Waning Effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccines in Older Adults: A Rapid Review

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health agencies have recently recommended a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines for specific vulnerable groups including adults 65 years and older. There is limited evidence whether vaccine effectiveness in older adults decreases over time, especially against severe COVID-19. We performed a rapid review of published studies available through 04 November 2021 that provide effectiveness data on mRNA vaccines approved/licensed in the United States and identified eight eligible studies which evaluated vaccine effectiveness in older adults. There is evidence of a decline in vaccine effectiveness against both SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe COVID-19 in older adults among studies which analyzed data up to July-October 2021. Our findings suggest that vaccine effectiveness diminishes in older adults, which supports the current recommendation for a booster dose in this population.

COVID-19 vaccine prioritization based on district classification in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia

Due to limited availability, Indonesia’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination will be done in 4 stages until herd immunity has been reached. Yogyakarta, an education and tourist destination, needs to get a specific, spatial estimation of the exact need for COVID-19 vaccination without delay. This study sheds light on identifying which districts should be prioritized at each vaccination phase. Secondary data collected from provincial, and county-level statistical agencies were quantitatively calculated by the Z-Score method. The results indicate that the first phase of vaccination should prioritize Pengasih and Sentolo districts in Kulon Progo Regency, which have a large number of health workers; the districts of Depok, Banguntapan, Piyungan, Sewon, Wonosari, Gamping, Mlati and Ngaglik should be done in the second phase based on the fact that these districts have many public service officials as well as elderly people; Umbulharjo and Depok districts will be approached in the third phase since they have more vulnerable groups and facilities that may promote COVID- 19 transmission during their daily activities; while the fourth phase should focus on the districts of Banguntapan, Sewon, Kasihan, Gamping, Mlati, Depok, and Ngaglik due to the intensity of COVID-19 clusters discovered there. Overall, vaccination would be given the priority in the districts with the largest number of people in need, i.e., public service officers, elderly people and those likely to be exposed to the coronavirus causing COVID-19.

Psychological Impact and Compliance with Staying at Home of the Public to COVID-19 Outbreak during Chinese Spring Festival

In December 2019, COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. Most of the studies related to the psychological impact and compliance with staying at home due to COVID-19 focused on ten days or one month after the initial “stay-at-home” phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The early psychological impact and behavior change to COVID-19 during the Chinese Spring Festival (the start time for recommendations to stay at home) is uncertain. In this study, people from 23 provinces in China were recruited to participate in an online survey, using Credamo. Psychological impact and compliance with staying at home were evaluated by a self-designed and validated questionnaire. The results indicated that anxiety was the most often reported feeling (mean: 3.69), followed by sadness (mean: 3.63). Participants employed in foreign-owned companies were most likely to express anxiety and sadness. Overall, 61.8% of participants reported hardly going out, whereas 2.4% said they frequently went out during the initial “stay-at-home” phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants with higher levels of anxiety and sadness were most likely to stay at home against the spread of COVID-19, as were female gender. This survey is an important study of the first reaction to staying at home during the initial “stay-at-home” phase coinciding with Chinese Spring Festival. Our findings identified factors associated with higher level of psychological impact and better compliance with staying at home recommendations during Chinese Spring Festival. The findings can be used to formulate precaution interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable groups and high uptake of policy during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Anxiety Profile of PWD and Caregiver During COVID-19 Pandemic in ALZI Surabaya Community, Indonesia

The consequence of COVID-19 pandemic conditions in vulnerable groups such as Patients with Dementia (PWD) and their caregivers are required to be urgently addressed. This study was conducted to collect data on PWD and caregiver characteristics, also concluding the profile of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alzi Surabaya Community. This research is an observational descriptive cross-sectional study using the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Rating Anxiety in Dementia questionnaire to apprehend the profile of anxiety in PWD and caregivers in the Alzi Surabaya Community during the COVID-19 pandemic. PWD in this community experience significant anxiety (82.35%) with symptoms such as sleep disturbance (100%) worry over trifles (92.85%), complaints of headache and body aches or pains (92.85%) also sweating, flushes or chills, tingling or numbness of extremities (42.85%) and insignificant anxiety (17.65%) with symptoms such as fatigue and tiredness (100%), worry about physical health (66.57%), irritability (66.57%), heart racing or thumping (33.33%). Caregivers of PWD in this community all experience low anxiety with symptoms such as fear of something worst happening (80%), unable to relax (65%), indigestion and dizziness or lightheadedness (55%). Intervention, in order to reduce anxiety in PWD and caregiver during and post-pandemic, is substantial as establishing a good quality of life is important for PWD to increase fulfilment in life and also important for caregivers in order to maintain quality of care.

