“We shouldn’t waste a good crisis”: the lived experience of working on the frontline through the first surge (and beyond) of COVID-19 in the UK and Ireland

Objective: Frontline workers have shown extraordinary resilience and sustained efforts since the outbreak of COVID-19. The present study used semi-structured interviews with 38 frontline workers in the UK and Ireland to explore the psychological impact of working through COVID-19. Design: The qualitative data were analysed systematically using thematic analysis. Results: Four themes were interpreted: 1)) “I’ve stopped turning the telly on. I’ve had to because the news was making me ill”: An ecosystem of influence; 2) “Dead, dead, dead”: The emotional and psychological toll: 3) “It’s shone a light on what we’re failing on as well”: Injustices, hierarchies and heroes: and 4) “I definitely think COVID happened for a reason to stop us in our tracks and to slow us down”: Unexpected positives. Conclusion: This research offers insights into how frontline workers make sense of their experiences during periods of enormous societal and occupational stress. The learnings generated have relevance for government and organisational policy makers who have opportunities to shape future conditions for frontline worker

In it together?: Exploring solidarity with frontline workers in the United Kingdom and Ireland during COVID-19

The phrase ‘in it together’ has been used liberally since the outbreak of COVID-19, but the extent that frontline workers felt ‘in it together’ is not well understood. Here, we consider the factors that built (or eroded) solidarity while working through the pandemic, and how frontline workers navigated their lives through periods of disconnection. Semi-structured interviews with 21 frontline workers, across all sectors, were conducted in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The qualitative data were analysed systematically using reflexive thematic analysis. The three themes identified in the data were: (1) Solidarity as central to frontline experiences; (2) Leadership as absent, shallow and divisive: highlighting ‘us-them’ distinctions and (3) The rise of ‘us’ and ‘we’ among colleagues. Our research offers insights into how frontline workers make sense of their experiences of solidarity and discordance during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, with relevance for government and organizational policy-makers shaping future conditions for frontline workers.</p

POPTOP expression requires POP-1 and SYS-1.

<p>(A) POPTOP or <i>pop-1(q624)</i>; POPTOP animals were grown on <i>E. coli</i> HT115(DE3) carrying control RNAi or <i>cacn-1</i> RNAi vector. (B) POPTOP animals were grown on <i>E. coli</i> HT115(DE3) carrying control RNAi, <i>sys</i>-1 RNAi, <i>wrm-1</i> RNAi, <i>bar</i>-1 RNAi, or <i>hmp-2</i> RNAi vector. (C) POPTOP animals were grown on <i>E. coli</i> HT115(DE3) carrying <i>cacn-1</i>+<i>sys-1</i> RNAi, <i>cacn-1</i> RNAi or <i>sys-1</i> RNAi. Individual points represent mean pixel intensity (a.u.) per pixel for a single animal for a given RNAi treatment. Error bars indicate mean ± standard error of the mean. *** indicates statistical significance of P<0.0001, * indicates statistical significance of P<0.05. n.s. is not significant.</p

Germline tumor formation in <i>trd-1(RNAi)</i> animals suggests a defect in the mitosis-meiosis switch.

<p>Young adult animals (L4+1day) were stained with DAPI and the gonads scored for the presence of sperm and oocytes (essentially wild type gonads), germlines which contained only sperm (Sp), or only oocytes (Oo) or were tumorous (Tum), a phenotype in which no differentiated nuclei are observed in the germline and all nuclei remain in mitosis. <i>trd-1</i> RNAi synergistically enhances the Tum phenotype of <i>gld-3(q741)</i> mutants.</p><p>Germline tumor formation in <i>trd-1(RNAi)</i> animals suggests a defect in the mitosis-meiosis switch.</p

<i>cacn-1</i> RNAi reduces LIT-1::GFP expression.

