Early COVID-19 Vaccination of Romanian Medical and Social Personnel

Background: In December 2020, the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Romania and were made available to medical and social staff. Vaccine hesitancy appeared as a barrier to effectively ending the pandemic. The opinions of medical and social staff influence the opinion of the general population. This study assesess the attitudes, knowledge, and opinion of medical and social personnel toward COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination and the influencing factors. Methods: 1025 persons participated in an online cross-sectional study from March until July 2021. Results: Out of 1021 eligible responders, 719 (70.42%) had been vaccinated: 227 with one dose (22.23%) and 492 with two doses (48.18%). There were 302 responders who were not vaccinated at all. Out of them, 188 refused vaccinations. The participants showed a good understanding and knowledge of SARScoV-2 transmission and treatment. Geographic area, medical profession, and medical experience influenced COVID-19 vaccination (p < 0.001). There were no associations between willingness to vaccinate and vaccine/virus knowledge. Most of the responders who were vaccinated or wanted to be vaccinated indicated an mRNA vaccine as their first choice. The variables that were significantly associated with reporting COVID-19 vaccine acceptance after logistic regression were: living in an urban area (Ora = 1.58, 95% CI: 0.98–2.56), being female (Ora = 1.59; 95% CI:1.03–2.44), and being a medical doctor (Ora = 3.40; 95% CI: 1.84–6.26). Conclusions: These findings show that vaccine hesitancy persists in medical and social personnel in Romania, and, hence, it may be reflected in the hesitancy of the general population toward vaccination.

Download Full-text

Acceptance Rates and Beliefs toward COVID-19 Vaccination among the General Population of Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Survey

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.4269/ajtmh.21-0297 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Farah Yasmin ◽

Waleed Asghar ◽

Maryam Salma Babar ◽

Hiba Khan ◽

Shoaib Ahmad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Public ◽

Polio Vaccination ◽

Acceptance Rates ◽

To Receive ◽

Do So

Developing countries like Pakistan have previously suffered from barriers to acceptance of vaccination by the public because of financial and belief barriers. This study aims to explore these beliefs and highlight concerns regarding vaccine hesitancy in the general population of Pakistan since they are a hindrance to an effective coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) immunization in the country. A cross-sectional study was performed involving 1,778 participants from all four provinces of Pakistan. Results from the study showed more than half of the participants to be unsure of the safety (50%) and efficacy (51%) of the vaccine, whereas 42% were concerned about the side effects of the vaccine. About 72% of the respondents planned to get vaccinated, whereas 28% refused to do so. Internationally made imported vaccines were more trusted by the participants. Forty-four percent of the participants agreed to receive the vaccine upon recommendation from a physician. Lastly, participants who believed in the efficacy of the polio vaccination also considered the COVID-19 vaccine to be safe and effective.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Algerian medical students: a cross-sectional study in five universities.

10.1101/2021.08.29.21261803 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mohamed amine Kerdoun ◽

Hamza Abdellah Henni ◽

Assia Yamoun ◽

Amine Rahmani ◽

Rym Messaouda Kerdoun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Educational Strategy ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Vaccine Refusal ◽

Available Information

Vaccine hesitancy is a limiting factor in global efforts to contain the current pandemic, wreaking havoc on public health. As today's students are tomorrow's doctors, it is critical to understand their attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. To our knowledge, this study was the first national one to look into the attitudes of Algerian medical students toward the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine using an electronic convenience survey. 383 medical students from five Algerian universities were included, with a mean age of 21.02. 85.37% (n=327) of respondents had not taken the COVID-19 vaccine yet and were divided into three groups; the vaccine acceptance group (n=175, 53.51%), the vaccine-hesitant group (n=75, 22.93%), and the vaccine refusal group (n=77, 23.54%). Gender, age, education level, university, and previous experience with COVID-19 were not significant predictors for vaccine acceptance. The confirmed barriers to the COVID-19 vaccine concern available information, effectiveness, safety, and adverse effects. This work highlights the need for an educational strategy about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Medical students should be educated about the benefits of vaccination for themselves and their families and friends. The Vaccine acceptant students' influence should not be neglected with a possible ambassador role to hesitant and resistant students.

Download Full-text

Lack of lockdown, open borders, and no vaccination in sight: is Bosnia and Herzegovina a control group?

