ABSTRACT
Numerous vaccines have been generated to decrease the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19. This study aims to evaluate the immunogenicity of the heterologous boosts by BioNTech against homologous boosts by CoronaVac at three-month intervals in two health care worker (HCW) cohorts, with or without prior COVID-19, for one year post-vaccination. This is a prospective cohort study in which the humoral responses of 386 HCWs were followed-up longitudinally in six main groups according to their previous COVID-19 exposure and vaccination status. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike-RBD total antibody levels were measured and SARS-CoV-2 neutralization antibody (NAbs) responses against the ancestral Wuhan and the Omicron variant were evaluated comparatively using international standard serum for Wuhan and Omicron, as well as with the aid of a conversion tool. The anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike-RBD total Ab and Nab difference between with and without prior COVID-19, three months after two-dose primary vaccination with CoronaVac, was statistically significant (p = 0.001). In the subsequent follow-ups, this difference was not observed between the groups. Those previously infected (PI) and non-previously infected (NPI) groups receiving BioNTech as the third dose had higher anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike total Ab levels (14.2-fold and 17.4-fold, respectively, p = 0.001) and Nab responses (against Wuhan and Omicron) than those receiving CoronaVac. Ab responses after booster vaccination decreased significantly in all groups at the ninth-month follow-up (p < 0.05); however, Abs were still higher in all booster received groups than that in the primary vaccination. Abs were above the protective level at the twelfth-month measurement in the entire of the second BioNTech received group as the fourth dose of vaccination. In the one-year follow-up period, the increased incidence of COVID-19 in the groups vaccinated with two or three doses of CoronaVac compared with the groups vaccinated with BioNTech as a booster suggested that continuing the heterologous CoronaVac/BioNTech vaccination, revised according to current SARS-CoV-2 variants and with at least a six-month interval booster would be an effective and safe strategy for protection against COVID-19, particularly in health care workers.
ABSTRACT
The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) was developed to differentiate individuals who were functionally impaired by anxiety about COVID-19 from those anxious, but not disabled by their emotional reactions to the disease. The aim of the present study is to validate the Turkish version of the CAS. The study was carried out in two stages. In the first phase, the validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted with 95 people. The single-factor structure of the scale was confirmed with exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis results. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency coefficient was found to be 0.86. In the second stage; the data were collected using the Turkish version of CASand Herth Hope scale. The scales were applied to 720 people. It was determined that there was a statistically significant relationship between total CAS scores and the Herth Hope Index. These findings revealed that the CAS was a valid and reliable measurement tool for evaluating the anxiety levels of individuals.