<p>LIT-1::GFP animals were grown on <i>E. coli</i> HT115(DE3) carrying (A, B) control RNAi or (C, D) <i>cacn-1</i> RNAi vector. Asterisks indicate L4 developing vulva. 3-dimensional representations of GFP expression with peak height corresponding to maximum intensity of fluorescent reporter in the uterus and vulva of (E) control RNAi or (F) <i>cacn-1</i> RNAi treated animals. (G) Western blots of extracts from control RNAi or <i>cacn-1</i> RNAi-treated LIT-1::GFP animals were probed with anti-GFP (LIT-1::GFP) and anti-Actin antibodies. Scale bar is 25 µm.</p

C. elegans strains used in this study.

<p>C. elegans strains used in this study.</p

POPTOP is expressed in the L4 somatic gonad.

<p>GFP and POPTOP expression are shown in (A–D) <i>egl-17</i>::GFP; POPTOP expressing animals or (E–H) <i>fkh-6</i>::GFP; POPTOP expressing animals. POPTOP co-localizes with <i>fkh-6</i>::GFP in the L4 spermatheca and in cells surrounding the vulva. Asterisks indicate the position of the vulva. Scale bar is 25 µm.</p

CACN-1 is localized to seam cells.

<p>(A) CACN-1 expression is shown in seam cells of <i>cacn-1</i>::GFP; <i>ajm-1</i>::mCherry animals. (B) <i>cacn-1</i>::GFP expression in seam cells and differentiated hypodermal cells. Scale bar is 20 µm.</p

Epistasis analysis suggests that <i>trd-1</i> functions downstream of <i>tra-2</i> and upstream of <i>fem-3</i>.

<p>Worms were bleach synchronized at 15°C then L1s hatched, fed and shifted to 20°C or 25°C as indicated. Following whole worm DAPI on L4+1 day old animals, the presence of sperm (Sp) and oocytes (Oo) was recorded. <i>fog-1(q253, lf)</i> and <i>fem-3(e2006, lf)</i> mutants produce only oocytes at the restrictive temperature of 25°C, a phenotype which is unaltered by <i>trd-1</i> RNAi, suggesting that <i>trd-1</i> is operating upstream. The <i>fbf-2(q738)</i> mutation has a 23% penetrant feminized germline phenotype at 20°C which is completely suppressed by <i>trd-1</i> RNAi. These animals are masculinized to the same extent as <i>trd-1</i> RNAi animals alone, suggesting that <i>trd-1</i> operates downstream of (or in parallel to) <i>fbf-2</i>. <i>tra-2 (e2020, gf)</i> mutants are feminized at 20°C, a phenotype that is significantly suppressed by <i>trd-1</i> RNAi (again, these animals are masculinized to a similar extent to <i>trd-1</i> RNAi animals alone). This suggests that <i>trd-1</i> is downstream of <i>tra-2</i>. Overall, therefore, <i>trd-1</i> appears to be operating downstream of <i>tra-2</i> but upstream of <i>fem-3</i> to regulate germline sex determination.</p><p>Epistasis analysis suggests that <i>trd-1</i> functions downstream of <i>tra-2</i> and upstream of <i>fem-3</i>.</p

Genetic regulation of germline sex determination.

<p>The pathway consists of a cascade of regulatory interactions driving sexual fate. Essentially, <i>fem-1</i>, -<i>2</i> and -<i>3</i> together with <i>fog-1</i> and <i>fog-3</i> promote spermatogenesis. To allow hermaphrodite animals to switch to oocyte production at the late L4 stage, <i>tra-2</i> is repressed by the action of FOG-2 and GLD-1. <i>fem-3</i> is repressed at the level of mRNA by multiple factors. Thus, regulation of the balance of TRA-2 and FEM-3 levels allows the timely transition from sperm to oocyte production, in order to generate fully fertile hermaphrodites. Factors that promote male and female fates are highlighted in blue and red, respectively. Adapted from Kimble and Crittenden <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0114998#pone.0114998-Thompson1" target="_blank">[14]</a> and Rybarska <i>et al.</i><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0114998#pone.0114998-Rybarska1" target="_blank">[41]</a>.</p