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Summary: Background: COVID-19 is a newly emerging pathogen responsible for respiratory infections and has caused high morbidity and mortality globally. To date, there is no effective treatment protocol for this virus. Objectives: The current study has reviewed the probable mechanisms involved in relation between probiotic supplementation and corona virus disease. It also has found the most beneficial strains of probiotic in this regard. Methods: Major search engines such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Medline, and Google Scholar have been used for searching English papers and SID, Magiran, and IranMedex for Persian language papers through keywords such as COVID-19, corona virus, probiotic, clinical trials since early 2020 until the end of 2023. Next, we manually reviewed the contents of these articles. Inclusion criteria included clinical trials on both sexes without any comorbidity. Results: Based on the clinical trials that were assessed in this review, we found that probiotics decrease fever, cough, nasal congestion, shortness of breath and diarrhea in patients with corona virus disease. Furthermore, remission and modification of main symptoms of disease occur sooner in patients who receive oral bacterio therapy compared to those who receive only drug regimen. It also seems that probiotic supplementation not only can reduce requirement to use mechanical ventilation in patients, but also decrease the mortality rate caused by disease. One of the interesting findings of this review is that the most beneficial effects of bacterio therapy, could be attributed to Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus genus. Conclusions: Consuming probiotics against coronavirus seems promising in prevention and treatment. Probiotics' health and safety benefits have been confirmed, including their role in fighting certain viral infections. Further research is needed to confirm their appropriate performance as a new approach to remission COVID-19 viruses.

Objective: The study aimed to investigate whether mindfulness could mitigate the impact of job and interpersonal demands arising from stressful organizational cultures in predicting depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A total of 280 Korean physical therapists participated in this study. To verify the mediated moderation model, this study implemented an SPSS 26.0 PROCESS Macro (v.3.5) that was based on the verification of Hayes' conditional indirect effect. Results: The study confirmed the moderated mediation effect of mindfulness on the mediating relationship between stressful organizational culture, job demands/interpersonal demands, and depression. Moreover, the conditional indirect effect of mindfulness was found to be statistically significant. However, the impact on interpersonal stress differed from anticipated outcomes. Conclusions: Mindfulness, applicable within the framework of the Job Demands-Resources model theory, served as a resource variable and moderated the impact of organizational culture on members' depression. Amidst ongoing debates on mindfulness effectiveness, this study partially confirmed its potential within the Job Demands-Resources model, suggesting a role in mitigating the influence of organizational culture on members' depression as a resource variable.

The unparalleled COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on supply chains, resulting in disruptions to construction activities and affecting various professions, including Quantity Surveying. This study aimed to determine the measures taken by the Quantity Surveying profession to minimise risks during the Covid-19 period that facilitated project delivery. The research employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches, involving the distribution of questionnaires and conducting interviews with practicing Quantity Surveyors. The data collected was analysed using the relative importance index for quantitative data and descriptive analysis for qualitative data. The study found that construction risk was the most significant risk, and it had a significant impact on project schedules. The risk mitigation strategy was the most employed risk reduction approach. The results also indicated that cooperation among contractors was crucial in meeting project deliverables.

Emergence of COVID-19 and thereafter intensive research on bioactive natural compounds against SARS-CoV-2, identified a large number of phytochemicals (i.e., plants-derived) and mycochemicals (i.e., fungi-derived) as potential inhibitors with proven antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2, but there are no comparative study on the reported compounds. A comparative study among the previously identified/reported main protease (Mpro) inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 can lead to the most potent compound that eventually helps to make an effective drug lead against SARS-CoV-2. Through manual literature curation, we selected 57 potential bioactive compounds and screened them against Mpro protein of SARS-CoV-2. A series of in silico screening such as binding affinity, drug-like properties, pharmacokinetic, physicochemical, and ADMET studies identified top ten compounds as potential Mpro inhibitors. Further, docking studies prioritized the top two compounds namely Norquinadoline A and Quinadoline B, based on their predicted affinity for the target protein. Binding free energy calculations further emphasized them as top candidates for effective Mpro inhibitors that hold promise for drug development against COVID-19. In-depth molecular dynamics studies and MM/PBSA analysis culminated in the recognition of Norquinadoline A as the most potent Mpro inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, Norquinadoline A can be used as lead compound in further drug discovery process after in vitro and in vivo experimental studies.

“Lives or livelihoods” is a hard trade-off when confronting COVID-19, especially for cities in the Global South. Countermeasures to protect people's lives may exert negative impacts on urban households and test their livelihood resilience. Did COVID-19 discriminate? Did livelihood resilience vary among different urban households within and across different countries and cities? Established studies focused on rural households' livelihood resilience under climate change or natural hazard based on single country context. Little is known about the variety of urban households' livelihood resilience under COVID-19 across countries and cities. This study aims to fill this gap by revealing heterogeneity of livelihood resilience at both individual urban household level and country level. First-hand questionnaire survey data (N ​= ​4374) were collected from seven cities from Bangladesh, China, India, and Philippines. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative analytical methods, it's found that: COVID-19 did discriminate. Urban households with larger household size, no home ownership, no financial assets, and household heads with low education level, informal employed and no flexibility to transfer to work from home, were vulnerable groups. COVID-19 also discriminated across cities. Cities with a high ratio of informal workers, no effective economic relief policies and long stringent mobility restriction measures performed worse.

