Policy Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Vietnam

Psychological impacts of COVID-19 on Vietnamese health workers over the prolonged restricted COVID-19 responses: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the psychological impact posed by COVID-19 and its associated factors on the healthcare workforce nationwide during the peak of Vietnam's fourth outbreak.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Our study was conducted in 61 provinces of Vietnam.

METHODS

A total of 2814 healthcare professionals in 61/63 provinces of Vietnam. An online questionnaire using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scales was distributed randomly to a subgroup of 503 respondents.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

To determine the impact of COVID-19 on the psychological of health workers, we conducted analyses to test a primary hypothesis related to participants based on three main scales including PHQ-9, PSS-4 and GAD-7 scales.

RESULTS

Nearly half (49.7%) of healthcare workers experienced mild depression symptoms, 34.0% underwent moderate anxiety symptoms and 49.3% reported high-stress levels. Respondents who had a monthly income below 5 million VND (~US$212) and had more than 3 days of duty per week had a higher score on the anxiety scales. Compared with medical doctors, nurses/midwives had lower PHQ-9 (Coef=-2.53; 95% CI=-3.71 to -1.36) and GAD-7 scores (Coef=-2.36; 95% CI=-3.56 L to -1.16). Increased workload and work time was the harmful factor that increase the PHQ-9, GAD-7 or PSS-4 scores. More than half (53.9%) of respondents stated no demand for mental healthcare services.

CONCLUSIONS

Health workers who gained less financial rewards are reported to have higher levels of mental distress than others, implying the need for a raise in basic salary as well as compensation and encouragement schemes. To tackle hesitancy in seeking mental help, integrating online mental health therapy with e-health consultations via social media can be strategically implemented to augment service delivery, and simultaneously enhance the standard of mental health services.

The impact of containment policy and mobility on COVID-19 cases through structural equation model in Chile, Singapore, South Korea and Israel

Objectives

The study aims to understand the impact of containment policy and mobility on COVID-19 cases in Chile, Singapore, South Korea and Israel. To provide experience in epidemic prevention and control.

Methods

Structural equation modeling (SEM) of containment policies, mobility, and COVID-19 cases were used to test and analyze the proposed hypotheses.

Results

Chile, Israel and Singapore adopted containment strategies, focusing on closure measures. South Korea adopted a mitigation strategy with fewer closure measures, focusing on vaccination and severe case management. There was a significant negative relationship among containment policies, mobility, and COVID-19 cases.

Conclusion

To control the COVID-19 and slow down the increase of COVID-19 cases, countries can increase the stringency of containment policies when COVID-19 epidemic is more severe. Thus, countries can take measures from the following three aspects: strengthen the risk monitoring, and keep abreast of the COVID-19 risk; adjust closure measures in time and reduce mobility; and strengthen public education on COVID-19 prevention to motivate citizen to consciously adhere to preventive measures.

COVID-19 infection and decline in outdoor activities associated with depression in older adults: A multicenter study in Vietnam

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a serious global communicable disease burden. Although COVID-19 and its policy responses have significantly influenced older adults, the impact of COVID-19 on depression in the older population is not fully understood. We aimed to investigate whether a history of COVID-19 infection and a decline in outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with depression among older adults in Vietnam.

METHODS

This multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,004 outpatients (aged ≥60 years; mean age 70.8 ± 7.3 years; men, 33.0%) visiting three hospitals for a comprehensive geriatric assessment between November 2021 and July 2022. Depression over the past week was evaluated using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. History of COVID-19 infection and decline in outdoor activities were included as binary variables. We adjusted these two factors with sociodemographic and geriatric variables and comorbidities using a logistic regression analysis in separate models.

RESULTS

A total of 156 participants (15.5%) experienced depression. The proportion of mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms was 14.1%, 44.9%, and 41.0%, respectively. In the multivariate model, decline in outdoor activities (odds ratio [OR] 17.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 9.15-32.2, p <0.001) and history of COVID-19 infection (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.28-3.84, p = 0.004) were associated with depression. Additionally, we found that age ≥ 75 years, female sex, being underweight, limitations in functional status, poor sleep quality, and stroke were associated with depression. Of the associated factors, decline in outdoor activities had a moderate strength of association with depression (r = 0.419), while each of the remaining factors had a weak strength of association.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 had a direct and indirect impact on depression in older adults, reflecting an association between both a history of COVID-19 infection and a decline in outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and depression in the older population.

