Work Ability Index and Work Ability Score: A Comparation between both Scores in a Persistent COVID-19 Cohort

Aims: The present study aims to compare the assessment of work ability based on the use of the Work Ability Index (WAI) with another questionnaire base only on the use of WAI’s first item, termed as the “Work Ability Score” (WAS). Study design: A cohort of 384 Spanish workers included in a Post COVID-19 condition or persistent COVID-19 multicenter research was utilized. Place and Duration of Study: This cohort was enlisted in four hospitals (Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid;Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla, Andalucía;Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid and Complejo Asistencial Universitario de Salamanca, Castilla y León), since 2021 until 2022. Methodology: 384 Spanish workers (176 men and 208 women;aged 20 to 70 years) with Post COVID-19 condition or persistent COVID-19 were included. Descriptive analysis of primary scores was conducted. Given the non-normal distribution of data, the Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were employed. Spearman and Kendall correlations were employed to assess the relationship between WAI and WAS, also used weighted Kappa to estimate the degree agreement between WAI and WAS. Logistic regression models were utilized to study determinants influencing WAI and WAS, categorized as poor or moderate. Results: WAI had an average score of 32.98 (SD = 10.28), whereas WAS had an average of 5.95 (SD = 2.77). Significant differences were observed in both WAI and WAS across the same variables. Strong and statistically significant correlations were evident between WAI and WAS (rs = 0.83, p < 0.001). All the variables used in the logistic regression model (gender, the sector employment, and previous chronic diseases) were statistically significant in both questionnaires. Conclusion: WAS questionnaire could be used as a tool for reliable assessment of work ability among Spanish workers with Post COVID-19 condition or Persistent CO-VID-19.

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.

Cardiovascular sequelae in post-COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe CT severity score: A follow-up study

Objective:To study cardiovascular sequelae of post-COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe computed tomography(CT)severity score.Methods:A prospective,non-randomized,observational study was conducted on 100 post-COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe CT severity scores from January 2021 to December 2021.Fifty-nine were male[mean age(54.1±12.2)years]and 41 were female[mean age(46.9±15.1)years].Patients with previous cardiovascular disease,previous chronic lung disease,and pre-existing primary or secondary pulmonary hypertension were excluded.Patients were examined,and serial electrocardiogram and 2D echocardiography were performed to detect any cardiovascular abnormality.Results:Post-COVID-19 patients had persistent symptoms,the most common being fatigue(59%).Most of these symptoms were relieved on follow-up.A rise in systolic,diastolic blood pressure,and pulse rate was observed.The electrocardiographic evaluation revealed ST-T segment changes,sinus tachycardia,ventricular hypertrophy,and arrhythmias among a considerable number of patients.On echocardiography,left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was most common(43%).Pulmonary hypertension,as evidenced by elevated pulmonary artery systolic pressure,was seen in 15%of patients.Conclusions:The present findings reveal an increased incidence of cardiovascular complications after recovery from COVID-19 infection in those without pre-existing cardiovascular or chronic lung disease.

Stressors in Nurse Students’ Formation in the New Normality Post COVID-19

Background: Mental health has been impaired and at risk due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The consequences due to confinement impacted every scenario, which directly influenced the daily routine of nurse students;in each setting students faced stressors that trigger fear, anxiety and others, since being in confinement learning of topics moved to the home, laboratory practices in hospitals were cancelled leaving the room that is uncertain up to their return to in-person activities. It is important to highlight the need for innovation and strengthening of theoretical-pedagogic aspects centered at the student’s context as a human being with their own needs and problems, who will interact with others in the continuous process of health-illness. Objective: the aim was to identify the stressors in the nurse students’ formation in the new normality post-COVID-19. Methods: Qualitative and phenomenological research with 27 participants aged 20 - 25 years, nurse students of a public university. The information collection was through four focal groups of 6-7 members each, data analysis was done according to Miles & Huberman after signed informed consent of each participant, and authorized by the chairperson of the Nurse’ career. Results: Category 1, Cumulative stressors with sub-categories 1.1 Uncertainty, 1.2 Isolation, 1.3 Invisibility, 1.4 Mockery, 1.5 Exclusion. Category 2, Expectancy states with sub-categories 2.1 Low self-esteem, 2.2 Insecurity, 2.3 Anxiety, 2.4 Depression, 2.5 Temporary leave, 2.6 Search for authenticity. Category 3, Internalization processes with sub-categories 3.1 Social rejection, 3.2 Self-censorship, 3.3 Discrediting, 3.4 Disempowerment. Category 4, Academic aspects affected with sub-categories 4.1 Deficient studying habits, 4.2 Deficient assimilations of knowledge, 4.3 Archived knowledge in the computer, 4.4 Absence of practice in previous semesters. Conclusion: Once identified the stressors in nurse students in the new normality post-COVID-19, it will allow the creation of settings that help in getting confidence for students, i.e., a safe surrounding promotes the development of abilities and competencies during formation, as well as recommendations of teachers in the classroom and laboratories that contribute to filling space that students perceive as empty, and to intensifying the companionship in clinical settings where students perceive most aggressiveness.

