scholarly journals Impacts of the COVID-19 Control Measures on Widening Educational Inequalities

Young ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 110330882110274
Author(s):  
Merike Darmody ◽  
Emer Smyth ◽  
Helen Russell
Keyword(s):  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Learning Loss ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Learning Gap ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Impact

COVID-19 has resulted in a global public health crisis. Measures adopted by governments across the world to reduce transmission have resulted in the closure of educational institutions and workplaces and reduced social interaction. The aim of the article is to reflect on the consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic for the lives of young people from different social groups, with a special focus on education. It is a desk-based review of empirical research that has emerged in the wake of COVID-19 that has explored the impact of the control measures adopted, resulting in ‘learning loss’ and the widening of the ‘learning gap’ among students. The review shows that rather than utilizing the current situation to tackle pre-existing social inequalities in education, current debates often narrowly focus on immediate rather than long-term measures. The article calls for a broader research agenda on the short- and long-term compensatory measures needed to re-engage students, especially those from more disadvantaged backgrounds.

scholarly journals Understanding contributors to quality of care in long-term care and changes under COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 960-960
Author(s):  
Sara Luck ◽  
Katie Aubrecht
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Qualitative Description ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Term Care ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Nursing home facilities are responsible for providing care for some of the most vulnerable groups in society, including the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions. In times of crisis, such as COVID-19 or other pandemics, the delivery of ‘regular’ care can be significantly impacted. In relation to COVID-19, there is an insufficient supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) to care for residents, as PPE not only protects care staff but also residents. Nursing homes across the United States and Canada have also taken protective measures to maximize the safety of residents by banning visitors, stopping all group activities, and increasing infection control measures. This presentation shares a research protocol and early findings from a study investigating the impact of COVID-19 on quality of care in residential long-term care (LTC) in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. This study used a qualitative description design to explore what contributes to quality of care for residents living in long-term care, and how this could change in times of crisis from the perspective of long-term care staff. Interviews were conducted with a broad range of staff at one LTC home. A semi-structured interview guide and approach to thematic analysis was framed by a social ecological perspective, making it possible to include the individual and proximal social influences as well as community, organizations, and policy influencers. Insights gained will improve the understanding of quality of care, as well as potential barriers and facilitators to care during times of crisis.

A case study of noise pollution levels during the restrictions period due to COVID-19.

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (6) ◽  
pp. 206-214
Author(s):  
David Montes-González ◽  
Juan Miguel Barrigón-Morillas ◽  
Ana Cristina Bejarano-Quintas ◽  
Manuel Parejo-Pizarro ◽  
Guillermo Rey-Gozalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led to the need for drastic control measures around the world to reduce the impact on the health of the population. The confinement of people in their homes resulted in a significant reduction in human activity at every level (economic, social, industrial, etc.), which was reflected in a decrease in environmental pollution levels. Studying the evolution of parameters, such as the level of environmental noise caused by vehicle traffic in urban environments, makes it possible to assess the impact of this type of measure. This paper presents a case study of the acoustic situation in Cáceres (Spain) during the restriction period by means of long-term acoustic measurements at various points of the city.

scholarly journals COVID-19 as an “Infodemic” in Public Health: Critical Role of the Social Media

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debanjan Banerjee ◽  
K. S. Meena
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Impact

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a significant and global public health crisis. Besides the rising number of cases and fatalities, the outbreak has also affected economies, employment and policies alike. As billions are being isolated at their homes to contain the infection, the uncertainty gives rise to mass hysteria and panic. Amidst this, there has been a hidden epidemic of “information” that makes COVID-19 stand out as a “digital infodemic” from the earlier outbreaks. Repeated and detailed content about the virus, geographical statistics, and multiple sources of information can all lead to chronic stress and confusion at times of crisis. Added to this is the plethora of misinformation, rumor and conspiracy theories circulating every day. With increased digitalization, media penetration has increased with a more significant number of people aiding in the “information pollution.” In this article, we glance at the unique evolution of COVID-19 as an “infodemic” in the hands of social media and the impact it had on its spread and public reaction. We then look at the ways forward in which the role of social media (as well as other digital platforms) can be integrated into social and public health, for a better symbiosis, “digital balance” and pandemic preparedness for the ongoing crisis and the future.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on the trade of goods and services in Spain

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asier Minondo
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Trade Of Services ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the trade of goods and services in Spain. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses monthly trade data at the product, region and firm level. Findings The COVID-19 crisis has led to the sharpest collapse in the Spanish trade of goods and services in recent decades. The containment measures adopted to arrest the spread of the virus have caused an especially intense fall of trade in services. The large share of transport equipment, capital goods, products that are consumed outdoors (i.e., outdoor goods) and tourism in Spanish exports has made the COVID-19 trade crisis more intense in Spain than in the rest of the European Union. Practical implications The nature of the collapse suggests that trade in goods can recover swiftly when the health crisis ends. However, COVID-19 may have a long-term negative impact on the trade of services that rely on the movement of people. Originality/value It contributes to understand how COVID-19 has affected the trade in goods and services in Spain.