Illustrating the impact of commercial determinants of health on the global COVID-19 pandemic: Thematic analysis of 16 country case studies

Previous research on commercial determinants of health has primarily focused on their impact on non-communicable diseases. However, they also impact on infectious diseases and on the broader preconditions for health. We describe, through case studies in 16 countries, how commercial determinants of health were visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they may have influenced national responses and health outcomes. We use a comparative qualitative case study design in selected low- middle- and high-income countries that performed differently in COVID-19 health outcomes, and for which we had country experts to lead local analysis. We created a data collection framework and developed detailed case studies, including extensive grey and peer-reviewed literature. Themes were identified and explored using iterative rapid literature reviews. We found evidence of the influence of commercial determinants of health in the spread of COVID-19. This occurred through working conditions that exacerbated spread, including precarious, low-paid employment, use of migrant workers, procurement practices that limited the availability of protective goods and services such as personal protective equipment, and commercial actors lobbying against public health measures. Commercial determinants also influenced health outcomes by influencing vaccine availability and the health system response to COVID-19. Our findings contribute to determining the appropriate role of governments in governing for health, wellbeing, and equity, and regulating and addressing negative commercial determinants of health.

Clinical Features and Treatment Outcomes of COVID-19 Admissions in the Can Tho City Hospital of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, Vietnam: A Hospital-Based Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, is among the top global health crises. As confirmed by the Vietnam Ministry of Health on 25th January 2023, Vietnam had a cumulative total of more than 11.52 million COVID-19 patients, including 10.61 million recoveries and 43,186 deaths.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to describe the clinical and subclinical characteristics, treatment progress, and outcomes of 310 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

METHODS

A total of 310 patients with medical records of SARS-CoV-2 were admitted to Can Tho City Hospital of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Can Tho city, Vietnam, between July 2021 and December 2021. Demographic and clinical data, including laboratory examinations, of all the patients were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

The median duration of hospital stay was 16.4 ± 5.3 days. There were 243 (78.4%) patients with clinical symptoms of COVID-19 and 67 (21.6%) patients without clinical symptoms. The common symptoms included cough (71.6% of 310 patients), fever (35.4%), shortness of breath (22.6%), sore throat (21.4%), loss of smell/taste (15.6%), and diarrhea (14.4%). Regarding treatment outcomes, 92.3% of the patients were discharged from the hospital, 1.9% of the patients suffered a more severe illness and were transferred to a higher-level hospital, and 5.8% of the patients died. The RT-PCR results were negative in 55.2% of the patients, and 37.1% of the patients had positive RT-PCR results with Ct values of >30 on the discharge/transfer day. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that comorbidity and decreased blood pH were statistically significantly related to the treatment outcomes of the patients with COVID-19 (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides useful information (i.e., the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes) on the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam during its biggest outbreak; the information may be used for reference and for making improvements in the handling of future health crises.

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy-Induced Cardiogenic Shock Causing Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy in a COVID-19 Patient

Background. Cardiogenic shock complicating peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare but lethal syndrome. The etiology of PPCM is not fully elucidated and is probably multifactorial, and viral infection might play some role. It has been documented that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) directly invades the cardiomyocytes and most commonly damages this vital organ via complex systemic devastating mechanisms. Case presentation. A 28-year-old pregnant female was admitted to a COVID-19 field hospital due to a SARS-CoV-2 infection. She gave birth by spontaneous vaginal delivery at 34 gestational weeks. Six hours after the delivery, she presented signs of hemodynamic collapse and became comatosed, requiring a transfer to the COVID-19 intensive care center. The brain magnetic resonance imaging excluded thromboembolism, intracerebral hemorrhage, and central nervous system infection and revealed a hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Bedside echocardiography documented a dilated left ventricle and severely reduced left ventricular systolic function with an ejection fraction of 24%. The management was aimed at a cardiogenic shock secondary to peripartum cardiomyopathy. The clinical course was favorable: the hemodynamics stabilized, the cognitive function fully recovered, and the patient was extubated on the second day of admission to the intensive care unit. The patient was discharged from the hospital ten days after admission. Neurological and cardiovascular checkups six months after discharge showed full recovery. Conclusion. Peripartum cardiomyopathy-induced cardiogenic shock with severe neurological consequences in COVID-19 patients was rare but did exist. A systemic approach and vigorous efforts to pinpoint the accurate diagnosis played important roles in the prompt and appropriate management.

