关键词： COVID-19   trade deficit   PMG model   EAC region   J-CURVE   COINTEGRATION   DEVALUATION   GRAVITY   TESTS   US  

摘要： The COVID-19 pandemic posed an unprecedented shock on the demand and supply chains of commodities, thus, disrupting trade flows globally. Albeit East African Community (EAC) countries reported negative trade balances even prior to the inception of the pandemic; it remains unknown as to whether the situation significantly deteriorated in the pandemic era. This study, therefore, evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the trade balance of EAC economies for the period March 2020-December 2022 using the PMG model. Further, it assessed the differentiated impact of the pandemic on the value of imports and exports. First, the findings revealed the presence of a long-run relationship between COVID-19 and trade deficit/imports/exports in the region. Secondly, whereas the impact of the pandemic on the trade deficit was insignificant in the short run; it was positive and significant in the long run. This suggested that despite the easing of the stringent lockdown measures, countries in the region are still feeling the effects of the pandemic. Thirdly, while the pandemic significantly increased imports in the short run, its impact was insignificant in the long run. Contrariwise, no impact of the pandemic was found on exports. The study, thus, recommends that though current increased controls and surveillance on trade remain inevitable, such measures should be instigated in a manner that does not overly disrupt the normal trade flows. Additionally, EAC countries need to bolster their production chains to guarantee self-reliance which is critical in ensuring that intraregional trade in the region remains buoyant in such challenging times.

关键词： COVID-19   community engagement   Bolivia   co-creation   health promotion   PARTICIPATION   HEALTH  

摘要： BackgroundCommunity engagement is recognized as a vital component of health-related research and programs, particularly during infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics. Despite the importance of engaging communities in the response to COVID-19, relatively little research has examined how this was (or was not) achieved, and even less in low- and middle-income countries. This article describes the community engagement that accompanied efforts to strengthen COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment as part of the ECO Project in Cochabamba, Bolivia and highlights lessons for future pandemic *** engagement involved formative assessment, co-creation to develop a health information campaign, ongoing community listening and evaluation. Qualitative data were collected during workshops, project meetings and focus groups. Questionnaire-based surveys were conducted to assess COVID-19-related attitudes, knowledge and *** collected data highlighted the value of working closely with well-established community health committees and involving community members with social media skills in the design of COVID-19-related messages to address on- and offline misinformation. Co-creation sessions enabled the adjustment of the information campaign in terms of content and approach based on the needs and preferences of community members and health staff. The continuous listening with community and health personnel facilitated the ongoing adaptation of project *** a stepped and multi-pronged approach, incorporating co-creation and community listening, the engagement could respond to emerging local challenges during the pandemic. The project created spaces for dialogue and opportunities for collaboration that strengthened links between the community and the health services. Main findingsKey elements of community engagement to improve COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment in Cochabamba, Bolivia, included working closely with well-established co

关键词： Adolescent vaccination   social media   vaccine messaging   credibility   COVID-19 pandemic   HUMAN-PAPILLOMAVIRUS VACCINE   RECOMMENDED IMMUNIZATION SCHEDULE   UNITED-STATES   HPV VACCINATION   PROVIDER COMMUNICATION   ADVISORY-COMMITTEE   COVERAGE   CHILDREN   MEN  

摘要： There is a continued need for research to better understand the influence social media has on parental vaccination attitudes and behaviors, especially research capturing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of this study was to explore parents' perspectives related to the impact the pandemic had on 1) social media engagement, 2) vaccine messaging on social media, and 3) factors to guide future intervention development. Between February and March 2022, 6 online, synchronous, text-based focus groups were conducted with parents of adolescents aged 11 to 17 years. Participants who all utilized social media were recruited from across the United States. Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. A total of 64 parents participated. Average age was 47 years, and participants were predominantly White (71.9%), female (84.3%), and engaged with social media multiple times per day (51.6%). Participants (95.3%) viewed obtaining all recommended vaccines as important or very important; however, overall vaccination rates for their adolescents were varied (50% >= 1 dose HPV; 59.4% MenACWY; 78.1% Tdap; 65.6% Flu; 81.3% COVID-19). Three themes emerged highlighting the pandemic's impact on parent's (1) general patterns of social media use, (2) engagement about vaccines on social media and off-line behaviors related to vaccination, and (3) perspectives for developing a credible and trustworthy social media intervention about vaccination. Participants reported fatigue from contentious vaccine-related content on social media and desired future messaging to be from recognizable health institutions/associations with links to reputable resources. Plus, providers should continue to provide strong vaccine recommendations in clinic.

