Community-Led Housing in Yangon: The Struggles of Non-Confrontational Resistance and Feminist Crisis Management

In this article, we draw on community-led housing, non-confrontational resistance, and feminist crisis management literature to analyse the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the military coup in a community-led housing scheme in Yangon, Myanmar. Based on the direct involvement with a women's grassroots network and a local NGO between 2018 and 2022, we focus on the impacts of the double crisis on low-income populations, their responses to overlapping challenges, the emergent forms of mutual care, and the extra and intra-community learnings. We argue that, in the context of authoritarian regimes, community-led housing practices constitute a modality of non-confrontational resistance that, in times of crisis, revealed how collective housing members had an important safety net-in material, emotional, and social terms—sustained through collective mobilisation and mutual care. This analysis contributes to expanding the debates on housing justice struggles, non-confrontational resistance, and care from the standpoint of grassroots women's organisations.

Post‐pandemic cities: An urban lexicon of accelerations/decelerations

COVID‐19 has stimulated renewed societal and academic debate about the future of cities and urban life. Future visons have veered from the ‘death of the city' to visual renderings and limited experiments with novel 15 minute neighbourhoods. Within this context, we as a diverse group of urban scholars sought to examine the emergent ‘post'‐COVID city through the production of an urban lexicon that investigates its socio‐material contours. The urban lexicon makes three contributions. First, to explore how the pandemic has accelerated certain processes and agendas, while at the same time, other processes, priorities and sites have been decelerated and put on hold. Second, to utilise this framing to examine the impacts of the pandemic on how cities are governed, how urban geographies are managed and lived, and how care emerged as a vital urban resource. Third, to tease out what might be temporary intensifications and what may become configurational in urban governance, platforming, density, technosolutionism, dwelling, crowds, respatialisation, reconcentration, care, improvisation and atmosphere. The urban lexicon proposes a vocabulary for describing and understanding some of the key contours of the emergent post‐pandemic city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A new approach for the acquisition of trauma surgical skills: an OSCE type of simulation training program.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, trauma-related deaths are one of the main causes of mortality. Appropriate surgical treatment is crucial to prevent mortality, however, in the past decade, general surgery residents' exposure to trauma cases has decreased, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, accessible simulation-based training scenarios are essential. METHODS: A low-cost, previously tested OSCE scenario for the evaluation of surgical skills in trauma was implemented as part of a short training boot camp for residents and recently graduated surgeons. The following stations were included bowel anastomosis, vascular anastomosis, penetrating lung injury, penetrating cardiac injury, and gastric perforation (laparoscopic suturing). A total of 75 participants from 15 different programs were recruited. Each station was videotaped in high definition and assessed in a remote and asynchronous manner. The level of competency was assessed through global and specific rating scales alongside procedural times. Self-confidence to perform the procedure as the leading surgeon was evaluated before and after training. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in pre-training scores between groups for all stations. The lowest scores were obtained in the cardiac and lung injury stations. After training, participants significantly increased their level of competence in both grading systems. Procedural times for the pulmonary tractotomy, bowel anastomosis, and vascular anastomosis stations increased after training. A significant improvement in self-confidence was shown in all stations. CONCLUSION: An OSCE scenario for training surgical skills in trauma was effective in improving proficiency level and self-confidence. Low pre-training scores and level of confidence in the cardiac and lung injury stations represent a deficit in residency programs that should be addressed. The incorporation of simulation-based teaching tools at early stages in residency would be beneficial when future surgeons face extremely severe trauma scenarios.

Assessment of the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Stay-at-Home Measures on Potable Water Consumption Patterns, Location, and Financial Impacts for Water Utilities in Colombian Cities