scholarly journals Neurological, neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental complications of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
pp. 000486742096147
Author(s):  
Christos Pantelis ◽  
Mahesh Jayaram ◽  
Anthony J Hannan ◽  
Robb Wesselingh ◽  
Jess Nithianantharajah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organ Damage ◽  
Multiple Organ ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Collaborative Efforts ◽  
The Brain

Although COVID-19 is predominantly a respiratory disease, it is known to affect multiple organ systems. In this article, we highlight the impact of SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus causing COVID-19) on the central nervous system as there is an urgent need to understand the longitudinal impacts of COVID-19 on brain function, behaviour and cognition. Furthermore, we address the possibility of intergenerational impacts of COVID-19 on the brain, potentially via both maternal and paternal routes. Evidence from preclinical models of earlier coronaviruses has shown direct viral infiltration across the blood–brain barrier and indirect secondary effects due to other organ pathology and inflammation. In the most severely ill patients with pneumonia requiring intensive care, there appears to be additional severe inflammatory response and associated thrombophilia with widespread organ damage, including the brain. Maternal viral (and other) infections during pregnancy can affect the offspring, with greater incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy. Available reports suggest possible vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2, although longitudinal cohort studies of such offspring are needed. The impact of paternal infection on the offspring and intergenerational effects should also be considered. Research targeted at mechanistic insights into all aspects of pathogenesis, including neurological, neuropsychiatric and haematological systems alongside pulmonary pathology, will be critical in informing future therapeutic approaches. With these future challenges in mind, we highlight the importance of national and international collaborative efforts to gather the required clinical and preclinical data to effectively address the possible long-term sequelae of this global pandemic, particularly with respect to the brain and mental health.

scholarly journals Modelling the Evolution of COVID-19 in High-Incidence European Countries and Regions: Estimated Number of Infections and Impact of Past and Future Intervention Measures

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Fernández-Recio
Keyword(s):  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Intervention Measures ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Future Outcomes ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact

A previously developed mechanistic model of COVID-19 transmission has been adapted and applied here to study the evolution of the disease and the effect of intervention measures in some European countries and territories where the disease has had a major impact. A clear impact of the major intervention measures on the reproduction number (Rt) has been found in all studied countries and territories, as already suggested by the drop in the number of deaths over time. Interestingly, the impact of such major intervention measures seems to be the same in most of these countries. The model has also provided realistic estimates of the total number of infections, active cases and future outcomes. While the predictive capabilities of the model are much more uncertain before the peak of the outbreak, we could still reliably predict the evolution of the disease after a major intervention by assuming the subsequent reproduction number from the current study. A greater challenge is to foresee the long-term impact of softer intervention measures, but this model can estimate the outcome of different scenarios and help to plan changes for the implementation of control measures in a given country or region.

scholarly journals Needs assessment and impact of COVID-19 on pharmacy professionals in 31 commonwealth countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Ashiru-Oredope ◽  
◽  
Amy Hai Yan Chan ◽  
Omotayo Olaoye ◽  
Victoria Rutter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
The World ◽  
Pandemic Response ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The declaration of COVID-19 a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020 marked the beginning of a global health crisis of an unprecedented nature and scale. The approach taken by countries across the world varied widely, however, the delivery of frontline healthcare was consistently recognised as being central to the pandemic response. This study aimed to identify and explore the issues currently facing pharmacy teams across Commonwealth countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also evaluates pharmacy professionals’ understanding of key knowledge areas from the COVID-19 webinar hosted by the Commonwealth Pharmacists’ Association (CPA). Method A quantitative survey-based approach was adopted, using a 32-item questionnaire developed from the literature on pharmacy and pandemic response. The survey was hosted on Survey Monkey and pilot tested. The final survey was disseminated by CPA member organisations. A 6-item online questionnaire was sent via email to all attendees of CPA's COVID-19 webinar. Descriptive statistics on frequency distributions and percentages were used to analyse the responses. Data were analysed using Microsoft® Excel (2010). Results There were 545 responses from pharmacy professionals across 31/54 Commonwealth countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. Majority of the respondents reported being at least somewhat worried (90%) and more than 65% were very worried or extremely about the impact of COVID-19 on them personally and professionally. Nearly two-thirds of respondents stated finding it somewhat difficult or very difficult to work effectively during the pandemic. Challenges mostly faced by pharmacy professionals working remotely included; general anxiety about the impact of COVID-19 on their lives (12%), and difficulties in communicating with their co-workers (12%). Most pharmacy professionals had not previously been actively involved in a global health emergency (82%) nor obtained training on global/public health emergency preparedness (62%). Between 45 and 97% of the COVID-19 webinar attendees provided the correct answers to post-webinar questions, suggesting some improvement in knowledge. Conclusion Our study confirms pharmacy professionals’ concerns about practice during a pandemic and provides preliminary data on the challenges and learning needs of the profession. The CPA has since acted on these findings, providing ongoing opportunities to develop and refine resources for the profession as the pandemic evolves. Pharmacy professionals have also demonstrated improved knowledge on the management of COVID-19 and resources available for professionals.