关键词： COVID-19 pandemic   impacts   supportive elements   future actions   Sami Indidegous people   Finnish Lapland   HEALTH  

摘要： The COVID-19 pandemic challenged our lives during the years 2020-2022. Impacts could be seen in everyday life, both locally and nationally, through economic, mental and social elements. However, these effects varied depending on the life situation of individuals. This paper aims to gather information from the representatives and operators working in two Finnish municipalities, Inari and Utsjoki, to understand and learn about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data (20 interviews) were collected between December 2021 and February 2022 and analysed following the principles of the qualitative content analysis. The results suggest that the effects of COVID-19 emerged through issues related to the national border between Finland and Norway, economic challenges, and the pressure that people experienced. However, despite challenges, people were supported by everyday life and a connection to nature, communality and close co-operation. Additionally, local needs were highlighted among participants. The results provide a deeper understanding about the public health impacts in these Northernmost municipalities and can therefore be utilised in future development work. They also provide relevant information on the experiences of Sami people, and specific views related to Sami people can be recognised.

关键词： Coronavirus   COVID-19   ZF2001   vaccine   factor   outcome  

摘要： The ZF2001 vaccine has demonstrated high efficacy in preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the clinical characteristics of breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals and the risk factors for adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients remain unclear. We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, including 210 fully vaccinated COVID-19 inpatients from December 5, 2022, to January 31, 2023. Data on clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, disease severity, treatment, and prognosis were collected and analyzed. Our findings revealed that COVID-19 inpatients still experienced common symptoms at the onset of illness, but most laboratory findings were within the normal range, except for white blood cell count (WBC), lymphocyte count, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Following standard treatment, 95.7% of patients were discharged from the hospital. We identified seven variables significantly associated with a higher risk of adverse outcomes, including age over 65, elevated WBC count, reduced lymphocyte count, higher levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), LDH, troponin, D-dimer, and procalcitonin. This study supports the substantial clinical benefits of the ZF2001 vaccine for COVID-19 patients. Additionally, age over 65, elevated WBC count, reduced lymphocyte count, and higher blood levels of BUN, LDH, D-dimer, and procalcitonin may be used as predictive factors for disease progression in fully vaccinated COVID-19 inpatients.

关键词： Effectiveness   COVID-19 vaccine   heterologous immunization   homologous immunization   hazard ratio   INFECTION  

摘要： Effectiveness of heterologous booster regimes with ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine in a large, diverse population during the national-scale outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 omicron predominance in China has not been reported, yet. We conducted a large-scale cohort-control study in six provinces in China, and did a retrospective survey on the COVID-19 attack risk during this outbreak. Participant aged >= 18 years in five previous trials who were primed with 1 to 3 doses of ICV received heterologous booster with either intramuscular or orally inhaled ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine were included in the heterologous-trial cohort. We performed propensity score-matching at a ratio of 1:4 to match participants in the heterologous-trial cohort individually with the community individuals who received three-dose of ICV as a control (ICV-community cohort). From February 4 to April 10, 2023, 41504 (74.5%) of 55710 individuals completed the survey. The median time since the most recent vaccination to the onset of the symptoms of COVID-19 was 303.0 days (IQR 293.0-322.0). The attack rate of COVID-19 in the heterologous-trial cohort was 55.8%, while that in the ICV-community cohort was 64.6%, resulting in a relative effectiveness of 13.7% (95% CI 11.9 to 15.3). In addition, a higher relative effectiveness against COVID-19 associated outpatient visits, and admission to hospital was demonstrated, which was 25.1% (95% CI 18.9 to 30.9), and 48.9% (95% CI 27.0 to 64.2), respectively. The heterologous booster with ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine still offered some additional protection in preventing COVID-19 breakthrough infection versus homologous three-dose regimen with ICV, 10 months after vaccination.

关键词： Indigenous health   Saami   qualitative study   circumpolar   minority health   social science   interview study   thematic analysis   public health   HEALTH-CARE  

摘要： The COVID-19 pandemic posed a grave threat not only to Indigenous people's health and well-being, but also to Indigenous communities and societies. This applies also to the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, where unintentional effects of public health actions to mitigate the spread of virus may have long-lasting effects on vulnerable communities. This study aim was to identify and describe S & aacute;mi perspectives on how the S & aacute;mi society in Sweden was specifically affected by the pandemic and associated public health actions during 2020-2021. A mixed-method qualitative case study approach was employed, including a media scoping review and stakeholder interviews. The media scoping review included 93 articles, published online or in print, from January 2020 to 1 September 2021, in Swedish or Norwegian, regarding the pandemic-related impacts on S & aacute;mi society in Sweden. The review informed a purposeful selection of 15 stakeholder qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis of the articles and interview transcripts generated five subthemes and two main themes: "weathering the storm" and "stressing S & aacute;mi culture and society". These reflect social dynamics which highlight stressors towards, and resilience within, the S & aacute;mi society during the pandemic. The results may be useful when evaluating and developing public health crisis response plans concerning or affecting the S & aacute;mi society in Sweden.