Several studies suggest that social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the water sector, specifically regarding its demand and supply. Given the importance of hygiene practices, this effect is heightened by the role that potable water availability has in tackling the spread of the virus. This study aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on the water consumption patterns and location in four Colombian cities known for their important commercial, industrial, academic, and touristic features. Results exhibit diverse diminishing water consumption trends alongside COVID-19 because of different attributes of the cities (e.g., size, environmental, socioeconomic, and sociocultural characteristics). For instance, the touristic case study has been the most affected because of travel restrictions, with an average commercial demand drop of 32%. In contrast, industrial case studies have had a rapid recovery in water demand, with average industrial drops of 11–14% compared to 20–25% in non-industrial cities. These water demand changes do not affect only the operation of water utilities, but also their finances. Economic losses were estimated at 3.7%, 2.4%, and 6.4% of the expected incomes for the first 14 months of the pandemic for the case studies in this paper. Under a changing environment, understanding these changes and challenges is fundamental for ensuring that water systems are resilient in any unexpected situation.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster in solid organ transplant recipients previously immunised with inactivated versus mRNA vaccines: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients have worse COVID-19 outcomes than general population and effective immunisation in these patients is essential but more difficult to reach. We aimed to determine the immunogenicity of an mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster in SOT recipients previously immunised with either inactivated or homologous SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. Methods: Prospective cohort study of SOT recipients under medical care at Red de Salud UC-CHRISTUS, Chile, previously vaccinated with either CoronaVac or BNT162b2. All participants received a BNT162b2 vaccine booster. The primary study end point was anti-SARS-CoV-2 total IgG antibodies (TAb) seropositivity at 8-12 weeks (56-84 days) post booster. Secondary end points included neutralising antibodies (NAb) and specific T-cell responses. Findings: A total of 140 (50% kidney, 38% liver, 6% heart) SOT recipients (mean age 54 [13.6] years; 64 [46%] women) were included. Of them, 62 had homologous (three doses of BNT162b2) and 78 heterologous vaccine schedules (two doses of CoronaVac followed by BNT162b2 booster). Boosters were received at a median of 21.3 weeks after primary vaccination. The proportion achieving TAb seropositivity (82.3% vs 65.4%, P = 0.035) and NAb positivity (77.4% vs 55.1%, P = 0.007) were higher for the homologous versus the heterologous group. On the other hand, the number of IFN-γ and IL-2 secreting SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cells did not differ significantly between groups. Interpretation: This cohort study shows that homologous mRNA vaccine priming plus boosting in SOT recipients, reaches a significantly higher humoral immune response than inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine priming followed by heterologous mRNA booster. Funding: School of Medicine, UC-Chile and ANID.ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT05124509.

Reduced Immune Response to Inactivated Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Vaccine in a Cohort of Immunocompromised Patients in Chile.

BACKGROUND: Inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines have been widely implemented in low- and middle-income countries. However, immunogenicity in immunocompromised patients has not been established. Herein, we aimed to evaluate immune response to CoronaVac vaccine in these patients. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 193 participants with 5 different immunocompromising conditions and 67 controls, receiving 2 doses of CoronaVac 8-12 weeks before enrollment. The study was conducted between May and August 2021, at Red de Salud UC-CHRISTUS, Santiago, Chile. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) positivity, total anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G antibody (TAb) concentrations, and T-cell responses were determined. RESULTS: NAb positivity and median neutralizing activity were 83.1% and 51.2% for the control group versus 20.6% and 5.7% (both P < .001) in the solid organ transplant group, 41.5% and 19.2% (both P < .0001) in the autoimmune rheumatic diseases group, 43.3% (P < .001) and 21.4% (P<.01 or P = .001) in the cancer with solid tumors group, 45.5% and 28.7% (both P < .001) in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection group, 64.3% and 56.6% (both differences not significant) in the hematopoietic stem cell transplant group, respectively. TAb seropositivity was also lower for the solid organ transplant (20.6%; P < .0001), rheumatic diseases (61%; P < .001), and HIV groups (70.9%; P = .003), compared with the control group (92.3%). On the other hand, the number of interferon γ spot-forming T cells specific for SARS-CoV-2 tended to be lower in all immunocompromising conditions but did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Diverse immunocompromising conditions markedly reduce the humoral response to CoronaVac vaccine. These findings suggest that a boosting vaccination strategy should be considered in these vulnerable patients. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT04888793.

Mapping repertoires of collective action facing the COVID-19 pandemic in informal settlements in Latin American cities

How are civil society organizations responding to COVID-19?s impacts on informal settlements? In Latin America, civil society organizations have developed a repertoire of collective action, seeking to provide immediate and medium-term responses to the emergency. This paper aims to map these initiatives and identify strategic approaches to tackle the issues, given the strengths of those undertaking the initiative, and the scope, purpose and sphere of intervention. Using direct contact, a survey, and a virtual ethnography with social organizations has allowed us to identify and characterize the initiatives. The repertoire focuses on emergency measures around food security, and pedagogies for prevention, sanitation and income relief at the neighbourhood and district levels. We argue that the civil society response repertoire is diverse in form and resources but limited in scope;meanwhile the urgency of the situation and the mismatch with state action mean that crucial spheres of informality, vital to cultivating grounds for a healthy recovery phase, are being neglected.