scholarly journals College Student Experiences of Grief and Loss Amid the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 003022282110274
Author(s):  
Erica H. Sirrine ◽  
Olivia Kliner ◽  
Thomas J. Gollery
Keyword(s):  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Grief And Loss ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Positive Reappraisal ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Supportive Interventions ◽  
Faith Based Institutions

This study examined types of and reactions to loss experienced by a sample of 162 undergraduate and graduate students in the United States amid the COVID-19 global pandemic. Results indicated students reported an average of 6.33 losses with loss of normalcy being the most prominent. The number of losses experienced was a significant predictor of loss of control and avoidance. A significant positive relationship was revealed between spirituality and positive reappraisal whereas a significant negative correlation was identified between spirituality and loss of control and avoidance. Age was also negatively associated with expressions of avoidance and loss of control. Finally, students who attended faith-based institutions reported higher levels of positive reappraisal and lower levels of loss of control. Results suggest the need for educators and mental health practitioners to assess non-death losses among college students and provide supportive interventions aimed at promoting psychosocial-spiritual coping and resilience during and following a pandemic.

scholarly journals Influenza vaccination and the risk of COVID-19 infection and severe illness in older adults in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Huang ◽  
Shu-Wen Lin ◽  
Wang-Huei Sheng ◽  
Chi-Chuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Health Database

AbstractThe coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic and led to nearly three million deaths globally. As of April 2021, there are still many countries that do not have COVID-19 vaccines. Before the COVID-19 vaccines were developed, some evidence suggested that an influenza vaccine may stimulate nonspecific immune responses that reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection or the severity of COVID-19 illness after infection. This study evaluated the association between influenza vaccination and the risk of COVID-19 infection. We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study with data from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020 with the Claims data from Symphony Health database. The study population was adults age 65 years old or older who received influenza vaccination between September 1 and December 31 of 2019. The main outcomes and measures were odds of COVID-19 infection and severe COVID-19 illness after January 15, 2020. We found the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of COVID-19 infection risk between the influenza-vaccination group and no-influenza-vaccination group was 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75–0.77). Among COVID-19 patients, the aOR of developing severe COVID-19 illness was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.68–0.76) between the influenza-vaccination group and the no-influenza-vaccination group. When the influenza-vaccination group and the other-vaccination group were compared, the aOR of COVID-19 infection was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.93–0.97), and the aOR of developing a severe COVID-19 illness was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.80–1.13). The influenza vaccine may marginally protect people from COVID-19 infection.

Amidst pandemic and racial upheaval: Where Asian Americans Fit

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Whitney Hua ◽  
Jane Junn
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Structural Racism ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
American Capitalism ◽  
Racial History ◽  
History Of

Abstract As racial tensions flare amidst a global pandemic and national social justice upheaval, the centrality of structural racism has renewed old questions and raised new ones about where Asian Americans fit in U.S. politics. This paper provides an overview of the unique racial history of Asians in the United States and analyzes the implications of dynamic racialization and status for Asian Americans. In particular, we examine the dynamism of Asian Americans' racial positionality relative to historical shifts in economic-based conceptions of their desirability as workers in American capitalism. Taking history, power, and institutions of white supremacy into account, we analyze where Asian Americans fit in contemporary U.S. politics, presenting a better understanding of the persistent structures underlying racial inequality and developing a foundation from which Asian Americans can work to enhance equality.

Foundation News: Impact of the pandemic on the GWB drinking water project in the Nepal Himalaya region

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 242-243
Author(s):  
Kirsten Nicholson ◽  
Klaus Neumann ◽  
Subodh Sharma ◽  
Lakpa Thering Sherpa
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
National Park ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Geologic Mapping ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Sagarmatha National Park ◽  
Water Vulnerability

In 2019, after almost a decade of working on water quality in the Himalayas, we submitted a proposal to Geoscientists Without Borders® (GWB) titled “Understanding high mountain aquifers to source drinking water in Sagarmatha National Park.” The project involves a combination of water-quality and quantity measurements, geologic mapping, and an electrical resistivity tomography survey. The goal of the project is to help two communities (Phortse and Lobuche within Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal) minimize their water vulnerability to climate change and earthquakes. The project team includes researchers and students from the United States and Nepal, as well as nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, and community councils. In the proposal, we identified physical health and altitude as the primary risks that could hinder the success of the project. Like everyone else in early 2019, we had no way to foresee the events of 2020, which would almost completely derail our project. Health has turned out to be the major hinderance. The irony of the global pandemic is how much it has impacted the work of the U.S.-based team and how little it has impacted the necessity of the project.

Impacts of Social Distancing on Pedestrian Behavior and Risk Perception

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 1302-1306
Author(s):  
Kyra B. Phillips ◽  
Kelly N. Byrne ◽  
Branden S. Kolarik ◽  
Audra K. Krake ◽  
Young C. Bui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Perception ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
The United States ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Pedestrian Behavior ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Over Time

Since COVID-19 transmission accelerated in the United States in March 2020, guidelines have recommended that individuals wear masks and limit close contact by remaining at least six feet away from others, even while outdoors. Such behavior is important to help slow the spread of the global pandemic; however, it may require pedestrians to make critical decisions about entering a roadway in order to avoid others, potentially creating hazardous situations for both themselves and for drivers. In this survey study, we found that while overall patterns of self-reported pedestrian activity remained largely consistent over time, participants indicated increased willingness to enter active roadways when encountering unmasked pedestrians since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Participants also rated the risks of encountering unmasked pedestrians as greater than those associated with entering a street, though the perceived risk of passing an unmasked pedestrian on the sidewalk decreased over time.