关键词： Secretory IgA   human milk   mucosal infection   SARS-CoV-2   COVID-19   IMMUNOGLOBULIN-A   ANTIBODIES   EXPRESSION   COLOSTRUM   PLANTS  

摘要： Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is the most abundant antibody (Ab) in human mucosae, with secretory form (sIgA) being dominant and uniquely stable. sIgA is challenging to produce recombinantly but is naturally found in human milk, which could be considered a global resource for this biologic, justifying its development as a mucosal therapeutic. Presently, SARS-CoV-2 was utilized as a model mucosal pathogen, and methods were developed to efficiently extract human milk sIgA from donors who were naive to SARS-CoV-2 or had recovered from infection that elicited high-titer anti-SARS-CoV-2 Spike sIgA in their milk (pooled to make LCTG-002). Mass spectrometry determined that proteins with a relative abundance of 1% or greater were all associated with sIgA. Western blot demonstrated that all batches consisted predominantly of sIgA. Compared to control IgA, LCTG-002 demonstrated significantly higher Spike binding (mean endpoint of 0.87 versus 5.87). LCTG-002 was capable of blocking the Spike receptor-binding domain - angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) interaction with significantly greater potency compared to control (mean LCTG-002 IC50 154ug/mL versus 50% inhibition not achieved for control), and exhibited significant neutralization activity against Spike-pseudotyped virus infection (mean LCTG-002 IC50 49.8ug/mL versus 114.5ug/mL for control). LCTG-002 was tested for its capacity to reduce viral lung burden in K18+hACE2 transgenic mice inoculated with SARS-CoV-2. LCTG-002 significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 titers compared to control when administered at 0.25 mg/day or 1 mg/day, with a maximum TCID50 reduction of 4.9 logs. This innovative study demonstrates that LCTG-002 is highly pure and efficacious in vivo, supporting further development of milk-derived, polyclonal sIgA therapeutics.

关键词： COVID-19 legacy   ontological (in)security   significant appearance concerns   qualitative   healthcare support   MUSCULARITY   DISORDER   DRIVE  

摘要： PurposeThough a worldwide period of uncertainty (COVID-19) has 'ended', there exists a legacy of maladaptive experiences among people with significant appearance concerns (SAC) that requires care and *** Giddens' concept of ontological security, we explored how people experienced their SAC before, during and "since" COVID-19. Qualitative surveys allowed us to capture diverse perspectives from individuals transnationally, analysed with deductive reflexive thematic analysis using ontological security as our theoretical *** named "More Mirror(ed) Time" and "Locked Out, Shut Down, and Shut Out" gave a contextual grounding for the embodied experiences of this group through times of social restrictions, and the theme "Redefining Relevance" explored the continued legacy of COVID-19 - and continued global uncertainties such as economic hardship and warfare - that impact the wellbeing of people with *** with SAC are still 'locked out' from essential healthcare support as those providing healthcare are overworked, under-resourced and rely on efficient interactive methods such as tele-health that may be triggers for people with SAC. Care providers may consider expanding appearance concerns verbiage, look to involve trusted others in the care-seeking process, and utilize modalities beyond digital health to support people with SAC.

关键词： Mycoplasma pneumoniae   macrolide-resistance-associated mutation   public health measure   paediatric infectious diseases   post COVID-19 pandemic  

摘要： With the atypical rise of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection (MPI) in 2023, prompt studies are needed to determine the current epidemic features and risk factors with emerging trends of MPI to furnish a framework for subsequent investigations. This multicentre, retrospective study was designed to analyse the epidemic patterns of MPI before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as genotypes and the macrolide-resistance-associated mutations in MP sampled from paediatric patients in Southern China. Clinical data was collected from 1,33,674 patients admitted into investigational hospitals from 1 June 2017 to 30 November 2023. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) data were retrieved based on MP sequence positive samples from 299 paediatric patients for macrolide-resistance-associated mutations analysis. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables between different time frames. The monthly average cases of paediatric common respiratory infection diseases increased without enhanced public health measures after the pandemic, especially for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus infection, and MPI. The contribution of MPI to pneumoniae was similar to that in the outbreak in 2019. Compared to mNGS data between 2019-2022 and 2023, the severity of MP did not grow stronger despite higher rates of macrolide-resistance hypervariable sites, including loci 2063 and 2064, were detected in childhood MP samples of 2023. Our findings indicated that ongoing surveillance is necessary to understand the impact of post pandemic on MP transmission disruption during epidemic season and the severity of clinical outcomes in different scenarios. [GRAPHICS] .