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Abstract: Pursuing vaccinations against COVID-19 brings hope to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and remains the most rational decision under pandemic conditions. However, it does not come without challenges, including temporary shortages in vaccine doses, significant vaccine inequity, and questions regarding the durability of vaccine-induced immunity that remain unanswered. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 has undergone evolution with the emergence of its novel variants, characterized by enhanced transmissibility and ability to at least partially evade neutralizing antibodies. At the same time, serum antibody levels start to wane within a few months after vaccination, ultimately increasing the risk of breakthrough infections. This article discusses whether the administration of booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines is urgently needed to control the pandemic. We conclude that, at present, optimizing the immunity level of wealthy populations cannot come at the expense of low-income regions that suffer from vaccine unavailability. Although the efficiency of vaccination in protecting from infection may decrease over time, current data show that efficacy against severe disease, hospitalization, and death remains at a high level. If vaccine coverage continues at extremely low levels in various regions, including African countries, SARS-CoV-2 may sooner or later evolve into variants better adapted to evade natural and vaccine-induced immunity, ultimately bringing a global threat that, of course, includes wealthy populations. We offer key recommendations to increase vaccination rates in low-income countries. The pandemic is, by definition, a major epidemiological event and requires looking beyond one's immediate self-interest; otherwise, efforts to contain it will be futile.
Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, disease dynamics, exponential growth, virality, vaccination strategy, immunology, massive vaccinations, vaccine inequity, SARS-CoV-2
Published in DKUM: 14.10.2024; Views: 0; Downloads: 0
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Abstract: Social distancing is an efective strategy to mitigate the impact of infectious diseases. If sick or healthy, or both, predominantly socially distance, the epidemic curve fattens. Contact reductions may occur for diferent reasons during a pandemic including health-related mobility loss (severity of symptoms), duty of care for a member of a high-risk group, and forced quarantine. Other decisions to reduce contacts are of a more voluntary nature. In particular, sick people reduce contacts consciously to avoid infecting others, and healthy individuals reduce contacts in order to stay healthy. We use game theory to formalize the interaction of voluntary social distancing in a partially infected population. This improves the behavioral micro-foundations of epidemiological models, and predicts diferential social distancing rates dependent on health status. The model's key predictions in terms of comparative statics are derived, which concern changes and interactions between social distancing behaviors of sick and healthy. We ft the relevant parameters for endogenous social distancing to an epidemiological model with evidence from infuenza waves to provide a benchmark for an epidemic curve with endogenous social distancing. Our results suggest that spreading similar in peak and case numbers to what partial immobilization of the population produces, yet quicker to pass, could occur endogenously. Going forward, eventual social distancing orders and lockdown policies should be benchmarked against more realistic epidemic models that take endogenous social distancing into account, rather than be driven by static, and therefore unrealistic, estimates for social mixing that intrinsically overestimate spreading.
Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, disease dynamics, exponential growth, virality
Published in DKUM: 14.08.2024; Views: 121; Downloads: 8
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Abstract: Experts worldwide have constantly been calling for high-quality open-access epidemiological data, given the fast-evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Disaggregated high-level granularity records are still scant despite being essential to corroborate the effectiveness of virus containment measures and even vaccination strategies. We provide a complete dataset containing disaggregated epidemiological information about all the COVID-19 patients officially reported during the first 250 days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bucharest (Romania). We give the sex, age, and the COVID-19 infection confirmation date for 46.440 individual cases, between March 7th and November 11th, 2020. Additionally, we provide context-wise information such as the stringency levels of the measures taken by the Romanian authorities. We procured the data from the local public health authorities and systemized it to respond to the urgent international need of comparing observational data collected from various populations. Our dataset may help understand COVID-19 transmission in highly dense urban communities, perform virus spreading simulations, ascertain the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions, and craft better vaccination strategies.
Keywords: disaggregated data, age, sex, COVID-19, pandemic, Romania
Published in DKUM: 15.07.2024; Views: 92; Downloads: 8
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Abstract: Environmental scanning has become increasingly crucial for an organisation’s existence and a matter of interest for scholars and professionals. This research presents an outline of the situation in the field of multidimensional environmental scanning, focusing on Slovenian micro, small and medium sized organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the paper aims to examine if top managers perceive the multidimensional (external) environment as uncertain and if there have been gender differences in multidimensional (external) environmental uncertainty perception during the COVID-19 pandemic. We researched the field of ecological, social, technological, economic, and political–legal environments. The nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test and descriptive statistics were used to test the research hypotheses. The results show that top managers are not aware enough of multidimensional environmental uncertainty. They do not perceive the ecological and social environment as unpredictable at all. Among the studied environments, they perceive the political–legal environment as most unpredictable. There are no statistically significant gender differences in perceptions of ecological, social, technological, economic, and political–legal environmental uncertainty. We suggest SME top managers pay more attention to environmental uncertainty and use environmental scanning methods to achieve more sustainable development.
Keywords: strategic management, environmental uncertainty, ecological environment, social environment, technological environment, economic environment, political–legal environment, SME top managers, COVID-19 pandemic, Slovenia
Published in DKUM: 05.07.2024; Views: 146; Downloads: 20
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Abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate the real-life experience of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Slovenia in the first pandemic wave and how the buffering effect of social and informational support affected negative feelings. We used a self-administrated questionnaire. There were 1182 eligible notified cases with the response rate 64.9%. At least 62% of responders were able to follow the isolation rules, while 21.1% did not or could not organize their living separately from other household members. The main providers during the isolation period were close family members. The most prevalent emotion in our study was worry (70.3%) and fear (37.6%). Worry and fear during the illness were less probable for men than women, but more probable for older patients. Participants with strong emotional support had lower odds of being sad. Those who were exposed to a larger number of sources of information had higher odds of being worried. Those patients who used a higher number of more credible sources of information had higher odds of being afraid during illness. Pets did not play a special role in psychological well-being. The role of the media and public health communications should be explored further to achieve an improved response.
Keywords: COVID-19, first pandemic wave, isolation, information, social support, feelings, stigma
Published in DKUM: 04.07.2024; Views: 147; Downloads: 14
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