The impact and implications of COVID-19: Reflections on the Zimbabwean society

The impact of COVID-19 on sexual behavior, HIV prevention interest, general healthcare access, and other HIV risk factors among trial participants in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted HIV prevention and care globally. The pandemic also had disproportionate impacts on the financial, emotional, and physical wellbeing of women and girls in East and Southern Africa, who were already at increased HIV vulnerability. This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic and its response efforts impacted the sexual behavior, HIV prevention interest, general healthcare access, and other HIV risk factors of women and girls in HIV prevention studies.

Methods

Using the socio-ecological model (SEM), an explanatory sequential mixed-methods analysis was performed with data from four Microbicide Trial Network (MTN) studies on different populations-adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), pregnant persons, breastfeeding persons, and couples-in Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Descriptive statistics for outcomes of interest were calculated within each study separately and Chi-squared tests of independence were performed to evaluate associations between study population and outcomes. Excerpts from study qualitative interviews were stratified into code reports which were then summarized into memos with key themes and considerations of the SEM framework to provide context to quantitative findings.

Results

Few participants (8/731) had known or suspected COVID-19 infection. Sexual frequency and alcohol use decreased most often among AGYW compared to pregnant or breastfeeding women and couples (p-value < 0.001). The pandemic had little impact on changes in reported HIV prevention interest or access to HIV prevention study products. Healthcare access was impacted for everyone, with couples most likely to report decreases in access (p-value < 0.001). From qualitative interviews, economic instability, adverse mental health, and increased violence due to COVID-19 caused increased strain on other factors related to HIV vulnerability.

Conclusions

While interest in HIV prevention did not change and a few HIV risks decreased for most women and girls, other vulnerabilities to HIV increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of continued access to HIV prevention for women and girls. More research is needed to better understand the long-term impact of COVID-19 on HIV prevention and vulnerability in community populations.

Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium-sized enterprises performance

This study has several purposes. First, identify indicators contributing to the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that could be affected by the COVID-19. Second, formulate the framework to measure the level of vulnerability of SMEs. Third, assign the SMEs into several clusters. Data used in this research were collected through web-based closed questionnaires and short telephone interviews. This study used Content Validity Analysis, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Multi-Attribute Value Theory approach, K-means Clustering Analysis, and Discriminant Analysis for data processing. The data processing results indicated that the 44 valid indicators belonging to ten dimensions could be used to measure the level of vulnerability of SMEs whose performance was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The surveyed SMEs can be segmented into four clusters, namely resilient cluster, low vulnerability cluster, moderate vulnerability cluster, and high vulnerability cluster. Most of the surveyed SMEs belong to the moderate and high vulnerability clusters. The differences between the clusters were based on 16 indicators. These indicators include levels of supplier disruption and the SMEs' market in which the SMEs operate or expect to operate. The results of this study help quantify how the pandemic could generate different levels of impact on each indicator that could depend on the business and what policymakers should consider as they contemplate the scale of the required intervention. Overall, this study contributes to the literature on the effects of the pandemic on SMEs by synthesizing the findings of studies on the impact of COVID-19 on SMEs. The study also determined the framework and the equation for measuring the level of SME vulnerability caused by the pandemic.

Containing COVID-19 and the social costs on human rights in African countries

Multiple social interventions were introduced to contain the COVID-19 pandemic across Africa, limiting social engagement, school and workplace attendance, and travel. In anticipation of negative economic consequences and social impact, many governments introduced cash transfers, social pensions, food aid, and utility and tax waivers. However, people living precariously and/or under conditions of structural vulnerability were often unable to access to this support. A rapid review was undertaken on COVID-19 and the effects of interventions on human rights in African countries, examining primary studies, editorial notes, opinion papers, and literature reviews, with focus on qualitative approaches and discussions. In examining the links between health, human rights and non-pharmaceutical interventions on vulnerable populations, the review identified that: (1) people who were vulnerable were excluded from or not adequately represented in policy responses to COVID-19; (2) the precarious socio-economic conditions of these populations were not adequately addressed by dominant policy responses; and (3) only partial support was offered to those whose relationship with the state was ambiguous or conditional, so compromising human rights. Interactions between health, human rights, and underlying social and economic conditions amplified poor health and impoverishment of those who were already vulnerable. The challenge is to find a balance between stopping the spread of COVID-19 and the protection of human rights; to implement population-specific responses to supplement uniform public health responses; and to address causes (structural vulnerability) rather than symptoms. There is a need to plan rather than react to pandemics, and to co-construct interventions with rather than delivering instructions to populations. These recommendations serve as instruments to be considered when designing new policies, to incorporate a human rights perspective in responses to current and future pandemics.