The Public Health Response to COVID-19 in Vietnam: Decentralization and Human Rights

Human rights constitute a universal concern in different countries’ responses to COVID-19. Vietnam is internationally praised for its success in containing the pandemic; nevertheless, human rights issues are a key area that needs to be assessed and improved. Little legal and ethical research is available on human rights in Vietnam, particularly in its response to COVID-19, however. In Vietnam, decentralization took place during the pandemic: higher authorities delegated power to lower ones to make and implement public health measures. Unfortunately, many measures made and implemented decentrally caused human rights concerns or breaches. This article aims to study what makes such measures cause human rights concerns or breaches. It argues that several social, legal, and political factors, including an inadequate understanding of human rights, the undefined breadth of discretion, and lack of supervision, are underlying factors for such problematic decentralized measures. Accordingly, this paper proposes two solutions (i) improving the supervision of the decentralization process, and (ii) improving the understanding of human rights. While Vietnam should learn from the international community to improve its measures, lessons and experience from Vietnam can also contribute to a richer dialogue and better protection of human rights globally.

Uneven stigma loads: Community interpretations of public health policies, 'evidence' and inequities in shaping Covid-19 stigma in Vietnam

The infectious spread of COVID-19 has been accompanied by stigma in both global and local contexts, sparking concern about its negative effect on individuals, communities, and public health responses. The changing epidemiological context of the COVID-19 epidemic and evolving public health responses during the first year of the pandemic (2020) in Vietnam serve as a case study to qualitatively explore the fluidity of stigma.

We conducted in-depth interviews with 38 individuals, (13 cases, 9 close contacts, and 16 community members) from areas affected by local outbreaks. Thematic analysis was conducted iteratively.

Our analysis indicates that the extent and impacts of COVID-19-related stigma were uneven. Adapting the clinical term 'viral load' as a metaphor, we describe this variation through the wide range of 'stigma load' noted in participants' experiences. Individuals encountering more acute stigma, i.e. the highest 'stigma load', were those associated with COVID-19 at the start of the local outbreaks. These intensively negative social responses were driven by a social meaning-making process that misappropriated an inaccurate understanding of epidemiological logic. Specifically, contact tracing was presumed within the public consciousness to indicate linear blame, with individuals falsely considered to have engaged in 'transgressive mobility', with onward transmission perceived as being intentional. In contrast, as case numbers grew within an outbreak the imagined linearity of the infection chain was disrupted and lower levels of stigma were experienced, with COVID-19 transmission and association reframed as reflecting an environmental rather than behavioural risk.

Our findings demonstrate the role of public health policies in unintentionally creating conditions for stigma to flourish. However, this is fluid. The social perceptions of infection risk shifted from being individualised to environmental, suggesting that stigma can be modified and mitigated through attending to the productive social lives of public health approaches and policies.

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Those associated with COVID-19 experienced variable degrees of stigma - 'stigma load'.

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Those linked to COVID-19 at the start of outbreaks experienced highest stigma load.

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Misinterpretation of public health strategies contributed to blaming discourses.

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Stigma receded when risk framed as environmental not behavioural.

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Fluidity of stigma suggests potential to allay stigmatising effect of interventions.

Proposed Detection Face Model by MobileNetV2 Using Asian Data Set

In 2019, the infectious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China. It has then become a public health problem in the world. This pandemic is having a heavy impact on the lives of people in our country. All countries are trying to control the spread of this disease. To solve the problem, each person needs to wear masks in a public place. Therefore, we propose a model capable of distinguishing between masked and nonmasked faces using a convolutional neural network (CNN) based on deep learning (DL)—MobileNetV2 in this paper. The model can detect people who are not wearing masks. It has an accuracy of up to 99.37%. The model will be applied in places such as schools, offices, and so on to monitor the wearing masks.

