The characteristics of COVID-19 vaccine-related headache: Clues gathered from the healthcare personnel in the pandemic

Introduction Headache is a frequent adverse event after viral vaccines. We aimed to investigate the frequency and clinical associations of COVID-19 vaccine-related headache. Methods The characteristics, associations of this headache, main comorbidities, headache history following the influenza vaccine and during COVID-19 were investigated using a web-based questionnaire. Results A total of 1819 healthcare personnel (mean age: 44.4 ± 13.4 years, 1222 females), vaccinated with inactivated virus, contributed to the survey; 209 (11.4%) had been infected with COVID-19. A total of 556 participants (30.6%) reported headache with significant female dominance (36.1% vs. 19.3%), 1.8 ± 3.5 (median: 1; IQR: 0–2) days following vaccination. One hundred and forty-four participants (25.9%) experienced headache lasting ≥3 days. Headache was mostly bilateral without accompanying phenomena, less severe, and shorter than COVID-19-related headache. The presence of primary headaches and migraine were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine-related headache (ORs = 2.16 [95% CI 1.74–2.68] and 1.65 [1.24–2.19], respectively). Headache during COVID-19 or following influenza vaccine also showed significant association with headache following COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 4.3 [95% CI 1.82–10.2] and OR = 4.84 [95% CI 2.84–8.23], respectively). Only thyroid diseases showed a significant association (OR = 1.54 [95% CI 1.15–2.08]) with vaccine-related headache among the common comorbidities. Conclusion Headache is observed in 30.6% of the healthcare workers following COVID-19 vaccine and mostly experienced by females with pre-existing primary headaches, thyroid disorders, headache during COVID-19, or headache related to the influenza vaccine.

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Comparison of response rates on invitation mode of a web-based survey on influenza vaccine adverse events among healthcare workers: a pilot study

BMC Medical Research Methodology ◽

10.1186/s12874-018-0524-8 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Xiaochen Tai ◽

Alanna M. Smith ◽

Allison J. McGeer ◽

Eve Dubé ◽

Dorothy Linn Holness ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Influenza Vaccine ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Response Rates ◽

Web Based

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The Emergence of a New Form of Headache in COVID-19 Pandemic Era

10.21203/rs.3.rs-59636/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Özge Uygun ◽

Mustafa Ertas ◽

Esme Ekizoğlu ◽

Hayrunnisa Bolay ◽

Aynur Özge ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Logistic Regression ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Binary Logistic Regression ◽

Male Gender ◽

Primary Headaches ◽

Binary Logistic Regression Model ◽

Web Based ◽

Gastrointestinal Complaints ◽

Different Characteristics ◽

New Onset

Abstract BackgroundHeadache is the most common COVID-19-related neurological symptom. But, diagnostic clues of headache for COVID-19 infection are not well known. MethodsWe developed a detailed web-based questionnaire screening the characteristics and course of headaches besides clinical COVID-19 features. The participants were grouped according to being diagnosed with COVID-19 infection or not, and having previous or new-onset headaches. The COVID-19 related headache features and their associations with other clinical features were investigated. A binary logistic regression model was performed to differentiate the characteristics of headache related to COVID-19. Findings 3458 participants (2341 females;67.7%, 1495 healthcare workers;43.2%) with a mean age of 43.21±11.2 years experiencing headache during pandemic contributed to the survey. Among them, 262 participants had COVID-19 and 126(48.1%) were male. The rate of males in the group without COVID-19 was 31% (991 out of 3196 participants) showing significant gender difference between groups (p<0.000). COVID-19 related headaches were more closely associated with anosmia/ageusia and gastrointestinal complaints (RR=3.7 and RR=1.33, respectively), showed different characteristics like pulsating, pressing, and even stabbing quality. Logistic regression analyses showed that bilateral headache, duration over 72 hours, analgesic resistance and having male gender were significant variables to differentiate COVID-19 positive patients from those without COVID-19 (p<0.000 for all variables). A worsening of previous primary headaches due to the pandemic-related problems was not the rule in majority of patients.Interpretation Bilateral, long-lasting headaches, resistance to analgesics and having male gender were more frequent in people with COVID-19 in conjunction with the anosmia/ageusia and gastrointestinal complaints. These features may be helpful for COVID-19 diagnosis in the clinical evaluation of headache patients during the pandemic.Funding: This study was funded by Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of Istanbul University with a project number of GAP-36802.

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A Review on Methods of Face Masks Sterilization for Reuse Owing To Crisis During COVID-19

International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.26452/ijrps.v11ispl1.3604 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽

pp. 1240-1243

Author(s):

Pradyuman Singh Rajput ◽

Asish Kumar Saha ◽

Insiya Gangardiwala ◽

Anand Vijayakumar Palur Ramakrishnan

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Hazard ◽

Capital City ◽

Limited Resources ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

First Line ◽

Republic Of China ◽

Enormous Amount ◽

The Face ◽

The Common

The COVID-19 pandemic initially started from the Wuhan capital city of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China had now led to a severe public health hazard across the globe, the recorded death is approximately 958 thousand globally and counting. With the enormous amount of spread of the disease, a severe crisis for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is being noticed across the globe. Face masks being the first line of defence for all the healthcare workers as well for the common public. It became mandatory to wear face masks before entering the patient care area. The countries who are not manufacturing it locally had to depend on other countries for the procurement. As there is a severe supply chain disruption due to the lockdown measures taken by all the countries to contain the disease, so it had become difficult to procure the face masks from the manufacturing countries. The price for these PPEs is also rising at an alarming rate with the increase in the COVID-19 cases and the huge rate of consumption by the healthcare and other sectors. Therefore, with limited resources, the hospital has to run its services. The CDC, WHO and ICMR have released several guidelines from time to time for sterilization and reuse of face masks. This article will discuss the various methods that can be utilized to sterilize the face masks and reuse of it.

