Medical Specialties Commons^™

Covid-19 Vaccine Confidence, Concerns, And Uptake In Children Aged 5 And Older In Calgary, Alberta: A Longitudinal Cohort Study, Emily J Doucette, Leah Ricketson, Tarannum Tarannum, Isabella Alatorre, Joslyn Gray, Cora Constantinescu, Susan Kuhn, Jessica K E Dunn, James D Kellner

Journal Articles

OBJECTIVES: Beginning early in the pandemic, there was a worldwide effort to develop effective vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Before and after the approval and implementation of vaccines, there were concerns about their need as well as their safety and rapid development. We explored child demographic characteristics and parental concerns to identify factors associated with the decision to vaccinate.

METHODS: A cohort of 1035 children from Calgary was assembled in 2020 to participate in 5 visits every 6 months for survey completion and blood sampling for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Visits 1 to 2 occurred before approval of vaccines for children; Visits …

Adapting International Clinical Trials During Covid-19 And Beyond, Kamala Thriemer, Kamala Thriemer, Mohammad Shafiul Alam, Bipin Adhikari, Rupam Tripura, Mohammad Sharif Hossain, Michael Christian, Najia Bano Ghanchi, Hellen Mnjala, Muhammad Asim

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions, particularly travel restrictions, have had significant impact on the conduct of global clinical trials. Our clinical trials programme, which relied on in-person visits for training, monitoring and capacity building across nine low- and middle-income countries, had to adapt to those unprecedented operational challenges. We report the adaptation of our working model with a focus on the operational areas of training, monitoring and cross-site collaboration.
The new working model: Adaptations include changing training strategies from in-person site visits with three or four team members to a multi-pronged virtual approach, with generic online training for …

Risk Of Depression In A Suburban Primary Care Setting Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carman H Whiting, Pouran Yousefi, Jude K A Des Bordes, Nahid J Rianon

Journal Articles

INTRODUCTION: Major depression is a common disorder affecting millions of adults each year. Many population-based surveys showed an increase in the number people with symptoms of depression at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to determine and compare the prevalence of depression risk in a primary care setting before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on retrospective review of medical records from a large suburban primary care clinic. Records of adults 18 years and older, seen between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020 and who had also been screened for …

Covid-19 Vaccine Brand Hesitancy And Other Challenges To Vaccination In The Philippines, Arianna Maever L. Amit, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, Lourdes S. Tanchanco, Manuel Dayrit

Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Publications

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, …

Global "Flu-Ization" Of Covid-19: A Perspective From Vietnam, Khoi Quan Nguyen, Le My Anh Nguyen, Andrew W Taylor-Robinson

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Perspectives Of Primary Care Physicians On Acceptance And Barriers To Covid-19 Vaccination, Philip Day, Chance Strenth, Neelima Kale, F. David Schneider, Elizabeth Mayfield Arnold

Family and Community Medicine Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the perspectives of primary care physicians in Texas around vaccine acceptance and potential patient barriers to vaccination. National surveys have shown fluctuating levels of acceptance for COVID-19 vaccination, and primary care physicians could play a crucial role in increasing vaccine uptake.

DESIGN: This study employed a cross-sectional anonymous survey design to collect data using an online questionnaire. Participants were asked about vaccination practices and policies at their practice site, perceptions of patient and community acceptance and confidence in responding to patient vaccine concerns.

SETTING: From November 2020 to January 2021, family …

Health Technology In School-Based Health Centers: Supporting Continuous Care During Covid-19, Erin Sullivan, Anna Goddard, Paula Fields, Suzanne Mackey

Nursing Faculty Publications

Background: Children and adolescents in the United States face disparities by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, including unequal access to consistent and high-quality healthcare. School-based health centers (SBHCs) promote health equity by delivering primary, mental, and other health services directly to students in their schools. The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States resulted in schools and SBHCs closing their physical sites and pivoting to virtual service delivery. Methods: In the months immediately following school closures, school-based health center practitioners and sponsors participated in an online listening series to share how they used technology to creatively advertise services, engage with students, …

Covid-19 Vaccination In Sindh Province, Pakistan: A Modelling Study Of Health Impact And Cost-Effectiveness, Carl A B. Pearson, Fiammetta Bozzani, Simon R. Procter, Nicholas G. Davies, Maryam Huda, Henning Tarp Jensen, Marcus Keogh-Brown, Muhammad Khalid, Sedona Sweeney, Sergio Torres-Rueda

Community Health Sciences

Background: Multiple Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines appear to be safe and efficacious, but only high-income countries have the resources to procure sufficient vaccine doses for most of their eligible populations. The World Health Organization has published guidelines for vaccine prioritisation, but most vaccine impact projections have focused on high-income countries, and few incorporate economic considerations. To address this evidence gap, we projected the health and economic impact of different vaccination scenarios in Sindh Province, Pakistan (population: 48 million).
Methods and findings: We fitted a compartmental transmission model to COVID-19 cases and deaths in Sindh from 30 April to 15 …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Healthcare Providers During Covid-19 Pandemic In Karachi, Pakistan: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Anam Shahil Feroz, Nousheen Pradhan, Zarak Hussain Ahmed, Mashal Murad Shah, Nargis Asad, Sarah Saleem, Sameen Siddiqi

