COVID-19 and Politics of Representation: A CSA of Pakistani Print Media Semiotic Discourses

Print media discourses are highly polarized. Different linguistic and meta-linguistic moves are employed to represent the same issue under different socio-political themes. This study decodes the semiotic discourses of two (02) Pakistani English and Urdu newspapers (Dawn & Jang) about the representation of COVID-19 related issues. This has been done to broaden the canvas of the research by including English and Urdu newspapers’ readership. The time span for data collection ranges from March 15, 2020, to May 15, 2020. The integrated research approach used in the study has been devised by drawing upon Kress (2010) and Krueger (2001) to analyze the data at linguistic and semiotic levels. The findings of semiotic analysis have been validated through focus group discussions on the selected cartoons from English and Urdu newspapers. The findings of the research reveal that the representation of COVID- 19 related issues varies in English and Urdu newspapers. The most frequently occurred themes in English newspapers about the representation of covid19 related issues include economic downfall, danger to the worlds’ economy, the clash between America and China, delays in vaccine production, and food and health insecurity at national and international levels. On contrary, the Urdu newspapers highlighted the issues related to corruption, the oil crisis, a satire on the general masses for not observing SOPs, a satire on health ministry, and poverty increase because of lockdown policies. The research contends that semiotic discourses are the best sites for ideological investment and are designed keeping in view the target audience.

Effectiveness of Google Classroom and Edmodo in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic among pharmacy students of Health Polytechnic of Health Ministry Kupang, Indonesia

Objective: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of using Google Classroom and Edmodo in online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: This research is quantitative research. The sample was pharmacy students of the Health Polytechnic of Ministry of Health in Kupang of 2019 and 2020 cohort, with a total of 145 people. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Results: One hundred and twelve (72%) students stated that the use of Google Classroom in online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic had been effective, thirty-two (22%) students stated that the learning was very effective, and eleven (6%) students stated that the learning was not effective because they were confused by the available features. They also need a stable internet network, especially when downloading learning video materials. Student assessments using the Edmodo learning media showed one hundred and one (69%) students said it was effective, twenty-six (18%) students said it was very effective, and eight (13%) stated that it was not effective because of difficulty of reading features in English and there was no direct online syntax available on Edmodo. Conclusion: The results showed that Google Classroom and Edmodo could be effectively applied in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pogotena Sehat: Bakti Sosial Pelayanan Vaksinasi Covid-19 Bagi Masyarakat

The purpose of this activity is social services to provide Covid-19 vaccination services for people in Pogotena village – Loura Subdistrict, Southwest Sumba Regency – NTT. This activity was carried out in collaboration with STKIP Weetebula with the National Covid-19 vaccination assistance committee and also Salim Group (Indofood, Indomaret, ACA Insurance) and the Health Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia. The implementation of this activity by a team of lecturers from STKIP Weetebula consisting of three lecturers from the physics education study program, 1 lecturer from PGSD, and 1 lecturer from the Indonesian education study program involving 6 students. The result of this activity, namely: as many as 156 people in pogotena village can be served for vaccination using astrazaneca vaccine type. Some of the obstacles faced in the field are that many people have to go home because they do not qualify for vaccines, such as high blood pressure, the type of vaccine used only Astrazaneca so that it cannot reach people under the age of 18 years, and also services for the community who will do the second vaccine because the type of vaccine used is different from the type of vaccine available. The conclusion of this social service activity is that the community is very happy with the services of lecturers and students and very hopeful that this activity can be done again for residents who have not qualified for vaccines. With this social service activity, the Covid-19 vaccination process can be accelerated so as to realize healthy communities and villages

Covid-19 among the population deprived of liberty in Brazil and in the state of Paraná

The aim of this study was to compare Covid-19 incidence and mortality among population deprived of liberty (PDL), prison staff and general population in Brazil and in the state of Paraná. The methods consisted in data collection from weekly reports from the Nacional Justice Board and Health Ministry, between June and December 2020. Covid-19 testing, infection, mortality, and lethality rates were compared among PDL, prison staff and Brazil and Paraná’s general population. As for the results, compared to the general population, the relative risk of Covid-19 confirmed case among PDL was 1.594 (CI 95% 1.578 – 1.610) in Brazil and 3.055 (CI 95% 2.941 – 3.173) in Paraná. The proportion of test per national population was 22.86%, 44.42% and 4.45% among PDL, prison staff and general population, respectively. In Paraná, the testing rate was 8.19% in PDL, 42.98% in prison staff and 12.70% in the general population. In conclusion, the proportion of Covid-19 cases is greater in prisons than in the general population and the testing of PDL should be amplified.