COVID-19 vaccine brand hesitancy and other challenges to vaccination in the Philippines

Effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines have been developed at a rapid and unprecedented pace to control the spread of the virus, and prevent hospitalisations and deaths. However, COVID-19 vaccine uptake is challenged by vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination sentiments, a global shortage of vaccine supply, and inequitable vaccine distribution especially among low- and middle-income countries including the Philippines. In this paper, we explored vaccination narratives and challenges experienced and observed by Filipinos during the early vaccination period. We interviewed 35 individuals from a subsample of 1,599 survey respondents 18 years and older in the Philippines. The interviews were conducted in Filipino, Cebuano, and/or English via online platforms such as Zoom or via phone call. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated, and analysed using inductive content analysis. To highlight the complex reasons for delaying and/or refusing COVID-19 vaccines, we embedded our findings within the social ecological model. Our analysis showed that individual perceptions play a major role in the decision to vaccinate. Such perceptions are shaped by exposure to (mis)information amplified by the media, the community, and the health system. Social networks may either positively or negatively impact vaccination uptake, depending on their views on vaccines. Political issues contribute to vaccine brand hesitancy, resulting in vaccination delays and refusals. Perceptions about the inefficiency and inflexibility of the system also create additional barriers to the vaccine rollout in the country, especially among vulnerable and marginalised groups. Recognising and addressing concerns at all levels are needed to improve COVID-19 vaccination uptake and reach. Strengthening health literacy is a critical tool to combat misinformation that undermines vaccine confidence. Vaccination systems must also consider the needs of marginalised and vulnerable groups to ensure their access to vaccines. In all these efforts to improve vaccine uptake, governments will need to engage with communities to ‘co-create’ solutions.

The Coronavirus Pandemic and Sustainable Development. Case Study: Romania

The coronavirus pandemic has affected all states in the world and the measures taken by governments to limit the spread of coronavirus have also left their mark on sustainable development goals, slowing their implementation or even regressing to some of these goals. In the context in which the pandemic affected the Romanian economy and all segments of the population in all areas of the country, especially vulnerable groups, leading to an increase in existing disparities, the rapid implementation of sustainable development goals is the core of a sustainable and equitable recovery. This paper presents effects of coronavirus pandemic on the sustainable development in Romania, especially on the objectives like no poverty, "zero" hunger, health and well-being, quality education, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure and low inequalities, but also the solutions identified by various international bodies to reduce this impact. Thus, the first part of the paper is a theoretical one, which presents the concept of "sustainable development" and analyses specialized studies that have presented the objectives of sustainable development, including studies that have shown the negative or positive effects of the coronavirus pandemic on these objectives. The second part of the paper presents a descriptive analysis of the stage of sustainable development in Romania, after one year of coronavirus pandemic. In carrying out this paper, qualitative research was used, based on methods such as descriptive analysis, analysis of official statistical data, study of reports and reference papers and synthesis of conclusions.

