Covid-19

Only 27 per cent of university students in Hong Kong were satisfied with their online learning during the COVID-19 outbreak, and 60 per cent found online learning less beneficial than classroom teaching, a recent survey by the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong reveals. The study also notes that over 85 per cent of respondents hope to resume face-to-face teaching supplemented by online learning after the pandemic. The research team suggests that traditional classroom teaching cannot be replaced by online learning at present, but that higher education institutions should seriously consider the role of online learning.

In a recent survey conducted by the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong on international/non-local higher education students’ physical and psychological wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 90 per cent of respondents said the outbreak had caused “moderate to extreme” disruption to learning activities. Over 70 per cent expressed concern about the outbreak, while 45 per cent said they were feeling lonely. The research team advises higher education institutions to find creative and effective ways of supporting international students during this challenging time.

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, many organisations have adopted work from home (WFH) practice for months. A recent survey conducted by Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong reveals that over 80 per cent of respondents prefer WFH for at least one day per week even after the pandemic. More than 70 per cent of respondents said WFH allowed them to have more time to rest while 64 per cent said the practice helped reduce work stress. Conducted by the School of Graduate Studies of LU from 8 to 26 April 2020, the online survey collected valid responses from 1,976 Hong Kong citizens. The objective of the survey was to understand people’s views and experiences regarding WFH.

The COVID-19 outbreak is causing widespread disruption to daily life. Hong Kong people living in cramped subdivided flats with poor hygiene conditions have been particularly hard hit. In light of this alarming situation, Lingnan University (LU) jointly launched “Project Ultra Violite” with NGOs to provide a free, efficient UV disinfection service for 1,000 subdivided flats. It is the territory’s first community-wide programme using UV disinfection technology.

Researchers offer first proof that Ultraviolet C light with a 222 nm wavelength -- which is safer to use around humans -- effectively kills the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) held the online international symposium “COVID-19 and Beyond, Culturally Speaking” on 15 and 16 September, and over 1300 participants from all over the world gathered to examine and reflect on the COVID-19 pandemic from a cultural perspective.

This year’s ADB-Asian Think Tank Development Forum will provide a venue to share ideas and experiences among affiliated scholars on the policies and strategies that countries should pursue to mitigate the big slump in the tourism industry. Deadline 30 September 2020.

Scientists review macrophage activation syndrome — a feature of the cytokine storm that kills patients with severe cases of COVID-19, as well as possible treatments.

Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) found for the first time that COVID-19 patients have active and prolonged gut viral infection, even in the absence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. After respiratory clearance of coronavirus, the activity of viral infection and replication will still persist in the gut. The study result has impacted the clinical management of COVID-19 patients and was published in the international medical journal GUT.

Conference will see leading regional thought leaders, policymakers, C-suite officers, senior and middle level hospital and healthcare, e-health, clinical operations, medical and nursing professionals convene to explore new ways to innovate and collaborate.

It seems that nothing is impossible in this era of smart technology. Even scientific experiments can be conducted via smartphone, thanks to Professor Yeung Yau-yuen, Adjunct Professor at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), and his team’s ‘Remote Laboratory’.

Researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have developed a COVID-19 alert system which will send a message to users through a mobile app if they and an infected person have visited the same place within a time period that gives rise to risks of exposure. The system will not collect users’ personal information and location data, thereby protecting individuals’ privacy while alerting them on disease transmission risks associated with confirmed infection cases.

Scientists have reviewed reported cases and testing data of COVID-19 and have determined that changes in the testing rate may be masking the true growth rate and extent of the pandemic.

The older population and those with dementia around the world are facing an unprecedented threat from COVID-19 which threatens them with a higher risk of death when infected. As of 23 August 2020, in Hong Kong, the mortality rate for people aged 60 or above was around 6.27%, which was almost 105 times of those below 60 (0.06%). All deaths from the third wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong are 60 years old or above. Data from the United Kingdom showed that having dementia was associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of death from COVID-19. In light of this, a dementia team of the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine), initiated an international effort to devise strategies that can reduce the adverse impact which can come from public health interventions and protect them from getting COVID-19.

