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As part of the research project Apprenticeship Pulse, this fact sheet provides an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basic vocational education in Switzerland in March 2022 and compares these results with those of earlier surveys, in particular with those of the previous month (February 2022) and a year ago (March 2021).

As part of the research project Apprenticeship Pulse, this fact sheet provides an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on basic vocational education in Switzerland in April 2022 and compares these results with those of earlier surveys, in particular with those of the previous month (March 2022) and a year ago (April 2021).

The topic of this issue is Russia’s Arctic Policy. Firstly, Nurlan Aliyev gives an overview of Russia’s Arctic Policy through 2035; secondly, Svetlana Badina describes the diversity of Russia’s Arctic cities; thirdly, Leah Silinsky lays out the broad dimensions of Russia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and then shows how these policies affected developments in the Arctic. Das Thema dieser Ausgabe ist Russlands Arktis-Politik. Als Erstes gibt Nurlan Alijew einen Überblick über Russlands Arktispolitik bis 2035; Als Zweites beschreibt Swetlana Badina die Vielfalt der arktischen Städte Russlands; Als Drittes legt Leah Silinsky die grossen Dimensionen der russischen Reaktion auf die COVID-19-Pandemie dar und zeigt dann, wie diese Politik die Entwicklungen in der Arktis beeinflusst hat. ISSN:1863-0421

Objective: To assess women's perceptions of the quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) received in hospitals in Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic by mode of birth. Methods: A validated anonymous online questionnaire based on WHO quality measures. Subgroup analysis of spontaneous vaginal birth (SVB), emergency cesarean, and elective cesarean and multivariate analyses were performed, and QMNC indexes were calculated. Maternal age, educational level, year of birth, mother born in Romania, parity, type of hospital, and type of professionals assisting the birth were used for multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 620 women completed the survey. Overall, several quality measures suggested gaps in QMNC in Romania, with the lowest QMNC indexes reported for pro-vision of care and availability of resources. Women who had either elective or emergency cesarean compared with those who had SVB more frequently lacked early breastfeeding (OR 2.04 and 2.13, respectively), skin- to- skin contact (OR 1.73 and 1.75, respectively), rooming- in (OR 2.07 and 1.96, respectively), and exclusive breastfeeding at discharge (OR 2.27 and 1.64, respectively). Compared with elective cesarean, emergency cesarean had higher odds of ineffective communication by healthcare providers (OR 1.65), lack of involvement in choices (OR 1.58), insufficient emotional support (OR 2.07), and no privacy (OR 2.06). Compared with other modes of birth, a trend for lower QMNC indexes for emergency cesarean was observed for all domains, while for elective cesarean the QMNC index for provision of care was significantly lower. Conclusion: Quality indicators of perinatal care remain behind targets in Romania, with births by cesarean the most affected.

What are the perceptions of community groups toward preserving their health and wellbeing during a COVID-19 outbreak? Both rural, urban, camp, open and conflict settings will be included. Recognising that different locations may have been exposed to COVID-19 in its early phase, it will continue to explore within each setting throughout the outbreak period. So far, the following sites are to be included: Nigeria: Anka and Benue IDP camps (Pilot) Jordan: Syrian refugee Zaatari camp Iraq: Syrian and Iraqi refugee camp(s) Sierra Leone: Tonkolili project (Pilot) Malaysia: Penang Rohingya refugees : Myanmar Pauktaw camp, Rakhine state Bangladesh:Cox Bazaar camps and Kamrangirchar peri-urban slum Ethiopia Gambella camp Democratic Republic of Congo: South Kivu (Fizi and Kimbi-Lulenge health zones) Further sites may be submitted to ERB during the outbreak.

Viruses that emerged in the past decades, such as arboviruses and SARS-coronaviruses, are increasingly recognized as potential risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes. On the fetal side, arboviruses have proved their ability to cross the placental barrier, at different stages of pregnancy, and have been associated with fetal losses, fetal malformations (Zika, West Nile, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses) and adverse neonatal outcomes (Dengue and Chikungunya viruses). The SARS-COV-2 has also be associated with rare maternal-fetal transmission and placental affection leading to fetal losses. More common viruses, like cytomegalovirus, are also well-known causes of fetal and childhood sequelae, and recent research on its prognosis factors and in-utero treatment may be welcome. On the maternal side, SARS-COV-2 might compromise maternal health, as well as Dengue viruses have been associated with high risks of adverse obstetrical outcomes, including maternal death, pre-eclampsia or post-partum hemorrhage. Thus, research on the maternal physiopathology would also be welcome. In this Special Issue of Viruses, we aim for original researchs, reviews and commentaries that contribute to an improved understanding of viral infection of placenta and fetal cells, or that report on the maternal and fetal outcomes after an emerging viral infection during pregnancy.

The purpose of this research is to understand how organizational identification and fear of Covid-19 influence individuals’ attitudes, trust, and intention to carpool. For this study, 299 participants completed an online questionnaire in which we assessed their organizational identification, fear of Covid-19, perceived risks, attitude, trust, and intention to carpool. Results show that the relationship between individuals and their organization is an effective lever to promote carpooling. Our results confirm that individuals’ trust level and attitude strongly determine carpooling intention. The results highlight a negative relationship between perceived risks and attitude, as well as trust; Covid-19 is also identified as an antecedent to perceived risks. Organizations implementing carpooling solutions should focus on developing organizational identification and address fears associated with Covid-19.

Public trust in health information is essential to ensure that preventative strategies to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 are accepted and followed. This study explored the way Swiss people accessed and consumed news and information about the coronavirus from different channels, and the role media plays in public trust during the pandemic. Based on a study of 442 randomly assigned participants in French-speaking regions, we examined the following four questions: (1) What are the news sources and platforms and how are they used? (2) How does the public rate the trustworthiness of these sources and platforms? (3) To what extent does the public perceive that these sources and platforms are provided inaccurate information? (4) What roles do these sources and platforms play in the pandemic? Implications are discussed in the conclusion based on our findings.

This research note investigates the stock market reactions of international hospitality firms to COVID-19’s pandemic announcement by the World Health Organization. In line with the behavioral finance literature, the findings indicate that, in the short term, investors overestimated the risks underlying asset-heavy firms because of information uncertainty. Firms pursuing an asset-light (AL) strategy are associated to significantly less negative cumulative abnormal returns in the 4 days following the announcement, especially firms following an AL strategy that reduces significantly the operating leverage. However, this difference vanishes after 5 trading days, meaning that investors revised their expectations. This research note suggests that the cost structure of AL firms matters in reducing information uncertainty and sheds light on the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis on the hospitality industry. It also provides useful information to board members, financial analysts, and companies’ top managers when evaluating whether and how to pursue an AL strategy, and the potential consequences of it.

Neonatal COVID-19 is rare and mainly results from postnatal transmission. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), however, can infect the placenta and compromise its function. We present two cases of decreased fetal movements and abnormal fetal heart rhythm 5 days after mild maternal COVID-19, requiring emergency caesarean section at 29 + 3 and 32 + 1 weeks of gestation, and leading to brain injury. Placental examination revealed extensive and multifocal chronic intervillositis, with intense cytoplasmic positivity for SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody and SARS-CoV-2 detection by RT-qPCR. Vertical transmission was confirmed in one case, and both neonates developed extensive cystic peri-ventricular leukomalacia.