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The COVID‐19 outbreak led to widespread disruption and stress to people's lives. Concern about the escalation of domestic violence (DV) rates and related mental health issues soon emerged following the implementation of strategies aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. This perspective paper presents an overview of the issues, argues for greater recognition of the link between DV against women and serious emotional distress, and the need for greater awareness and knowledge about DV among mental health professionals. While we acknowledge that men also experience DV, their rates are much lower than for women and in this paper our focus is on women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past years, eosinophils have become a focus of scientific interest, especially in the context of their recently uncovered functions (e.g. antiviral, anti‐inflammatory, regulatory). These versatile cells display both beneficial and detrimental activities under various physiological and pathological conditions. Eosinophils are involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases which can be classified into primary (clonal) and secondary (reactive) disorders and idiopathic (hyper)eosinophilic syndromes. Depending on the biological specimen, the eosinophil count in different body compartments may serve as a biomarker reflecting the underlying pathophysiology and/or activity of distinct diseases and as a therapy‐driving (predictive) and monitoring tool. Personalized selection of an appropriate therapeutic strategy directly or indirectly targeting the increased number and/or activity of eosinophils should be based on the understanding of eosinophil homeostasis including their interactions with other immune and non‐immune cells within different body compartments. Hence, restoring as well as maintaining homeostasis within an individual's eosinophil pool is a goal of both specific and non‐specific eosinophil‐targeting therapies. Despite the overall favourable safety profile of the currently available anti‐eosinophil biologics, the effect of eosinophil depletion should be monitored from the perspective of possible unwanted consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point‐of‐care testing (POCT) can be the method of choice for detecting infectious pathogens; these pathogens are responsible for not only infectious diseases such as COVID‐19, but also for certain types of cancers. For example, infections by human papillomavirus (HPV) or Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) are the main cause of cervical and stomach cancers, respectively. COVID‐19 and many cancers are treatable with early diagnoses using POCT. A variety of nucleic acid testing have been developed for use in resource‐limited environments. However, questions like unintegrated nucleic acid extraction, open detection systems increase the risk of cross‐contamination, and dependence on expensive equipment and alternating current (AC) power supply, significantly limit the application of POCT, especially for on‐site testing. In this paper, a simple portable platform is reported capable of rapid sample‐to‐answer testing within 30 min based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) at a lower temperature, to detect SARS‐CoV‐2 virus and H. pylori bacteria with a limit of detection as low as 4 × 102 copies mL−1. The platform used a battery‐powered portable reader for on‐chip one‐pot amplification and fluorescence detection, and can test for multiple (up to four) infectious pathogens simultaneously. This platform can provide an alternative method for fast and reliable on‐site diagnostic testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the coronavirus pandemic, changes in the way science is done and shared occurred, which motivates meta‐research to help understand science communication in crises and improve its effectiveness. The objective is to study how many Spanish scientific papers on COVID‐19 published during 2020 share their research data. Qualitative and descriptive study applying nine attributes: (a) availability, (b) accessibility, (c) format, (d) licensing, (e) linkage, (f) funding, (g) editorial policy, (h) content, and (i) statistics. We analyzed 1,340 papers, 1,173 (87.5%) did not have research data. A total of 12.5% share their research data of which 2.1% share their data in repositories, 5% share their data through a simple request, 0.2% do not have permission to share their data, and 5.2% share their data as supplementary material. There is a small percentage that shares their research data; however, it demonstrates the researchers' poor knowledge on how to properly share their research data and their lack of knowledge on what is research data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS‐C) is a rare, but severe complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). It develops approximately 4 weeks after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection and involves hyperinflammation with multisystem injury, commonly progressing to shock. The exact pathomechanism of MIS‐C is not known, but immunological dysregulation leading to cytokine storm plays a central role. In response to the emergence of MIS‐C, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) established a task force (TF) within the Immunology Section in May 2021. With the use of an online Delphi process, TF formulated clinical statements regarding immunological background of MIS‐C, diagnosis, treatment, follow‐up, and the role of COVID‐19 vaccinations. MIS‐C case definition is broad, and diagnosis is made based on clinical presentation. The immunological mechanism leading to MIS‐C is unclear and depends on activating multiple pathways leading to hyperinflammation. Current management of MIS‐C relies on supportive care in combination with immunosuppressive and/or immunomodulatory agents. The most frequently used agents are systemic steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin. Despite good overall short‐term outcome, MIS‐C patients should be followed‐up at regular intervals after discharge, focusing on cardiac disease, organ damage, and inflammatory activity. COVID‐19 vaccination is a safe and effective measure to prevent MIS‐C. In anticipation of further research, we propose a convenient and clinically practical algorithm for managing MIS‐C developed by the Immunology Section of the EAACI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Health risks associated with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection are undisputed. Moreover, the capability of vaccination to prevent symptomatic, severe, and fatal COVID‐19 is recognized. There is also early evidence that vaccination can reduce the chance for long COVID‐19. Nonetheless, the willingness to get vaccinated and receive booster shots remains subpar among people with neurologic disorders. Vaccine scepticism not only jeopardizes collective efforts to end the COVID‐19 pandemic but puts individual lives at risk, as some chronic neurologic diseases are associated with a higher risk for an unfavorable COVID‐19 course. Methods: In this position paper, the NeuroCOVID‐19 Task Force of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) summarizes the current knowledge on the prognosis of COVID‐19 among patients with neurologic disease, elucidates potential barriers to vaccination coverage, and formulates strategies to overcome vaccination hesitancy. A survey among the Task Force members on the phenomenon of vaccination hesitancy among people with neurologic disease supports the lines of argumentation. Results: The study revealed that people with multiple sclerosis and other nervous system autoimmune disorders are most skeptical of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination. The prevailing concerns included the chance of worsening the pre‐existing neurological condition, vaccination‐related adverse events, and drug interaction. Conclusions: The EAN NeuroCOVID‐19 Task Force reinforces the key role of neurologists as advocates of COVID‐19 vaccination. Neurologists need to argue in the interest of their patients about the overwhelming individual and global benefits of COVID‐19 vaccination. Moreover, they need to keep on eye on this vulnerable patient group, its concerns, and the emergence of potential safety signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in China in November 2019. Most governments have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by imposing a lockdown. Some evidence suggests that a period of isolation might have led to a spike in alcohol misuse, and in the case of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), social isolation can favour lapse and relapse. The aim of our position paper is to provide specialists in the alcohol addiction field, in psychopharmacology, gastroenterology and in internal medicine, with appropriate tools to better manage patients with AUD and COVID-19,considering some important topics: (a) the susceptibility of AUD patients to infection; (b) the pharmacological interaction between medications used to treat AUD and to treat COVID-19; (c) the reorganization of the Centre for Alcohol Addiction Treatment for the management of AUD patients in the COVID-19 era (group activities, telemedicine, outpatients treatment, alcohol-related liver disease and liver transplantation, collecting samples); (d) AUD and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Telemedicine/telehealth will undoubtedly be useful/practical tools even though it remains at an elementary level; the contribution of the family and of caregivers in the management of AUD patients will play a significant role; the multidisciplinary intervention involving experts in the treatment of AUD with specialists in the treatment of COVID-19 disease will need implementation. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly leading addiction specialists towards a new governance scenario of AUD, which necessarily needs an in-depth reconsideration, focusing attention on a safe approach in combination with the efficacy of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The latest outbreak of a coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID‐19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), evolved into a worldwide pandemic with massive effects on health, quality of life, and economy. Given the short period of time since the outbreak, there are several knowledge gaps on the comparative and zoonotic aspects of this new virus. Within the One Health concept, the current EAACI position paper dwells into the current knowledge on SARS‐CoV‐2's receptors, symptoms, transmission routes for human and animals living in close vicinity to each other, usefulness of animal models to study this disease and management options to avoid intra‐ and interspecies transmission. Similar pandemics might appear unexpectedly and more frequently in the near future due to climate change, consumption of exotic foods and drinks, globe‐trotter travel possibilities, the growing world population, the decreasing production space, declining room for wildlife and free‐ranging animals, and the changed lifestyle including living very close to animals. Therefore, both the society and the health authorities need to be aware and well prepared for similar future situations, and research needs to focus on prevention and fast development of treatment options (medications, vaccines). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of COVID‐19 has underlined the need for reliable information to guide clinical practice and policy. This urgency has to be balanced against disruption to journal handling capacity and the continued need to ensure scientific rigour. We examined the reporting quality of highly disseminated COVID‐19 research papers using a bibliometric analysis examining reporting quality and risk of bias (RoB) amongst 250 top scoring Altmetric Attention Score (AAS) COVID‐19 research papers between January and April 2020. Method‐specific RoB tools were used to assess quality. After exclusions, 84 studies from 44 journals were included. Forty‐three (51%) were case series/studies, and only one was an randomized controlled trial. Most authors were from institutions based in China (n = 44, 52%). The median AAS and impact factor was 2015 (interquartile range [IQR] 1,105–4,051.5) and 12.8 (IQR 5–44.2) respectively. Nine studies (11%) utilized a formal reporting framework, 62 (74%) included a funding statement, and 41 (49%) were at high RoB. This review of the most widely disseminated COVID‐19 studies highlights a preponderance of low‐quality case series with few research papers adhering to good standards of reporting. It emphasizes the need for cautious interpretation of research and the increasingly vital responsibility that journals have in ensuring high‐quality publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2019 outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) in Wuhan (Hubei province of China) has given rise to a pandemic spread of virus, more than 240 million incidences and a death toll larger than 5 million people. COVID‐19 has set off large efforts in research, therapy and patient care, as well as public and private debates in every imaginable form. A number of scientists used the publication platforms provided by the Federation of the European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) to present their research data, reviews, opinions and other contributions relating to COVID‐19 and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). Here, I highlight the recent COVID‐19 papers which have been published and collected in a Virtual Issue in FEBS Letters, and discuss their implications towards understanding the molecular, biochemical and cellular mechanisms of SARS‐CoV‐2 infections, vaccine development and antiviral discovery strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With so much emphasis on COVID‐19 in the medical and lay press, some interesting publications, particularly on the fringes of urology, may have been overlooked. This article intends to cover some of these publications' findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has evolved into a pandemic infectious disease transmitted by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV‐2). Allergists and other healthcare providers (HCPs) in the field of allergies and associated airway diseases are on the front line, taking care of patients potentially infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. Hence, strategies and practices to minimize risks of infection for both HCPs and treated patients have to be developed and followed by allergy clinics. Method: The scientific information on COVID‐19 was analysed by a literature search in MEDLINE, PubMed, the National and International Guidelines from the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), the Cochrane Library, and the internet. Results: Based on the diagnostic and treatment standards developed by EAACI, on international information regarding COVID‐19, on guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other international organizations, and on previous experience, a panel of experts including clinicians, psychologists, IT experts, and basic scientists along with EAACI and the "Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA)" initiative have developed recommendations for the optimal management of allergy clinics during the current COVID‐19 pandemic. These recommendations are grouped into nine sections on different relevant aspects for the care of patients with allergies. Conclusions: This international Position Paper provides recommendations on operational plans and procedures to maintain high standards in the daily clinical care of allergic patients while ensuring the necessary safety measures in the current COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first reports of a link between COVID-19 and anosmia emerged in late March 2020, followed by a rapid growth in associated publications. COVID-19, evidence-based medicine, olfaction, olfactory-based medicine, preprint Keywords: COVID-19; evidence-based medicine; olfaction; olfactory-based medicine; preprint EN COVID-19 evidence-based medicine olfaction olfactory-based medicine preprint 1128 1131 4 06/30/21 20210701 NES 210701 INTRODUCTION Traditional medical publishing involves a process of peer review prior to acceptance and publication, with manuscripts often embargoed prior to publication. [Extracted from the article]

Further to the approval of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine BNT162b2, several severe anaphylaxis cases occured within the first few days of public vaccination. An investigation is taking place to understand the cases and their triggers. The vaccine will be administered to a large number of individuals worldwide and there are raising concerns that severe adverse events might occur. With the current information, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) states its position for the following preliminary recommendations that are to be revised as soon as more data emerge. To minimize the risk of severe allergic reactions in vaccinated individuals, it is urgently required to understand the specific nature of the reported severe allergic reactions, including the background medical history of the individuals affected and the mechanisms involved. To achieve this goal, all clinical and laboratory information should be collected and reported. Mild and moderate allergic patients should not be excluded from the vaccine as this could have a significant impact on reaching the goal of population immunity. Healthcare practitioners vaccinating against COVID‐19 are required to be sufficiently prepared to recognize and treat anaphylaxis properly with the ability to administer adrenaline. Further to vaccine administration, a mandatory observation period of at least 15 