Background: The incidence of pediatric hospitalizations has significantly increased since the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Changes of characteristics in respiratory and neurological symptoms have been reported. We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional study to characterize the MRI change in children with an emphasis on the change of cerebral vasculatures. Methods: We retrospectively collected clinical and MRI data of 31 pediatric patients with neurological symptoms during the acute infection and abnormalities on MRI during the outbreak of omicron variant from April 2022 to June 2022 in Taiwan. The clinical manifestations and MRI abnormalities were collected and proportion of patients with vascular abnormalities was calculated. Results: Among 31 pediatric patients with post-COVID-19 neurological symptoms, MRI abnormalities were observed in 15 (48.4%), predominantly encephalitis/encephalopathy (73.3%). Notable MRI findings included focal diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) hyperintensity in cerebral cortex and thalamus, diffuse cortical T2/DWI hyperintensity, and lesions in the medulla, pons, cerebellum, and splenium of corpus callosum. Vascular abnormalities were seen in 12 (80%) patients with MRI abnormalities, mainly affecting the middle cerebral arteries. The spectrum of neurological manifestations ranged from seizures to Alice in Wonderland syndrome, underscoring the diverse impact of COVID-19 on pediatric patients. Conclusion: A high proportion of vascular abnormalities was observed in pediatric patients with neurological involvements, suggesting that vascular involvement is an important mechanism of neurological manifestations in omicron variant infection.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was assumed that children were at low risk of infection and that their infection was milder than adults. With an increase in the number of pediatric cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with manifestations of hyperinflammation, the condition of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) was defined. We present a clinical case of a 10-month-old male child hospitalized in the Clinic of Infectious Diseases at University Hospital in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, with a COVID-19. The patient had a number of co-morbidities, including protein-calorie malnutrition, chronic respiratory failure and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. During the hospital stay, he had an active diarrhea syndrome, with evidence of pneumonia and respiratory failure. In the clinical course, a progressive worsening of the condition with signs of multiple organ failure, increase in inflammatory markers and deterioration of coagulation indicators were observed. Placement in the ICU and the inclusion of artificial pulmonary ventilation were required, but after an 18-day hospital stay, the patient died. In conclusion, this was an acute case of COVID-19 in an infant that started with respiratory and gastrointestinal manifestations that progressed to MIS-C with multiple organ failure leading to death. We believe that the reason for this is the compromised immune status in connection with the highly damaged premorbid terrain and young age.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a common psychiatric disorder that has a complex pathological mechanism. During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, patients with SCZ had substantially higher rates of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, as well as higher COVID-19 mortality relative to patients with other mental disorders. However, the reasons for these increased rates in patients with SCZ remain unknown. In this review, we hypothesize that certain molecular pathways exhibit abnormal function in both COVID-19 and SCZ, with a focus on those related to energy metabolism dysregulation, immune system disruption, and abnormalities of the central nervous system. We review that dysregulation of energy metabolism can result in disruptions to the immune system and abnormalities within the central nervous system (CNS). Furthermore, immune system disturbances may also contribute to CNS abnormalities in both SCZ and COVID-19. We also discuss macro-factors associated with the high infection and mortality rates of COVID-19 in patients with SCZ, including sociodemographic factors, reduced access to psychiatric healthcare, structural barriers to COVID-19 vaccination, and proposed approaches to mitigate these macro-factors.

Anti-type-I interferon (IFN) autoantibodies have been associated with severe COVID-19. Their association with long COVID, however, is unclear.Anti-IFN-α2 antibody levels were followed-up for one year in individuals hospitalized for acute COVID-19 (n=97). Specific anti-IFN-α2 antibodies were detected in 5/97 patients. High anti-IFN-α2 antibody levels during acute infection were only detected in patients admitted to ICU (3/42), of whom 2 had persistent high levels and residual changes on chest computed tomography 12 months post-infection. Two patients not admitted to ICU had undetectable antibodies during acute infection, but had low detectable antibody levels 12 months post-infection; one of whom suffered from long COVID.In conclusion, anti-IFN-α2 antibodies during acute infection are not associated with post-SARS-CoV-2 residual sequelae. Two patients with initially undetectable anti-IFN-α2 autoantibodies showed increased autoantibody levels 12 months post-infection. Additional large studies are needed to study the potential role of loss of tolerance after SARS-CoV-2 infection in long COVID.

Aims: Many fatal cases of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) involved patients with comorbidities, in which a higher cellular viral copy was frequently reported. This study aimed to compare viral load (VL) among patients with COVID-19 with and without comorbidities. Methods: This retrospective case-control study included COVID-19 patients with and without comorbidities who were hospitalized in two COVID-19 referral hospitals, Tanjungpura University Hospital and Doctor Soedarso General Hospital, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Demographic findings, clinical symptoms, comorbidities, and real-time polymerase chain reaction VL data were collected from medical records. Results: This study included 136 patients (53% female and 47% male) divided equally into 68 patients with [median age interquartile range (IQR): 47 (40-58.5) years] and without comorbidities [median age (IQR): 25 (22-35.8) years]. A total of 48.5% of patients with comorbidities experienced severe COVID-19, whereas 61.8% of patients without comorbidities merely exhibited mild symptoms. The presence of comorbidities demonstrated a significant association with age and COVID-19 severity (p

The estimation methods of reproduction numbers and serial intervals are important in the early stages of infectious diseases. During the COVID pandemic, China implemented a dynamic zero-COVID policy on the Chinese mainland until the end of 2022. This study compares three estimation methods of basic reproduction numbers on small-scale, short-duration COVID-19 epidemics in Fujian Province. Basic reproduction numbers were investigated using a varying-strain model via a next-generation matrix method. Serial intervals were derived using the infector–infectee pairs of two epidemics from the Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Basic reproduction numbers were estimated using the maximum likelihood estimation method and the exponential growth method. The curves of the effective reproduction numbers of the three epidemics were plotted by utilizing daily cases and the EpiEstim R package. The spatial heterogeneity of infection cases was described using the Gini coefficient. This study provides significant insights on the estimation methods of reproduction numbers for policymakers in the local government. The results reveal that social contacts between infectors and susceptible individuals should be reduced to avoid an increase in deaths and to fight against the spread of infectious diseases.

Background We aimed to estimate XBB.1.5 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths during BA.2.86/JN.1 predominance, among EU/EEA individuals with ≥65-years.Research design and methods We linked electronic health records to create historical cohorts in Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Navarre (Spain), Norway, Portugal and Sweden. We included individuals aged ≥65-years eligible for the autumnal 2023 COVID-19 vaccine. Follow-up started when ≥80% of country-specific sequenced viruses were BA.2.86/JN.1 (4/dec/23 to 08/jan/24) and ended 25 February 2024. At study site level, we estimated the vaccine confounder-adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths between individuals with ≥14 days after vaccination versus unvaccinated in autumn 2023, overall, by time since vaccination and age groups. VE was estimated as (1-pooled aHR)x100 with a random-effects model.Results XBB.1.5 VE against COVID-19 hospitalizations was 50% (95%CI: 45 to 55) and 41% (95%CI: 35 to 46) in 65–79-year-olds and in ≥80-year-olds, respectively. VE against COVID19-related-death was 58% (95%CI: 42 to 69) and 48% (95%CI: 38 to 57), respectively, in both age groups. VE estimates against each outcome declined in all age groups over time.Conclusion Monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine had a moderate protective effect against severe and fatal COVID-19 likely caused by BA.2.86/JN.1 during the 2023/2024 winter, among persons aged ≥65.