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Antibody response to the influenza vaccine in healthcare workers

Vaccine ◽

10.1016/j.vaccine.2011.10.061 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 436-441 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ema Sacadura-Leite ◽

Antonio Sousa-Uva ◽

Helena Rebelo-de-Andrade

Keyword(s):

Antibody Response ◽

Influenza Vaccine ◽

Healthcare Workers

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SARS-CoV-2 Ig G among Healthcare Workers and the General Population

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10040465 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 465

Author(s):

Gregorio P. Milani ◽

Mario G. Bianchetti ◽

Giuseppe Togni ◽

Andreas W. Schoenenberger ◽

Franco Muggli

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Geographical Area ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Protein Subunit ◽

Positive Serology ◽

Seroprevalence Data ◽

And Gender ◽

Few Data ◽

Ig G

It is assumed that healthcare workers are at the highest risk to be infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, few data from healthcare workers who do not primarily take care of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection support this assumption. We investigated the prevalence of immunoglobulin G (Ig G) against SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers who do not primarily take care of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and the general population in a well-defined geographical area. The first part of the study was conducted in May 2020 in Val Mesolcina (Southern Switzerland), a valley with ~8000 inhabitants. All healthcare workers were invited. All participants (n = 488) of the Swiss Longitudinal Cohort Study (SWICOS), a cohort representative of the general population, were also invited. Circulating Ig G against spike protein subunit 1 of SARS-CoV-2 were tested in each subject. Subjects with positive Ig G were tested again after 6 months. The condition of being a healthcare worker, rather than a part of the general population, was tested as a predictor of seroprevalence positivity by both simple and multiple (adjusted for age and sex) logistic regression. Eleven (2.6%) of the 423 SWICOS participants and 46 (16%) out of 289 healthcare workers were positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The seroprevalence OR was 7.01 (95% CI: 3.53–15.47) for healthcare workers as compared to SWICOS participants. After adjusting for age and gender, the seroprevalence OR was 5.13 (95% CI: 2.54–10.40). About three quarters of the subjects in the SWICOS (73%) and in healthcare (79%) group with a previous positive serology still presented positive Ig G against the SARS-CoV-2 after 6 months. The present seroprevalence data point out that the SARS-CoV-2 infection is seven times higher among healthcare workers than in the general population of Val Mesolcina. Efforts to effectively protect all the healthcare personnel are needed.

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Healthcare Workers’ Perspectives on the Upcoming COVID-19 Vaccine in Terms of Their Exposure to the Influenza Vaccine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9050465 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 465

Author(s):

Leena R. Baghdadi ◽

Shatha G. Alghaihb ◽

Alanoud A. Abuhaimed ◽

Dania M. Alkelabi ◽

Rawan S. Alqahtani

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Influenza Vaccine ◽

Work Experience ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Seasonal Influenza ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine ◽

History Of

In 2019, a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)) caused a global pandemic. There was an urgent need to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 to reduce its spread and economic burden. The main objective of this study was to understand the attitudes and concerns of healthcare workers (HCWs) towards the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine, whether their decision was influenced by their history of taking the seasonal influenza vaccine, and factors that influence the acceptance of the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We selected and surveyed 356 HCWs via an electronic self-administered questionnaire. A total of 61.16% of HCWs were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and 55.9% of them had received the seasonal influenza vaccine in the preceding year (2019–2020). The strongest predictors for taking the COVID-19 vaccine were the HCWs’ belief that the COVID-19 vaccine would be safe, needed even for healthy people, that all HCWs should be vaccinated against COVID-19, and that HCWs will have time to take the vaccine. Being female, being middle aged, having <5 years of work experience, having no fear of injections, and being a non-smoker were predictive factors for taking the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine. No associations were found between the intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine and a history of taking the seasonal influenza vaccine.

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Characteristics of Healthcare Workers Vaccinated against Influenza in the Era of COVID-19

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9070695 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 695

Author(s):

Giorgia Della Polla ◽

Francesca Licata ◽

Silvia Angelillo ◽

Concetta Paola Pelullo ◽

Aida Bianco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Influenza Vaccine ◽

Influenza Vaccination ◽

Perceived Risk ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Seasonal Influenza ◽

High Risk Group ◽

High Coverage ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Current Season ◽

Study Results

Understanding the potential impact of COVID-19 on receiving influenza vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs) is of utmost importance. The purposes of the present cross-sectional study were to describe the characteristics and to explore the predictors of receiving influenza vaccination among a large cohort of Italian HCWs in hospital settings. Information was collected through an anonymous questionnaire from December 2020 through January 2021. General and practice characteristics, perceived risk of seasonal influenza, attitudes towards efficacy and safety of influenza vaccination, and reasons behind the decision to be vaccinated against influenza were explored. Fewer than half (46.2%) of HCWs agreed that influenza is a serious illness and perceived the risk of getting infected with influenza, and concerns about the safety of the vaccination were significant positive predictors. Fewer than half of the respondents were not concerned at all about the efficacy (48.6%) and safety (49.8%) of influenza vaccination, and 51.9% reported that they have not received a seasonal influenza vaccine during the previous season. The most mentioned reason for receiving the influenza vaccine in the current season was that influenza and COVID-19 share some similar symptoms. Study results will aid policymakers in developing vaccination education programs, promotion of trust to address negative misconceptions, and to achieve future high coverage among this high-risk group.

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