minutes should be followed for all individuals. The current data have not shown any higher risk for patients suffering from allergic rhinitis or asthma, and this message should be clearly stated by physicians to enable our patients to trust the vaccine. More than 30% of the population suffers from allergic diseases and the benefit of the vaccination clearly outweighs the risk of severe COVID‐19 development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic and the UK government's subsequent coronavirus action plan have fundamentally impacted on every aspect of healthcare. One area that is severely affected is ear, nose and throat (ENT)/laryngology where speech and language therapists (SLTs) engage in a diverse range of practice with patients with a range of conditions, including voice disorders, airway problems, and head and neck cancers (HNCs). A large majority of these patients are in high‐risk categories, and many specialized clinical practices are vulnerable. In addition, workforce and research issues are challenged in both the immediate context and the future. Aims: To discuss the threats and opportunities from the COVID‐19 pandemic for SLTs in ENT/laryngology with specific reference to clinical practice, workforce and research leadership. Methods & Procedures: The relevant sections of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) health systems building blocks framework (2007) were used to structure the study. Expert agreement was determined by an iterative process of multiple‐group discussions, the use of all recent relevant policy documentation, and other literature and shared documentation/writing. The final paper was verified and agreed by all authors. Main Contribution: The main threats to ENT/laryngology SLT clinical services include increased patient complexity related to COVID‐19 voice and airway problems, delayed HNC diagnosis, reduced access to instrumental procedures and inequitable care provision. The main clinical opportunities include the potential for new modes of service delivery and collaborations, and harnessing SLT expertise in non‐instrumental assessment. There are several workforce issues, including redeployment (and impact on current services), training implications and psychological impact on staff. Workforce opportunities exist for service innovation and potential extended ENT/SLT practice roles. Research is threatened by a reduction in immediate funding calls and high competition. Current research is affected by very limited access to participants and the ability to conduct face‐to‐face and instrumental assessments. However, research opportunities may result in greater collaboration, and changes in service delivery necessitate robust investigation and evaluation. A new national set of research priorities is likely to emerge. Conclusions & Implications: The immediate impact of the pandemic has resulted in major disruption to all aspects of clinical delivery, workforce and research for ENT/laryngology SLT. It is unclear when any of these areas will resume operations and whether permanent changes to clinical practice, professional remits and research priorities will follow. However, significant opportunity exists in the post‐COVID era to re‐evaluate current practice, embrace opportunities and evaluate new ways of working. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subjectENT/laryngology SLTs manage patients with a range of conditions, including voice disorders, airway problems and HNCs. The diverse scope of clinical practice involves highly specialized assessment and treatment practices in patients in high‐risk categories. A large majority of active research projects in this field are patient focused and involve instrumental assessment. The COVID‐19 pandemic has created both opportunities and threats for ENT SLT clinical services, workforce and research.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis study provides a discussion of the threats and opportunities from the COVID‐19 pandemic for ENT/laryngology SLT with specific reference to clinical practice, workforce and research leadership.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in major disruption to all aspects of clinical delivery, workforce and research for ENT/laryngology SLT. Changes to clinical practice, professional remits and research priorities are of indeterminant duration at this time, and some components could be permanent. Significant clinical practice, workforce and research opportunities may exist in the post‐COVID era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the health beliefs of clinical and academic nurses from Japan, Australia and China regarding wearing paper masks to protect themselves and others, and to identify differences in participants' health beliefs regarding masks. Background: The correct use of face masks and consensus among health professionals across the globe is essential for containing pandemics, and nurses need to act according to policy to protect themselves, educate the public and preserve resources for frontline health workers. Paper masks are worn by health professionals and the general public to avoid the transmission of respiratory infections, such as COVID‐19, but there appear to be differences in health beliefs of nurses within and between countries regarding these. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used content analysis with a framework approach. Findings: There were major differences in nurse participants' beliefs between and within countries, including how nurses use paper masks and their understanding of their efficacy. In addition, there were cultural differences in the way that nurses use masks in their daily lives and nursing practice contexts. Conclusion: Nurses from different working environments, countries and areas of practice hold a variety of health beliefs about mask wearing at the personal and professional level. Implications for nursing policy and health policy: The COVID‐19 pandemic has sparked much discussion about the critical importance of masks for the safety of health professionals, and there has been considerable discussion and disagreement about health policies regarding mask use by the general public. Improper use of masks may have a role in creating mask shortages or transmitting infections. An evidence‐based global policy on mask use for respiratory illnesses for health professionals, including nurses, and the general public needs to be adopted and supported by a wide‐reaching education campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis is regarded as a chronic airway disease. According to WHO recommendations, it may be a risk factor for COVID‐19 patients. In most CRSwNP cases, the inflammatory changes affecting the nasal and paranasal mucous membranes are type‐2 (T2) inflammation endotypes. Methods: The current knowledge on COVID‐19 and on treatment options for CRS was analyzed by a literature search in Medline, Pubmed, international guidelines, the Cochrane Library and the Internet. Results: Based on international literature, on current recommendations by WHO and other international organizations as well as on previous experience, a panel of experts from EAACI and ARIA provided recommendations for the treatment of CRS during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Conclusion: Intranasal corticosteroids remain the standard treatment for CRS in patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Surgical treatments should be reduced to a minimum and surgery preserved for patients with local complications and for those with no other treatment options. Systemic corticosteroids should be avoided. Treatment with biologics can be continued with careful monitoring in noninfected patients and should be temporarily interrupted during the course of the COVID‐19 infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), a respiratory tract infection caused by a novel human coronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, leads to a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic cases to patients with mild and severe symptoms, with or without pneumonia. Given the huge influence caused by the overwhelming COVID‐19 pandemic affecting over three million people worldwide, a wide spectrum of drugs is considered for the treatment in the concept of repurposing and off‐label use. There is no knowledge about the diagnosis and clinical management of the drug hypersensitivity reactions that can potentially occur during the disease. This review brings together all the published information about the diagnosis and management of drug hypersensitivity reactions due to current and candidate off‐label drugs and highlights relevant recommendations. Furthermore, it gathers all the dermatologic manifestations reported during the disease for guiding the clinicians to establish a better differential diagnosis of drug hypersensitivity reactions in the course of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public emergencies