Community Health Sciences

Objective: To explore healthcare provider's perspectives and experiences of the barriers and facilitators to treat and manage COVID-19 cases.
Design and setting: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study using a purposive sampling approach, at a private tertiary care teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Study data were analysed manually using the conventional content analysis technique.
Participants: Key-informant interviews (KIIs) were conducted with senior management and hospital leadership and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with front-line healthcare providers.
Results: A total of 31 interviews (KIIs=19; IDIs=12) were conducted, between April and May 2020. Three overarching themes emerged. The first was 'challenges faced …

Antibiotics And Antimicrobial Resistance In The Covid-19 Era: Perspective From Resource-Limited Settings, Mentor Ali Ber Lucien, Michael F. Canarie, Paul E. Kilgore, Gladzin Jean-Denis, Natael Fénélon, Manise Pierre, Mauricio Cerpa, Gerard A. Joseph, Gina Maki, Marcus J. Zervos, Patrick Dely, Jacques Boncy, Hatim Sati, Ana Del Rio, Pilar Ramon-Pardo

Department of Pharmacy Practice

The dissemination of COVID-19 around the globe has been followed by an increased consumption of antibiotics. This is related to the concern for bacterial superinfection in COVID-19 patients. The identification of bacterial pathogens is challenging in low and middle income countries (LMIC), as there are no readily-available and cost-effective clinical or biological markers that can effectively discriminate between bacterial and viral infections. Fortunately, faced with the threat of COVID-19 spread, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of antimicrobial stewardship programs, as well as infection prevention and control measures that could help reduce the microbial load and hence …

Understanding And Promoting Racial Diversity In Healthcare Settings To Address Disparities In Pandemic Crisis Management, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Alanna Barrios, Kuchalambal Agadi, Sindhu Thevuthasan, Krunal Pandav, Manish Kc, Muzna Sarfraz, Pedram Rad, George Michel

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Health disparities have become apparent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. When observing racial discrimination in healthcare, self-reported incidences, and perceptions among minority groups in the United States suggest that, the most socioeconomically underrepresented groups will suffer disproportionately in COVID-19 due to synergistic mechanisms. This study reports racially-stratified data regarding the experiences and impacts of different groups availing the healthcare system to identify disparities in outcomes of minority and majority groups in the United States.
Methods: Studies were identified utilizing PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and PsycINFO search engines without date and language restrictions. The following keywords were used: …

Cardio-Pulmonary Sequelae In Recovered Covid-19 Patients: Considerations For Primary Care, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Alanna Barrios, Radhika Garimella, Asimina Dominari, Manish Kc, Krunal Pandav, Juan C. Pantoja, Varadha Retnakumar, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Current literature lacks characterization of the post-recovery sequelae among COVID-19 patients. This review characterizes the course of clinical, laboratory, radiological findings during the primary infection period, and the complications post-recovery. Primary care findings are presented for long-COVID care.
Methods: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, 4 databases were searched (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, Scopus) through December 5, 2020, using the keywords "COVID-19 and/or recovered and/or cardiovascular and/or long-term and/or sequelae and/or sub-acute and/or complication." We included published peer-reviewed case reports, case series, and cross-sectional studies providing the clinical course of COVID-19 infection, and cardiopulmonary complications of patients who recovered from COVID-19, …

The Influence Of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (Covid-19) On Parkinson’S Disease: An Updated Systematic Review, Vikash Jaiswal, Danah Alquraish, Zouina Sarfraz, Azza Sarfraz, Shavy Nagpal, Prakriti Singh Shrestha, Dattatreya Mukherjee, Prathima Guntipalli, Diana F. Sánchez Velazco, Arushee Bhatnagar

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: COVID-19 has affected global communities with multiple neurological complications in addition to other critical medical issues. COVID-19 binds to the host's angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which are expressed in the neurons and glial cells, acting as an entry port to the central nervous system (CNS). ACE2 receptors are abundantly expressed on dopamine neurons, which may worsen the prognosis of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). SARS-CoV-2 may lead to an indirect response via immune-mediated cytokine storms and propagate through the CNS leading to damage. In this systematic review, we aim to provide thorough analyses of associations between COVID-19 …

Analysis Of Covid-19 Burden, Epidemiology And Mitigation Strategies In Muslim Majority Countries, Rachel Jardine, James Wright, Zainab Samad, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Section of Cardiology

Background: Muslim majority countries have experienced a considerable burden of COVID-19 infection. However, there has been a relative lack of research comparing COVID-19 outbreaks and responses between Muslim-majority countries.
Aims: This study aimed to analyse COVID-19 burden, epidemiology and mitigation strategies in Muslim-majority countries.
Methods: We use a mixed-methods approach to describe the course of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the Islamic world, highlight the range of non-pharmaceutical interventions used and the speed with which they were implemented, and investigate reasons behind the differing responses between Muslim-majority countries. The number of cases and deaths per million population, and the mean time …