Falls Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study in Vietnam

Purpose

We aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with falls in older adult outpatients during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Vietnam.

Patients and Methods

From February 2022 to June 2022, this cross-sectional study included 814 patients (aged ≥60 years; mean age 71.8 ± 7.3 years; women, 65.2%) attending three geriatric clinics for a comprehensive geriatric assessment. Self-reported fall events in the past 12 months and post-COVID-19 falls were assessed. Factors associated with falls were determined using logistic regression analysis.

Results

In total, 188 patients (23.1%) had falls (single fall, 75.5%; recurrent falls, 24.5%). The most frequent location, time, and circumstance of falls were the bedroom (43.1%), morning (54.3%), and dizziness (34.6%), respectively. Most patients experienced health issues after falls (bruise/grazes, 53.7%; fracture, 12.8%; immobility, 9.6%; hospital admission, 14.9%). In the adjusted model, factors associated with falls were being underweight (odds ratio [OR] 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.37–4.56, P = 0.003), limitations in instrumental activities of daily living (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.05–3.95, P = 0.036), poor sleep quality (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.10–3.05, P = 0.020), and fear of falling (OR 3.45, 95% CI 2.23–5.33, P <0.001). Among 357 COVID-19 infected patients, post-COVID-19 falls occurred in 35 patients (9.8%) and were associated with fear of falling (OR 3.14, 95% CI 1.18–8.40, P = 0.023) and post-COVID-19 lower limb weakness (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.07–6.10, P = 0.035).

Conclusion

Our study found a substantial prevalence of falls among older outpatients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. Management of factors associated with falls may be needed to reduce the burden of falls in the older population.

Students' Perceived Well-Being and Online Preference: Evidence from Two Universities in Vietnam during COVID-19

University education is still being impacted two years after the COVID-19 outbreak. We performed a rapid survey in February 2022 at two public universities in Vietnam to examine the effects of the pandemic on well-being and the factors that may associate with online class preference among university students as well as to investigate the need for support to improve resilience. A web-based survey included 1589 undergraduate students in total. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis was carried out. Overall, approximately a quarter of respondents said that they perceived an influence on their health, 42.9% expressed stress, and more than 70% reported worrying about the future. In total, 61.9% of the respondents reported having satisfaction with online classes, while over half of them preferred a program of 50% online classes. Students who live in an urban area, are female, have had pre-COVID-19 campus life experience, have decreased income, and/or experience low online satisfaction and over-information may be in need of more support. The results show implications for universities to consider policies addressing well-being and post-pandemic online education. Providing support to university students to improve their resilience against the impact on their studying, campus life, health, and well-being should be prioritized during and post-pandemic.

Medication Adherence in Vietnamese Patients with Cardiovascular and Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases

(1) Background: COVID-19 has significantly affected the quality of life and the medication adherence of patients with chronic diseases. Attitudes towards the disease and preventive measures are the things that need to be considered for patient adherence to medication during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the rate and compare the medication adherence and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medication adherence in Vietnamese patients with cardiovascular and endocrine−metabolic diseases. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on outpatients having chronic diseases such as cardiovascular or/and endocrine−metabolic diseases in some southern provinces in Vietnam. In each group of patients, medication adherence was measured and assessed with the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS), adjusted and validated in Vietnam. In addition, the study also investigated attitudes and practices to prevent COVID-19. (3) Results: Out of 1444 patients in our study, the level of adherence was recorded in 867 cases, accounting for 61.1%. The group of patients with only cardiovascular disease and patients with only endocrine−metabolic disease had relatively similar compliance rates of 62 and 61.1%, respectively. The leading cause of non-adherence to treatment in all three groups of patients in the study, as assessed by the GMAS, was non-adherence due to financial constraints. Our study showed that 71.6% of patients felt anxious when going to the hospital for a medical examination. However, only 53.7% identified the COVID-19 pandemic as obstructing treatment follow-up visits. The research results showed that the COVID-19 epidemic influences the patient’s psychology with regard to re-examination and treatment adherence, with p coefficients of 0.003 and <0.001, respectively. (4) Conclusion: Medication adherence rates in two disease groups are close, and financial constraint is the fundamental reason for medication non-adherence. Regulatory agencies must take care of people’s welfare to improve adherence in the epidemic context.