are focal events that present possibilities for policy changes. This study aims to explain policy insights on policy change in Iran through analyzing how the Iranian government's policy toward the long‐awaited e‐authentication finally changed in the wake of the outbreak of COVID‐19. Due to the policy context of Iran, it uses the Multiple Stream Model, in which three streams were identified: problem, policy, and political dynamics. The paper contends that while the second stream existed prior to the pandemic, the first one had not yet been appropriately recognized by the government. Furthermore, it identifies the political stream as the third missing link for policy change. With the spread of coronavirus, these three streams converged, thus opening a window of opportunity for enacting this policy change. Two main reasons behind the emergence of this opening are identified: first, arising a new complex problem (COVID‐19) that necessitated new initiatives, and second, growing public anxiety about the pandemic. Iran's desperate circumstances, which included an already severely depressed economy as the result of sanctions, were further exacerbated through the socio‐economic repercussions of the pandemic. Furthermore, the growing demand from prospective traders to register for the stock exchange during the lockdown prompted officials to make a realistic decision. As a result, barriers to e‐authentication were overcome and policy change happened. The paper highlights the security perspective as a necessary condition for policy change in Iran. Finally, it discusses the likelihood of permanency of the change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID‐19 has been ravaging the world for a long time, and although its effects are currently the same as those of a cold or a fever, timely diagnosis of COVID‐19 in the elderly and in patients with related illnesses is still a matter of great urgency. To address this challenge, we propose a model that combines the strengths of the Swin Transformer and ResNet34 architectures to efficiently diagnose COVID‐19 in elderly and vulnerable patients. In this paper, we design a model that integrates Swin transformer and resnet34, which not only integrates the advantages of transformer and CNN but also achieves excellent performance in this image classification problem. Moreover, a pre‐processing method is also proposed to increase the accuracy of the model to 99.08%. In this paper, experiments were conducted on Kaggle's publicly available three‐classification and four‐classification datasets, respectively, and on the three main evaluation metrics of Accuracy, Precision, and Recall, the first dataset obtained 98.81%, 99.49%, and 97.99%, while the second dataset obtained 88.82%, 88.92%, and 86.38%. These findings highlight the validity and potential of our proposed model for diagnosing the presence or absence of COVID‐19 in elderly and vulnerable patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusions While suicides in the United States decreased during the COVID‐19 pandemic, statistically significant decreases have been limited to White people throughout a large portion of 2020.This paper outlines possible explanations for racial/ethnic differences in suicidality in the early pandemic phases.We propose both distal (i.e., tele‐mental health usage, internet and technology access, employment protections, and economic security) and proximal (cultural beliefs, coping strategies, clustering, pulling together, and embracing life) factors that may have helped build and foster community and mental wellness. However, this paper argues these factors did not extend, or did not extend as much, to many communities of color.We argue that these disparities are due to the myriad effects of discrimination and systemic racism, encapsulated broadly by the minority stress theory, and provide suggestions for relief and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses findings of the 'PROWELLMIGRANTS'2 project, which qualitatively investigated COVID‐19 impacts on migrants' well‐being and mental health in Kerala, India. It draws on a novel conceptual framework that combines assemblage‐thinking with theories of social contracts in disasters. The paper first explores how past development processes and contemporary migration policies in Kerala, and India more widely, generated conditions of vulnerability for migrant workers in Kerala prior to the pandemic. Next it shows that Government of Kerala interventions, in some cases supported by the central Government of India, temporarily addressed these vulnerabilities during the pandemic. In acknowledging the helpful response of the Kerala government, we problematise its stance on migrant workers during 'normal' times and speculate that permanently addressing these conditions of vulnerability would be a more logical approach. We acknowledge this involves overcoming many wider barriers. Thus, the paper also contains national‐level policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores and analyses the activities of Swedish organised crisis volunteers during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Based on a questionnaire and interviews, it sets out to answer two research questions on what characterised organised volunteerism during the pandemic, how organised volunteers experienced cooperation with local public actors, and how they viewed political steering. The paper contributes to a growing literature on the role of volunteers and links that role to views on political steering, something that is rarely done in disaster research. Sweden is a useful case study because of how COVID‐19 was managed, as well as because there are organised crisis volunteers and a debate is occurring on how the national system is steered. The paper shows how organised volunteers adapted to changing needs and adopted new roles, that experiences of cooperation with local authorities varied, and that calls were made for a stronger national leadership and for more explicit central political steering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare systems and health professionals are facing a litany of stressors that have been compounded by the pandemic, and consequently, this has further perpetuated suboptimal mental health and burnout in nursing. The purpose of this paper is to report select findings from a larger, national study exploring gendered experiences of mental health, leave of absence (LOA), and return to work from the perspectives of nurses and key stakeholders. Given the breadth of the data, this paper will focus exclusively on the qualitative results from 53 frontline Canadian nurses who were purposively recruited for their workplace insight. This paper focuses on the substantive theme of "Breaking Point," in which nurses articulated a multiplicity of stress points at the individual, organizational, and societal levels that amplified burnout and accelerated mental health LOA from the workplace. These findings exemplify the complexities that underlie nurses' mental health and burnout and highlight the urgent need for multipronged individual, organizational, and structural interventions. Robust and timely interventions are needed to restore the health of the nursing profession and sustain its future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the extent to which the COVID‐19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic directed the attention and resources of the international community away from peacebuilding, and the potential impact of this on conflict‐affected environments. It draws from a global survey, interviews, and conversations with peacebuilding practitioners, publicly available information on peacebuilding funding, and real‐time data on conflict events from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. The paper argues that resources and attention have 'pivoted' away from peacebuilding to tackle the threat presented by COVID‐19, and that this can—but does not always—adversely affect conflict dynamics. It contends that this pivoting belies the interconnectedness of crises, leads to 'forgotten crises' and escalating threats, and exposes deficiencies in peacebuilding funding and, more broadly, preparedness and crisis response. Crises do, however, provide opportunities for reflection and change, including how to address these deficiencies and, in so doing, advance more efficient, effective, and ethical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Understanding social factors that affected how people interpreted the meanings of COVID‐19 measures is important in postpandemic times. This study applies perspectives from research on emotions as one of the possible explanations and focuses on how institutions and their measures are perceived in the context of individual emotional situations. The aim of the study is to understand how parents with joint or shared custody arrangements in Czechia understood COVID‐19–related state interventions and how they