibility diminution along with weather and climate modifications.The main objective is to find out the spatiotemporal variation and dispersal of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) along with COVID-19 infection in the dusty city Kolkata.The consecutive two years PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) data of different stations have been obtained from State Pollution Control Board,Govt.of West Bengal.Forward trajectory analysis has been done through HYSPLIT(Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory)model to find the path and direction of air particles.The result showed that the various meteorological or environmental factors(such as temperature,relative humidity,wind,wind speed,pressure and gusty wind)and geographical location regulate the spatiotemporal variation of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5).These factors like high temperature with relative humidity and strong wind influence to disperse the particulate matters from north to south direction from city to outside during summer in Kolkata metropolitan city.During summer(both pre and lockdown years),the height of particles is extended up to 1000 m owing to active atmospheric ventilation whereas in winter it is confined within 100 m.The HYSPLIT model clearly specified that the particles dispersed from south,south-west to north and north east direction due to strong wind.The constant magnification of PM_(10) and PM_(2.5) in the lower atmosphere leads to greater frequency of COVID-19 infections and deaths.In Kolkata,the one of the crucial reasons of high infection and deaths(COVID-19)is co-morbidity of people.

Lockdown-induced Urban Aerosol Change over Changchun, China During COVID-19 Outbreak with Polarization LiDAR

Depending on various government policies,COVID-19(Corona Virus Disease-19) lockdowns have had diverse impacts on global aerosol concentrations.In 2022,Changchun a provincial capital city in Northeast China,suffered a severe COVID-19 outbreak and implemented a very strict lockdown that lasted for nearly two months.Using ground-based polarization Light Detection and Ranging(LiDAR),we detected real-time aerosol profile parameters(EC,extinction coefficient;DR,depolarization ratio;AOD,aerosol optical depth),as well as air-quality and meteorological indexes from 1 March to 30 April in 2021 and 2022 to quantify the effects of lockdown on aerosol concentrations.The period in 2022 was divided into three stages:pre-lockdown(1-10 March),strict lockdown(11 March to 10 April),and partial lockdown(11-30 April).The results showed that,during the strict lockdown period,compared with the pre-lockdown period,there were substantial reductions in aerosol parameters(EC and AOD),and this was consistent with the concentrations of the atmospheric pollutants PM_(2.5)(particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) and PM_(2.5)(particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm),and the Oconcentration increased by 8.3%.During the strict lockdown,the values of EC within0-1 km and AOD decreased by 16.0% and 11.2%,respectively,as compared to the corresponding period in 2021.Lockdown reduced the conventional and organized emissions of air pollutants,and it clearly delayed the time of seasonal emissions from agricultural burning;however,it did not decrease the number of farmland fire points.Considering meteorological factors and eliminating the influence of wind-blown dust events,the results showed that reductions from conventional organized emission sources during the strict lockdown contributed to a 30% air-quality improvement and a 22% reduction in near-surface extinction(0-2 km).Aerosols produced by urban epidemic prevention and disinfection can also be identified using the EC.Regarding seasonal sources of agricultural straw burning,the concentrated burning induced by the epidemic led to the occurrence of heavy pollution from increased amounts of atmospheric aerosols,with a contribution rate of 62%.These results indicate that there is great potential to further improve air quality in the local area,and suggest that the comprehensive use of straw accompanied by reasonable planned burning is the best way to achieve this.

The impact of COVID-19 on the birth rate in Nigeria:a report from population-based registries

