ABSTRACT
Background: In response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the government of India declared a lockdown on March 24, 2020. This affected the daily life of citizens, influencing the availability of daily needs. There was a diverse opinion among public health experts regarding the implementation of the lockdown. Therefore, this study was planned to assess the perceptions and to study the effects of lockdown and challenges faced by Indian citizens during the lockdown imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among Indian citizens above 18 years old using the snowball sampling method. Data were collected through Google forms containing a semistructured questionnaire. Results: Of 464 participants, 61.85% of them reported that lockdown is necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus infection; 50.43% had a negative effect on their job; and felt mental health problems like anxiety, lack of sleep, stress due to increased workload, and the feeling of separated from family. Conclusion: According to the majority of participants, the lockdown was necessary to contain the spread of the pandemic. Participants who faced different problems also found ways to overcome them in a positive way.
ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are essential to tear out the COVID-19 pandemic. COVAXIN and COVISHIELD were the first licensed vaccines in India for public use. For safety surveillance reporting, adverse events following immunization were an essential and integral part of the postlicensure phase for benefit- risk analysis of vaccines. Public trust in newly introduced vaccines will be strengthened by monitoring vaccine safety. So this study was planned to find out adverse events following COVISHIELD vaccination and the association of some factors with adverse events following COVISHIELD vaccination among vaccinees at vaccination centers of tertiary care hospitals. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among vaccinees at vaccination centers in tertiary care hospitals. Data was collected through Google forms containing a structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 530 adverse events following immunization (AEFI) were reported by 146 (39.46%) participants, where one participant experienced more than one AEFI with the COVISHIELD vaccine. The most common reported AEFI were myalgia (104 [19.62%]), fever (104 [19.62%]), and fatigue/lethargy (104 [19.62%]), followed by pain at the injection site (80 [15.09%]). Participants who experienced AEFI with other vaccines and had a previous history of COVID-19 infection were found to be significant independent predictors of AEFI with the COVISHIELD vaccine. Conclusion: Most AEFIs were mild and lasted for a short duration, subsiding on symptomatic treatment. We found only the history of AFFI with other vaccines and previous infection with COVID-19 as significant predictors for the occurrence of AEFI with the COVISHIELD vaccine.