scholarly journals Exit strategy of COVID-19 crisis and pathways of Vaccination

Author(s):  
Indrani Roy

There is a strong coordinated effort by vaccination groups all over the world to put an end to the current crisis of COVID-19. The Mass vaccination first started in the UK on 8th December 2020 and soon afterward covered all of the globe. Now sufficient data are available to analyse and compare some results to explore many aftereffects of vaccination. Some influence variables on transmissions of the disease were discussed e.g., mass vaccination, lockdown and seasonality. To address seasonality, similarities between COVID-19 and seasonal Flu are discussed to gain useful insight. Like Flu, seasonality was shown to play a dominant role in transmissions of COVID-19 in the Eu-rope and US. In terms of mass vaccination, adverse reactions after vaccination received attention, as health and safety issues of the general public are of prime importance. Apart from direct side effects, the secondary effect of mass vaccination needs attention too. After the initiation of vaccination programme , almost all countries experienced a sudden surge of transmission and most countries had to impose strict lockdown measures. Many countries, those showed a low prevalence of the disease, suddenly showed a steep jump after the onset of mass vaccination. Some countries even followed a synchronized pattern between the rate of transmissions and the variation of vaccine doses; the pattern seemed distinct with the sudden steep rise/fall in vaccine doses (e.g., countries India, Indonesia among others). In that context, fast mutation of the virus and new variants after mass vaccination and possible mechanisms/consequences were discussed. Balanced discussion, critical and open analyses are desperately needed in the current crucial stage. Debating, questioning and criticism are always the foundation of good science and the main pillars to its progress. Following that objective, it is an effort to explore pragmatically, areas relating to the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and the exit strategy via the pathway of vaccination. Policymakers, academics, patients and common people will be greatly benefitted from such critical, transparent and balanced analyses.

Author(s):  
Melanie Fraser

This chapter looks into the legal understandings that managers have of lactation breaks. It gives a summary of the key legislation applicable in the United Kingdom and discusses how this is applied within the workplace. The chapter also gives some suggestions for how to improve the legislative backdrop in which women make decisions about their return to work, breastfeeding, and how this process can be better managed by employers. In the project described here, managers, human resources staff, and strategic leaders in a UK public sector organisation were asked about lactation breaks. This investigation shows a real-world context for decision-making around infant feeding. Managers displayed limited knowledge of the legislation and called for goodwill from all parties to resolve issues, better guidance, and perhaps legislation on the topic. There were some hesitancies about allowing a baby to visit the workplace, because of lack of suitable facilities, and health and safety issues. This chapter indicates that better procedures are needed for the process of returning to work as a new parent, and that lactation breaks should be part of that conversation.


Author(s):  
Wendy C. Sealy

Since the 1980s employers in the UK have been subject to statutory responsibilities to ensure that all workplaces are safe. These responsibilities also extend to event managers staging one-off events. The Corporate Manslaughter Act of 1997 and the Health and Safety Act 1999 have invariably changed the way that events are planned, managed, and delivered. This chapter examines best practices for managing major health and safety issues at outdoor music festivals (OMFs) based on an extensive literature review and the author's practitioner experience of various music festivals nationwide. It will provide a practical and convenient reference guide for event managers who do not have time to attend other training or to do extensive research. The first section will discuss the legislative framework for outdoor events in the UK. Next, commentary is provided on the nature and characteristics of outdoor music festivals. Common risks associated with outdoor music festivals are discussed accompanied by actionable steps that event managers can employ to mitigate risks.


Author(s):  
Maud Miguet ◽  
Gull Rukh ◽  
Olga E. Titova ◽  
Helgi B. Schiöth

Improving health and safety at work has been an important issue for the European Union since the 1980s. The existing literature supports that shift work is associated with multiple indicators of poor health but frequently neglects the potential impact of occupational hazards. This study aims at describing and comparing the exposure to different workplace hazards among shift and other workers before and after 1980. Exposure to different workplace hazards (noise, dust, pollutant, and other physical stressors) were analyzed among 119,413 participants from the UK Biobank cohort. After stratifying the analyses before and after 1980, exposure was compared between shift and other workers. Potential confounding variables (sex, age, ethnicity, education level, occupational category, and neuroticism) were adjusted for in the log-binomial regression. Shift workers had a higher prevalence ratio (PR) than other workers of being exposed to almost all identified hazards both before or after 1980. They were also more likely to be exposed to multiple hazards compared to other workers, both before 1980 (PR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.21–1.30) and after 1980 (PR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.30–1.38). The prevalence of all measured risk factors was higher after 1980 than before 1980 among shift workers. Of note, the work environment has improved overall for other workers. Our findings suggest that changes at the workplace have benefited other workers more than shift workers as they are still more exposed to all occupational hazards.