Social Media Application as a New Paradigm for Business Communication: The Role of COVID-19 Knowledge, Social Distancing, and Preventive Attitudes

Business firms and the public have encountered massive consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has become the most significant challenge and influenced all communities. This research study focuses on exploring the relationship between COVID-19 knowledge, social distancing, individuals' attitudes toward social media use, and practices of using social media amid the COVID-19 crisis. This study examines how attitudes toward social media use mediate the linkage between COVID-19 knowledge, social distancing, and practices for social media use. This survey uses a non-probability convenience sampling approach to collect samples and recruit willing respondents with their consent for data collection. This study recorded the feedback from 348 participants who encountered the indirect/direct effects of nationwide lockdowns, restrictions on social gatherings, and COVID-19 infection. The findings validate the proposed hypotheses for their direct effects and indicate significant β-values, t-statistics, and the p-values at p <0.001. The results validate a relationship between the COVID-19 knowledge of and social distancing practices. Similarly, the results approved a positive link between social distancing and attitudes toward social media use amid COVID-19. The findings validate the relation between social distancing and attitudes toward social media use during COVID-19 challenges (β-value = 0.22 and t-statistics = 3.078). The results show the linkage between attitudes toward social media use and practices of using social media (β-value = 0.41, and t-statistics = 7.175). Individuals' attitude toward social media use during COVID-19 mediates the connection between COVID-19 knowledge and COVID-19 practices of using social media use. The results validate the first mediation at β-value = 0.21 and t-statistic = 5.327. Similarly, the findings approve that attitudes toward social media use in the pandemic have positively mediated the relation between distancing and practices for social media use amid the crisis of COVID-19 (β-value = 0.09 and t-statistic = 2.633). The findings indicate how people have been indulged in social media to pave their business communication needs. The results provide valuable insights for the global business community. This study provides a systematic and holistic research model that helps in exploring the consequences of COVID-19. The generalizability of the findings provides valuable directions for future research related to the current pandemic.

A catastrophic threat to the already vulnerable towards 2030: Impact of COVID-19 lockdown on livelihood outcome of informal cross border traders in Gweru, Zimbabwe

Informal cross-border trade (ICBT) is one significant part of intra-Sub-Saharan African (SSA) trade. This economic activity goes a long way in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, by providing employment in poor communities, and thus helps in poverty reduction by providing a significant contribution of income into households. For these reasons any disturbance to ICBT in SSA is a serious threat, since it affects the most vulnerable groups of societies. This research examines the impact of COVID-19 on the livelihood outcome of informal cross border traders (ICBTs) in Gweru, Zimbabwe using the case of Global Village Flea Market. The case study design was used, employing qualitative data collection techniques. This research design was chosen as it enabled generation of in-depth understanding of what actually transpired on the ground during the lockdown period. The main sources of data were in-depth interviews with the ICBTs and owner of the flea market. Thirty three ICBTs were selected at the flea market using convenience sampling technique. Results revealed that COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on ICBTs livelihood outcome by causing the global economic retreat of nations, shutting down of borders, shutting down business operations and social contact. There were challenges in acquiring income during this COVID-19 lockdown period since the traders were not allowed to go to work and this presented difficulties in the quest to achieve SDGs 1 and 2 by 2030. Their situation was further worsened by rise in prices of basic commodities which occurred during the lockdown when they were not operating and also by lack of assistance from the government. Sixty one percent (61%) of the respondents who had few savings from the business, that were meant to purchase new stock, had to use these to buy food and pay rentals during the lockdown period. This meant that they no longer had capital to purchase new stock when business resumed. The study recommends the government to provide assistance to ICBTs during the occurrence of such pandemics or situations that result in lockdown of nations.