dealt with those interventions in their lives. Analysing 16 interviews with these parents, who are considered a potentially vulnerable group, and their interplay with pandemic public policy, the paper suggests the importance of parenting fantasy. The term ‘fantasy’ builds on Illouz's scholarship and reflects individual sense‐making (ideas or practices) based on close and intense personal relationships related to parenting. This paper claims that the existence of this fantasy (in the form of a fulfilled parenting fantasy) or its non‐existence (in the form of a disruption of parenting, called a negative relationship by Illouz) codetermined how these parents dealt with the pandemic measures—whether (and how strongly) they conformed to them or whether they perceived (or used) them as a threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2020, a market in convalescent blood plasma developed as a potential treatment for COVID‐19. During this time, commercial plasma centres—which collect the blood plasma from paid donors for pharmaceutical production—paid recovered patients as much as US$100 for a donation of blood plasma containing COVID‐19 antibodies, from which they manufactured an experimental treatment. This paper uses the commercial collection of COVID‐19 antibodies found in plasma as an entry point into exploring how racially uneven exposures to disease may produce biovalue. The first section considers the spatial history of antibody‐derived plasma products, using historical research to examine how inmates at predominantly black plantation‐prisons in the US South were valued for antibody production in the 1960s. Against this historical relief, the second section examines the spatiality of antibodies in current practices of the plasma industry, as well as in the plasma industry's response to the COVID‐19 pandemic (even as those efforts eventually failed in clinical trials). If geographical literatures on environmental exposure, as well as on COVID‐19 transmission, discuss exposure as an outcome of racial capitalism, this paper emphasises the productive opportunities that capital can solicit from exposures, especially those that are useful to different forms of biomedicine. By critically scrutinising the practice of ‘sharing immunity’ and attending to its decidedly geographic constitution, we can see how what Ruth Wilson Gilmore calls the ‘death‐dealing logics’ of racial capitalism may also work through the seemingly affirmative practices and communal imaginaries behind the redistribution of antibodies as medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we assess the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the Australian visual arts sector. We base our analysis on the responses of over 1500 visual artists and arts workers to a survey conducted by the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), the national peak body for the visual and media arts, craft and design sector in September 2021. NAVA employed this online survey to study the relationship between the pandemic and both the incomes and mental health of artists and arts workers. Using regression analysis, we find that there has been a significant impact for both artists and arts workers, with the severity of the impacts varying by gender, age and the availability of state‐based and Australian Government support programmes. Reduced hours and loss of contracted work and commissions due to the pandemic were both related to declines in income and mental health outcomes for artists and for arts workers. Housing stress was associated with a higher likelihood of a significant or extreme mental health impact for artists and arts workers. In addition, artists' incomes and mental health outcomes were impacted when faced with a reduced ability to sell, although some artists were able to increase their online profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID‐19 necessitated emergency telepractice for student‐led speech‐language therapy clinical practicals in training institutions, with limited preparation and evidence‐based guidelines. Beyond the pandemic, practitioners and university training sites are likely to continue to offer telepractice necessitating thorough preparation for telepractice services underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of the complexities involved in online therapy. Aims: Adopting realist evaluation principles, our aim in this paper was to explore broadly what works and does not work in a set of student‐led telepractice sessions in a diverse, resource‐limited context. The broader goal of this project was to provide evidence‐based support to enhance the efficiency and success of telepractice sessions in student clinical training contexts. Methods & Procedures: We used qualitative observational methods with reflexive thematic analysis to analyse 28 video recordings and 61 observation notes of student‐led paediatric telepractice sessions from a South African university clinic as part of a pilot study. Outcomes & Results: We identified four overarching considerations for student‐led telepractice: (1) additional, specific preparation is required, (2) with greater management of technology and adaptation of tasks, especially during times of poor connectivity; (3) telepractice relies heavily on caregiver input and collaboration; and (4) promoting engagement online, holding a client's attention, building rapport and offering reinforcement are critical skills that are complicated by the lack of face‐to‐face contact. Conclusions & Implications: Our findings indicate that telepractice pedagogy needs to be explicitly taught and students require practical assistance as they learn how to use this service delivery approach effectively. There are some aspects peculiar to telepractice that require unique consideration and planning, especially in contexts where service providers and users may be unfamiliar with this form of service provision. The findings of this pilot study can be used by clinical educators and student clinicians to enhance clinical training opportunities involving telepractice. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: Many speech‐language therapy (SLT) student clinicians had to transition quickly to telepractice service provision during COVID‐19 with limited existing guidelines and support, especially in contexts where teletherapy is typically non‐existent or difficult to access. Although there is some literature available on experiences of telepractice, there is very little evidence‐based research which explores the mechanics of such sessions in real‐time and which offers practical support to student clinicians and clinical educators engaging in this mode of service delivery. What this study adds: This pilot study examined video‐recorded, student‐led, paediatric, speech‐language teletherapy sessions to understand challenges and considerations involved in using telepractice as a clinical training tool. Findings show that additional preparation for telepractice sessions is required, particularly in contexts of poor digital literacy; students must learn to manage technology, especially when connectivity poses a challenge, and adapt therapy tasks for online work with clients; telepractice relies heavily on caregiver input and collaboration, more so than in in‐person consultations, and this relationship requires careful management; and promoting engagement online, holding a client's attention, building rapport and offering reinforcement are critical yet challenging skills in telepractice. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Our findings highlight a need to teach telepractice pedagogy explicitly and support students practically in learning how to provide therapy effectively via this mode of service delivery. Observational methods for studying practices in recorded telepractice sessions can be used as part of a reflective approach to clinical training. Using already available data allowed us to unpack the 'messy reality' of clinical training using telepractice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outside of normality and normal politics is commonly referred to as emergencies, crises and disasters. The paper describes and analyses this normality/emergency imaginary by relating it to questions about order, necessity and contingency. The paper draws upon Sergei Prozorov's work on order and its excess to examine the shift in the United Kingdom pandemic response from recommendations to mandates and regulations in late March 2020. It is argued that the normality/emergency imaginary transposes the more general problem of necessity and contingency into a less complex one, thus providing a solution to questions of order, but that this displaces and eludes the important questions of contingency as a precondition for politics. Specifically, it reduces questions of order and contingency to a choice between normality or emergency where normality is rendered just and emergency measures come to be seen as