Emergence of Mucormycosis during COVID-19 Pandemic in India

The present review describes about the disease and the fungal agent in brief, and also stresses for establishment of mechanically ventilated hospital wards across the country. Second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India has been complicated by high infection rate (R0), 600% jump in medical oxygen demand by COVID hospitals, and after all emergence of Mucormycosis since April-May 2021 leading to fatal complications. Mucormycosis is a very rare infection in humans. It is caused by exposure to mucor mould/ fungi which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables. These Fungi belonging to the class Zygomycetes and order Mucorales often cause devastating angio-invasive infections, primarily in co-morbid and immunocompromised patients. The emergence of mucormycosis is being reported globally. In India, people with diabetes mellitus are highly susceptible to the disease. But during the second wave of Covid-19 in India, several cases of mucormycosis, also called the "black fungus" disease, have been reported among convalescing and convalescent COVID-19 patients across India with a mortality rate of 50%. More than 5000 cases of mucormycosis during the second wave of Covid-19, have been reported in about 21 states of the country, with Maharashtra and Gujarat states reporting highest number of cases (as on 21 May 2021). The infection has claimed over 120 lives so far, and has complicated recovery from Covid-19 in many more. The Indian Union health ministry has declared mucormycosis as a notified disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Rhino-orbital COVID-19 associated mucormycosis- A case report

COVID-19 Associated Mucormycosis (CAM) is an emerging infectious disease that has caused increased mortality & morbidity in India during this second wave of the pandemic. The country has reported more than 30,000 cases and over 2,000 deaths by Mucormycosis so far, according to sources from Union Health Ministry. CAM is now a notifiable disease. At our Tertiary care teaching hospital, which caters for COVID 19 management, we are reporting the first case of Rhino orbital CAM, which was caused by Rhizopus spp. Our patient had a history of contact with a suspected COVID 19 patient and was recently diagnosed with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. A direct KOH microscopic examination of purulent material aspirated from the sinonasal polyp of the patient revealed fungal elements, and Rhizopus spp was isolated. Due to a shortage of Amphotericin B, the patient was referred to a government higher speciality centre for further management. The patient was followed up & was noted that he was treated with antifungal and discharged following recovery.

Drug and Chemical Poisoning Patterns in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia

This research reveals that drugs and chemicals poisoning have been reported to have severe and fetal side effects on health provided by doctors in statistics and periodical records. This work aimed to explore the interaction among drug and chemical poisoning patterns concerning risk factors, especially gender, age, exposure circumstances, and outcomes in the Makkah region. A retrospective analysis was of clinical drug and chemical poisoning cases (2014–2015). The data were retrieved from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Ministry of Health, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health received 1216 reports of drug and chemical poisoning during 2014–2015 in Makkah. This study has found that, the most affected gender was that of males (65%). The most affected age category with drug poisoning was over 15 years old (67%), but under 5 years for chemical poisoning (60%). The majority of drug poisoning cases are unknown drugs (42%), which accidental poisoning was a minority compared with other drug causes (27%). Chemical poisoning accidents were the majority causes of the recorded cases (63%). We reported healthy recovered without complications for most patients from drug and chemical poisoning (85–95%). Antidotes were administered in only (5%) of cases, and fatalities were reported (0.5% of cases). We have shown a flagrant increase in the number of people poisoned by drugs and chemical agents during 2015. Increases poisoning cases involved both genders and all studied age categories, especially males over 15 years up to 25 (drugs) and < 5 years (chemicals). Most cases were accidental (chemicals) and reported healthy recovery for most patients.