10.1101/2021.03.01.21252700 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Adnan Fojnica ◽

Ahmed Osmanovic ◽

Nermin Đuzic ◽

Armin Fejzic ◽

Ensar Mekic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Herd Immunity ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Control Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Open Borders

AbstractBosnia and Herzegovina is among ten countries in the world with the highest mortality rate due to COVID-19 infection. Lack of lockdown, open borders, high mortality rate, no herd immunity, no vaccination plan, and strong domestic anti-vaccination movement present serious COVID-19 concerns in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In such circumstances, we set out to study if the population is willing to receive the vaccine.A cross-sectional study was conducted among 10,471 adults in Bosnia and Herzegovina to assess the attitude of participants toward COVID-19 vaccination. Using a logistic regression model, we assessed the associations of sociodemographic characteristics with vaccine rejection, reasons for vaccine hesitancy, preferred vaccine manufacturer, and information sources.Surprisingly, only 25.7% of respondents indicated they would like to get a COVID-19 vaccine, while 74.3% of respondents were either hesitant or completely rejected vaccination. The vaccine acceptance increased with increasing age, education, and income level. Major motivation of pro-vaccination behaviour was intention to achieve collective immunity (30.1%), while the leading incentive for vaccine refusal was deficiency of clinical data (30.2%). The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is shown to be eightfold more preferred vaccine compared to the other manufacturers. For the first time, vaccine acceptance among health care professionals has been reported, where only 39.4% of healthcare professionals expressed willingness to get vaccinated.With the high share of the population unwilling to vaccinate, governmental impotence in securing the vaccines supplies, combined with the lack of any lockdown measures suggests that Bosnia and Herzegovina is unlikely to put COVID-19 pandemic under control in near future.

Download Full-text

Topical steroid addiction among paramedical staff: a cross sectional study in a tertiary health care centre

International Journal of Research in Dermatology ◽

10.18203/issn.2455-4529.intjresdermatol20194679 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 844

Author(s):

Maitreyee Panda ◽

Ipsita Debata ◽

Debasmita Behera ◽

Chinmoy Raj ◽

Ajaya Jena

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

General Population ◽

Topical Corticosteroid ◽

Medical Profession ◽

Topical Steroid ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Topical Steroids ◽

Contributing Factors ◽

Health Care Centre ◽

Cross Sectional

Background: Topical corticosteroid misuse is one of the major causes of concern for dermatologist now-a-days. It is not only prevalent in general population but also among individuals associated with medical profession like paramedical staffs. The aim of the present study was to understand the various causes and demographic profile of paramedical staffs using steroids alone or in combination as fairness creams.Methods: All paramedical staffs using topical steroids as fairness creams were screened for the exclusion criteria and included in our study.Results: Females staffs (82.24%) predominated our study group. Betamethasone valerate (46.16%) was found to be the most common topical corticosteroid being misused and the source of recommendation was mostly from pharmacy (37.06%) without any prescriptions.Conclusions: With increasing misuse of topical corticosteroids it is the need of the hour to evaluate the intensity of the problem, contributing factors and the associated morbidity leading to impaired quality of life, not only in the general population but also among the health care provider.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a Representative Education Sector Population in Qatar

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9060665 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 665

Author(s):

Reem Al-Mulla ◽

Marawan Abu-Madi ◽

Qusai M. Talafha ◽

Reema F. Tayyem ◽

Atiyeh M. Abdallah

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Virus ◽

International Travel ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccination Programs

Even though vaccination programs have now started in earnest across the globe and in Qatar, vaccine hesitancy remains a barrier to effectively tackling the pandemic. Many factors influence willingness to take vaccines including safety, efficacy, and side effects. Given their proximity to research and education, university students and employees represent an interesting cohort in which to investigate vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of Qatar University employees and students towards the COVID-19 vaccine. In total, 231 employees and 231 students participated in an online cross-sectional study in February 2021. Of the sample, 62.6% were willing to take a vaccine against COVID-19. Participants with or taking postgraduate degrees were more willing to take the vaccine compared to participants with or taking a diploma or bachelor’s degree (p < 0.001). Males had a higher rate of vaccine acceptance (p < 0.001). In the group that regarded flu vaccination as important, 13% were unwilling to take COVID-19 vaccine. There were no associations between willingness to vaccinate and vaccine/virus knowledge and social media use. Participants showed a high level of concern regarding vaccine side effects in themselves or their children. Two-thirds agreed or strongly agreed that they would take the vaccine if it was mandatory for international travel. Our participants were neutral to the origin of vaccine development. These findings, which represent data collected after the start of the national vaccination program, show that vaccine hesitancy persists in the Qatari population and that some groups, such as undergraduate students, could benefit from specific, targeted public health campaigns.

