ABSTRACT
Objective: To identify effects of various nationwide vaccination protocols on the evolution of new SARS-CoV-2 infections among adult population and to evaluate the safety of mRNA (BioNTech/ Pfizer) vaccine. Methods: Totally 10 735 adult volunteers that received at least one dose of BioNTech/Pfizer or triple doses of CoronaVac participated in this cross-sectional-online survey between 1 and 10 September 2021. The information was collected covering a 5-month period from April 2021 to September 2021. Information about people who were vaccinated with only single and double dose CoronaVac were not included in this study. Results: At least one side effect after single and double dose of BioNTech/Pfizer and triple doses of CoronaVac were observed in 42.1%, 42.5% and 10.9%, respectively. The most common side effects were shoulder/arm pain, weakness/fatigue, muscle/joint pain and headache. The side effects were the most frequent in single BioNTech/Pfizer, while it was the least in triple CoronaVac. The rate of positive PCR tests before vaccination was 17.6%, and decreased to 3.0% after vaccination. The rates of positive SARS CoV-2-PCR were 18.8%, 3.5%, 3.1%, 0.5% and 4.6% in single BioNTech/Pfizer, double BioNTech/Pfizer, double CoronaVac+single BioNTech/Pfizer, double CoronaVac+double BioNTech/Pfizer and triple CoronaVac, respectively. While 1.8% of PCR positive COVID-19 cases needed intensive unit care in the pre-vaccination period, intensive care unit was required in 0%, 1.5%, 2.4%, 0% and 4.2% after single BioNTech/ Pfizer, double BioNTech/Pfizer, double CoronaVac+single BioNTech/ Pfizer, double CoronaVac+double BioNTech/Pfizer and triple CoronaVac, respectively. Reinfection rate after vaccination was 0.4%. Conclusions: The rarity of COVID-19 infection after vaccination suggests that efficacy of vaccines is maintained. On the other hand, the data underscore the critical importance of continued public health mitigation.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To identify effects of various nationwide vaccination protocols on the evolution of new SARS-CoV-2 infections among adult population and to evaluate the safety of mRNA (BioNTech/ Pfizer) vaccine. Methods: Totally 10 735 adult volunteers that received at least one dose of BioNTech/Pfizer or triple doses of CoronaVac participated in this cross-sectional-online survey between 1 and 10 September 2021. The information was collected covering a 5-month period from April 2021 to September 2021. Information about people who were vaccinated with only single and double dose CoronaVac were not included in this study. Results: At least one side effect after single and double dose of BioNTech/Pfizer and triple doses of CoronaVac were observed in 42.1%, 42.5% and 10.9%, respectively. The most common side effects were shoulder/arm pain, weakness/fatigue, muscle/joint pain and headache. The side effects were the most frequent in single BioNTech/Pfizer, while it was the least in triple CoronaVac. The rate of positive PCR tests before vaccination was 17.6%, and decreased to 3.0% after vaccination. The rates of positive SARS CoV-2-PCR were 18.8%, 3.5%, 3.1%, 0.5% and 4.6% in single BioNTech/Pfizer, double BioNTech/Pfizer, double CoronaVac+single BioNTech/Pfizer, double CoronaVac+double BioNTech/Pfizer and triple CoronaVac, respectively. While 1.8% of PCR positive COVID-19 cases needed intensive unit care in the pre-vaccination period, intensive care unit was required in 0%, 1.5%, 2.4%, 0% and 4.2% after single BioNTech/ Pfizer, double BioNTech/Pfizer, double CoronaVac+single BioNTech/ Pfizer, double CoronaVac+double BioNTech/Pfizer and triple CoronaVac, respectively. Reinfection rate after vaccination was 0.4%. Conclusions: The rarity of COVID-19 infection after vaccination suggests that efficacy of vaccines is maintained. On the other hand, the data underscore the critical importance of continued public health mitigation.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate long-term symptoms after acute COVID-19, the link between symptoms and respiratory function, radiological changes in the post-COVID period, and risk factors for post-COVID syndrome. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 123 participants who were admitted within the first 3 months were categorized as group 1, and those who applied after 3 months were categorized as group 2. According to thoracic imaging and pulmonary function tests, patients were split into 3 groups as mild, moderate and severe. Results: At least one symptom was present in 91.9% and 61.8% in acute and post-COVID period, respectively. Pulmonary function tests were normal in 60 (70.6%) in the first three months, and 30 (78.9%) in 91-days to 1-year period after acute COVID-19 infection. After 3 months, 22.4% of chest X-rays and 7.9% of computerized tomography revealed progression. Patients who developed acute complications (OR 9.91, 95% Cl 1.93-50.87), had 2 or more symptoms at admission (OR 7.73, 95% CI 2.56-23.33), had 1% to 14% CT involvement (OR 3.05, 95% CI 1.06-8.79), or had 50% or more CT involvement (OR 14.68, 95% CI 1.24-172.55) had a higher risk of developing post-COVID syndrome. Conclusions: COVID-19 symptoms can last for long time. Severity of symptoms, acute complications, and the extent of radiological involvement may all contribute to elevated risk of post-COVID syndrome. As a result, patients with COVID-19 should be checked for long-term clinical difficulties on regular basis.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate long-term effects of COVID-19, and to determine the risk factors in long-COVID in a cohort of the Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS)-TURCOVID multicenter registry. Methods: Thirteen centers participated with 831 patients; 504 patients were enrolled after exclusions. The study was designed in three-steps: (1) Phone questionnaire; (2) retrospective evaluation of the medical records; (3) face-to-face visit. Results: In the first step, 93.5% of the patients were hospitalized; 61.7% had a history of pneumonia at the time of diagnosis. A total of 27.1% reported clinical symptoms at the end of the first year. Dyspnea (17.00%), fatigue (6.30%), and weakness (5.00%) were the most prevalent long-term symptoms. The incidence of long-term symptoms was increased by 2.91 fold (95% CI 1.04-8.13, P=0.041) in the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and by 1.84 fold (95% CI 1.10-3.10, P=0.021) in the presence of pneumonia at initial diagnosis, 3.92 fold (95% Cl 2.29-6.72, P=0.001) of dyspnea and 1.69 fold (95% Cl 1.02-2.80, P=0.040) fatigue persists in the early-post-treatment period and 2.88 fold (95% Cl 1.52-5.46, P=0.001) in the presence of emergency service admission in the post COVID period. In step 2, retrospective analysis of 231 patients revealed that 1.4% of the chest X-rays had not significantly improved at the end of the first year, while computed tomography (CT) scan detected fibrosis in 3.4%. In step 3, 138 (27.4%) patients admitted to face-to-face visit at the end of first year; at least one symptom persisted in 49.27% patients. The most common symptoms were dyspnea (27.60%), psychiatric symptoms (18.10%), and fatigue (17.40%). Thorax CT revealed fibrosis in 2.4% patients. Conclusions: COVID-19 symptoms can last for extended lengths of time, and severity of the disease as well as the presence of comorbidities might contribute to increased risk. Long-term clinical issues should be regularly evaluated after COVID-19.