Background To assess the immunogenicity and safety of two-dose regimen of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and explored the potential benefits of additional dose.Research design and methods In total, 182 PTB patients were randomly (1:1) assigned to the standard-dose group to receive three standard doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines, or the double-dose boosting group to receive two standard doses plus a double dose, with a 28-day interval. Forty healthy controls were assigned to receive two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines 28 days apart. The primary endpoint was neutralizing antibodies 28 days after the second vaccination.Results Two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines induced comparable neutralizing antibodies in PTB patients and the healthy controls, with GMTs against ancestral SARS-CoV-2 of 36.8 vs 31.4 (p = 0.4618) and seroconversion rates of 83.9% vs 87.5% (p = 0.6965). In the PTB patients, a third dose at day 56 led to a modest increase in neutralizing antibodies compared to the second dose, with a GMT fold increase of 1.3–1.8. Most adverse reactions were mild pain at the injection site.Conclusions Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine was safe and immunogenic in PTB patients, and two-dose immunization could induce moderate level of humoral responses similar to the healthy adults.Clinical trials registration www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05148949.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the transition of all teaching and learning of final-year General Surgery students to an online platform. Despite the utility of online methods, challenges exist such as a sense of impersonal learning, and poor student engagement. Student engagement with course content is important for deep learning. An Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE) and a revised Biggs Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) were used to evaluate student engagement and learning approaches respectively. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 at a South African university. The OSE and R-SPQ-2F online survey tools were administered to all final-year students (n = 325) enrolled in the surgical online module. Quantitative data was collected, and the data was analysed statistically using R-Statistical computing software. Results are presented in the form of descriptive and inferential statistics. The reliability of the tools was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha. Results: The survey response rate was 35.4 % (115/325). Students were engaged at a high level, and the median (IQR) scores of the OSE tool were 71.0 (63.0–78.0). Overall, students adopted a deep approach (DA) to learning, with median (IQR) scores of 34.0 (30.0–39.0) on the R-SPQ-2F tool. There was a moderate positive correlation between the total OSE score and DA (0.53, p

Background and aims COVID-19 put healthcare systems around the world under significant pressure, and led to a global recession. In response, governments implemented aid programmes to stimulate their economies. This, along with the outbreak of war in Ukraine, complicated the economic situation. All of this may have ramifications on people’s access to essential healthcare services. This study aims to investigate the willingness to pay for healthcare among Saudi individuals at time of economic downturn.Methods Questionnaires were used to collect data from 600 individuals across six provinces of Riyadh City between December 2017 and January 2018. The data were elicited using a closed ended format. A probit regression and marginal effects analyses were used to analyze the data.Results and conclusion The results showed just over half the sample were willing to pay, suggesting that countries should give careful consideration to whether and when to involve people in financing healthcare services at time of economic turmoil. The results could be used by policymakers in decisions around funding allocation and priority setting.

Introduction: Suicidal behaviour is a public health emergency, causing an estimated one million deaths globally each year. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal behaviour is not fully understood. This study aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on presentations with suicidal behaviour at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Method: This study was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients with fatal and nonfatal suicidal behaviour who presented to Frere Hospital Emergency Centre in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The analysis included three study periods: August to October 2019 (pre-COVID-19), August to October 2020 (wave 1), and August to October 2021(wave 3). Results: A total of 16 419 patients presented to the Frere Hospital Emergency Centre during the study period, with 6 204 in 2019, 4 909 in 2020, and 5 306 in 2021. These correspond to the research periods from August to October for each successive year. The overall prevalence of suicidal behaviour was 1.6 % but decreased marginally during the pandemic (1.8 % in 2019 vs. 1.4 % in 2021) – contrary to what occurred in high-income countries. The prevalence demonstrated a clinically insignificant stepwise decline as the pandemic progressed and was inversely associated with the number of daily new COVID-19 cases nationally. A significant increase in the emergency centre's total length of stay was however observed during the COVID-19 period (143 vs. 80 min, p < 0.001). The high proportion (66 %) of patients with suicidal behaviour requiring admissions increased further during the COVID-19 study period, placing an additional burden on inpatient disciplines. The proportion of social worker consultations increased significantly during the COVID-19 period (65% vs. 44 %, p

With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, various non-pharmaceutical interventions were adopted to control virus transmission, including school closures. Subsequently, the introduction of vaccines mitigated not only disease severity but also the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This study leveraged an adapted SIR model and non-linear mixed-effects modeling to quantify the impact of remote learning, school holidays, the emergence of Variants of Concern (VOCs), and the role of vaccinations in controlling SARS-CoV-2 spread across 16 German federal states with an age-stratified approach. Findings highlight a significant inverse correlation (Spearman's ρ = −0.92, p

Mathematical models supported by a robust automated data pipeline proved to be useful tools for a data-driven and science-based response and policy-making during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. In the first year of the pandemic, FASSSTER (Feasibility Analysis on Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological modeleR) used a compartmental model to generate scenario-based projections of COVID-19 cases. The emergence of the Delta variant, however, and the administration of vaccines over the second half of 2021 caused significant changes in the Philippine pandemic landscape. This necessitated making adjustments to the model to better capture the local disease transmission dynamics and address policy questions posed by stakeholders regarding COVID-19 over that period. The extended model was then utilized to generate case projections by applying different intervention scenarios, specifically, scenarios involving vaccination coverage, compliance to public health standards and active detection of cases. The new model demonstrated reliability in terms of capturing historical data and in producing relatively accurate short-term projections. In turn, most of the projections generated by the model had been used in support of case monitoring and policy-making in the country. This paper illustrates the significance of enhancing mathematical models in response to the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction Since the original COVID-19 vaccines were developed, abundant clinical trial and real-world evidence evaluating the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of COVID-19 vaccines has been collected. Knowledge of the relative benefits and risks of COVID-19 vaccines is essential for building trust within target populations, ensuring they remain effectively and safely protected against an enduring infectious threat.Areas covered This descriptive review discusses the benefits and risks associated with marketed Moderna, Inc. mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, focusing on their real-world effectiveness and safety profiles in various age groups. Adverse events of interest and potential benefits of vaccination are reviewed, including reduced risk for severe COVID-19 and long-term health outcomes, reduced economic and societal costs, and reduced risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission.Expert opinion Post-marketing safety and real-world data for Moderna, Inc. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines strongly support a positive benefit – risk profile favoring vaccination across all age groups. Although COVID-19 is no longer considered a global health pandemic, health risks associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection remain high. Concerted efforts are required to engage communities and maintain protection through vaccination. Continued surveillance of emerging variants and monitoring of vaccine safety and effectiveness are crucial for ensuring sustained protection against SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is an integral pillar of the public health approach to COVID-19. With the emergence of variants of concern that increase transmissibility and escape from vaccine- or infection-induced protection, vaccines have been developed to more closely match the newly circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains to improve protection. The safety and immunogenicity of multiple authorized messenger RNA (mRNA)-based COVID-19 vaccines targeting the omicron sublineage (BA.1, BA.4/BA.5, and XBB.1.5) have been demonstrated in several clinical trials among adults and children.Areas covered This review will comprehensively detail the available evidence (published through July 2024) from ongoing clinical trials on omicron variant-containing mRNA-1273 vaccines administered as additional doses in previously vaccinated target demographics.Expert opinion Across three clinical trials, omicron variant-containing mRNA-1273 vaccines induced immune responses to vaccine-matched omicron strains as well as ancestral SARS-CoV-2, with a safety and reactogenicity profile comparable to the original mRNA-1273 vaccine. Combined with pivotal data demonstrating the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of the original mRNA-1273 vaccine, these findings support the use of variant-containing mRNA-1273 vaccines and provide confidence that expeditious development of updated vaccines using this established mRNA platform can maintain protection against COVID-19.

