Articles: pandemics.
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Online learning has been shown to have a significant effect on education in the 21st century, and it has become indispensable in nursing education because of the requirement to connect theoretical courses with hospital-based practice. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, education has shifted abruptly away from traditional face-to-face instruction and towards distance learning. This study explores the experience of online education during COVID-19 from the perspectives of nursing educators, graduate students, and undergraduate students in two universities in the occupied Palestinian territory METHOD: A qualitative study adopting focus group interviews as a data collection method was conducted from September to October, 2020, in two Palestinian universities : Birzeit University in Ramallah city and Arab American University in Jenin city. A homogeneous purposeful sampling strategy was adopted to recruit participants. The data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. Ethical approval for the research was obtained from the ethics committees of both universities. ⋯ None.
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In this paper, we shed the light on Beirut's blast that took place in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. An explosion that ripped the heart of Beirut, it produced a destructive shock wave that left thousands of casualties and people homeless. This explosion, which had a mushroom-like cloud appearance similar to that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was described as the third-biggest explosion in human history. It was a blast that not only destroyed lives but also fell as a heavy burden on the shoulders of a country that was suffering from unprecedented economic crisis on top of the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing all this, health care providers were the first line of defense in what looked like an impossible mission. ⋯ The rate-limiting step in such disasters is definitely a well-prepared trained team with a prompt and fast response. And, since time is brain, then what saves the brain is proper timing.
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Observational Study
SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Prevalence in the Portuguese Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia after the First Wave of the Pandemic.
Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence may detect the real spread of the virus because antibody data can provide a long-lasting measure of infection. Existing serological studies in Portugal have tested new serology methods, albeit with small sample sizes and a lack the focus on geographical regions with a high rate of infection cases. The aim of this study was to estimate the serological prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Vila Nova de Gaia, the most populous municipality in the north of Portugal and one of those most affected during the first pandemic wave. ⋯ This was the first study to estimate the serological prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in one of the most populous municipalities in Portugal, representing the first step in the development of an epidemiological surveillance system in Portugal, which can help to improve the diagnosis of COVID-19.
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SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), which was detected in December 2019, whose first cases were observed in Turkey on 11th March 2020, and which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on the same day, has become a public health problem worldwide and has required the adaptation of medical practices to the current situation. In the current paper, we present our experience and practices regarding thoracic surgery from the largest pandemic hospital in Europe over the 1-year period of the pandemic. ⋯ Thoracic surgery has one of the highest risks due to direct contact with the lungs, especially in terms of surgery and the postoperative period. We consider that this risk will be minimized by taking measures during all processes. Moreover, we think that surgical treatments should be delayed as little as possible due to the special status of oncology patients. In addition, considering that if all these rules are followed in the COVID-19 pandemic and in other types of pandemics that may occur in the future, there will be no delay or insufficiency in the treatment of patients and healthcare professionals will be able to work safely.