Background and objectives:Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is a pandemic that has become a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide,affecting the physical and mental health of individuals influencing reproduction.Despite the threat,it poses to maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa and Nigeria,there is little or no data on the impact it has on fertility,conception,gestation and birth.To compare the birth rate between pre-COVID and COVID times using selected months of the year.Materials and methods:This was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional analytical study data from the birth registries of three tertiary hospitals,comparing two years[2019(Pre-COVID)]versus[2020(COVID era)]using three months of the year(October to December).The data relied upon was obtained from birth registries in three busy maternity clinics all within tertiary hospitals in South-East Nigeria and we aimed at discussing the potential impacts of COVID-19 on fertility in Nigeria.The secondary outcome measures were;mode of delivery,booking status of the participants,maternal age and occupation.Results:There was a significant decrease in tertiary-hospital based birth rate by 92 births(P=0.0009;95%CI:-16.0519 to-4.1481)among mothers in all the three hospitals in 2020 during the COVID period(post lockdown months)of October to December.There was a significant difference in the mode of delivery for mothers(P=0.0096)with a 95%confidence interval of 1.0664 to 1.5916,as more gave birth through vaginal delivery during the 2020 COVID-19 period than pre-COVID-19.Conclusion:Tertiary-hospital based birth rates were reduced during the pandemic.Our multi-centre study extrapolated on possible factors that may have played a role in this decline in their birth rate,which includes but is not limited to;decreased access to hospital care due to the total lockdowns/curfews and worsening inflation and economic recession in the country.

Keeping Fit in Isolation Athletes find innovative ways to stay in shape during COVID-19 lockdown

Athletes find innovative ways to stay in shape during COVID-19 lockdown The year 2020 was supposed to be a very busy one for sports in China.A number of major competitions were planned to be held throughout the year.The Chinese Super League football season was due to start on February 22.

An application of artificial intelligence for investigating the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on three-dimensional temperature variation in equatorial Africa

We present interesting application of artificial intelligence for investigating effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on 3-dimensional temperature variation across Nigeria(2°-15°E,4°-14°N),in equatorial Africa.Artificial neural networks were trained to learn time-series temperature variation patterns using radio occultation measurements of atmospheric temperature from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology,Ionosphere,and Climate(COSMIC).Data used for training,validation and testing of the neural networks covered period prior to the lockdown.There was also an investigation into the viability of solar activity indicator(represented by the sunspot number)as an input for the process.The results indicated that including the sunspot number as an input for the training did not improve the network prediction accuracy.The trained network was then used to predict values for the lockdown period.Since the network was trained using pre-lockdown dataset,predictions from the network are regarded as expected temperatures,should there have been no lockdown.By comparing with the actual COSMIC measurements during the lockdown period,effects of the lockdown on atmospheric temperatures were deduced.In overall,the mean altitudinal temperatures rose by about 1.1℃ above expected values during the lockdown.An altitudinal breakdown,at 1 km resolution,reveals that the values were typically below0.5℃ at most of the altitudes,but exceeded 1℃ at 28 and 29 km altitudes.The temperatures were also observed to drop below expected values at altitudes of 0-2 km,and 17-20 km.

The Effect of Online Wellness Coaching for Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown on Well-Being: A Qualitative Study

Aim:The aim of this study was to explore and describe the lived experience of 3rd-year nursing students who participated in an online wellness coaching program during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.Methods:This qualitative research study on an online wellness coaching program included 30 female students,aged 21 to 30 years,who were confined to their home during the COVID-19 outbreak for two months.The students were asked to describe their feelings and responses during the COVID-19 lockdown.Results:Four thematic clusters emerged in the data analysis:what the students felt during the quarantine period,what the wellness coaching practice added to the students’lives,what changes resulted from the application and whether the students would like the application to continue and recommend the application.The study showed that students had a high level of stress,fear and anxiety at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.With the online wellness coaching application,they experienced a decrease in social isolation,an improved ability to cope with stress,and improved positivity and well-being.Conclusion:Findings from this study demonstrate that online wellness coaching during the COVID-19 quarantine has a positive effect on students’well-being.