This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the functioning of the Regional Administrative Courts (TAR) in Italy. For this purpose, we constructed two databases covering the period from 2018 to 2021, gathering macroeconomic and microeconomic data from the TARs of the Italian regions (NUTS-2). Despite the brevity of the period, the availability of data allows us to perform a comprehensive analysis with econometric models for micro and macro data. Empirical findings suggest the existence of two-fold and simultaneous effects of COVID-19 on the efficiency of administrative courts: on one hand, the advent of COVID-19 has led to the reorganisation of courts and related-activities, prolonging the duration of administrative disputes. On the other hand, COVID-19 has introduced measures to limit face-to-face activities, such as holding hearings in person, and adopting information and communications technologies (ICTs) to prosecute judicial activities. This measure proved beneficial to the proper functioning of the Italian TARs by reducing the duration of administrative proceedings. Policy implications indicate that the digitalisation of administrative procedures, not only during COVID-19, is crucial for enhancing the promptness of the administrative disputes of the Italian TARs.

Background SARS-CoV-2, was identified as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization a few months after the first epidemic. It penetrates host cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptors and spreads by respiratory droplets. Testes are among the several tissues that have high expression levels of ACE-2 receptors. The current study aimed to evaluate the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis integrity among Egyptian post-COVID-19 patients.Methods This is a cross-sectional study that included patients with a history of COVID-19 infection, at least 3 months from the onset of COVID-19. A detailed clinical history was obtained, and a thorough examination was performed. Laboratory tests included FBG, total testosterone, free testosterone, bioactive testosterone, FSH, LH, prolactin, E2, albumin, and SHBG. Testicular ultrasonography was performed. The data were statistically analyzed.Results Eighty male patients were evaluated with a mean age of 35.53 ± 10.35 years. The mean serum total testosterone was 5.48 ± 1.65 ng/ml. Low testosterone was detected in 2.8% of the patients. High LH levels were detected in 17/80 patients (21.3%). High FSH levels were detected in 4/80 patients (5%). Six patients had elevated serum E2 level. The mean serum prolactin value was 10.90 ± 5.66 ng/ml. Fourteen patients had elevated prolactin levels. The mean serum T/LH ratio was 3.28 ± 1.52. The ratio of T/LH was decreased in eight COVID-19 patients (10%). In COVID-19 patients, a statistically significant negative correlation was found between age and free testosterone (FT) (r=-0.381, p

Background COVID-19 vaccines adapted to newly emerging circulating variants are necessary to better protect the population due to the evolving nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.Research Design and Methods The South African population was stratified by age and risk (defined by comorbidities such as diabetes, obesity, smoking, cancer, and asthma), and HIV status. The outcomes of different vaccination strategies based on age, risk, and HIV status were estimated using a Markov-decision tree model based on age-specific inputs derived from the literature and South African surveillance data.Results Vaccinating older adults and those with comorbidities was estimated to avert 111,179 infections 18,281 hospitalizations, and 3,868 deaths, resulting in savings of ZAR 1,260 million (USD 67 million) and ZAR 3,205 million (USD 170 million) in direct and indirect costs, respectively. Similar results were obtained when considering strategies targeting older adults and the HIV population. Expanding vaccination to 75% of the standard-risk population prevented more infections (401%), hospitalizations (167%), and deaths (67%) and increased the direct (232%) and indirect (455%) cost savings compared to the base case.Conclusions Implementing widespread vaccination strategies that utilize a vaccine adapted to the prevailing circulating variant in South Africa would result in significant public health and economic gains.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed unprecedented vaccine innovation, revealing critical shortcomings in achieving equitable vaccine access and underscoring the need for a focused review of the lessons learned to inform future pandemic preparedness, with emphasis on vaccine delivery, equity, and challenges in LMICs.Areas covered We critically analyzed the pandemic vaccine development and distribution journey and the operational mechanisms that facilitated these achievements. For this purpose, we primarily searched pandemic vaccine stakeholder websites, reports, and publications. The analysis extends beyond the scientific narrative to address the ‘how’ of the process while anchoring the discussion on equity and global health security as fundamental to preparing for future pandemics.Expert opinion Drawing on the insights gained from the COVID-19 pandemic, we identify several key challenges requiring immediate attention to fortify preparedness for future pandemics. These are cultivating leadership in the field of vaccinology, guaranteeing equitable global access to diagnostics, therapeutic agents, and vaccines, securing adequate funding for ongoing research and development, ensuring the fair distribution of vaccines, and strategically allocating biomedical manufacturing facilities to ensure a balanced global production capacity. Addressing these challenges is imperative to establish a robust pandemic response framework and mitigate the impact of future global health crises.

Despite the global implementation of COVID-19 mitigation measures, the disease continues to maintain transmission. Although mask wearing became one of the key measures for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 early in the pandemic period, many countries have relaxed the mandatory or recommended wearing of masks. The objective of the present study was to estimate the epidemiological impact of removing the mask-wearing recommendation in Japan. We developed a model to assess the consequences of declining mask-wearing coverage after the government revoked its recommendation in February 2023. The declining mask-wearing coverage was estimated using serial cross-sectional data, and a mathematical model was devised to determine the age-specific incidence of COVID-19 using the observed case count in Tokyo from week of October 3, 2022 to October 30, 2023. We explored model-based counterfactual scenarios to measure hypothetical situations in which the mask-wearing coverage decreases or increases relative to the observed coverage. The results show that mask-wearing coverage declined from 97% to 69% by the week of October 30, 2023, and that if the mask-wearing recommendation had continued, 427 lives could have been saved in Tokyo. If the mask-wearing coverage had declined to 25% of the observed level, the model suggests there might have been 1587 additional deaths. Thus, revoking the mask-wearing recommendation had a substantial epidemiological impact. In future pandemics, our proposed approach could provide a real-time quantification of the effects of relaxing countermeasures.