Caring for an Aging Population in a Post-Pandemic World: Emerging Trends in the U.S. Older Adult Care Industry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Kong ◽  
Kejia Hu ◽  
Matthew Walsman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adult ◽  
Digital Communication ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adult Care ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Care Industry ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
The U.S

This paper examines older adult care services during the outbreak of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Specifically, it investigates emerging developments initiated or augmented by the pandemic and discusses their permanency in a postpandemic world. Primary survey data are collected from both older adult care-providing organizations (supply) and individuals receiving or considering care (demand) in the United States. Qualitative support from various sources supplements the surveys. The results indicate a movement toward deinstitutional care options, which began prepandemic but intensified during the outbreak. Care organizations confirm this development, reporting more occupancy-related concerns. Findings also suggest that telehealth and digital communication tools have substantially expanded. Benefits, issues, and future projections of these trends are discussed, and some suggestions for industry reform are proposed. These results illuminate many actionable ideas for various stakeholders, including older adults, industry practitioners, and policymakers.

Emergency preparedness during a global pandemic: Individual preparedness for COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 99-113
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Brown, PhD
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Global Pandemic

 Existing research on individual preparedness in the United States indicates that we are generally unprepared for disasters. While there is an abundance of research on emergency preparedness, there are gaps in our knowledge. For example, the results of extant research are unclear regarding what factors influence individual preparedness. The preparedness literature is also limited in the types of disasters examined and in understanding the timing of preparedness activities. The current COVID-19 global pandemic provides a tragic but albeit unique opportunity to address these limitations of previous research and examine emergency preparedness activities before and immediately following the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. This research is further distinctive because it examines preparedness activities related to the global pandemic rather than other types of disasters. Policy and research implications of the findings are presented.

scholarly journals Managing Cancer Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Agility and Collaboration Toward a Common Goal

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 366-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masumi Ueda ◽  
Renato Martins ◽  
Paul C. Hendrie ◽  
Terry McDonnell ◽  
Jennie R. Crews ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
The United States ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Face ◽  
Snohomish County

The first confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States was reported on January 20, 2020, in Snohomish County, Washington. At the epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States, the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and University of Washington are at the forefront of delivering care to patients with cancer during this public health crisis. This Special Feature highlights the unique circumstances and challenges of cancer treatment amidst this global pandemic, and the importance of organizational structure, preparation, agility, and a shared vision for continuing to provide cancer treatment to patients in the face of uncertainty and rapid change.

scholarly journals Emphasize personal health benefits to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (32) ◽  
pp. e2108225118
Author(s):  
Madison Ashworth ◽  
Linda Thunström ◽  
Todd L. Cherry ◽  
Stephen C. Newbold ◽  
David C. Finnoff
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Multiple Messages ◽  
National Economies ◽  
The Impact

The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines is a tremendous scientific response to the current global pandemic. However, vaccines per se do not save lives and restart economies. Their success depends on the number of people getting vaccinated. We used a survey experiment to examine the impact on vaccine intentions of a variety of public health messages identified as particularly promising: three messages that emphasize different benefits from the vaccines (personal health, the health of others, and the recovery of local and national economies) and one message that emphasizes vaccine safety. Because people will likely be exposed to multiple messages in the real world, we also examined the effect of these messages in combination. Based on a nationally quota representative sample of 3,048 adults in the United States, our findings suggest that several forms of public messages can increase vaccine intentions, but messaging that emphasizes personal health benefits had the largest impact.

scholarly journals Covid-19 and food security: Jeopardy management and posterity deliberations

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 01-05
Author(s):  
Augustine Owusu-Addo ◽  
Atianashie Miracle A ◽  
Chukwuma Chinaza Adaobi ◽  
Larissa Agbemelo-Tsomafo
Keyword(s):  
Food Processing ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Food Handling ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Food Borne ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Food Borne Infections ◽  
Safety Guidelines

COVID-19, also known as the ‘novel coronavirus disease 2019’, is a respiratory illness and the causative pathogen is officially named as ‘SARS-CoV-2’. Infections with SARS-CoV-2 have now been amplified to a global pandemic – as of April 3, 2020, nearly 1,018,000 cases have been confirmed in more than 195 countries, including more than 300,000 cases within the United States. Public safety guidelines are followed worldwide to stop the spread of COVID-19 and stay healthy. Despite COVID-19 is a respiratory illness with mode of invasion through the respiratory tract, not the gastrointestinal tract, an average food consumer is anxious and concerned about the food safety. Could an individual catch the deadly contagious COVID-19 from groceries brought home from the supermarket – or from the next restaurant takeout order? This brief review elucidates the epidemiology and pathobiological mechanism(s) of SARS-CoV-2 and its implications in food-borne infections, transmission via food surfaces, food processing and food handling.

scholarly journals Planetarium commute accessibility in the United States of America

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander A. Kaurov ◽  
Vyacheslav Bazhenov ◽  
Mark SubbaRao
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United States Of America ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
The United States ◽  
Census Bureau ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Commute Time ◽  
Pandemic Response ◽  
Zip Code ◽  
The U.S

The COVID-19 global pandemic unprecedently disturbed the education system in the United States and lead to the closure of all planetariums that were providing immersive science communication. This situation motivates us to examine how accessible the planetarium facilities were before the pandemic. We investigate the most important socioeconomic and geographical factors that affect the planetarium accessibility using the U.S. Census Bureau data and the commute time to the nearest planetarium for each ZIP Code Tabulated Area. We show the magnitude of the effect of permanent closure of a fraction of planetariums. Our study can be informative for strategizing the pandemic response.

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