Author(s):  
Indrani Roy

Vaccination groups all over the globe made a strong coordinated effort to put an end to the current COVID-19 crisis. Since vaccination started first in the UK on 8 th December, 2020 we have sufficient data to analyse and derive useful results. It addressed issues viz. seasonality, indirect consequences of mass vaccination and fast mutation of the virus after mass vaccination. To develop useful timely insights, some similarities between COVID-19 and Flu received attention. Critical and open analyses, balanced discussion in the current crucial stage are desperately needed. Questioning, debating and criticism are always the basis of good science and the main pillars to its advancement. With that objective in mind, it is an effort to explore areas relating to the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines with a pragmatic viewpoint. Policymakers will be greatly benefitted from such analyses. An alternative optimistic pathway is also mentioned which was proposed as early as 17 th March, 2020 and is practically without side effects and no vested interest involved.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hollis ◽  
Stavroula Leka ◽  
Aditya Jain ◽  
Nicholas J. A. Andreou ◽  
Gerard Zwetsloot

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Liou ◽  
Catherine Porter ◽  
Thu Quach

The nail salon sector is growing rapidly. Nail salon workers are predominantly Vietnamese immigrant women who are exposed to numerous harmful chemicals in nail care products. The situation is exacerbated by limited safety information, language barriers to information, and lack of government oversight. This brief discusses the health and safety issues faced by workers at the nexus of environmental and worker justice and the policy recommendations by which to address these issues from a public health and regulatory perspective. Although these policy recommendations pertain to California where the sector is largest, they also have far-reaching implications at the national level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_N) ◽  
pp. N135-N137
Author(s):  
Teresa Fedele ◽  
Silvia Orefice ◽  
Ludovica Fiorillo ◽  
Vittoria Cuomo ◽  
Valentina Capone ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims The inability to carry office visits was collateral damage caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Tele-health is a relatively new, and yet fundamental amid the current crisis, resource to bridge the gap between phisicians and patients. Methods and results We report our experience with telemedicine and describe the major events occured in our patients. 121 consecutive adult patients with arterial hypertension (F/M: 56/65; mean age: 66.8 years) were enrolled. 33 patients (27%) had also diabetes, 94 (78%) were also affected from dyslipidemia and 11 (9%) had CAD. They all referred to our ambulatory of hypertension, in most of case for several years. Given the impossibility to continue routine outpatient visits during lockdown, they were all phone called by three residents in order to detect their state of health or any events they could have experienced over this period. They were all asked about their own blood pressure values, the occurrence of new symptoms and of new-onset both cardiovascular and non cardiovascular events. We also followed a self-made preset form. 31 of them (26%) experienced cardiovascular symptoms/events during this period: 11 had hypertensive peaks, in one case associated with nausea and vomiting while 2 of them had hypotensive episodes; 10 had typical angina and/or dyspnoea while 4 had atypical angina; 6 had palpitations; 1 of them developed new onset atrial fibrillation resolved with pharmacologic cardioversion during hospitalization; 1 had syncope; 1 patient reported new onset peripheral oedema; 2 patients died during lockdown for non cardiovascular causes. 17 of them also developed non cardiovascular symptoms, 7 of whom were severe anxiety and/or panic attacks. Almost all patients had important lifestyle changes, in 15 cases (12.3%) associated with weight increase. Conclusion The impossibility to access to routine outpatient visits during lockdown due to global pandemic of SARS-CoV2, has brought out the risk of underestimating consequences of chronic disease, in absence of appropriate Follow-up. Nevertheless, the two deaths we report were not related to cardiovascular disease. The risk is that both the missing of cardiovascular control visit and the extension of the waiting list, could provoke serious complications in patients suffering from chronic cardiovascular disease.


The Lancet ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 397 (10271) ◽  
pp. 274
Author(s):  
Raymond M Agius ◽  
Denise Kendrick ◽  
Herb F Sewell ◽  
Marcia Stewart ◽  
John FR Robertson
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