Download Full-text

ACCEPTANCE OF COVID-19 VACCINE AMONG GENERAL POPULATION IN IRAQ

Iraqi National Journal of Medicine ◽

10.37319/iqnjm.3.1.9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 93-103

Author(s):

Hasanain Ghazi ◽

Taqi Taher ◽

Shaymaa Alfadhul ◽

Sumayah Al-Mahmood ◽

Shaimaa Hassan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

P Value ◽

Pharmaceutical Companies ◽

Global Public Health ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

The Public ◽

Flu Vaccine

COVID19 emerged as one of the biggest global public health crises in recent history. Many pharmaceutical companies have raced against time to develop a vaccine, so that the pandemic can be brought under control. The aim of the current study was to assess the acceptance of the COVID19 vaccine among the general population in Iraq. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1069 respondents from different states of Iraq using questionnaires administered online. Though a total of 77.6% of the respondents agreed to take the COVID19 vaccine when available, a majority (64.3%) said they would wait for some time before taking the vaccine. Around two-thirds agreed to pay a price for the vaccine and the majority (48.6%) preferred the Oxford (AstraZeneca) vaccine. There was a significant association between age, working status, educational level, having family members infected with COVID19 and taking flu vaccine before with acceptance of Covid19 vaccine with P value (<0.001, <0.001, <0.001,0.05, <0.001) respectively. Overall, there is high acceptance willingness among the general population to pay for COVID19 vaccine, once it is available. More education and promotion are needed to assure the public that the vaccine is effective and safe. Keywords: Vaccine, Acceptance, COVID-19, Iraq.

Download Full-text

Confidence, Acceptance and Willingness to Pay for the COVID-19 Vaccine among Migrants in Shanghai, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Vaccines ◽

10.3390/vaccines9050443 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 443

Author(s):

Kaiyi Han ◽

Mark R. Francis ◽

Ruiyun Zhang ◽

Qian Wang ◽

Aichen Xia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Willingness To Pay ◽

Migrant Workers ◽

Vaccine Safety ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Vaccine Information ◽

Socio Demographic Factors

Understanding the public’s attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination and their acceptance could help facilitate the COVID-19 rollout. This study aimed to assess the acceptance and willingness to pay (WTP) for the COVID-19 vaccine among migrants in Shanghai, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2126 migrants in Shanghai for the period 1–20 November 2020. Convenience sampling was used to recruit respondents in workplaces with large numbers of migrant workers. Multivariable (ordered) logistic regressions were used to examine factors associated with acceptance and WTP of the COVID-19 vaccine. Most (89.1%) migrants would accept COVID-19 vaccination. Over 90.0% perceived the COVID-19 vaccine as important, while only 75.0% and 77.7% perceived vaccines safe and effective. Socio-demographic factors were not significantly associated with vaccine acceptance, but confidence in the importance (OR 8.71, 95% CI 5.89–12.89), safety (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.24–2.61) and effectiveness (OR 2.66, 95% CI 1.83–3.87) of COVID-19 vaccine was significantly positively associated with vaccine acceptance. The top reasons for vaccine hesitancy were lack of vaccine information and confidence. The proportion of those definitely willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine was 20% lower if paid by themselves than free vaccination. Migrants were willing to pay a median amount of USD 46 for the COVID-19 vaccine. Results show that a high acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine was universal among migrants in Shanghai. Concerns about vaccine safety, effectiveness and high costs of the COVID-19 vaccine may hinder their uptake. Effective health communication to build confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine and subsidies toward the costs of these vaccines are needed to improve uptake.