A problem of self-isolation in Japan: The relationship between self-isolation and COVID-19 community case

Background: The Japanese government advised mild or asymptomatic coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases to self-isolate at home, while more severe individuals were treated at health posts. Poor compliance with self-isolation could be a potential reason for the new outbreak. Our study aimed to find out the correlation between the rising new cases of COVID-19 and home-based patients in Japan.

Methods: A secondary data analysis study was conducted with the data from COVID-19- involved databases collected from Johns Hopkins University, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Community Mobility Reports of Google. New community cases, stringency index, number of tests, and active cases were analyzed. Using a linear regression model, an independent variable was utilized for a given date to predict the future number of community cases.

Results: Research results show that outpatient cases, the stringency, and Google Mobility Trend were all significantly associated with the number of COVID-19 community cases from the sixth day to the ninth day. The model predicting community cases on the eighth day (R2=0.8906) was the most appropriate showing outpatients, residential index, grocery and pharmacy index, retail and recreation index, and workplaces index were positively related (β₁=24.2, 95% CI: 20.3– 26.3, P<0.0001; β₂=277.7, 95% CI: 171.8–408.2, P<0.0001; β₃=112.4, 95% CI: 79.8–158.3, P<0.0001; β₄=73.1, 95% CI: 53- 04.4, P<0.0001; β₅=57.2, 95% CI: 25.2–96.8, P=0.001, respectively). In contrast, inpatients, park index, and adjusted stringency index were negatively related to the number of community cases (β₆=-2.8, 95% CI: -3.9 – -1.6, P<0.0001; β₇=-33, 95% CI: -43.6 – -27, P<0.0001; β₈=-14.4, 95% CI: -20.1– -12, P<0.0001, respectively).

Conclusion: Outpatient cases and indexes of Community Mobility Reports were associated with COVID-19 community cases.

Influence of epidemic situation on COVID-19 vaccination between urban and rural residents in China-Vietnam border area: A cross-sectional survey

Background

The situation of the COVID-19 outbreak in the border areas of China and Vietnam is complex, and its progress may affect the willingness of urban and rural residents to receive the vaccine.

Objective

This study aims to understand the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic situation on the willingness of urban and rural residents in China-Vietnam border areas to get vaccinated and the factors that affect the vaccinations.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hani-Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Honghe, a border area between China and Vietnam, using online and paper questionnaires from April 1 to June 4, 2021. A total of 8849 valid questionnaires were surveyed to compare the differences in the willingness of urban and rural residents to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Single factor analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to explore the influence of the epidemic situation on the willingness to be vaccinated.

Results

In the border areas between China and Vietnam in Yunnan Province, both urban and rural residents had a high willingness (> 90%) to receive the COVID-19 vaccination, with a higher level of willingness in urban than in rural areas and a higher willingness among residents aged ≥ 56 years. Rural residents mainly concerned about the vaccination were different from urban residents (p< 0.05). About 54.8% of urban respondents and 59.2% of rural respondents indicated that their willingness to get COVID-19 vaccine would be affected by new COVID-19 cases. Respondents who were divorced, had an occupation other than farming, had contraindications to vaccination, were concerned about the safety of vaccines and worried about virus mutation, thought that the epidemic situation would not affect their willingness to get vaccinated (p< 0.05).

Conclusion

The prevention and control of epidemics in border areas is of considerable importance. It is necessary to conduct targeted health education and vaccine knowledge popularization among urban and rural residents to increase the vaccination rate and consolidate the epidemic prevention and control at the border.

Containment strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic among three Asian low and middle-income countries

Background

COVID-19 has not been effectively controlled, seriously threatening people’s health and socioeconomic development. This study aims to summarise the successful experiences and lessons in containment strategy learned from Asian Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyse the effectiveness of their measures to provide lessons for LMICs in general.