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will hold a two-day online international symposium with the theme "COVID-19 and Beyond, Culturally Speaking" on 15 and 16 September 2020. The novel initiative aims to analyse the COVID-19 pandemic from a cultural perspective.

A group of scientists have detected genetic material from SARS-CoV-2 in untreated wastewater samples collected in April 2020 from two wastewater treatment plants in Louisiana, USA.

Under the “Saving the Lives of Healthcare Workers” project in the Philippines, ASSIST and Project HOPE will distribute kits of personal protective equipment (PPE) to select hospitals and health facilities in COVID-19 hotspots in the Philippines.

A group of researchers have demonstrated that, from seven methods commonly used to test for viruses in untreated wastewater, an adsorption-extraction technique can most efficiently detect SARS-CoV-2. This gives us another tool to detect the presence and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic

Forty-five of the world’s most influential leaders and innovators participated in EmTech Asia. They discussed how emerging technologies will influence industries related to artificial intelligence, robotics, sustainability, healthcare, immersive media, and more.

Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) have recently conducted a study to investigate the impact of liver injury on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Data from over 1,000 COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong was analysed and liver injury was found in around 20% of the patients. The estimated risk of COVID-19 patients with liver injury experiencing adverse clinical outcomes such as intensive care unit (ICU) admission, use of invasive mechanical ventilation or death was almost eight times of other patients. It is suggested that liver function monitoring is important regarding its association with adverse clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. These findings have been published recently in the world-renowned medical journal Gut. In view of the high prevalence of various chronic liver diseases in the Asia-Pacific region, CU Medicine’s researchers led a group of experts from Mainland China, Japan, Singapore and Australia to issue a position statement on the management of COVID-19 patients with liver derangement. The statement has been published recently in another international medical journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

In a May 2020 Webinar, Dr. Sam Shah, Global Digital Health Advisor and Consultant with UK’s National Health System (NHS) discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping healthcare with technology, specifically the response of UK’s NHS.

COVID19 is teaching us one more new lesson – to look for new-onset diabetes and other non-communicable diseases in COVID19 patients by post-COVID19 vigilance.

Large improvements of air quality in China during the COVID-19 lockdown have been widely reported, but new research reveals that the two pollutants most harmful to human health, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone, were only slightly reduced.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up unimaginable challenges for healthcare workers. Even simple outpatient procedures such as endoscopies can expose staff to the risk of infection.

A simple, rapid assay­­ to evaluate neutralizing antibodies that target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) is described in a paper published in Nature Biotechnology.

– Human dosing of LUNAR-COV19 expected soon. – Differentiated STARR™ mRNA vaccine expected to produce humoral and cellular immunity at very low doses. – New preclinical data demonstrates neutralising antibody titres continue to increase for 50 days after a single administration.

IBM teams up with UN SDSN Youth Philippines to deliver a highly trained artificial intelligence chatbot on COVID-19.

Filipino youth organization, UN SDSN Youth – Philippines, is paving the way for accessible information on the current pandemic.

Researchers from the School of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) have recently applied an advanced statistical approach to analyse risk factors that may be causally related to COVID-19 infection. Results suggested that diabetes may be a risk factor leading to increased susceptibility to or severity of COVID-19 infection through changes in ACE2 expression, which is a key receptor for the virus. A substantial proportion of COVID-19 death cases in Hong Kong suffered from diabetes. There is an urgent need to confirm risk factors and the mechanisms in order to protect the susceptible groups and identify effective treatments. The current study results were recently published in the international scientific journal Diabetes Care.

The JUL 2020 regular issue of the Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences Research (JHSSR), Volume 2 (1) JUL. 2020 has been published ahead of time on 30 Jun 2020 and is now live at the Journal’s webpage.