COVID-19 related biliary injury:A review of recent literature

Since its emergence in 2019,it has become apparent that coronavirus 2019(COVID-19)infection can result in multi systemic involvement.In addition to pulmonary symptoms,hepatobiliary involvement has been widely reported.Extent of hepatic involvement ranges from minor elevation in liver function tests(LFTs)to significant hepatocellular or cholestatic injury.In majority of cases,resolution of hepatic injury or improvement in LFTs is noted as patients recover from COVID-19 infection.However,severe biliary tract injury progressing to liver failure has been reported in patients requiring prolonged intensive care unit stay or mechanical ventilation.Due to the timing of its presentation,this form of progressive cholestatic injury has been referred to as COVID-19 cholangiopathy or post-COVID-19 cholangiopathy,and can result in devastating consequences for patients.COVID-19 cholangiopathy is recognized by dramatic elevation in serum alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin and radiologic evidence of bile duct injury.Cholangiopathy in COVID-19 occurs weeks to months after the initial infection and during the recovery phase.Imaging findings and pathology often resemble bile duct injury associated with primary or secondary sclerosing cholangitis.Etiology of COVID-19 cholangiopathy is unclear.Several mechanisms have been proposed,including direct cholangiocyte injury,vascular compromise,and cytokine release syndromes.This review summarizes existing data on COVID-19 cholangiopathy,including reported cases in the literature,proposed pathophysiology,diagnostic testing,and long-term implications.

The aggregate and sectoral time‑varying market efficiency during crisis periods in Turkey:a comparative analysis with COVID‑19 outbreak and the global financial crisis

This study aims to examine the time-varying efficiency of the Turkish stock market’s major stock index and eight sectoral indices,including the industrial,financial,service,information technology,basic metals,tourism,real estate investment,and chemical petrol plastic,during the COVID-19 outbreak and the global financial crisis(GFC)within the framework of the adaptive market hypothesis.This study employs multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis to illustrate these sectors’multifractality and short-and long-term dependence.The results show that all sectoral returns have greater persis-tence during the COVID-19 outbreak than during the GFC.Second,the real estate and information technology industries had the lowest levels of efficiency during the GFC and the COVID-19 outbreak.Lastly,the fat-tailed distribution has a greater effect on multifractality in these industries.Our results validate the conclusions of the adaptive market hypothesis,according to which arbitrage opportunities vary over time,and contribute to policy formulation for future outbreak-induced economic crises.

How Is the COVID-19 Outbreak Affecting Wildlife around the World?

The COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus at an animal market in Wuhan, China. Many wildlife species have been suggested as possible intermediate sources for the transmission of COVID-19 virus from bats to humans. The quick transmission of COVID-19 outbreak has imposed quarantine measures across the world, and as a result, most of the world’s towns and cities fell silent under lockdowns. The current study comes to investigate the ways by which the COVID-19 outbreak affects wildlife globally. Hundreds of internet sites and scientific reports have been reviewed to satisfy the needs of the study. Stories of seeing wild animals roaming the quiet, deserted streets and cities during the COVID-19 outbreak have been posted in the media and social media. The strong link between wildlife markets and COVID-19 resulted in international calls asking countries to shut down wildlife markets forever. Poorer and vulnerable people around the world overexploit natural resources including wildlife. Roadkills became minimal because of the lockdown measures. The reduction in noise pollution level is expected to improve wildlife health and ecology including breeding success. The shortage of food items provided to zoo and park animals constituted a real threat to animals and the institution harboring them. The increase in fish biomass comes as a result of the sharp decline in fishing activities. The isolation of antibodies from certain wildlife species is promising in saving humankind against COVID-19. The infection of wild and pet animals with COVID-19 virus from humans and the interspecific transmission of the infection are disastrous to animal ecology. Finally, closures may enhance people to connect more and more with nature in order to acknowledge wildlife in their surrounding environments. In conclusion, the study asks the world’s different parties to conserve wildlife in a sustainable fashion and to regulate exotic animal trade in wet markets in order to lower the incidence of zoonoses.

Minimizing the risk of international spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak by targeting travelers

The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has become a global health emergency owing to its magnitude, attributed deaths, and its propensity to spread across the world. In-fact, owing to its quick spread across international boundaries and the resulting caseload, the disease has been declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020. It is worth noting that out of the 395 cases detected in other nations, 165 (41.8%) have a positive history of travel to China. As of now, the World Health Organization has not recommended for any restrictions on the travel or trade aspects, but has clearly specified that implementation of International Health Regulations should be strictly done at the airports and seaports. In conclusion, the COVID-19 outbreak has created an alarm across the globe as the causative virus is novel in nature. However, strengthening of standard infection control practices and adoption of preventive measures for travelers can significantly minimize the threat of further transmission of the disease.

Combined cesarean delivery and repair of acute aortic dissection at 34 weeks of pregnancy during COVID-19 outbreak:A case report

BACKGROUND Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,the exclusion of a patient from COVID-19 should be performed before surgery.However,patients with type A acute aortic dissection(AAD)during pregnancy can seriously endanger the health of either the mother or fetus that requires emergency surgical treatment without the test for COVID-19.CASE SUMMARY A 38-year-old woman without Marfan syndrome was admitted to the hospital because of chest pain in the 34th week of gestation.She has diagnosed as having a Stanford type-A AAD involving an aortic arch and descending aorta via aortic computed tomographic angiography.The patient was transferred to the isolated negative pressure operating room in one hour and underwent cesarean delivery and ascending aorta replacement.All medical staff adopted third-level medical protection measures throughout the patient transfer and surgical procedure.After surgery,the patient was transferred to the isolated negative pressure intensive care unit ward.The nucleic acid test and anti-COVID-19 immunoglobulin(Ig)G and IgM were performed and were negative.The patient and infant were discharged without complication nine days later and recovered uneventfully.CONCLUSION The results indicated that the procedure that we used is feasible in patients with a combined cesarean delivery and surgery for Stanford type-A AAD during the COVID-19 outbreak,which was mainly attributed to rapid multidisciplinary consultation,collaboration,and quick decision-making.

Tradeoffanalysis of the pork supply and food security under the influence of African swine fever and the COVID-19 outbreak in China

China is the world’s largest consumer of pork and grains.However,African swine fever(ASF)and the COVID-19 outbreak have greatly impacted the pork supply and food security in China.How can food security and the pork supply be ensured under the dual impacts of COVID-19 and ASF?This is a major problem to be urgently solved by the Chinese government.This study indicated that the main pork production and sales areas in China were separated,which reflected the spatial imbalance between the supply and demand.The total area of suitable selected sites for pig farms in China is 21.5 million ha.If only the areas with levels of high and moderate suitability are considered as potential sites for pig farms,the potential pork production can reach 56.1 million tons in China,which is slightly lower than demand.Due to the impact of the ASF epidemic,the food consumed by pigs has been reduced by 34.7 million tons.However,with increasing pork productivity in the future,the self-sufficiency rate of grains may further decline.On the premise that the quality of people’s life is not affected,the diversification of meat supply channels should be realized in an orderly and sustainable way,which might alleviate the pressure on food supply.This study provides a theoretical reference for the spatiotemporal layout of the swine industry and addresses the issue of food security in China under the influence of ASF and the COVID-19 outbreak.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension confirmed by right heart catheterization following COVID-19 pneumonia: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)is a disease of the arterioles resulting in an increased resistance in pulmonary circulation with associated high pressures in the pulmonary arteries,causing irreversible remodeling of the pulmonary arterial walls.Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has been associated with development of new onset PAH in the literature leading to symptoms of dyspnea,cough and fatigue that persist in spite of resolution of acute COVID-19 infection.However,the majority of these cases of COVID related PAH were diagnosed using echocardiographic data or via right heart catheterization in mechanically ventilated patients.CASE SUMMARY Our case is the first reported case of COVID related PAH diagnosed by right heart catheterization in a non-mechanically ventilated patient.Right heart catheterization has been the gold standard for diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension.Our patient had right heart catheterization four months after her initial COVID-19 infection due to persistent dyspnea.CONCLUSION This revealed new onset PAH that developed following her infection with COVID-19,an emerging sequela of the infection.

