The Relationship of COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality with the History of Influenza Vaccination

Background: COVID-19 is currently the leading global health issue. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face challenges in supplying COVID-19 vaccines. To assess an adjunctive preventive measure for COVID-19 burden, we aimed to evaluate the relationship of influenza vaccination in the previous year with outcomes of COVID-19 in affirmed cases after adjustment for relevant factors. Methods: This prospective study was conducted using the provincial registry of confirmed COVID-19 cases in East-Azerbaijan province in North-West of Iran. The main outcomes were COVID-19 mortality and hospitalization. The influenza vaccination history in 2019 was collected by phone calls. Data analysis was done by SPSS software version 16, separately for healthcare workers and the general population. The logistic regression model was applied to compare the covariates in influenza vaccinated versus unvaccinated patients. Results: From 1 March to 10 October 2020, 17,213 positive COVID-19 cases were registered, of which 916 patients were included. A total of 88 patients (9.6%) deceased due to COVID-19. Two hundred subjects (21.8%) reported receiving the influenza vaccine during the past year. Healthcare workers had a significantly higher vaccination rate than the general population (28.9% vs. 7.1%;p<0.001). After adjustment for socioeconomic and health covariates, the vaccinated cases in the general population had 84% lower odds of death (OR: 0.16;95%CI: 0.05-0.60;p=0.017). In multivariate analysis, the influenza vaccination history in the previous year was not significantly related to the lower COVID-19 hospitalization rate. Conclusion: The flu vaccination rate was not optimal in our community. The flu vaccination can be an independent preventing factor for COVID-19 mortality in the general population. The influenza vaccine can be considered as an effective adjutant preventive countermeasure for the COVID-19 burden.

The Relationship of COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality with the History of Influenza Vaccination.

Background: COVID-19 is currently the leading global health issue. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face challenges in supplying COVID-19 vaccines. To assess an adjunctive preventive measure for COVID-19 burden, we aimed to evaluate the relationship of influenza vaccination in the previous year with outcomes of COVID-19 in affirmed cases after adjustment for relevant factors. Methods: This prospective study was conducted using the provincial registry of confirmed COVID-19 cases in East-Azerbaijan province in North-West of Iran. The main outcomes were COVID-19 mortality and hospitalization. The influenza vaccination history in 2019 was collected by phone calls. Data analysis was done by SPSS software version 16, separately for healthcare workers and the general population. The logistic regression model was applied to compare the covariates in influenza vaccinated versus unvaccinated patients. Results: From 1 March to 10 October 2020, 17,213 positive COVID-19 cases were registered, of which 916 patients were included. A total of 88 patients (9.6%) deceased due to COVID-19. Two hundred subjects (21.8%) reported receiving the influenza vaccine during the past year. Healthcare workers had a significantly higher vaccination rate than the general population (28.9% vs. 7.1%; p<0.001). After adjustment for socioeconomic and health covariates, the vaccinated cases in the general population had 84% lower odds of death (OR: 0.16; 95%CI: 0.05-0.60; p=0.017). In multivariate analysis, the influenza vaccination history in the previous year was not significantly related to the lower COVID-19 hospitalization rate. Conclusion: The flu vaccination rate was not optimal in our community. The flu vaccination can be an independent preventing factor for COVID-19 mortality in the general population. The influenza vaccine can be considered as an effective adjutant preventive countermeasure for the COVID-19 burden.

The burden of stroke and its attributable risk factors in the Middle East and North Africa region, 1990-2019.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity across the globe. Providing comprehensive data on the burden of stroke in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) could be useful for health policy makers in the region. Therefore, this article reported the burden of stroke and its attributable risk factors between 1990 and 2019 by age, sex, type of stroke, and socio-demographic index. Data on the point prevalence, death, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), due to stroke, were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019 for the 21 countries located in the MENA region from 1990 to 2019. The counts and age-standardised rates (per 100,000) were presented, along with their corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). In 2019, the regional age-standardised point prevalence and death rates of stroke were 1537.5 (95% UI: 1421.9-1659.9) and 87.7 (78.2-97.6) per 100,000, which represent a 0.5% (- 2.3 to 1.1) and 27.8% (- 35.4 to - 16) decrease since 1990, respectively. Moreover, the regional age-standardised DALY rate in 2019 was 1826.2 (1635.3-2026.2) per 100,000, a 32.0% (- 39.1 to - 23.3) decrease since 1990. In 2019, Afghanistan [3498.2 (2508.8-4500.4)] and Lebanon [752.9 (593.3-935.9)] had the highest and lowest age-standardised DALY rates, respectively. Regionally, the total number of stroke cases were highest in the 60-64 age group and was more prevalent in women in all age groups. In addition, there was a general negative association between SDI and the burden of stoke from 1990 to 2019. Also, in 2019, high systolic blood pressure [53.5%], high body mass index [39.4%] and ambient particulate air pollution [27.1%] made the three largest contributions to the burden of stroke in the MENA region. The stroke burden has decreased in the MENA region over the last three decades, although there are large inter-country differences. Preventive programs should be implemented which focus on metabolic risk factors, especially among older females in low SDI countries.

Nongovernmental organizations and social aspects of COVID-19 pandemic: A successful experience in health policy.

Background: This study aimed to provide information on activities and experiences of Nongovernmental organizations in Tabriz regarding COVID-19 to develop a framework for effective measures and actions for other communities based on relevant achievements and experiences. Method: The Social determinants of health research center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences coordinated the NGOs to deal with the consequences of COVID-19 disease by announcing, inviting, developing networks and preparing aims and objectives and action plans in participation with the NGOs. Results: This cooperation and synergy among NGOs led to following results: providing public health education, fund raising to provide health service and food items for vulnerable families, advocacy by writing letters to the governor and the City Council and emphasizing the needs for controlling the epidemics. Conclusion: NGOs can increase public awareness, change social policies, and provide services and facilities to the vulnerable groups of people to deal with these problems.

COVID-19 & an NGO and university developed interactive portal: a perspective from Iran.

On 19 February 2020, Iran reported the initial cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). As of 21 March 2020, Iran had reported 175,927 COVID-19 cases, including 8425 deaths. One of the best approaches for responding to COVID-19 is rapid detection, early isolation, and quick treatment of the disease. Studies have stated that information technology (IT) is a powerful tool for detecting, tracking, and responding to pandemic diseases. Despite the importance of IT, a lack of efficient use of information technology capacity was observed after the emergence of the new cases of COVID-19 in Iran. A web-portal can integrate different services and technologies and can support interaction between non-governmental organizations (NGO) and universities. NGOs can provide services for public health utilizing technology and its advancements. One of the important duties of these organizations is to inform and provide integrated services to the general public. An interactive portal is one of the advanced technologies that these organizations can use for health management. Medical sciences of universities play a vital surveillance role for enhancing the performance quality of NGOs. A web-portal can be a collaboration tool between health-related NGOs and medical sciences of universities. In this study, an interactive portal was developed by NGOs and a university. NGOs under the supervision and participation of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences' Center for Social Factors Research in COVID-19 management division of this portal separated classified information into two sections, informatics and services. This portal is accessible to the general public, patients, service providers, and, importantly, policymakers and presents educational and medical research information to all users. For patients and the general public in high-risk environments, increasing information security, reducing confusion regarding finding needed information, and facilitating communication are only part of the portal's benefit. It seems that web-portal capacity is needed to control COVID-19 in the digital age. The collaboration of academic and university bodies in the context of health portals can play key roles for coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.