Background: Coronaviruses were discovered in 1960. Large-sized living organisms from the Coronaviridae family, with single-stranded RNA of animal origin. Coronaviruses in humans can cause mild respiratory illness or severe respiratory illness. In 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The aim of this study is to use the Jaccard similarity coefficient to determine the similarity of COVID-19 behavior patterns in different seasons of the year. Methods: This study used machine learning systems and similarity metrics to determine the behavior pattern of COVID-19 in different seasons of the year. The location of research was the Mousa ibn Ja'far Hospital in Mashhad, and the time was from May 2020 to August 2021. The symptoms of affected patients were compared with the compiled dataset, and the similarity of patients was prepared in a similarity matrix, and the Jaccard correlation coefficient was calculated on the data. Finally, the analysis of strains from the beginning of emergence to the latest strain was examined. The performance indicators of the algorithm in the Jaccard similarity method showed a recall metric with a value of 0.94, a precision metric with a value of 1, an F1 score with a value of 0.86, and remove accuracy metric with a value of 0.76. The most important factors in the investigation include white blood cells, platelets, RT-PCR, CT SCAN, shortness of breath, fever, SPO2, and respiratory rate. Results: The transmission of the COVID-19 virus depends on several factors, including human interaction. The evidence of the collected data shows that people with COVID-19 have low lymphocyte count and it is very consistent with the results of recent studies. Due to the lack of a dataset, a comparative study was conducted and a dataset was collected. Conclusion: This study, leveraging machine learning algorithms, identified a clear seasonal correlation in the spread of COVID-19. Considering geographical and seasonal variations among patients, distinct symptoms were observed in each season corresponding to the prevalent strain during that period.

Background: Mucormycosis is a rare and aggressive opportunistic fungal infection that has grown significantly in recent years. This infection is rarely seen in healthy people. Mucormycosis usually appears as an acute infection with manifestations in the rhino-cerebral, pulmonary and skin areas, and sometimes its manifestations can be seen as a widespread infection. The special importance of mucormycosis is due to its high mortality rate, which leads to death in 75 to 80 percent of cases. The specific susceptibility of some patients to mucormycosis points to the importance of iron absorption in the pathogenesis of mucormycosis, therefore, we decided to investigate the relationship between serum iron and ferritin levels and mucormycosis disease in patients with underlying factors predisposing to COVID-19. Methods: This study is a case-control type, in which patients with mucormycosis after contracting COVID-19 and also with a history of diabetes mellitus as the case group and patients with COVID-19 and a history of diabetes mellitus are considered as the control group and the serum level of iron and ferritin will be measured and compared in both groups and the outcome of the study will be determined based on the obtained results.The study took place in hospitals of the Kermanshah university of medical sciences in the Kermanshah city from March 2021 to March 2022. Results: In this study, 38 patients were examined in two groups of patients with mucormycosis along with COVID-19 and diabetes in the case group and patients with COVID-19 and diabetes in the control group with an average age of 63 years. In this study, there was no significant difference between the average age in the two studied groups. However, a significant difference was observed between serum iron and ferritin levels in two groups. Conclusion: Hyperferritinemia is considered not only as an indicator of the systemic inflammatory process in the infection of COVID-19, but also indicates an increase in free iron level, which, as a result, contributes to the growth and spread of the fungus (mucormycosis).

This paper analyses the regional economic impacts of COVID-19 in Ireland. The results show regional labour market impacts were related to pre-existing economic structures rather than infection rates. Drivers of the employment shock were found to be regional specialisms in tourism focused sectors. Cushions were provided by regional specialisms in agriculture, healthcare and the knowledge intensive service sectors. For more rural regions that appeared more resilient to the labour market shock, cushions were likely provided by employment in slower growth potential sectors. During the recovery phase, these cushions can become anchors contributing to regional divergence. Consequently, some regions less severely impacted by the pandemic shock may, in fact, face more difficult structural challenges in the longer term. The pandemic has thus exacerbated pre-existing structural issues that are likely related to the observed regional economic divergence and findings of regional development traps since the recovery from the previous recessionary period of the 2010s. The broad implication is that that the regional recovery from the pandemic will not be based purely on short term COVID-19 exposure. In general terms, regional policy should look beyond the initial pandemic shocks to the key underlying development issues. A central point here is that there are no quick transformational fixes rather long-term structural imbalances need to be met. The key policy challenge, in the Irish case, is to avoid the trend from the previous economic crisis of regional divergence during the recovery phase.

Background Updating vaccines is essential for combatting emerging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) variants. This study assessed the public health and economic impact of a booster dose of an adapted vaccine in the United Kingdom (UK).Methods A Markov-decision tree model estimated the outcomes of vaccination strategies targeting various age and risk groups in the UK. Age-specific data derived from published sources were used. The model estimated case numbers, deaths, hospitalizations, medical costs, and societal costs. Scenario analyses were conducted to explore uncertainty.Results Vaccination targeting individuals aged ≥ 65 years and the high-risk population aged 12–64 years was estimated to avert 701,549 symptomatic cases, 5,599 deaths, 18,086 hospitalizations, 56,326 post-COVID condition cases, and 38,263 lost quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), translating into direct and societal cost savings of £112,174,054 and £542,758,682, respectively. The estimated economically justifiable price at willingness-to-pay thresholds of £20,000 and £30,000 per QALY was £43 and £61, respectively, from the payer perspective and £64 and £82, respectively, from the societal perspective. Expanding to additional age groups improved the public health impact.Conclusions Targeting individuals aged ≥ 65 years and those aged 12–64 years at high risk yields public health gains, but expansion to additional age groups provides additional gains.

Entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) is a novel perspective to analyse the interplay between support systems and businesses in regions. Simultaneously, universities have been playing increasingly important roles in entrepreneurship, fostering economic growth both through the wider regional economy (RE) and their own university EEs (UEEs). Entrepreneurs in residence (EiRs), chosen by universities as exemplar entrepreneurs, therefore provide potentially important conduits between the regional economy, UEEs and entrepreneurs, leading us to explore how and why do EiRs and universities interact in relation to entrepreneurial ecosystems to enhance the regional economy? Our qualitative study of a UK university case, conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic which severely impacted many businesses’ access to resources, gives a particular temporal context to this research. It identifies accessing resources, building legitimacy and undertaking bridging activities as the three highest-level dimensions characterising EiR–university interactions, which have relevance for both the UEE and regional economy more widely, offering a framework for future EiR programmes. This study contributes to the regional entrepreneurship and EE literature, by examining the role of regional universities as anchor tenants and catalysts of entrepreneurial growth and resilience within regions, and calls for further research into the evolution of EiR–university interactions in different institutional contexts.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between COVID-19 and the direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and establish an in-hospital mortality risk predictive model based on the DAT type, which can be used for the early prediction of inpatients with COVID-19. Methods: In this study, 502 patients admitted to our hospital who underwent DAT testing from January 29 to February 8, 2023, were included (252 DAT-positive and 250 DAT-negative). Among them, 241 cases of COVID-19 were screened(171 DAT-positive and 70 DAT-negative), clinical and laboratory indicators were compared between DAT-positive and DAT-negative groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, the Kaplan-Meier survival curve and receiver operating curves were used to explore the relation between the DAT type and in-hospital mortality of patients with COVID-19. Results: The proportion of confirmed COVID-19 cases was higher in the DAT-positive group than in the DAT-negative group (67.9 % vs. 28.0 %, P