Predictive modelling for COVID-19 outbreak control:lessons from the navy cluster in Sri Lanka

In response to an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)within a cluster of Navy personnel in Sri Lanka commencing from 22nd April 2020,an aggressive outbreak management program was launched by the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health.To predict the possible number of cases within the susceptible population under four social distancing scenarios,the COVID-19 Hospital Impact Model for Epidemics(CHIME)was used.With increasing social distancing,the epidemiological curve flattened,and its peak shifted to the right.The observed or actually reported number of cases was above the projected number of cases at the onset;however,subsequently,it fell below all predicted trends.Predictive modelling is a useful tool for the control of outbreaks such as COVID-19 in a closed community.

Emergency surgery in COVID-19 outbreak:Has anything changed?Single center experience

BACKGROUND The current coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19)pandemic is changing the organization of health care and has had a direct impact on the management of surgical patients.At the General Surgery Department of Sant’Anna University Hospital in Ferrara,Italy,surgical activities were progressively reduced during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy.During this period,only one operating room was available for elective cancer surgeries and another for emergency surgeries.Moreover,the number of beds for surgical patients had to be reduced to provide beds and personnel for the new COVID-19 wards.AIM To compare 2 different period(from March 9 to April 92019 and from March 9 to April 92020),searching differences in terms of number and type of interventions in emergency surgery of a main University Hospital in Ferrara,a city in Emilia Romagna region,North of Italy.METHODS This retrospective study was carried out at the General Surgery Department of Sant’Anna University Hospital in Ferrara,Italy.We examined the number of emergency surgeries performed and patient outcomes during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy and subsequent total lockdown.We then drew a comparison with the number of surgeries performed and their outcomes during the same period in 2019.The study examined all adult patients who underwent emergency surgery from March 9 to April 9,2019(n=46),and those who underwent surgery during the first month of the lockdown,from March 9 to April 9,2020(n=27).Analyses were adjusted for age,gender,American Society of Anesthesiologists classification scores and types of surgery.RESULTS A total of 27 patients underwent emergency surgery at Sant’Anna University Hospital in Ferrara during the first month of the lockdown.This represents a 41.3%reduction in the number of patients who were hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery compared to the same period in 2019.The complication rate during the pandemic period was substantially higher than it was during the analogous period in 2019:15 out of 27 cases from March 9 to April 9,2020(55)vs 17 out of 46 cases from March 9 to April 9,2019(36.9).Of the 27 patients who underwent emergency surgery during the pandemic,10 were screened for COVID-19 using both thorax high resolution computerized tomography and a naso-pharyngeal swab,while 9 only underwent thorax high resolution computerized tomography.Only 1 patient tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and died following surgery.CONCLUSION There was a significant reduction in emergency surgeries at our center during the COVID-19 pandemic,and it is plausible that there were analogous reductions at other centers across Italy.