Nitrate contamination level in groundwater of the randublatung basin and its surroundings

The community of Randublatung basin and its surroundings (Grobogan, Blora, and Bojonegoro Regencies) using groundwater for agricultural, farming, and daily needs. However, these activities can contaminate the groundwater through nitrate and chloride in fertilizers, pesticides, animal waste, and household waste. Therefore, it is crucial to know the amount of nitrate and chloride content in the groundwater of The Randublatung basin and its surroundings. This research aims to analyze nitrate and chloride content and the ratio between ions in the groundwater of The Randublatung basin and its surroundings to find contaminant resources. The method to analyze the nitrate and chloride content is using Ion Chromatography. The analysis result from 35 samples of groundwater shows that the average nitrate content in dug wells samples is 10.06 mg/L, while the average from pump wells is 6.31 mg/L. The average chloride in dug wells samples is 43.65 mg/L, and the average from pump wells is 54.57 mg/L. These nitrate and chloride level are still in safe category based on Health Ministry Indonesia and WHO. The nitrate: chloride ratio in dug wells is 1:5, 1:9 from pump wells. The ratios indicate that the nitrate’s resource is associated with the on-site sanitation and will increase if there is no mitigation action to the contaminant resource.

Rancang bangun sistem deteksi suhu tubuh dan hand sanitizer nirsentuh pada prototype pintu geser otomatis

Dalam situasi pandemi Covid-19, roda perekonomian harus tetap berjalan dengan mengedepankan protokol kesehatan. Melansir dari keputusan menteri kesehatan bahwa setiap kantor di Indonesia yang tetap melaksakan Work From Office selama PSBB berlangsung maka harus melakukan pengukuran suhu tubuh, menyediakan hand sanitizer dengan konsentrasi alkohol minimal 70% atau menyediakan sarana cuci tangan di depan pintu masuk. Masalah yang sering terjadi adalah pengukuran suhu tubuh masih dilakukan secara manual oleh satpam kantor, dan tidak terbiasanya para karyawan untuk menggunakan hand sanitizer. Sebagai upaya pendisiplinan karyawan, maka dirancang prototype pintu otomatis yang hanya bisa terbuka jika suhu tubuh normal dan karyawan sudah menggunakan hand sanitizer. Deteksi suhu tubuh dilakukan menggunakan sensor suhu MLX90614 dan deteksi objek tangan menggunakan sensor infrared. Pintu geser digerakkan oleh Stepper Motor NEMA 17, pintu secara otomatis akan terbuka ketika suhu terdeteksi normal, jika tidak maka buzzer akan berbunyi dan pintu tetap tertutup. Hasil dari penelitian ini memperoleh hasil pengujian keakuratan sensor suhu MLX90614 sebesar 96.8%, posisi tangan optimal yaitu posisi tangan menengadah dengan jarak 1cm terhadap sensor, dan volume hand sanitizer yang cukup untuk mengcover seluruh telapak tangan dewasa adalah pada delay 500 ms yaitu sebesar 2.2991 gram. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the economics activities must go on with strict health protocols. From the recommendation of health ministry, that every office in Indonesia that still performs Work From Office during the pandemic, temperature measurements must be carried out at the entrance to the office and hand sanitizer that contains minimum of 70% alcohol or hand washing facilities must be provided as well. The problem is that body temperature measurements are still done manually by security officer, and some employees are still not familiar to use hand sanitizer periodically. As an option to make employees discipline, a prototype of automatic door is designed in this research. It can only open if the body temperature of employee is normal and the employee has used hand sanitizer. Body temperature detection is carried out by using the MLX90614 temperature sensor and hand object detection will utilize infrared sensor. The sliding door is driven by the NEMA 17 Stepper Motor, the door will automatically open when the temperature is detected normally, otherwise the buzzer will sound and the door will be still closed. From the testing results in this research, the accuracy of the MLX90614 temperature sensor is 96.8%, the optimal position of the hand is 1 cm from the sensor with looking up position. And the volume of the hand sanitizer that is sufficient to cover all adult palms with 500 ms delay is 2.2991 grams.

Health ministry corruption may hurt Ramaphosa

Headline SOUTH AFRICA: New scandal may hurt president