The article aims to summarize the main arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion on human resource empowerment and its impact on motivation as the main factor to resilience hotel workers getting through the pandemic Covid-19. The research variables which include human resource empowerment and Motivation in this study are latent so to identify the influence of the independent latent variables on the dependent latent variable, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used. From the respondent's views, the study found out that, on the empowerment construct all statements scored above 3 except credibility. Within a coefficient of determination, it shows that the variation of the motivation variable for hotel workers during the pandemic is 52 percent influenced by human resource empowerment carried out by the management. Therefore, it can be concluded that to strengthen the empowerment of workers through the pandemic, the hotel should strengthen its capacity for worker empowerment within opportunity, delegate, provide for recognition, and create an open communication system to create mutual understanding between employees and management.

Risk of cardiovascular events is increased after COVID-19. However, information on cardiovascular risk trends after COVID-19 infection is lacking and estimates by sex are inconsistent. Our aim was to examine cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in a large cohort (164,346 participants) of SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals compared to non-positive individuals, stratified by sex. Data were obtained from the Spanish Health System’s electronic medical records. Selected individuals were ≥ 45 years old with/without a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in the period March-May 2020. Follow-up was obtained until January 31, 2021, for cardiovascular events (angina/myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, bypass/revascularization, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, stroke/transient ischemic attack, and thrombosis), and until March 31, 2021, for mortality. Individuals were matched by propensity score. Incidence of cardiovascular events and mortality was compared with accelerated failure time models. The effect of matching and of COVID-19 severity was assessed with sensitivity analyses. In the first 3 months of follow-up, SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals had a higher risk of mortality and of all cardiovascular events. From 4–12 months, there was increased risk of mortality in SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals overall, of heart failure in SARS-CoV-2 positive females (HR= 1.26 [1.11–1.42]), and of arrhythmias and thrombosis in SARS-CoV-2 positive males (HR= 1.29 [1.14–1.47] and HR= 1.35 [1.03–1.77], respectively). When COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU were excluded, incidence of thrombosis was similar in males regardless of positive/non-positive SARS-CoV-2 status. In the full year of follow-up, increased incidence of heart failure and of arrhythmias and thrombosis was observed in SARS-CoV-2 positive females and males, respectively.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted human health and socioeconomic development, posing an enormous public health challenge. Extensive research has been conducted into the relationship between environmental factors and the transmission of COVID-19. However, numerous factors influence the development of pandemic outbreaks, and the presence of confounding effects on the mechanism of action complicates the assessment of the role of environmental factors in the spread of COVID-19. Direct estimation of the role of environmental factors without removing the confounding effects will be biased. To overcome this critical problem, we developed a Double Machine Learning (DML) causal model to estimate the debiased causal effects of the influencing factors in the COVID-19 outbreaks in Chinese cities. Comparative experiments revealed that the traditional multiple linear regression model overestimated the impact of environmental factors. Environmental factors are not the dominant cause of widespread outbreaks in China in 2022. In addition, by further analyzing the causal effects of environmental factors, it was verified that there is significant heterogeneity in the role of environmental factors. The causal effect of environmental factors on COVID-19 changes with the regional environment. It is therefore recommended that when exploring the mechanisms by which environmental factors influence the spread of epidemics, confounding factors must be handled carefully in order to obtain clean quantitative results. This study offers a more precise representation of the impact of environmental factors on the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a framework for more accurately quantifying the factors influencing the outbreak.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic a need to process large volumes of publications emerged. As the pandemic is winding down, the clinicians encountered a novel syndrome - Post-acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) - that affects over 10 % of those who contract SARS-CoV-2 and presents a significant challenge in the medical field. The continuous influx of publications underscores a need for efficient tools for navigating the literature. Objectives: We aimed to develop an application which will allow monitoring and categorizing COVID-19-related literature through building publication networks and medical subject headings (MeSH) maps to identify key publications and networks. Methods: We introduce CORACLE (COVID-19 liteRAture CompiLEr), an innovative web application designed to analyse COVID-19-related scientific articles and to identify research trends. CORACLE features three primary interfaces: The ''Search'' interface, which displays research trends and citation links; the ''Citation Map'' interface, allowing users to create tailored citation networks from PubMed Identifiers (PMIDs) to uncover common references among selected articles; and the ''MeSH'' interface, highlighting current MeSH trends and their associations. Results: CORACLE leverages PubMed data to categorize literature on COVID-19 and PASC, aiding in the identification of relevant research publication hubs. Using lung function in PASC patients as a search example, we demonstrate how to identify and visualize the interactions between the relevant publications. Conclusion: CORACLE is an effective tool for the extraction and analysis of literature. Its functionalities, including the MeSH trends and customizable citation mapping, facilitate the discovery of emerging trends in COVID-19 and PASC research.

Background Since the emergence of the pandemic, healthcare workers have been subjected to devastating psychological burden at all levels of healthcare. Depression, anxiety, and stress were greatly encountered in the era of the pandemic. Moreover, healthcare workers reported escalating levels of burnout syndrome compared to levels reported in the pre-pandemic era. They are exposed to multiple work-related stressors that have been exhausting to their mental and psychological well-being. The aim of the current study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of healthcare workers.Methods A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 471 healthcare workers (245 front-line and 226 second-line healthcare workers) recruited from ten governmental hospitals. Data was collected using self-administered structured questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI).Results Symptoms suggestive of depression, anxiety, and stress were reported by 72.6%, 31.4%, and 18.6% of studied healthcare workers, respectively. Front-line healthcare workers had significantly higher mean anxiety and stress scores compared to second-line ones.Burnout syndrome was reported by 86.4% of the study subjects, with statistically significant differences between front-line and second-line healthcare workers. The most commonly adopted organizational interventions against work-related stressors were increased workforce (41.6%), frequent staff meetings (32.3%), shifts rescheduling (31.4%), frequent breaks during the working day (29.1%), and staff training (16.8%). As for individually adopted interventions, following strict protective measures (63.5%), gaining more knowledge about COVID-19 (54.1%), avoiding media news (44.8%), and relaxation activities such as prayers, music, and meditation (37.2%) were the most commonly adopted interventions.