Download Full-text

Parent’s Perspective towards Child COVID-19 Vaccination: An Online Cross-Sectional Study in Mexico

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010290 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 290

Author(s):

Juan Luis Delgado-Gallegos ◽

Gerardo R. Padilla-Rivas ◽

Lilia Julieta Gastelum-Arias ◽

Erika Zuñiga-Violante ◽

Gener Avilés-Rodríguez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adverse Effects ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Design Strategies ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Vaccination Programs ◽

Health Authorities ◽

Stepwise Method ◽

Significant Factors

COVID-19 vaccination programs continue in child populations. Thus, parents’ attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination of their children is crucial for these strategies to succeed. The present study derives from the application of an online COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance & Hesitancy Questionnaire (COV-AHQ) in which we measure parent’s hesitancy towards children’s vaccination (section 4 of the COV-AHQ) and other significant factors. A logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise method was used to quantify the associations between factors and parent’s hesitancy. According to the correlation analysis, the most representative factors predicting vaccine hesitancy/acceptance were positive attitude towards vaccination, parents believing that the COVID-19 vaccine will enhance the economic situation of the country, parents actively researching information, having the willingness to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine themselves, and the possibility of their children developing adverse effects. Our findings also showed that parents are highly interested in having their children vaccinated. Nonetheless, parents expressed high levels of concern involving their children in developing adverse effects from the vaccine. In addition, obtaining influenza immunization prompted interest in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine, and younger-aged parents are much more concerned with having their children vaccinated. Therefore, in order to ensure successful vaccination programs, policymakers and health authorities should design strategies to gain confidence and provide security amongst the population, including giving continuous information about the benefits of vaccination and presenting the frequency of side effects to bring parents on board with vaccinating their children.

Download Full-text

Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccination in Herat, Afghanistan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-852218/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Don Eliseo Lucero-Prisno III ◽

Ahmad Neyazi ◽

Attaullah Ahmadi ◽

Omid Tabesh ◽

Habibah Afzali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Related ◽

Awareness Programs ◽

The Government ◽

To Receive ◽

Roll Out

Abstract Background: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is one of the major concerns in the roll out of vaccines in many countries. The aim of the study was to assess the level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptability among the population in Herat, Afghanistan, the third largest city in the country.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 15 April 2021 and 20 April 2021 among the general population of Herat City to examine the acceptability rate of COVID-19 vaccine. Sample size was calculated at 555. Different variables were collected using a questionnaire developed. Data were evaluated in IBM SPSS program.Results: Only 10.63% of the participants were willing to receive COVID-19 vaccine without having any concern and reservation. 45% were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. 66.5% were concerned about the vaccine and its side effects and 29% were afraid of being infected by transmission of COVID-19 through the administration of vaccine on them.Conclusion: This research demonstrates that, concerns about the vaccine, myths and misinformation are widespread which will undermine the vaccination process. This study recommends the initiation of more health-related campaigns and awareness programs by the government for general population to enhance and expedite the roll out of COVID-19 vaccine.

Download Full-text

Attitude towards childhood vaccination among parents in a rural area of Trivandrum district

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20210808 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 1247

Author(s):

Nithya Girija ◽

Deena Divakaran Sreelatha ◽

Benny Purandaran Vasanthamani ◽

Anil Bindhu Sukumaran ◽

Regi Jose ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Area ◽

Vaccine Coverage ◽

Economic Status ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Childhood Vaccination ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Modern World ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Maximum Score

Background: Vaccines are simple and widely accepted as one of the most important medical strategy of modern world in the prevention of morbidity and mortality. In order to ensure the protective benefits of vaccines, it is essential that the vaccine coverage should reach between 80-100% of a population, with required coverage dependent on the concerned vaccine and the illness that it is designed to prevent. Vaccine hesitancy is defined as the reluctance to be vaccinated or have one's children vaccinated. In this study, we assess the attitude of parents towards childhood vaccinations and the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among parents in a rural area in Thiruvananthapuram district.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among parents of children below the age of 15 years, who are residents of a rural area in Thiruvananthapuram district. Data was collected using the parents’ attitude about childhood vaccination (PACV) survey, with the consent of the participants. The collected data entered into MS Excel and analysis was carried out using SPSS 20.Results: Out of 100 participating parents, 14 (14%) parents were concerned about the adverse events following immunization (AEFI). At the same time, the maximum score obtained on the PACV scale was just 24 out of 100. Further, vaccine hesitancy among the parents was found to be only 2 (2%).Conclusions: There is good vaccine acceptance among the parents residing in a rural area, even though many are from low socio-economic status.

Download Full-text