THE EFFECT OF USING AUDIO VISUAL MEDIA ON FLOOD DISASTER PREPAREDNESS KNOWLEDGE AT ST ANTONIUS MATARAM SMP

Flood disaster is one type of natural disaster that very often occurs in Indonesia, Indonesia experienced flood events according to the Indonesian Disaster Information Data (DIBI) for the last 5 years as many as 4031 times and in the province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) it showed a number of 111 flood events with One of them was Mataram city which experienced 11 incidents and West Lombok flooded 26 times. Disaster prevention is one of the focuses in schools by empowering teenagers to understand knowledge about disaster preparedness in students as one solution that needs to be done because children are one of the vulnerable groups who are at risk of being affected by disasters. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of using Audio Visual media on knowledge of flood disaster preparedness at SMPK ST Antonius Mataram.The population in this study were students in grades VII and VIII, totaling 62 people. The sample in this study as many as 58 people with a sampling technique that is purposive sampling with inclusion and exclusion criteria. The research design used in this study was pre-experimental through a one group pre-test-post-test design approach. Data collection techniques using questionnaires. Analysis of this data using statistical test data analysis Wilcoxon signed rankings test.Based on the results of the study, there was an effect of using Audio Visual media on knowledge of flood disaster preparedness at SMPK ST Antonius Mataram.

Screening for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss among Palm Oil Mill Workers in Peninsular Malaysia: A Comparison across Noise Exposure Levels

Background: Palm oil mill workers in Malaysia are exposed to hazardous levels of noise in the workplace, and thus are at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). In 2019, Malaysia introduced a new noise regulation, which reduced the level of permissible noise exposure. Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence of NIHL among palm oil mill workers based on screening data and assess the effects of different noise exposure levels on NIHL. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by analyzing data from noise risk assessment reports of selected mills and screening audiometric data from workers. NIHL was defined as bilateral high-frequency hearing loss. Results: The overall NIHL prevalence was 50.8%. Noise exposure level and age were significant predictors of NIHL among the workers. The risk of developing NIHL was high even for workers who were not categorized in the high-risk group. Conclusions: In view of the findings, a precautionary approach is needed when evaluating the risk of NIHL in the study population. Vulnerable groups of workers must be protected from occupational noise hazards through the implementation of effective hearing conservation programs in the workplace.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lifestyles and Levels of Anxiety and Depression of Patients with Schizophrenia: A Retrospective Observational Study

The movement restrictions put in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic required modification of the population’s usual routines, including those of the most vulnerable groups such as patients with schizophrenia. This was a retrospective observational study. We used an online survey to collect information on patient adherence to the Mediterranean diet (Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener questionnaire), physical exercise (International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form), and tobacco consumption and levels of anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) before and during the movement restrictions. A total of 102 people with schizophrenia participated in this study. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown the participants significantly increased the number of minutes spent sitting per day (z = −6.73; p < 0.001), decreased the time they spent walking (z = −6.32; p < 0.001), and increased their tobacco consumption (X2 = 156.90; p < 0.001). These results were also accompanied by a significant increase in their reported levels of anxiety (z = −7.45; p < 0.001) and depression (z = −7.03, p < 0.001). No significant differences in patient diets during the pandemic compared to before the movement restrictions were reported. These results suggest the need to implement specific programs to improve lifestyle and reduce anxiety and depression during possible future pandemic situations.

Social determinants of malnutrition in Chilean children aged up to five

Background This study aimed to ascertain the Social Determinants (SDs) of malnutrition (over and undernutrition) of Chilean children aged up to five. Methods The study was carried out using a sample of children from zero to five years old (n = 1,270,485; 52.2% female) from the National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (CASEN) 2017. A multinomial logistic regression model was used, where the “child nutritional status” outcome variable assumed three possible values: normal nutrition, overnutrition, and undernutrition, while taking those variables reported in previous literature as independent variables. Results The model, by default, set normal nutrition as the reference group, Count R2 = 0.81. Results show a higher likelihood of both overnutrition and undernutrition among male children from the lowest quintiles, with native ethnic backgrounds, reporting health problems, having public health insurance, and who attend kindergarten. Additionally, higher probabilities of undernutrition in younger than two and living in the north of the country, while overnutrition is more likely in the south. Conclusions Socioeconomic variables are fundamentally related to both over and undernutrition; the current single schema program to prevent malnutrition should consider SDs such as ethnicity and geographical location, among others; moreover, successful nutritional programs—which focused on the lowest quintiles, need to be expanded to other vulnerable groups and pay more attention to overnutrition.