Methods

This is a retrospective study on the effectiveness of China, India, and Vietnam’s containment strategies. The objective was to assess the effectiveness of measures taken for COVID-19 and provide lessons for wider LMICs in controlling and preventing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

As of June 16, 2021, the Indian epidemic was in the declining part of the rebound stage, with a total of 21 521.900 cases per million and 276.740 deaths per million – both the highest among the three countries. Entering the normalised prevention and control stage, China stably remained at a total of 63. 615 cases per million and 3.211 deaths per million. Vietnam's number of new cases per million was very low in the first stage and almost stagnant except for cluster epidemics. In May 2021, the number of new cases per million started to rapidly increase, but the total of deaths per million was at the low level of 0.627.

Conclusions

A high attention to epidemics at early stages, strict border control measures, and synchronization of government and population on COVID-19 prevention and control opinions and behaviours play important roles in designing containment strategies. In addition, rapid close contact tracing and large-scale nucleic testing are good options for response to cluster epidemics.

Current status and influential factors for family health management during quarantine: A latent category analysis

Objective

We aimed to explore factors affecting family health management during home quarantine as well as the effects of variations in family health management (FHM) on individuals’ health status.

Methods

Using stratified random sampling, 618 families in Wuhan as well as cities within its surrounding provinces were recruited and surveyed online. Latent class variables were extracted from four modules: disinfection, space layout, physical exercise, and food reserves. The analysis was conducted using the poLCA package in R software (v.4.1.0). Chi-squared tests, Fisher’s exact tests, and non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare groups as appropriate.

Results

We found an overall questionnaire reliability of 0.77 and a total omega of 0.92, indicating that the survey results were credible. The Bayesian information criterion and Akaike information criterion were used to identified four latent class variables, namely latent non-family health management (18.9%) and latent low, medium, and advanced FHM (30.93%, 29.49%, and 20.59%, respectively). Gender, household income level, body mass index, the presence of a nearby community hospital, and self-rated health status showed statistically significant differences with respect to latent FHM. Moreover, we found a statistically significant difference in emotional reactions when comparing latent advanced and low to mid-level latent FHM. Compared with latent non-family health managers, we detected statistically significant differences in individual energy levels between potential family health managers at latent low and medium levels. Additionally, we found statistically significant differences in individual energy levels between latent advanced and low level family health managers.

Conclusions

We found that multiple factors, including gender, household income, and body mass index, were correlated with latent FHM during home quarantine. We conclude that FHM can meaningfully improve individuals’ health. Thus, increasing social support for individuals can improve FHM as well as individuals’ health during home quarantine.

Mental Health Problems Among Front-Line Healthcare Workers Caring for COVID-19 Patients in Vietnam: A Mixed Methods Study

Aim

Healthcare workers have directly provided care for COVID-19 patients, and have faced many additional sources leading to poor mental health. The study aimed to investigate the mental health problems and related factors among healthcare staff in Vietnam.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional mixed methods study, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods, was performed among 400 healthcare workers working at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Ninh Binh General Hospital from the first day of treatment for COVID-19 patients to May 01, 2020.

Results

The results showed that 8.0% of participants had stress, 17.5% of participants had anxiety, and 14.8% of participants had depression. Approximately 50% of participants reported that they had at least one of these symptoms. The findings illustrated that stress, anxiety, and depression were associated with the position in a hospital, health status during the COVID-19 pandemic, family members/relatives infected with COVID-19, physical and mental support from friends, family, and community, department, years of working, and the average work hours per day of healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers who worked in the hospital providing treatment and care for COVID-19 patients dealt with mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression. It is necessary to promote mental health among healthcare workers, to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam.