Resumption of school after lockdown in COVID-19 pandemic:Three case reports

BACKGROUND Students in the 9grade of junior high school in Changsha were under a 75 d lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic.After the resumption of school post-lockdown,the 9grade students in Changsha faced the entrance physical examination test for senior high school.CASE SUMMARY We report on 3 cases of occult fracture on the same site in adolescents of the same grade since resumption of school after the lockdown from the COVID-19pandemic.Three students in the 9th grade of junior high school who were facing the physical examination in 2 wk were diagnosed with an occult fracture of the distal femur.CONCLUSION It is recommended that the students,parents,education providers and policy makers should all pay attention to the physical exercise of students when the resumption of school after lockdown occurs and they should be aware of occult fractures when the adolescents have pain after physical exercise.

Associations between social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 lockdown in young and middle-aged Israelis:A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND This study examined the associations between social support and anxiety during the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)in an Israeli sample.AIM To examine the associations between social support and anxiety during the COVID-19 in an Israeli sample.METHODS Data for this cross-sectional study were retrieved from an online survey.Linear regression,logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were conducted to test for associations between social support and anxiety.RESULTS A total of 655 individuals took part in the present study.In the univariate linear regression model,there is a negative correlation between the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score(GAD-7)and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale(MSPSS)score.For MSPSS score,the multivariable adjusted regression coefficient and 95%confidence interval(CI)of GAD-7 score were-0.779(-1.063 to-0.496).In the univariate logistic regression model,there was a negative correlation between anxiety(GAD-7≥9)and MSPSS score,and there was still a negative correlation in multivariate logical regression analysis.The odds ratios and 95%CI were 0.709(0.563-0.894).CONCLUSION Social support was inversely correlated with anxiety during COVID-19 in an Israeli sample.

Impact of lockdown relaxation and implementation of the facecovering policy on mental health: A United Kingdom COVID-19 study

BACKGROUND Pandemic mitigation policies,such as lockdown,are known to impact on mental health of individuals.Compulsory face covering under relaxed lockdown restrictions gives assurance of less transmission of airborne infection and has the potential to improve mental health of individuals affected by restrictions.AIM To examine the association of the lockdown relaxation and the implementation of the face covering policy on the mental health of the general population and subgroups in the United Kingdom using interrupted time series model.METHODS Using a web-based cross-sectional survey of 28890 United Kingdom adults carried out during May 1,2020 to July 31,2020,changes in mental health status using generalised anxiety disorder(GAD-7),and impact of events scale-revised(IES-R)scales are examined,at the dates of the first lockdown relaxation(July 4,2020)and the subsequent introduction of face covering(July 24,2020)in United Kingdom.A sharp regression discontinuity design is used to check discontinuities in mental health outcomes at policy-change dates.RESULTS Average GAD-7 scores of participants were 5.6,5.6 and 4.3 during the lockdown period,the lockdown relaxation phase and the phase of compulsory face covering,respectively,with lower scores indicating lower anxiety levels.Corresponding scores for IES-R were 17.3,16.8 and 13.4,with lower scores indicating less distress.Easing lockdown measures and subsequent introduction of face covering,on average,reduced GAD-7 by 0.513(95%CI:0.913-0.112)and 1.148(95%CI:1.800-0.496),respectively.Corresponding reductions in IES-R were 2.620(95%CI:4.279-0.961)and 3.449(95%CI:5.725-1.172).These imply that both lockdown relaxation and compulsory face-covering have a positive association with mental health scores(GAD-7 and IES-R).CONCLUSION The differential impact of lockdown and relaxation on the mental health of population sub-groups is evident in this study with future implications for policy.Introduction of face covering in public places had a stronger positive association with mental health than lockdown relaxation.