Simple Simulation for COVID-19 in Wuhan, Hubei, China to Predict Outbreak in Wuhan, the Initial Case in Wuhan, and the Epidemic in Japan as of 11 February, 2020

Object: Prediction of the COVID-19 epidemic represents a matter of concern not only for public health or medicine but also for Earth’s general population. This study predicts outbreaks in Wuhan and in Japan as of 11 February, 2020.Method: We applied a simple SIR model to data published by Hubei public health authorities. Moreover, into the model, we incorporate mild and asymptomatic cases from experiences of Japanese residents of Wuhan up to the outbreak. Finally, we predict an outbreak in Japan based on 10,000 iterations of a simulation conducted under the assumption of infected people including mild cases visiting Japan according to the estimated distribution of patients in Wuhan since the date on which the initial case occurred to the date when travel from Wuhan to Japan was suspended. Results: Results suggest the basic reproduction number, R0, as 2.84;its 95% confidence interval (CI) was [2.35, 3.33]. The peak is estimated to be reached on March 11. Its 95% CI peak date is 29 February to 27 March. The 95% CI peak date in Japan is 26 April to 2 May. The greatest number of patients at the peak with severe symptoms was estimated as 858.3 thousand. Discussion and Conclusion: Our obtained R0 of 2.84 approximates an earlier estimate. We predicted the greatest number of patients at the peak with severe symptoms as 858.3 thousand in Japan. This number is 63% greater than the highest daily peak of influenza.

No increase in burnout in health care workers during the initial COVID-19 outbreak:Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND For decades and before the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,for health care workers(HCWs)burnout can be experienced as an upsetting confrontation with their self and the result of a complex a multifactorial process interacting with environmental and personal features.AIM To literature review and meta-analysis was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of burnout and work-related stress in health care workers around the world during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS We performed a database search of Embase,Google Scholar and PubMed from June to October 2020.We analysed burnout risk factors and protective factors in included studies published in peer-reviewed journals as of January 2020,studying a HCW population during the first COVID-19 wave without any geographic restrictions.Furthermore,we performed a meta-analysis to determine overall burnout levels.We studied the main risk factors and protective factors related to burnout and stress at the individual,institutional and regional levels.RESULTS Forty-one studies were included in our final review sample.Most were crosssectional,observational studies with data collection windows during the first wave of the COVID-19 surge.Of those forty-one,twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis.Of the 27907 health care professionals who participated in the reviewed studies,70.4%were women,and two-thirds were either married or living together.The most represented age category was 31-45 years,at 41.5%.Approximately half of the sample comprised nurses(47.6%),and 44.4%were working in COVID-19 wards(intensive care unit,emergency room and dedicated internal medicine wards).Indeed,exposure to the virus was not a leading factor for burnout.Our meta-analytic estimate of burnout prevalence in the HCW population for a sample of 6784 individuals was 30.05%.CONCLUSION There was a significant prevalence of burnout in HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic,and some of the associated risk factors could be targeted for intervention,both at the individual and organizational levels.Nevertheless,COVID-19 exposure was not a leading factor for burnout,as burnout levels were not notably higher than pre-COVID-19 levels.

An AI-empowered indoor digital contact tracing system for COVID-19 outbreaks in residential care homes

An AI-empowered indoor digital contact-tracing system was developed using a centralized architecture and advanced low-energy Bluetooth technologies for indoor positioning,with careful preservation of privacy and data security.We analyzed the contact pattern data from two RCHs and investigated a COVID-19 outbreak in one study site.To evaluate the effectiveness of the system in containing outbreaks with minimal contacts under quarantine,a simulation study was conducted to compare the impact of different quarantine strategies on outbreak containment within RCHs.The significant difference in contact hours between weekdays and weekends was observed for some pairs of RCH residents and staff during the two-week data collection period.No significant difference between secondary cases and uninfected contacts was observed in a COVID-19 outbreak in terms of their demographics and contact patterns.Simulation results based on the collected contact data indicated that a threshold of accumulative contact hours one or two days prior to diagnosis of the index case could dramatically increase the efficiency of outbreak containment within RCHs by targeted isolation of the close contacts.This study demonstrated the feasibility and efficiency of employing an AI-empowered system in indoor digital contact tracing of outbreaks in RCHs in the post-pandemic era.