necessary and un‐political. Indeed, the normality/emergency imaginary, and in particular the assumption that it is analogous to the order/contingency problem, makes it difficult to mount a political critique of emergency measures that does not reproduce and reaffirm the problem that motivates it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occupation of commercial fishing is recognized as a comparatively stressful and hazardous job characterized by a myriad of risks to health, including high rates of job‐related injury, morbidity, and mortality. Nonetheless, systematic study of fisher health is limited. This paper examines a particularly understudied aspect of illness among fishers: the physical and social contexts, pathways, and potential for adverse disease interactions. The focus of the paper is on a biosocial disease process called syndemics, which increases the health burdens of this population. The paper is presented as an initial testing of the hypothesis that a "lens" of syndemics improves occupational health research and advocacy for commercial fishermen who face a substantial burden of biosocial challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an investigation into female academics' experiences of living and working through the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (UK). A diary, diary‐interview method (DDIM) was used to gather qualitative data from 25 participants about their lives during the period March 2020–September 2021 and diary and interview data have since been curated and published in an open access digital archive. The paper argues firstly that in recording and interpreting change over time in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the methodology constitutes a qualitative longitudinal research (QLLR) approach. Secondly, that the method has the capacity to convey temporal disruption and complexity, aligned with notions of crisis as fast, slow and ongoing. Thirdly, that Nixon's theorising of 'slow violence' can be used to frame the impacts of the pandemic as gradual, unseen and banal despite potentially negative implications for female academics' career progression. Finally, the paper argues that gathering this data through DDIM and publishing it in a publicly accessible digital archive represents a necessary form of witness with the potential to be utilised for future interventions. This paper reports on an investigation using a diary, diary‐interview method (DDIM) into female academics' experiences of living and working through the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom (UK). The paper argues that DDIM has the capacity to convey temporal disruption and complexity, aligned with notions of crisis as fast, slow and ongoing. Nixon's theorising of 'slow violence' is used to frame a consideration of the pandemic's longer‐term, negative implications for female academics' career progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Court ethnographies have commonly relied on the physical presence of the ethnographers. This paper explores the opportunities and the challenges of conducting court ethnographies without this physical presence. Specifically, it examines what it means to conduct remote ethnographies of legal processes where neither the ethnographer nor the other hearing participants are physically co‐present. The sudden shift towards remote hearings in fieldwork conducted during the COVID‐19 pandemic presented an opportunity to compare in‐person and remote ethnographic methods. Through a case study of bail hearings in the immigration tribunal in the UK, this paper explores the value and challenges associated with conducting remote ethnographies and asks how they can help to shed light on the impact of absences in legal events. Court ethnographies have commonly relied on the physical presence of the ethnographers. This paper explores the opportunities and the challenges of conducting court ethnographies without this physical presence. Specifically, it examines what it means to conduct remote ethnographies of legal processes where neither the ethnographer nor the other hearing participants are physically co‐present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on a four‐year qualitative study that examines changes to legal processes related to the response to domestic violence in Seattle that began before and continued through the COVID‐19 pandemic, to examine a series of crisis temporalities that were exacerbated by the pandemic and associated lockdowns. In reflecting on the crisis temporalities that mark this research project, I underscore how such crises can also create conditions that lead to long overdue social change. In this case, the modernisation of a court system that for too‐long served as an obstacle to survivors' legal protection and facilitated abusers' ability to engage in slow violence during Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) hearings. This paper thus highlights the 'temporal affordances' of longitudinal research that enable analysis to better understand the factors that motivate transition over time, particularly those in traditional institutions like the legal system. This paper draws on a four‐year qualitative study that examines changes to legal processes related to the response to domestic violence in Seattle that began before and continued through the COVID‐19 pandemic, to examine a series of crisis temporalities that were exacerbated by the pandemic and associated lockdowns. In reflecting on the crisis temporalities that mark this research project, I underscore how such crises can also create conditions that lead to long overdue social change. This paper thus highlights the 'temporal affordances' of longitudinal research that enable analysis to better understand the factors that motivate transition over time, particularly those in traditional institutions like the legal system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a general framework for conceptualizing triage for intensive care unit admissions in public health emergencies such as the COVID‐19 pandemic. It applies this framework to some of the guidelines issued during the pandemic and addresses some controversial issues, including the role of age, the use of lives or life years, and the relevance of quality of life considerations. The paper defends a view on which triage protocols for public health emergencies should aim to maximize the number of life years saved, may take into account age as a proxy, and should ignore quality of life considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses bioethics in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. The Introduction (Section 1) highlights that at the field's inception, infectiousness was not front and center. Instead, infectious disease was widely perceived as having been conquered. This made it possible for bioethicists to center values such as individual autonomy, informed consent, and a statist conception of justice. Section 2 urges shifting to values more fitting for the moment the world is in. To find these, it directs attention to the Global South, and in particular, Africa, and to the values of ubuntu, solidarity, dignity, kinship, and humility. The paper concludes (in Section 3) that 21st‐century challenges facing bioethics are increasingly global, and calls on bioethicists themselves to be more globally inclusive in their approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic have been widely criticized for being too delayed and indecisive. As a result, the precautionary principle has been endorsed, applauded, and proposed to guide future responses to global public health emergencies. Drawing from controversial issues in response to COVID‐19, especially in Vietnam, this paper critically discusses some key ethical and legal issues of employing the precautionary principle in public health emergencies. Engaging with discussions concerning this principle, especially in environmental law where the precautionary principle first appeared as a guiding principle with objective content(s), this paper formulates the precautionary principle as 'in dubio pro salus', which is about advising, justifying and demanding states to proactively prepare for scenarios arising out of any public health emergency. It distinguishes the precautionary principle into moderate and hard versions. A moderate version largely takes a holistic approach and fulfils a series of criteria specified in this paper, while a hard version either permits restrictive measures to be deployed primarily on a hypothetic basis or expresses an instrumental mentality. The hard version should be rejected because of the ethical and legal problems it raises, including risk‐risk tradeoffs, internal paradoxes, unjustified causing of fear and unreasonable presupposition. Ultimately, this paper defends the moderate version. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with heart failure (HF) who contract SARS-CoV-2 infection are at a higher risk of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Regardless of therapeutic attempts in COVID-19, vaccination remains the most promising global approach at present for controlling this disease. There are several concerns and misconceptions regarding the clinical indications, optimal mode of delivery, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for patients with HF. This document provides guidance to all healthcare professionals regarding the implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination scheme in patients with HF. COVID-19 vaccination is indicated in all patients with HF, including those who are immunocompromised (e.g. after heart transplantation receiving immunosuppressive therapy) and with frailty syndrome. It is preferable to vaccinate against COVID-19 patients with HF in an optimal clinical state, which would include clinical stability, adequate hydration and nutrition, optimized treatment of HF and other comorbidities (including iron deficiency), but corrective measures should not be allowed to delay vaccination. Patients with HF who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 need to continue precautionary measures, including the use of facemasks, hand hygiene and social distancing. Knowledge on strategies preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection (including the COVID-19 vaccination) should be included in the comprehensive educational programmes delivered to patients with HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we aim to both borrow information from existing units and incorporate the target unit's history data in time series forecasting. We consider a situation when we have time series data from multiple units that share similar patterns when aligned in terms of an internal time. The internal time is defined as an index according to evolving features of interest. When mapped back to the calendar time, these time series can span different time intervals that can include the future calendar time of the targeted unit, over which we can borrow the information from other units in forecasting the targeted unit. We first build a hierarchical state space model for the multiple time series data in terms of the internal time, where the shared components capture the similarities among different units while allowing for unit‐specific deviations. A conditional state space model is then constructed to incorporate the information of existing units as the prior information in forecasting the targeted unit. By running the Kalman filtering based on the conditional state space model on the targeted unit, we incorporate both the information from the other units and the history of the targeted unit. The forecasts are then transformed from internal time back into calendar time for ease of interpretation. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the finite sample performance. Forecasting state‐level new COVID‐19 cases in United States is used for illustration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND METHODS RESULTS CONCLUSION The emergence of COVID‐19 resulted in a substantial loss of education because of global school closures. Face masks are a potential measure to restrain the COVID‐19 spread; therefore, this paper evaluated the effectiveness of face masks in reducing COVID‐19 incidence in school settings.A systematic review was conducted by searching the literature in the Cochrane COVID‐19 Study Register and the World Health Organization COVID‐19 global literature. Data were summarized in tabular forms, and the findings were presented as narrative synthesis.A total of 15,709 records were retrieved. The screening and selection led to the inclusion of 12 observational and 2 quasi‐experimental studies. Nine studies were conducted in different states, counties, or districts of the United States, and the remaining 5 were reported from Germany, Finland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The results of 10 out of 14 studies favored mask use in reducing school COVID‐19 incidence. Three studies found no link between mask use and COVID‐19 incidences, whereas 1 quasi‐experimental study noted a higher COVID‐19 incidence with mask use in students aged 6‐11 years than no use of mask among preschool children aged 3‐5 years.Mask mandates may lessen the incidence of respiratory infectious diseases in school settings during a pandemic; more well‐designed studies are warranted to clarify further the evidence regarding mask use in school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to prove the existence and stability of a solution to the time fractional parameters Sc,Ec,Ic,Ac,Tc,R$$ \left({S}_c,{E}_c,{I}_c,{A}_c,{T}_c,R\right) $$ of Atangana–Baleanu fractional ordered 2019‐nCoV model. For the existence of the solution, we derive Darbo‐type fixed‐point theorems and its corollaries for (α,β)$$ \left(\alpha, \beta \right) $$‐admissible and ψ$$ \psi $$‐condensing operator in the setting of modular space. Moreover, the stability analysis and behavior of solution are analyzed by the numerical technique governed by Toufik and Atangana [1]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objectives were to determine the surgical modality with the lowest aerosol and droplets generated by commonly used modalities in oropharyngeal and laryngeal surgery. Methods: A simulation of oropharyngeal and laryngeal surgery was set up using fresh sheep heads. Four common surgical modalities were utilized: cold steel, electrocautery, coblation, and microdebrider. The resultant aerosol generated was evaluated using two measurement modalities at two key positions in the theater. (1) DustTrak Pro Aerosol Monitor was used to measure the concentration of particles. (2) Fluorescein dye coated on the oropharynx and larynx, and the resultant scatter on paper. Results: Electrocautery and coblation produced statistically significant increases in the concentration of aerosols (p < .001). Microdebrider and cold steel instrumentation produced the least aerosols. No measurable fluorescein droplets were noted for all four modalities. Conclusion: Electrocautery and coblation produced higher concentrations of aerosols. Mitigation factors should be considered with instruments with increased aerosolization. These modalities show low droplet-related infection risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Data related to the counting of elements of variable character are frequently encountered in time series studies. This paper brings forward a new class of k$$ k $$th‐order dependence‐driven random coefficient mixed thinning integer‐valued autoregressive time series model (DDRCMTINAR(k$$ k $$)) to deal with such data. Stationarity and ergodicity properties of the proposed model are derived in detail. The unknown parameters are estimated by conditional least squares, and modified quasi‐likelihood and asymptotic normality of the obtained parameter estimators is established. The performances of the adopted estimate methods are checked via simulations, which present that modified quasi‐likelihood estimators perform better than the conditional least squares considering the proportion of within‐Ω$$ \Omega $$ estimates in certain regions of the parameter space. The validity and practical utility of the model are investigated by epileptic seizure data and COVID‐19 data of suspected cases in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In January 2021, we assessed the implications of temporary regulations in the United Kingdom allowing pubs and restaurants to operate on a takeaway basis without instigating a change of use. Local authorities (LAs) across the North‐East of England were unaware of any data regarding the take‐up of these regulations, partially due to ongoing capacity issues; participants also raised health concerns around takeaway use increasing significantly. One year on, we repeated the study aiming to understand the impact of these regulations on the policy and practice of key professional groups. Specifically, we wanted to understand if LAs were still struggling with staff capacity to address the regulations, whether professionals still had public health trepidations, and if any unexpected changes had occurred across the local food environment because of the pandemic. We conversed with 16 public health professionals, planners and environmental health officers across seven LAs throughout the North‐East of England via focus groups and interviews. Data collated were analysed via an inductive and semantic, reflexive‐thematic approach. Through analysis of the data, three themes were generated and are discussed throughout: popular online delivery services as a mediator to increased takeaway usage; potential long‐term health implications and challenges; continued uncertainty regarding the temporary regulations. This paper highlights important changes to local food environments, which public health professionals should be aware of, so they are better equipped to tackle health inequalities