COVID-19 patient with an incubation period of 27 d:A case report

BACKGROUND As a highly contagious disease,coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is wreaking havoc around the world due to continuous spread among close contacts mainly via droplets,aerosols,contaminated hands or surfaces.Therefore,centralized isolation of close contacts and suspected patients is an important measure to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.At present,the quarantine duration in most countries is 14 d due to the fact that the incubation period of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2(SARS-CoV-2)is usually identified as 1-14 d with median estimate of 4-7.5 d.Since COVID-19 patients in the incubation period are also contagious,cases with an incubation period of more than 14 d need to be evaluated.CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old male patient was admitted to the Department of Respiratory Medicine of The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University on April 5 due to a cough with sputum and shortness of breath.On April 10,the patient was transferred to the Fever Clinic for further treatment due to close contact to one confirmed COVID-19 patient in the same room.During the period from April 10 to May 6,nucleic acid and antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were tested 7 and 4 times,respectively,all of which were negative.On May 7,the patient developed fever with a maximum temperature of 39℃,and his respiratory difficulties had deteriorated.The results of nucleic acid and antibody detection of SARS-CoV-2 were positive.On May 8,the nucleic acid and antibody detection of SARS-CoV-2 by Heilongjiang Provincial Center for Disease Control were also positive,and the patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 and reported to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.CONCLUSION This case highlights the importance of the SARS-CoV-2 incubation period.Further epidemiological investigations and clinical observations are urgently needed to identify the optimal incubation period of SARS-CoV-2 and formulate rational and evidence-based quarantine policies for COVID-19 accordingly.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Body Composition and Fitness Performance among Football Players in Negro African Environment

Context and Objective: The nutritional and sports dimension of the lockdown implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic is unexplored in the African environment. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on body composition and fitness performance in Congolese football players. Methods: This was an observational study carried out in Brazzaville between February 9 and October 30, 2020. It included 16 male players among Congolese senior national team and 11 male football players of first division Brazzaville clubs. Two types of measurements were carried out: anthropometric measures (height, body mass, total fat percent, lean body mass);physical capacities [30 m sprint, repeated sprint, aerobic endurance (Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test), vertical jump (Squat Jump test, Countermovement test)]. The measurements were realized at 4 times: before lockdown (month of february, T0), 1st week of june (T1), 1st week of september (T2), 1st week of october (T3). Data were compared using Student t test, Sokal S test, Anova, Newman-Keuls test (multiple contrasts) and correlation analysis. Results: A significant increase in body mass (p Conclusion: The present data suggest that COVID-19 lockdown promotes weight gain and decreased physical ability in football players.

Food Access and Experience of Food Insecurity in Nigerian Households during the COVID-19 Lockdown

The food insecurity experiences and related behaviors of Nigerian households during the COVID-19 lockdown have not been fully discussed. This study was conducted to elicit information on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on economic and behavioral patterns related to food access. An online-based semi-structured questionnaire distributed through messaging platforms was used to collect information on characteristics, food purchasing behaviour before and during COVID-19 lockdown among respondents. Experience of food insecurity was assessed using Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). A total of 883 responses were received and analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0. Most of the respondents (90.5%) were at home or had stopped going to work due to COVID-19 restrictions. Even though smaller households had higher food expenditure claims than larger households (p = 0.012), the larger the household, the more acute the challenge of economic access to food (p = 0.050). Location (p = 0.000), age (p = 0.003), occupation (p = 0.014) and income level (p = 0.000) were associated with experience of food insecurity. In conclusion, lockdown restrictions increased food expenditure and experience of food insecurity among the respondents and thus we recommend the probe of long-term consequences of deviations from usual food access on undernutrition or overnutrition in Nigerian households.

