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VRN: Human nature and COVID, red v. gray foxes, resistance to antibiotics

Submitted by tim on

The Effect of COVID-19 on People’s Interactions With Nature
A recent study looked at how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s activities within nature. It found a significant increase in people’s engagement with nature through activities such as gardening, hiking, and wild-life watching as methods of stress-relief during this pandemic. Interestingly, people from all financial situations (whether they continued to have stable employment or had lost their jobs due to business closures) engaged with these activities, suggesting that engagement with nature is not a luxury, but something in common for all people, regardless of class or socioeconomic status.

Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in Rural Hospitals
In 2015, the US National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria was established, to implement antibiotic stewardship programs in hospitals, which lead to the goal of reducing inappropriate antibiotic usage by 20%. The key aspects of antibiotic stewardship include a commitment from hospital leadership, accountability, tracking antibiotic usage and reporting antibiotic use and resistance, among other things. A recent study looked at rural hospitals in Vermont and determined that it is possible to achieve these goals in small rural hospitals, if the leadership makes them a priority.

Support Vermont Musicians and Experience Live Music Virtually
Because of current travel restrictions, the UVM Lane Series will be spotlighting Vermont musicians throughout the Spring Semester. This is a great opportunity to support local musicians and hear some of the best music that our state has to offer, all from the comfort of your own home. Tickets can be purchased now.

Bringing Computer Science to K-12 Classrooms
Despite the effects that computer science and information technology have had on Vermont’s economic growth, computer science education remains largely unavailable. A recent report suggests that only 50% of rural high schools in Vermont offer any computer science courses. A joint effort between UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, UVM’s College of Education and Social Services and the Vermont Agency of Education, has sought to make computer science more available by creating an education/computer science degree that prepares students to teach computer science at the secondary level.

The State of Working Vermont
The Public Assets Institute recently published the State of Working Vermont Report, focusing on the effect that the pandemic has had on Vermonter’s businesses and livelihoods and the glaring flaws it has shown in our current system. In addition to causing many Vermonters to lose their jobs, the COVID-19 crisis has caused great inequities between those in high- and low-income brackets. Most low-income Vermonters had to leave their homes to work, putting them at greater risk than those who could work from home. In addition, the pandemic revealed the problems inherent in the out-of-date infrastructure our state has had for many years. Unemployment benefits were held up due to outdated technology, and spotty broadband internet service caused many children to be unable to learn remotely. On the other hand, Vermont outperformed other states by providing hazard pay to frontline workers, stimulus payments, and aid to businesses in covering the costs of necessary personal protective equipment.

Measuring Rural Community Resilience
Community resilience is a measure of the sustained ability of a community to thrive in both good and adverse conditions. A recent study attempted to measure community resilience within two sets of rural communities: small towns in New Zealand and small towns in Vermont. It used two methods: a set of surveys to measure perceived community resilience as well as a set of statistical measures traditionally used to measure community resilience (level of education, participation in elections, median income, etc.). They found that both methods yielded importantly different results. Vermonters, on average, rated themselves as very resilient, though the statistical measures said otherwise. This suggests the possibility that traditional measures of community resilience should be reconsidered, although more research is needed.
Foxes Vying For Territory
The Wild Burlington Newsletter continues to offer fascinating descriptions of wildlife throughout Vermont. The most recent newsletter describes the conflict that often occurs between red and gray foxes, when either one steps into the other’s habitat. They are both fiercely territorial nocturnal animals, though the gray fox is the more aggressive of the two. The red fox, on the other hand, is skittish but more energetic in its movements.
Masks Do Not Make Us Invincible
A recent study investigated the factors which increase the risk of contracting COVID-19. They found that contact with a wide variety of people increased risk significantly. One of the factors associated with a greater number of contacts is living in apartments and condominiums, where there are more people with a wider array of social circles than traditional households. This, at least in part, explains higher infection rates in big cities as well as low-income communities. Another factor is mask-wearing. The study found that people who wear masks on a regular basis tend to visit with a wider variety of people, and as such have a greater risk of contracting COVID-19. It is important for people to wear masks when interacting with others, but it is also important to understand that masks do not make people invincible, the authors found.

Gender Bias in Media Coverage
An organization called Vermont Has Her Back recently published a letter/report detailing gender bias in media coverage and asking the state's news rooms to do better. See the letter and website here.

Correction: Testing to Release People Exposed to COVID-19 From Quarantine Early
An item in our last newsletter referenced a s study about leaving quarantine early, if testing negative. That only applied to individuals in contact with people exposed to COVID, not those carrying the disease. The study we referred to is here.
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The Vermont Research News is a bi-monthly curated collection of Vermont research -- focused on research in the Vermont "laboratory" -- research that provides original knowledge to the world and research that adds to an understanding of the state's social, economic, cultural and physical environment. Thanks to support from the Office of Engagement at UVM.

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