Gold nanoparticle-based optical nanosensors for food and health safety monitoring: recent advances and future perspectives

Modern society has been facing serious health-related problems including food safety, diseases and illness. Hence, it is urgent to develop analysis methods for the detection and control of food contaminants, disease biomarkers and pathogens. As the traditional instrumental methods have several disadvantages, including being time consuming, and having high cost and laborious procedures, optical nanosensors have emerged as promising alternative or complementary approaches to those traditional ones. With the advantages of simple preparation, high surface-to-volume ratio, excellent biocompatibility, and especially, unique optical properties, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been demonstrated as excellent transducers for optical sensing systems. Herein, we provide an overview of the synthesis of AuNPs and their excellent optical properties that are ideal for the development of optical nanosensors based on local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), colorimetry, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) phenomena. We also review the sensing strategies and their mechanisms, as well as summarizing the recent advances in the monitoring of food contaminants, disease biomarkers and pathogens using developed AuNP-based optical nanosensors in the past seven years (2015-now). Furthermore, trends and challenges in the application of these nanosensors in the determination of those analytes are discussed to suggest possible directions for future developments.

Destination Responses to COVID-19 Waves: Is “Green Zone” Initiative a Holy Grail for Tourism Recovery?

Despite the stagnant status of the tourism industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the efforts to reopen the tourism destinations as green zones in Vietnam have paid off with some encouraging achievements. This inspires other green zones to consider a more adaptive approach to the ongoing pandemic crisis. However, little is known about the pandemic crisis management and tourism destination recovery. Therefore, this study selected Can Tho city as a case study to explore how a tourism destination as a green zone can recover during pandemic waves. Different methods were utilized in this study, including document analysis, field observation, and semi-structured interview. The findings generally indicate that a green zone could recover their tourism business under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings highlight the critical relationship among key stakeholders and the leading role of the central government toward pandemic prevention and control. The early response to the crisis from the local governments was found to be decisive, and the policy-related measures facilitated the removal of potential barriers and alleviated the crisis consequences. In addition, the involvement of the tourism industry in an adaptive way has contributed to the quick recovery of the green zones’ tourism business. Importantly, the adaptive transformation from the tourism enterprises in a visionary way was found to be essential to the empowerment of their organizational resilience during the pandemic crisis. The lessons learnt from this study also bring valuable experiences for other tourism destinations and elicit a new approach to co-living with the ongoing pandemic in a sustainable way. Theoretically, this study provides a better understanding of tourism management and destination recovery during the global pandemic crisis. In addition, the research also adds many important practical implications for the tourism industry and the related stakeholders to foster tourism revitalization during and after the pandemic in a more sustainable way.

Impact of COVID-19 on Acute Stroke Presentation in a Designated COVID-19 Hospital

Objectives: Thousands of designated COVID-19 hospitals have been set up in China to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Anecdotal reports indicate a falling rate of acute stroke diagnoses in these hospitals during the COVID-19 period. We conducted an exploratory single-center analysis to estimate the change in acute stroke presentation at the designated COVID-19 hospitals.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included all patients admitted to Yongchuan Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University with acute stroke between January 24 and March 10, 2020. Patient demographics, characteristics of the stroke, treatment details, and clinical outcomes were compared with those of patients admitted in the corresponding period in the year before (2019, “the pre-COVID-19 period”). Subgroup analysis was performed in the ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke groups.

Results: A total of 110 patients presented with acute stroke symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with 173 patients in the pre-COVID-19 period. A higher proportion of stroke patients presented to the hospital via emergency medical services during the pandemic (48.2 vs. 31.8%, p = 0.006). There was a lower proportion of ischemic stroke patients (50.9 vs. 65.3%, p = 0.016) than in the preceding year. There were significantly fewer patients with 90-day modified Rankin Scale score ≥3 in the COVID-19 period compared with the pre-COVID-19 period (17.3 vs. 30.6%, p = 0.012). Among patients with ischemic stroke, the mean time from patient arrival to vessel puncture for emergency endovascular therapy in the COVID-19 period was shorter than that in the pre-COVID-19 period (109.18 ± 71.39 vs. 270.50 ± 161.51 min, p = 0.002). Among patients with hemorrhagic stroke, the rate of emergency surgical operation in the COVID-19 period was higher than that in the pre-COVID-19 period (48.1 vs. 30.0%, p = 0.047). The mean time from patient arrival to emergency surgical operation (15.31 ± 22.89 vs. 51.72 ± 40.47 min, p = 0.002) was shorter in the COVID-19 period than in the pre-COVID-19 period.