As the world becomes ever more connected, the chance of pandemics increases as well. The recent COVID-19 pandemic and the concurrent global mass vaccine roll-out provides an ideal setting to learn from and refine our understanding of infectious disease models for better future preparedness. In this review, we systematically analyze and categorize mathematical models that have been developed to design optimal vaccine prioritization strategies of an initially limited vaccine. As older individuals are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, the focus is on models that take age explicitly into account. The lower mobility and activity level of older individuals gives rise to non-trivial trade-offs. Secondary research questions concern the optimal time interval between vaccine doses and spatial vaccine distribution. This review showcases the effect of various modeling assumptions on model outcomes. A solid understanding of these relationships yields better infectious disease models and thus public health decisions during the next pandemic.

In this paper we examine several definitions of vaccine efficacy (VE) that we found in the literature, for diseases that express themselves in outbreaks, that is, when the force of infection grows in time, reaches a maximum and then vanishes. The fact that the disease occurs in outbreaks results in several problems that we analyse. We propose a mathematical model that allows the calculation of VE for several scenarios. Vaccine trials usually needs a large number of volunteers that must be enrolled. Ideally, all volunteers should be enrolled in approximately the same time, but this is generally impossible for logistic reasons and they are enrolled in a fashion that can be replaced by a continuous density function (for example, a Gaussian function). The outbreak can also be replaced by a continuous density function, and the use of these density functions simplifies the calculations. Assuming, for example Gaussian functions, one of the problems one can immediately notice is that the peak of the two curves do not occur at the same time. The model allows us to conclude: First, the calculated vaccine efficacy decreases when the force of infection increases; Second, the calculated vaccine efficacy decreases when the gap between the peak in the force of infection and the peak in the enrollment rate increases; Third, different trial protocols can be simulated with this model; different vaccine efficacy definitions can be calculated and in our simulations, all result are approximately the same. The final, and perhaps most important conclusion of our model, is that vaccine efficacy calculated during outbreaks must be carefully examined and the best way we can suggest to overcome this problem is to stratify the enrolled volunteer's in a cohort-by-cohort basis and do the survival analysis for each cohort, or apply the Cox proportional hazards model for each cohort.

The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the Russia-Ukraine war, has had disastrous consequences for the global economy. As a result of the crisis, the normal way of conducting business has changed drastically, and, with the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine, many governments and companies have taken immediate investment-related measures. Undoubtedly, the majority of Eastern European countries have been severely hit. It is therefore crucial to find out what impact these challenges have on foreign direct investment in these countries. To do so, the paper employs the panel data technique to estimate the impact of COVID-19 and the Ukrainian war on FDI in Eastern European economies from 1995 to 2022. The regression results show that both the pandemic and the war have discouraged foreign investment in the panel of countries considered in the sample. The results further indicate that per capita growth and trade openness are important determinants of FDI. COVID-19, Ukrainian war, Eastern Europe, Fixed effect model.

The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked havoc in our society, with short and long-term consequences to people's lives and livelihoods - over 651 million COVID-19 cases have been confirmed with the number of deaths exceeding 6.66 million. As people stay indoors most of the time, how to operate the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems as well as building facilities to reduce airborne infections have become hot research topics. This paper presents a systematic review on COVID-19 related research in HVAC systems and the indoor environment. Firstly, it reviews the research on the improvement of ventilation, filtration, heating and air-conditioning systems since the onset of COVID-19. Secondly, various indoor environment improvement measures to minimize airborne spread, such as building envelope design, physical barriers and vent position arrangement, and the possible impact of COVID-19 on building energy consumption are examined. Thirdly, it provides comparisons on the building operation guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 virus from different countries. Finally, recommendations for future studies are provided.

ABSTRACTIntroduction COVID-19 was an unprecedented challenge worldwide; however, disease epidemiology has evolved, and COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. Nonetheless, COVID-19 remains a global threat and uncertainties remain, including definition of the end of the pandemic and transition to endemicity, and understanding true rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection/transmission.Areas covered Six international experts convened (April 2023) to interpret changing COVID-19 epidemiology and public health challenges. We report the panel’s recommendations and knowledge gaps in COVID-19 epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2 evolution, and future vaccination strategies, informed by peer-reviewed publications, surveillance data, health authority assessments, and clinical experience.Expert opinion High population SARS-CoV-2 immunity indicates the likely end to the pandemic’s acute phase. Continued emergence of variants/sublineages that can evade the vaccine-induced antibody response are likely, but widespread immunity reduces the risk of disease severity. Continued surveillance is required to capture transition to endemicity, seasonality, and emergence of novel variants/sublineages, to inform future vaccination strategies. COVID-19 vaccination should be integrated into routine vaccination programs throughout life. Co-circulation with other respiratory viruses should be monitored to avoid a combined peak, which could overrun healthcare systems. Effective, combined vaccines and improved education may help overcome vaccine hesitancy/booster fatigue and increase vaccination uptake.

The severe respiratory effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have necessitated the immediate development of novel treatments. The majority of COVID-19-related fatalities are due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Consequently, this virus causes massive and aberrant inflammatory conditions, which must be promptly managed. Severe respiratory disorders, notably ARDS and acute lung injury (ALI), may be treated safely and effectively using cell-based treatments, mostly employing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Since the high potential of these cells was identified, a great deal of research has been conducted on their use in regenerative medicine and complementary medicine. Multiple investigations have demonstrated that MSCs and their products, especially exosomes, inhibit inflammation. Exosomes serve a critical function in intercellular communication by transporting molecular cargo from donor cells to receiver cells. MSCs and their derived exosomes (MSCs/MSC-exosomes) may improve lung permeability, microbial and alveolar fluid clearance, and epithelial and endothelial repair, according to recent studies. This review focuses on COVID-19-related ARDS clinical studies involving MSCs/MSC-exosomes. We also investigated the utilization of Nano-delivery strategies for MSCs/MSC-exosomes and anti-inflammatory agents to enhance COVID-19 treatment.

SummaryWhat are variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccines?The COVID-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer is known as BNT162b2 (Comirnaty). BNT162b2 contains messenger RNA, or mRNA, from SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for COVID-19. mRNA is a type of genetic material that contains the instructions that tell cells in the body how to make a protein. The mRNA in BNT162b2 tells the body to make one of the proteins from SARS-CoV-2 known as the spike protein.This teaches the body’s defense system, known as the immune system, to recognize and respond to a SARS-CoV-2 infection.The BNT162b2 vaccine contains mRNA from the first SARS-CoV-2 virus, which was detected in December 2019. Since this original vaccine was developed, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved, resulting in the appearance of new versions of the virus, known as variants. Certain variants that might be more concerning for public health are labeled as either ‘variants of concern’ or ‘variants of interest’ by the World Health Organization (WHO). Variants have differences in their proteins compared with the original virus that can affect how well the original vaccine works against them. Therefore, BioNTech and Pfizer developed updated versions of the BNT162b2 vaccine that contain mRNA from certain variants. These new vaccines are called variant-adapted COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.Another company, Moderna, has also developed their own variant-adapted versions of their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, mRNA-1273 (SpikeVax).Variant-adapted vaccines can contain parts of the variant mRNA either in addition to, or instead of, that from the original virus. Vaccines that contain mRNA from two different viruses are known as bivalent, whereas vaccines that contain mRNA from a single virus are called monovalent.

