ABSTRACT
Introduction: The newly developed and marketed vaccines along with concerns about vaccine safety and long-term side effects has been raised an alarming in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of acceptance, perceptions and concerns towards receiving COVID-19 vaccines and to explore the incidence of vaccines' side effects among Iraqi population in Baghdad province, Iraq. Method: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted via direct interviews among a convenient sample size of Iraqi population using a structured validated questionnaire consisting of using 24-item questionnaire to assess acceptance, concerns and the incidence of vaccines' side effects towards receiving COVID-19 vaccines. Results: A total of 500 participants with an average age of 27.8 ± 3.7 years were included. Majority were females (70.6%). 43.4% had a history of COVID-19, and 46% received the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. 73.4% (P < 0.0001) agreed about the importance of receiving the vaccination to protect the community against the COVID-19.46.8% (P < 0.0001) were unsure about the adverse effects and long-term vaccine safety. 72.8% reported that transmission of COVID-19 infection to family members is the main concern for accepting vaccination. Fatigue (60%), injection site reactions (55.8%) were the most common vaccine's side effects. Young age (P = 0.001), females (P < 0.0001), and university educational (P < 0.0001) were the most significant determents for accepting vaccination. Conclusion: This study highlights that the Iraqi population showed a considerable acceptance rate for the COVID-19 vaccines. However, vaccine safety is considered a high priority concern associated with the willingness of the population to vaccinate.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 medicines, such as molnupiravir are beginning to emerge for public health and clinical practice. On the other hand, drugs display marked variability in their efficacy and safety. Hence, COVID-19 medicines, as with all drugs, will be subject to the age-old maxim "one size prescription does not fit all". In this context, pharmacogenomics is the study of genome-by-drug interactions and offers insights on mechanisms of patient-to-patient and between-population variations in drug efficacy and safety. Pharmacogenomics information is crucial to tailoring the patients' prescriptions to achieve COVID-19 preventive and therapeutic interventions that take into account the host biology, patients' genome, and variable environmental exposures that collectively influence drug efficacy and safety. This expert review critically evaluates and summarizes the pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine aspects of the emerging COVID-19 drugs, and other selected drug interventions deployed to date. Here, we aim to sort out the hope, hype, and reality and suggest that there are veritable prospects to advance COVID-19 medicines for public health benefits, provided that pharmacogenomics is considered and implemented adequately. Pharmacogenomics is an integral part of rational and evidence-based medical practice. Scientists, health care professionals, pharmacists, pharmacovigilance practitioners, and importantly, patients stand to benefit by expanding the current pandemic response toolbox by the science of pharmacogenomics, and its applications in COVID-19 medicines and clinical trials.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Pharmacogenetics , Humans , Precision Medicine , PandemicsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to provide a scoping and comprehensive review for the clinical outcomes from the cross-link of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), COVID-19, and sarcopenia. METHODS: By using PRISMA guidelines and searching through different databases that could provide findings of evidence on the association of T2DM, COVID-19, and sarcopenia. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies reported a relationship between sarcopenia with T2DM, twenty-one studies reported the prognosis COVID-19 in patients with T2DM, ten studies reported the prognosis of COVID-19 in patients with sarcopenia, five studies discussed the outcomes of sarcopenia in patients with COVID-19, and one study reported sarcopenia outcomes in the presence of T2DM and COVID-19. CONCLUSION: There is an obvious multidimensional relationship between T2DM, COVID-19 and sarcopenia which can cause prejudicial effects, poor prognosis, prolonged hospitalisation, lowered quality of life and a higher mortality rate during the current COVID-19 pandemic.