Conclusions: Although fewer acute stroke patients sought medical care in this designated COVID-19 hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, this type of hospital was more efficient for timely treatment of acute stroke. Recognizing how acute strokes presented in designated COVID-19 hospitals will contribute to appropriate adjustments in strategy for dealing with acute stroke during COVID-19 and future pandemics.

The Contribution of Digital Health in the Response to Covid-19 in Vietnam

Emerging from early of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most serious health crisis globally. In response to such threat, a wide range of digital health applications has been deployed in Vietnam to strengthen surveillance, risk communication, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19. Digital health has brought enormous benefits to the fight against COVID-19, however, numerous constrains in digital health application remain. Lack of strong governance of digital health development and deployment; insufficient infrastructure and staff capacity for digital health application are among the main drawbacks. Despite several outstanding problems, digital health is expected to contribute to reducing the spread, improving the effectiveness of pandemic control, and adding to the dramatic transformation of the health system the post-COVID era.

Young Adults' Intentions and Rationales for COVID-19 Vaccination Participation: Evidence from a Student Survey in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The COVID-19 pandemic, a source of fear and anxiety worldwide, has caused many adverse impacts. Collaborative efforts to end COVID-19 have included extensive research on vaccines. Many vaccination campaigns have been launched in many countries, including Vietnam, to create community immunization. However, citizens' willingness to participate is a prerequisite for effective vaccination programs and other related policies. Among all demographic groups, participation rates among young adults are of interest because they are an important workforce and are a source of high infection risk in the community. In March 2021, a pool of approximately 6000 participants in Ho Chi Minh City were randomly polled using an email-based online survey. The exploratory results of 398 valid observations show that students' perceptions of the dangers of COVID-19 and the importance of vaccination were both relatively high (4.62/5 and 4.74/5, respectively). Furthermore, 83.41 percent of students polled (n = 332) chose vaccination, while 16.59 percent chose hesitation (n = 64) and not to be vaccinated (n = 2). More importantly, our estimated results of the Bayesian regression model (BRM) show that the perceived importance of the vaccine, concerns about the vaccine's side effects, and a lack of access to information are the top three reasons for their reluctance and/or refusal to get vaccinated. These findings are a valuable resource for politicians, researchers, and those interested in COVID-19 vaccinations to devise and execute campaigns to effectively combat this terrifying pandemic.

Receptivity of Governmental Communication and Its Effectiveness During COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency in Vietnam: A Qualitative Study

Vietnam is considered as one of the countries with the earliest and most effective responses to the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), a pandemic with acute respiratory syndrome caused by the new strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). An important contribution to the overall success is the effectiveness of the governmental communication strategy in achieving the desired cognitive, affective, and behavioral outcomes. Analysis of the qualitative data collected from twelve focus group discussions with a total of 60 participants revealed that due to the government’s communication efforts, Vietnamese people have adequate information/knowledge about the COVID-19 pandemic, and majority of them experience low emotional levels of anxiety, fear, dread, stress, and panic. Moreover, the communication strategy has helped to form both health-promoting and safety-seeking behaviors among the community. Further, the characteristics of an effective communication strategy such as reliable sources of communication, usages of multiple social media channels, and transparent message contents in the form of infographic or video clips are identified.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Stock Price of Socially Responsible Enterprises: An Empirical Study in Taiwan Stock Market

This study examines the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Taiwan stock market and investigates whether companies with a commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) were less affected. This study uses a selection of companies provided by CommonWealth magazine to classify the listed companies in Taiwan as CSR and non-CSR companies. The event study approach is applied to examine the change in the stock prices of CSR companies after the first COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. The empirical results indicate that the stock prices of all companies generated significantly negative abnormal returns and negative cumulative abnormal returns after the outbreak. Compared with all companies and with non-CSR companies, CSR companies were less affected by the outbreak; their stock prices were relatively resistant to the fall and they recovered faster. In addition, the cumulative impact of the COVID-19 on the stock prices of CSR companies is smaller than that of non-CSR companies on both short- and long-term bases. However, the stock price performance of non-CSR companies was not weaker than that of CSR companies during times when the impact of the pandemic was lower or during the price recovery phase.