• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.238-244
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• 2021

Objectives: Previous pandemics have demonstrated that several demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic factors may play a role in increased infection risk. During this current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, our aim was to examine the association of timing of lockdown at the county level and aforementioned risk factors with daily case rate (DCR) in the United States. Methods: A cross-sectional study using publicly available data was performed including Americans with COVID-19 infection as of May 24, 2020. The United States counties with >100 000 population and >50 cases per 100 000 people were included. The independent variable was the days required from the declaration of lockdown to reach the target case rate (50/100 000 cases) while the dependent (outcome) variable was the DCR per 100 000 on the day of statistical calculation (May 24, 2020) after adjusting for multiple confounding socio-demographic, geographic, and health-related factors. Each independent factor was correlated with outcome variables and assessed for collinearity with each other. Subsequently, all factors with significant association to the outcome variable were included in multiple linear regression models using stepwise method. Models with best R² value from the multiple regression were chosen. Results: The timing of mandated lockdown order had the most significant association on the DCR per 100 000 after adjusting for multiple socio-demographic, geographic and health-related factors. Additional factors with significant association with increased DCR include rate of uninsured and unemployment. Conclusions: The timing of lockdown order was significantly associated with the spread of COVID-19 at the county level in the United States.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.649-657
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• 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has unprecedented impacts on different sectors around the globe. The effects observed in developing countries are even more severe. Some projects stopped while many have cost and time overrun issues. This paper conducted a case study on the COVID-19's effects on a hotel construction project in Nepal. The study reviewed the literature on COVID-19 and its impact on construction sectors and conducted a semi-structured interview with the project's personnel. The interview response was analysed and the contributing factors that impacted the project and its performance were identified. The paper found financial, operational, contractual, safety, and risk management issues in the hotel project. Overall, the project cost increased by 32% where the material cost increased by 35% and labor cost increased by 28%. This research discusses causes, measures, and provides a broad perspective of the problems, significant challenges, and opportunities associated with the effects of COVID-19 on the construction industry. The Owner as well as the Contractors incurred added costs because of COVID-19. The paper identified contributing factors and presented the challenges which could be used as opportunities to minimize unforeseen impacts of the pandemics in near future. The lesson learned from this case study was that the labor cost and materials cost could have been minimized if the Owner and the Contractor had established alternative resources such as using locally available labor, materials, and alternative suppliers.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.21 no.12spc
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• pp.657-663
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• 2021

The main purpose of the study is to analyze the information aspects of the impact of COVID-19 on the labor market in the EU and Ukraine. In addition to studying the key parameters of changes in the labor market under the influence of COVID-19, i.e. the unemployment rate and the share of the employed population, a thorough study of gender equality, labor migration and the impact on youth made it possible to characterize the effectiveness of the policy of stabilization and restoration of the labor market in the EU and Ukraine. The results obtained form the necessary information basis for modeling labor market regulation in the event of possible subsequent disturbances, in particular under the influence of global pandemics.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.561-572
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to understand nurses' lived experiences of caring for patients with COVID-19. Methods: The phenomenological research method was used. The study participants were 16 Korean nurses who had experiences in caring for patients with COVID-19 in clinical settings. Data was collected using one-on-one in-depth interviews, from June 30 to September 30, 2020. During the interview, the quarantine rules were observed. Results: The study derived four themes clusters and thirty-eight sub themes. Four theme clusters were identified, i.e., 'a repetitive sense of crisis', 'enduring a drastic change,' 'sacrifice of personal life,' and 'pride in nursing'. The nurses' experiences of caring for patients with COVID-19 were an uneasy, unfamiliar, and threatening experiences for an individual, but it is an opportunity for a nursing organization to renew. Accordingly, it was found that nurses faithfully fulfill their individual roles with a vocation and responsibility. Conclusion: The study provides an in-depth understanding of the situational, psychological, and environmental aspects of challenges facing nurses in the pandemic situation. Based on the findings, institutional follow-up measures should be provided to establish support systems for better nursing care. In addition, studies are needed to track nurses' experiences in the prolonged COVID-19 situation.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.33-46
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• 2023