Short-Term Air Quality Gains of COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The air quality index (AQI) of a location informs how clean or unhealthy the ambient air is. While COVID-19 pandemic on one hand threatened the health of mankind globally, on the other hand was a respite to poor air quality of most cities. This study evaluated the positive effects of the brief COVID-19 lockdown on the air quality of Port Harcourt city, Nigeria. Air quality parameters aimed at assessing air quality index of Port Harcourt Metropolis before, during and after COVID-19 pandemic lockdown were monitored and compared. Data were analysed and AQI of sampled locations computed using the US EPA recommended standard procedure. Results from the study showed that, the ambient air quality of Port Harcourt was hazardous for breathing before lockdown. During shutdown of activities, the air quality improved to unhealthy status, with an average reduction AQI of 261.7 points. However, an average increase of 100.7 points, resulting to very unhealthy air status for residents after lockdown was observed. The unhealthy status during lockdown shows that anthropogenic activities were still on despite the Pandemic shutdown of economic activities. Also, decrease in levels of the criteria air pollutants was observed. Before lock down, the range levels of SO3, NO2, CO, O3, PM2.5 and PM10 were <0.1 - 1.2 ppm, <0.1 - 0.1 ppm, 8 - 28 ppm, <0.1 ppm, 20 - 140 μg/m3, 15 - 135 μg/m3, respectively. In the period of lockdown, the levels reduced considerably, especially CO and PM2.5 and PM10 (1 - 12 ppm, 5 - 60 μg/m3, and 10 - 50 μg/ m3). Conversely, after lockdown, there was upsurge in levels of the pollutants, especially CO and PM2.5 and PM10 (4 - 16 ppm, 10 - 110 μg/m3, 10 - 90 μg/m3). Authorities are expected to establish routine air quality measurements stations and communicate daily air quality to residents, for public health precaution purposes. Shutdown of industrial activities instituted by Government in curtailing the surge of COVID-19 pandemic could likely be a novel environmental model for mitigating air pollution in highly hazardous air pollution emergency domains.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown on Radiotherapy Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the imposition of a strict nationwide lockdown, which has affected all aspects of healthcare, including the delivery of standard care to cancer patients. Objective: The aim of this study was to report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient attendance at a radiotherapy department during the lockdown period. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of all patients planned for radiotherapy at the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat. Patient compliance to radiotherapy during the lockdown period was measured and compared with that during the same period in 2019. Data regarding age, sex, tumor site and treatment-related factors were analyzed and compared with those during the same period in 2019. Results: We included a total of 650 patients, 348 patients in Group A (control period) and 302 in Group B (lockdown period). Patients were aged between 30 and 70 years in about 85%, with a female predominance in both groups. The most common sites of occurrence of cancer were breast, female reproductive organs and the head and neck. A 13.2% reduction in the number of treated patients and a 16.9% reduction in the number of sessions was observed. There was a significant decrease in the proportion of breast cancers treated (P = 0.03). The proportion of patients receiving palliative radiotherapy increased significantly (P = 0.03), with a significant increase in the use of single-fraction palliative radiation therapy (P = 0.006). There was a significant difference in the compliance to radiotherapy during the lockdown period (92.3% versus 86.4%, P = 0.01);delays and interruptions were due to travel restrictions (58.5%) and fear of contamination (29.2%). No patient was tested positive for COVID-19 during radiotherapy during the study period. Conclusion: We observed a decrease in the number of treated patients during the lockdown despite our efforts to maintain the treatment routine. A significant decrease in radiotherapy compliance was noted during the lockdown. The proportion of irradiated breast cancers decreased significantly during the lockdown while patients treated with palliative intent increased significantly, with increased use of single-fraction palliative radiotherapy.

Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reflecting on Lockdowns and Social Isolations

This brief study explores the diverse and long-term mental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on societies worldwide. Based on the recent existing literature, six primary categories of mental effects are identified to verify how people are affected by reoccurring lockdowns and social isolations. The study urges holistic research in this field, suggesting that researchers must not neglect the diversity of mental health impacts and context-specific factors. While long-term mental and psychological impacts are mostly hidden for now, we anticipate them to fuel other health issues already experienced by the vulnerable groups, healthcare units, and those fighting the pandemic at the front line. The paper aims to highlight primary mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic due to reoccurring lockdowns and social isolations. This is an opinion paper reflecting on ongoing research related to mental health issues of the ongoing pandemic, some of that could be looked at through case study research or extended research and comparative studies. This brief study suggests further case study-based analysis to evaluate the impacts of lockdowns and social isolations on societal wellbeing and mental health. Globally, the ongoing pandemic has made public health unstable and is expected to continue with its long-term consequences on societies. Research studies should help make governments and policymakers more aware of such long-term consequences to ensure they can respond more effectively to foreseeing public health issues.