ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 has raised serious concerns about the wellbeing of frontline health care work-ers. Healthcare staff are at increased risk of psychological health problems when dealing with challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the healthcare professionals, the most commonly affected are those working on the frontline, who are the first to come in contact with the patients. Objectives: To determine the levels of depression, anxiety and stress among interns during COVID-19 pandemic, and, to assess the factors affecting mental health of the interns during COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This was a web-based multicentric cross-sectional study conducted among interns of var-ious tertiary care teaching hospitals providing COVID care services, during July � August 2021. Data was collected using a self-administered online questionnaire based on the standard DASS-21 scale that as-sessed the various domains of psychological distress. Result: Among the study subjects 46% suffered with all three psychological domains like depression, anxiety and stress, 15% had only anxiety, around 10% had anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic while 22.5% had no psychological problems. Conclusions: Significant proportions of interns were suffering from depression, anxiety and stress. Fear of COVID-19, long working hours, usage of PPE, COVID vaccination status, and COVID-19 infection status were identified as potential predictors of psychological distress.
ABSTRACT
To evaluate and correlate the immune response of premature infants after BCG vaccination. Three groups of infants received BCG vaccination; preterm at birth, preterm when they reached chronological term, and term infants. All were evaluated for BCG scar; PPD induration and lymphocyte proliferation test [LTT] Out of 254 vaccinated infants of different gestational ages, 113 returned for PPD and LTT and of those, 98 returned for PPD reading. Fifty-two preterm infants were vaccinated at birth, 29 were vaccinated when they reached at term, and 31 full-term vaccinated at birth: a] There was a correlation between the BCG scar and both PPD>5mm indurations and LTT> =2 response. In contrast, no correlation was found between PPD indurations and LTT, b] Birth weight and gestational age were significantly correlated with LTT response but neither correlated with BCG scar or PPD induration, c] There was significant increase in response in [LTT,] when preterms were vaccinated at =>34 weeks gestational age [P=0.001] but this was not significantly correlated with PPD induration or positive BCG scar. Our study indicates that delaying BCG vaccination in very low birth weight preterm infants until they reach 34 weeks gestational age may providesomewhat better protection. There was no correlation between PPD induration and L TT response. These two tests may measure two different dimensions of immune response. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to follow-up preterms after BCG vaccination to measure the duration of their immunity and indicate an age for revaccination