Evaluation of COVID-19 outbreak prevention and control in Beijing using the emergency management theory

On April 29,2020,China entered a normalization stage of prevention and control.By December 2021,more than 40 outbreaks had occurred in China,which reflected the shortcomings of the pandemic prevention and control measures in China at that time.As the capital city of China,Beijing faces more pressure in epidemic prevention and control.We used the COVID-19 cluster containment evaluation indicators to determine the effects of prevention and control measures on four COVID-19 outbreaks in Beijing.After considering the specificity and operability of evaluation indicators and the availability of evaluation data,the evaluation system in our study consisted of six dimensions:epidemic prevention and control effect,discovery and detection ability,precision prevention and control capability,public protection effect,medical treatment and nosocomial infection prevention and control ability,and information release and public opinion response ability.The composite scores of the prevention and control effects of the Xinfadi,Shunyi,Daxing,and Ejina Banner–associated COVID-19 outbreaks in Beijing were 62,82,87,and 76,respectively.In the six dimensions,the epidemic prevention and control effect,discovery and detection ability,precision prevention and control capability,and public protection effect scores for the Xinfadi outbreak were lower than those for the Shunyi,Daxing and Ejina Banner–associated outbreaks.The medical treatment and nosocomial infection prevention and control ability scores for the outbreak associated with Ejina Banner were lower than those for the Xinfadi,Shunyi,and Daxing outbreaks.In managing cluster outbreaks,Beijing was able to detect index cases early enough to reduce the scale and duration of the outbreak and consistently release official information to reduce public panic,standardize the management of centralized quarantine sites to prevent cross-infection,adhere to the“dynamic COVID‐zero”strategy to accurately prevent and control outbreaks,reduce the societal influence of the pandemic,and coordinate the epidemic prevention and control and socio-economic development.

A reflection on the anti-epidemic response of COVID-19 from the perspective of disaster management

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)shocked the world as it spread rapidly from continent to continent,and finally,it became a pandemic resulting in many infected patients,with an increasing number of deaths,and a devastating effect on worldwide economics.People only know that epidemic or pandemic is a rapid spread of infection,but in fact it can also be regarded as a biological disaster,which can be managed from a perspective of disaster management.This article discusses the current situation of the anti-epidemic response of COVID-19,and suggests using a disaster management approach to better handle this pandemic situation through mitigation,preparedness,response and recovery.

Impact of the COVID‑19 outbreak on the US equity sectors:Evidence from quantile return spillovers

The aim of this study is to examine the extreme return spillovers among the US stock market sectors in the light of the COVID-19 outbreak.To this end,we extend the now-traditional Diebold-Yilmaz spillover index to the quantiles domain by building networks of generalized forecast error variance decomposition of a quantile vector autoregressive model specifically for extreme returns.Notably,we control for common movements by using the overall stock market index as a common factor for all sectors and uncover the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on the dynamics of the network.The results show that the network structure and spillovers differ considerably with respect to the market state.During stable times,the network shows a nice sectoral clustering structure which,however,changes dramatically for both adverse and beneficial market conditions constituting a highly connected network structure.The pandemic period itself shows an interesting restructuring of the network as the dominant clusters become more tightly connected while the rest of the network remains well separated.The sectoral topology thus has not collapsed into a unified market during the pandemic.

Reflection on Early Lessons for Urban Resilience and Public Health Enhancement during the COVID-19

With growing impacts on public health systems and economies across the world, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, we need to reflect on some of the early lessons for urban resilience enhancement. In this paper, a brief discussion is made through several recommendations that could make our cities more prepared specially in the probable future waves of this current outbreak or potential spikes in infections or clustered cases. The experiences from global examples highlighted in this study address what has worked in the past few months at the spatial levels of communities and cities. The COVID-19 outbreak highlighted the deficiencies and shortfall across multiple sectors of the urban systems and enabled us to identify risks, challenges, and pathways to better city management. With regard to urban resilience enhancement, the negative impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak are assessed to suggest a checklist of what could be done through early preparedness. The findings are novel in ongoing research related to urban resilience and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The early lessons here reflect on the ongoing situation of this pandemic outbreak, but could effectually help to enhance the resilience of our cities and communities, and especially addressing the protection of public health and societal well-being. The findings contribute to major sectors of urban resilience, city management, and public health. The recommendations from this study could be utilised and adapted in any context, allowing for the consideration of all-inclusive decision-making and much-enhanced planning processes.