scholarly journals Advancing Global Health through Environmental and Public Health Tracking

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Lauriola ◽  
Helen Crabbe ◽  
Behrooz Behbod ◽  
Fuyuen Yip ◽  
Sylvia Medina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Global Environmental Change ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Healthy Development ◽  
Health Tracking ◽  
The Impact

Global environmental change has degraded ecosystems. Challenges such as climate change, resource depletion (with its huge implications for human health and wellbeing), and persistent social inequalities in health have been identified as global public health issues with implications for both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. This contributes to pressure on healthcare systems, as well as societal systems that affect health. A novel strategy to tackle these multiple, interacting and interdependent drivers of change is required to protect the population’s health. Public health professionals have found that building strong, enduring interdisciplinary partnerships across disciplines can address environment and health complexities, and that developing Environmental and Public Health Tracking (EPHT) systems has been an effective tool. EPHT aims to merge, integrate, analyse and interpret environmental hazards, exposure and health data. In this article, we explain that public health decision-makers can use EPHT insights to drive public health actions, reduce exposure and prevent the occurrence of disease more precisely in efficient and cost-effective ways. An international network exists for practitioners and researchers to monitor and use environmental health intelligence, and to support countries and local areas toward sustainable and healthy development. A global network of EPHT programs and professionals has the potential to advance global health by implementing and sharing experience, to magnify the impact of local efforts and to pursue data knowledge improvement strategies, aiming to recognise and support best practices. EPHT can help increase the understanding of environmental public health and global health, improve comparability of risks between different areas of the world including Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), enable transparency and trust among citizens, institutions and the private sector, and inform preventive decision making consistent with sustainable and healthy development. This shows how EPHT advances global health efforts by sharing recent global EPHT activities and resources with those working in this field. Experiences from the US, Europe, Asia and Australasia are outlined for operating successful tracking systems to advance global health.

scholarly journals COVID-19 in China: Risk Factors and R0 Revisited

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irtesam Mahmud Khan ◽  
Wenyi Zhang ◽  
Sumaira Zafar ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Junyu He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Visual Aid ◽  
Spatiotemporal Clustering ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 epidemic had spread rapidly through China and subsequently has proliferated globally leading to a pandemic situation around the globe. Human-to-human transmissions, as well as asymptomatic transmissions of the infection, have been confirmed. As of April 3rd, public health crisis in China due to COVID-19 is potentially under control. We compiled a daily dataset of case counts, mortality, recovery, temperature, population density, and demographic information for each prefecture during the period of January 11 to April 07, 2020 (excluding Wuhan from our analysis due to missing data). Understanding the characteristics of spatiotemporal clustering of the COVID-19 epidemic and R0 is critical in effectively preventing and controlling the ongoing global pandemic. The prefectures were grouped based on several relevant features using unsupervised machine learning techniques. We performed a computational analysis utilizing the reported cases in China to estimate the revised R0 among different regions for prevention planning in an ongoing global pandemic. Finally, our results indicate that the impact of temperature and demographic (different age group percentage compared to the total population) factors on virus transmission may be characterized using a stochastic transmission model. Such predictions will help prioritize segments of a given community/ region for action and provide a visual aid in designing prevention strategies for a specific geographic region. Furthermore, revised estimation and our methodology will aid in improving the human health consequences of COVID-19 elsewhere.

scholarly journals Green finance: Pandemic and climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 234 ◽  
pp. 00042
Author(s):  
Igor Klioutchnikov ◽  
Oleg Kliuchnikov
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Green Economy ◽  
Financial Industry ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Green Finance ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact

In the last decade, green finance has become an important area of tackling the environmental threats associated with climate change and a prerequisite for sustainable development. The Covid-19 outbreak has drawn additional attention to green finance as an economic mechanism for creating healthy living environments. The article examines the impact of COVID-19 on the financial industry, the participation of green finance in the economic recovery after the pandemic in the direction of considering the Paris Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The authors put forward the provision on the existence of causal relationships between the "green" financial and "green" economy: "green" finance (reason) is a mechanism for the formation of a "green" economy (consequence). The impact of green finance on society can be greatly enhanced through changes in lifestyles, the behaviour of people and companies, legislative initiatives and government decisions aimed at protecting the health and the environment; climate change and the pandemic have increased the overall fragility of development and created additional risks that are factored into green finance. The article substantiates the position that the global pandemic will have a long-term impact on people's attitudes towards the environment and on the financing of this area. As uncertainty grows about protecting people from disease and mitigating climate change, green finance may become the mainstream of finance.

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