2 August 25, 2020

URL: http://www.kadint.net/journals_n/1611169876.pdf
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Abstract:
With more people staying at home since the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a growing number of digitally active users vocal about government responses to the pandemic, especially regarding lockdown measures. User-generated content on social networking sites (SNS) has served as a valuable source of information for exploring public attitudes toward the pandemic, as SNS users often reveal their perceptions of government actions through these platforms. SNS have allowed for large-scale data collection from citizens within a specific timeframe and location, making information readily available in real-time. Brazil presents a particularly interesting case, as it suffers from one of the highest mortality rates in Latin America despite having the highest Global Health Security Index (GHSI) in the region. This paper examines public attitudes in São Paulo, Brazil’s hardest-hit city, using Twitter as the preferred platform for text mining. Because information on public sentiment toward government lockdown responses may help weigh in on future policy decisions under similar developments, sentiment analysis is then conducted on the data using the VADER model (Valence Aware Dictionary and sEntiment Reasoner) as a way to conceptualize the results.

URL: http://www.kadint.net/journals_n/1615307504.pdf
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Abstract:
Most countries worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic adopted online learning as a means for mitigating the challenges facing face-to-face classroom education. The adoption of remote learning is largely informed by the decisions reached by individual country experts in pursuant to health guidelines of social distancing by the World Health Organization. Further, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) suggested recommendations to countries to implement to ensure that learning remains uninterrupted during the COVID-19 period. The paper analyzes critically the Kenyan situation in implementing and adhering to the UNESCO recommendations to enhance learning in all levels of education. Also, it evaluated the challenges faced and possible remedies in form of recommendations for future actions. The paper is largely based on library research to draw practical implications for both education research and policy.

URL: http://www.kadint.net/journals_n/1611170057.pdf
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Abstract:
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has changed the direction of the global economy since its inception. Though researchers and experts are working hard to estimate its impact on the global economy, it is difficult to project its long term effect. The focus of this paper was to briefly analyse the initial, existing, and possible future effects of the pandemic. Beginning from China, a serious negative impact was seen across all forms of socio-economic activities due to the pandemic. With the spread of the virus from China to other countries, many countries have reported a decline in economic growth. With several economic projections made by experts and researchers, the impact of COVID-19 on countries that depend much on tourism and foreign trade will be heavily affected with estimated costs between 2.5 to 3.0 % of global gross domestic product each month. I observed that the over-dependence of retrospective estimations of other serious global health disasters like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) may lead researchers to underestimate the long-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding this fact, some implications could be drawn from the devastating effects of these past traveler-related contagious diseases (SARS, MERS, and EVD) regarding gross domestic product growth, tourism, transportation, education, production of goods, and provision of services for the local and international economy.

URL: http://www.kadint.net/journals_n/1611170114.pdf
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Abstract:
Misinformation in the COVID-19 era may stem from social media, preprints, elite peer-reviewed journals, or predatory journals. In part, this has been caused by an infodemic of information. One extreme case was the retraction of a pseudo-scientific paper on 5G claiming that 5G induces COVID-19 in skin cells, published in a PubMed-indexed journal, Journal of Biological Regulators & Homeostatic Agents. In the COVID-19 era, social media has also catalyzed the spread of misinformation and false conspiracy theories about non-existent or unproven risks. COVID-19-related misinformation might also arise from poorly vetted literature, one reason being the continued failure of implementing an open data (OD) policy. This is a core reason for two high-profile retractions of COVID-19-related literature in leading medical journals, The Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine. Despite those retractions, those journals still do not mandate an OD policy, which, unlike an optional one, could instill greater rigor through heightened scrutiny of data sets, and thus fortified scientific integrity and public trust. If data is erroneous, it can negatively impact health policies. Thus, journals publishing original research on COVID-19 need to rethink their OD policies, and critically assess whether they are contributing to the medical misinformation stream, or not, and what this might imply to their reputation.

URL: http://www.kadint.net/journals_n/1611170173.pdf
Number of views: 578      Download in PDF

URL: http://www.kadint.net/journals_n/1615307515.pdf
Number of views: 566      Download in PDF