Introduction Kidney damage in COVID-19 is common and may lead to CKD. Early recognition of progression is mandatory, so there is a need for sensitive markers of kidney damage. Renal functional reserve (RFR) is described as the ability of the kidneys to augment their function in special situations.Aim of Work Was to assess subclinical renal dysfunction post-COVID-19.Methods This cross-sectional study investigates 31 patients previously infected with COVID-19 within 2–3 months and 31 healthy subjects with matched age and sex. Assessment of RFR was done by calculating the estimated GFR using the CKD-EPI equation before and 2 hours after 80 g protein load by intravenous infusion.Results RFR was significantly lower in post-COVID-19 patients (mean of 11.19 ± 4.76) than the control (mean of 25.81 ± 4.42, p

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a significant impact on people's lives, both in terms of health and socioeconomic aspects. The pandemic has led to a shift in the work environment, with a massive increase in the number of people working from home due to movement restrictions. In this study, we analyse data from two waves (2019 and 2020) of the Swiss Labour Force Survey to investigate the prevalence of working from home in Switzerland before and during the pandemic. The study has two aims: to identify the characteristics of Swiss teleworkers during the pandemic and to determine if there is a gender gap in working from home. The findings reveal that highly educated workers with children in high-level occupations are more likely to telework. However, there is a gender gap in teleworking in some sectors, since part-time workers, who are mostly women (74 percent), are less likely to work from home than full-time workers.

ABSTRACTThe frequency and severity of major disruptions (e.g., disasters, epidemics/pandemics) are increasing, significantly impacting business survival in regional areas. Using the dynamic capabilities approach, this paper reports on the recovery pathways and resilience of Australian regional businesses during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. A case study approach is adopted to explore the capabilities through which regional businesses can plan for, recover from, and develop strategies for building resilience. Using the data from 18 semi-structured interviews with business owners operating in different industry sectors and a web-based forum with 10 key stakeholders in regional South Australia, a dynamic capabilities resilience framework is developed. Results suggest that the dynamic capabilities approach during crises can become integral to the long-term business recovery of regional Australian businesses. By revealing both the determinants of business survival and the constraints regional businesses face during major crises, the study contributes information that businesses, government and non-government agencies that support them can use to develop effective recovery pathways, which is central to the future sustainability of regional Australia.

ABSTRACTThis paper tests how the patterns of residential property values in the Australian state New South Wales changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2021, property values became relatively high in medium-sized towns and cities, suggesting those locations became more attractive. In its capital and largest city Sydney, the premium on proximity to the central business district (CBD), where employment is heavily concentrated, decreased after 2019 and that decrease persisted beyond the end of pandemic measures. The premium in Sydney on proximity to the beach has increased, but on a trajectory consistent with an existing trend. The decreased premium on proximity to the CBD since 2019 appears to have initially been related to the value of access via public transport, but then also to the value of access by car. The findings suggest shifts in regional development and urban form that could have implications for how cities are planned and developed.

ABSTRACTBackground The aim of this study was to evaluate the public health and economic impact of the COVID-19 booster vaccination with BNT162b2 in Japan during an Omicron-dominant period from early 2022.Research design and methods A combined cohort Markov decision tree model estimated the cost-effectiveness of annual or biannual booster vaccination strategies compared to no booster vaccination for those aged 65 years and above, and those aged 60–64 years at high risk as the base case. The societal perspective was primarily considered. We also examined other target populations with different age and risk groups. Sensitivity and scenario analyses with alternative inputs were performed.Results Annual and biannual vaccination strategies were dominant from the societal perspective in the base case. Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratios (ICERs) from the payer perspective were JPY 1,752,499/Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) for annual vaccination and JPY 2,831,878/QALY for biannual vaccination, both less than the threshold value in Japan (JPY 5 million/QALY). The results were consistent even when examining other target age and risk groups. All sensitivity and scenario analyses indicated that ICERs were below JPY 5 million/QALY.Conclusions Booster vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 is a dominant strategy and beneficial to public health in Japan.

Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of COVID-19, caused over 6.8 million deaths globally as of March 2023. The knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of people to COVID-19 varied in different locations around the world. In this study, we investigated the KAP of women attending Maimusari Primary Healthcare in Jere Local Government, Borno state during the pandemic with a view to understanding the KAP related to COVID-19 across different demographics of women.Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out using self-administered questionnaire on 400 women attending the health facility. The questionnaire surveyed participants’ demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practices, and willingness to take vaccine. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze the data.Results Of the 400 participants, a higher proportion were between the ages of 20 and 29 (36.2%), Kanuri by tribe (47.2%), from monogamous family (66.0%) with less than 5 in terms of family size (64.8%) with no formal education (57.8%). The overall mean knowledge score was 13.64 ± 2.36, which differs significantly (p

ABSTRACTBackground This study aimed to evaluate VE of primary, first, and second booster ancestral-strain monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccination against symptomatic infections and severe diseases in Japan.Methods We conducted a test-negative case-control study. We included medically attended episodes and hospitalizations involving individuals aged [Formula: see text]16 with signs and symptoms from July to November 2022, when Omicron BA.5 was dominant nationwide. To evaluate VE, we calculated adjusted ORs of vaccination among test-positive versus test-negative individuals using a mixed-effects logistic regression.Results For VE against symptomatic infections among individuals aged 16 to 59, VE of primary vaccination at > 180 days was 26.1% (95% CI: 10.6–38.8%); VE of the first booster was 58.5% (48.4–66.7%) at [Formula: see text]90 days, decreasing to 41.1% (29.5–50.8%) at 91 to 180 days. For individuals aged [Formula: see text]60, VE of the first booster was 42.8% (1.7–66.7%) at [Formula: see text]90 days, dropping to 15.4% (−25.9–43.2%) at 91 to 180 days, and then increasing to 44.0% (16.4–62.5%) after the second booster. For VE against severe diseases, VE of the first and second booster was 77.3% (61.2–86.7%) at [Formula: see text]90 days and 55.9% (23.4–74.6%) afterward.Conclusion mRNA booster vaccination provided moderate protection against symptomatic infections and high-level protection against severe diseases during the BA.5 epidemic in Japan.