across urban and sub‐urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "Herd immunity" became a contested term during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Although the term "herd immunity" is often used to refer to thresholds at which some diseases can be eliminated (e.g., due to mass vaccination), the term has multiple referents. Different concepts of herd immunity have been relevant throughout the history of immunology and infectious disease epidemiology. For some diseases, herd immunity plays a role in the development of an endemic equilibrium, rather than elimination via threshold effects. Methods: We reviewed academic literature from 1920 to 2022, using historical and philosophical analysis to identify and develop relevant concepts of herd immunity. Results: This paper analyses the ambiguity surrounding the concept of herd immunity during the pandemic. We argue for the need to recapture a long‐standing interpretation of this concept as one of the factors that leads to a dynamic endemic equilibrium between a host population and a mutating respiratory pathogen. Conclusions: Informed by the history of infectious disease epidemiology, we argue that understanding the concept in this way will help us manage both SARS‐CoV‐2 and hundreds of other seasonal respiratory pathogens with which we live but which have been disrupted due to sustained public health measures/non‐pharmaceutical interventions targeting SARS‐CoV‐2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an analysis of working from home patterns in England using data from the 2021 Census to understand (1) how patterns of working from home (WFH) in England have shifted since the COVID‐19 pandemic and (2) whether human mobility indicators, specifically Google Community Mobility Reports, provide a reliable proxy for WFH patterns recorded by the 2021 Census, providing a formal evaluation of the reliability of such datasets, whose applications have grown exponentially over the COVID‐19 pandemic. We find that WFH patterns recorded by the 2021 Census were unique compared with previous UK censuses, reflecting an unprecedented increase likely caused by persistent changes to employment during the COVID‐19 pandemic, with a clear social gradient emerging across the country. We also find that Google mobility in 'Residential' and 'Workplace' settings provides a reliable measurement of the distribution of WFH populations across Local Authorities, with varying uncertainties for mobility indicators collected in different settings. These findings provide insights into the utility of such datasets to support population research in intercensal periods, where shifts may be occurring, but can be difficult to quantify empirically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this research was to understand counsellors' and therapists' perceptions and experiences of working online during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Method: Five hundred and ninety clinicians, mostly UK‐based, responded to an online qualitative survey, which allowed data to be gathered from a broader range of participants than is typical for qualitative interviews or focus group studies, and provided a wide‐angle lens. The survey generated over 130,000 words, on which a five‐staged framework analysis was conducted. Seven superordinate themes were identified. Results: In this paper, three of these superordinate themes specifically addressing online therapeutic practice with individual adult clients are presented. Therapists' accounts addressed the diverse ways in which the online space changed how they thought about the therapy relationship and their interactions with clients. Respondents described instances where online therapy had been beneficial for facilitating and cultivating the therapeutic process and relationship as well as how online therapy could have a potentially disruptive impact on therapeutic practice. Implications: For practitioners who continue to deliver therapy solely online and/or offer hybrid services, this study identifies the specific knowledge and skills required for effective and safe online therapeutic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses how walking‐with an infant makes mothering worlds legible. Employing the active verb 'worlding', it illustrates how walking‐with contributes to the emergent, embodied and relational nature of mothering as a story in motion and how we make sense of becoming a mother. The walking in this study takes place in and through (sub)urban landscapes, and how we negotiate our maternal bodies through these spaces, at a very particular moment in time (COVID‐19 lockdowns), is imbricated in our worldings. Walking‐with is used to not only explain the interembodiment of mother and child but also the wider milieu of 'withs' to demonstrate the corporeal and relational experience of walking. Walking‐with a baby, particularly with a postpartum body, is hard work, messy and unpredictable, yet that is not to say the analysis leads to a negative perspective. When walking‐with a baby is understood as 'worlding‐with' we can develop a more affirmative understanding of mothering. By using creative analytical practice a walking‐with story was developed drawing on data collected from walking mothers and autoethnography of my own walking‐with experiences. The story makes it possible to develop a legibility that captures the contradictory experiences of mothering in motion. Creative analytical practice highlights that storying, walking and mothering is never a complete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, truck rates for perishable food, the per‐mile rate charged for trucking services to move perishable food from farms to stores, rose substantially in the post‐COVID‐19 pandemic era. We argue that rising truck rates is a signal of a broader shortage of truckers, but the connection between labor shortages, rising truck rates, and a lack of trucking services has yet to be established empirically. In this paper, we develop an empirical examination based on an equilibrium job search, matching, and bargaining framework in which we estimate the role of labor shortages in accelerating driver‐wage growth, and truck rates for agricultural products. We estimate the model by combining US Bureau of Census Current Population Survey data on truck driver wages with USDA‐Agricultural Marketing Service Service data on truck rates to establish the linkage between trucker supply and the demand for trucking services. We find that the COVID‐19 pandemic was responsible for a rise in for‐hire trucker wages of some 38%$38\%$, a rise in average truck rates of nearly 50%$50\%$ and that the gap between trucker‐job openings and successful matches explains a significant, but small, rise in truck rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of the evolution of epidemics plays an important role in limiting the transmissibility and the burdensome consequences of infectious diseases, which leads to the employment of mathematical modeling. In this paper, we propose a stochastic particle filtering extended SEIRS model with repeated vaccination and time-dependent parameters, aiming to efficiently describe the demanding dynamics of time-varying epidemics. The validity of our model is examined using daily records of COVID-19 in Italy for a period of 525 days, revealing a notable capacity to uncover the hidden dynamics of the pandemic. The main findings include the estimation of asymptomatic cases, which is a well-known feature of the current pandemic. Unlike other proposed models that employ extra compartments for asymptomatic cases, which force the estimation of this proportion and significantly increase the model's complexity, our approach leads to the evaluation of the hidden dynamics of COVID-19 without additional computational burden. Other findings that confirm the model's appropriateness and robustness are its parameter evolution and the estimation of more ICU-admitted cases compared to the official records during the most prevalent infection wave of January 2022, attributed to the intensified increase in admissions that may have led to full occupancy in ICUs. As the vast majority of datasets contain time series of total recovered and vaccinated cases, we propose a statistical algorithm to estimate the currently recovered and protected through vaccination cases. This necessity arises from the attenuation of antibodies after vaccination/infection and is necessary for long-time interval predictions. Finally, we not only present a novel stochastic epidemiological model and test its efficiency but also investigate its mathematical properties, such as the existence and stability of epidemic equilibria, giving new insights to the literature. The latter provides additional details concerning the system's long-term behavior, while the conclusions drawn from the R0 index provide perspectives on the severity and future of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]