Purpose: During the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak, mask-wearing is required to protect against and limit the spread of infection, but it can directly affect skin problems. Change in skin condition might be related to mental health. This study explored the association between skin conditions and behavior of skin cares and stress levels during the Covid-19pandemics. Research design, data and methodology: A survey was conducted on 516 adults who were aware of damaged skin due to continuous wearing of masks for a long time during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The study included 164 men and 352 women in the Republic of Korea. Results: Skin conditions and behavior of skin cares associated with stress perceptions. A multiple linear regression model was used adjusting for potential confounder. Conclusion: Since management so far in the COVID-19 Pandemic can cause skin concerns and change the original skin type, it is necessary to redefine and improve the use of skin care, face-washing methods, and functional cosmetics. People with high and low interest in skin type recognition and management were evenly identified, and it was confirmed that stress awareness decreases as awareness of skin care attitude increases.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.154-159
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• 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly impacted all aspects of undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education. Only the focus of medical education-care for patients and communities-has remained an integral part of all of the above sectors. Several challenges have been experienced by learners and educators as the education and training of future doctors has continued in the midst of this crisis, including the cancellation of face-to-face classes and training, reduced patient encounter opportunities, fairness issues in online assessments, disruption of patient interview-based exams, reflections on the role of doctors in society, and mental health-related problems linked to isolation and concerns about infection. In response to these disruptions, educators and institutions have rapidly deployed educational innovations. Schools have adopted educational strategies to overcome these challenges by implementing novel education delivery methods in an online format, providing clinical experiences through simulation or telehealth methods, introducing online assessment tools with formative purposes, encouraging learners' involvement in nonclinical activities such as community service, and making available resources and programs to sustain learners' mental health and wellness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, educators and institutions have faced drastic changes in medical education worldwide. At the same time, the quantitative expansion of online education has caused other problems, such as the lack of human collaboration. The long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education need to be studied further.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.225-233
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• 2022

The recent outbreak of corona virus (COVID-19) infectious disease had made its forecasting critical cornerstones in most scientific studies. This study adopts a machine learning based time series model - Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model to forecast COVID-19 confirmed cases in Botswana over 60 days period. Findings of the study show that COVID-19 confirmed cases in Botswana are steadily rising in a steep upward trend with random fluctuations. This trend can also be described effectively using an additive model when scrutinized in Seasonal Trend Decomposition method by Loess. In selecting the best fit ARIMA model, a Grid Search Algorithm was developed with python language and was used to optimize an Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) metric. The best fit ARIMA model was determined at ARIMA (5, 1, 1), which depicted the least AIC score of 3885.091. Results of the study proved that ARIMA model can be useful in generating reliable and volatile forecasts that can used to guide on understanding of the future spread of infectious diseases or pandemics. Most significantly, findings of the study are expected to raise social awareness to disease monitoring institutions and government regulatory bodies where it can be used to support strategic health decisions and initiate policy improvement for better management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.397-411
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• 2023

Purpose: The role of medical staff gained immense significance in the context of the prolonged coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, few studies had explored the impact of simulation-based education on the ability of nursing students to care for the patients of COVID-19. This study provided nursing students with simulation-based education in caring for the patients of COVID-19 and confirmed its effectiveness. Methods: This study used a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were recruited from the nursing departments of two universities in Korea through convenience sampling. A total of 79 participants were included: 37 in the intervention group and 42 in the control group. The intervention group received four sessions of simulation training based on the National League for Nursing Jeffries simulation theory. Results: The intervention group showed an improvement compared to the control group in terms of knowledge related to coronavirus, confidence in performing infection control skills, and perception of preparedness for caring for the patients of COVID-19, with a high-level of satisfaction and self-confidence in learning. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of anxiety. Conclusion: This simulation is expected to be a significant strategy for alleviating the global burden in terms of staff safety and patient outcomes by improving the competencies of prospective medical staff in responding to pandemics.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.418-431
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• 2022

Purpose: The aims of this study were to examine the rate of depression among older adults living alone and to identify factors associated with depression in older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A secondary data analysis was performed using data from the 2020 Korea Community Health Survey. The study participants were 18,824 older adults aged 65 years and over living alone. The data of the complex sample design was analyzed with consideration for weights, stratification, and clustering. Complex sample multiple logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with depression in older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The results showed that the rate of depression in older adults living alone was 6.3%. Older adults living alone with decreased physical activity, decreased hours of sleep, and an increased or similar frequency of meeting with friends or neighbors were found to be more likely to have depression. In terms of factors related to the practice of COVID-19 infection prevention and control rules, not disinfecting regularly and not wearing a mask indoors were related to depression. For health-related factors, fair or poor self-rated health status, not having breakfast every day, and feeling stressed were related to depression. Conclusion: It is recommended to develop tailored interventions to prevent depression among older adults living alone by considering the factors related to their depression during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.578-592
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of public officials working for the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) response in community health centers in South Korea. Methods: A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using data collected from three focus groups and two individual interviews. Results: The participants performed quarantine tasks in a poor working environment with several problems, such as significant workload, lack of manpower, and inappropriate compensation system. Participants experienced obstacles in performing quarantine works, which had the lack of the detailed quarantine guidelines, work support and cooperation system. Participants suffered from civil complaints. Participants endured sacrifices in their personal lives while partaking in COVID-19 response work without holidays, and subsequently experienced health problems. And also participants said that it was necessary to secure expertise and effective communication for infectious disease management. Conclusion: The study results suggest that policies are required that are aimed to improve the working environment and the recruitment of experts in infectious diseases. In addition, the job stress related to the COVID-19 response by public officials in community health centers must be evaluated, and the relation of their job stress to physical and mental problems, as well as psychosocial stress, must be examined.