Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Doses Using the Health Belief Model: A Cross-Sectional Study in Low-Middle- and High-Income Countries of the East Mediterranean Region.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster doses decrease infection transmission and disease severity. This study aimed to assess the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in low, middle, and high-income countries of the East Mediterranean Region (EMR) and its determinants using the health belief model (HBM). In addition, we aimed to identify the causes of booster dose rejection and the main source of information about vaccination. Using the snowball and convince sampling technique, a bilingual, self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was used to collect the data from 14 EMR countries through different social media platforms. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the key determinants that predict vaccination acceptance among respondents. Overall, 2327 participants responded to the questionnaire. In total, 1468 received compulsory doses of vaccination. Of them, 739 (50.3%) received booster doses and 387 (26.4%) were willing to get the COVID-19 vaccine booster doses. Vaccine booster dose acceptance rates in low, middle, and high-income countries were 73.4%, 67.9%, and 83.0%, respectively (p < 0.001). Participants who reported reliance on information about the COVID-19 vaccination from the Ministry of Health websites were more willing to accept booster doses (79.3% vs. 66.6%, p < 0.001). The leading causes behind booster dose rejection were the beliefs that booster doses have no benefit (48.35%) and have severe side effects (25.6%). Determinants of booster dose acceptance were age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.03, p = 0.002), information provided by the Ministry of Health (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.79-6.49, p = 0.015), perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 infection (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.21-2.93, p = 0.005), perceived severity of COVID-19 (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 137-3.16, p = 0.001), and perceived risk of side effects (OR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.19-0.34, p < 0.001). Booster dose acceptance in EMR is relatively high. Interventions based on HBM may provide useful directions for policymakers to enhance the population's acceptance of booster vaccination.

Prevalence of Acute Kidney Injury in Covid-19 Patients- Retrospective Single-Center Study.

Introduction: In December 2019, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease outbreak started in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and spread rapidly to other regions of the world. Although diffuse alveolar injury and acute respiratory failure were the most prominent characteristics, further investigation of organ involvement is essential. Aim: In this study, we aim to determine the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in covid-19 patients and also the relationship between inflammatory markers, the severity of lung involvement, and acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 102 COVID-19 patients presented to a tertiary teaching hospital in Mogadishu during the second wave of Covid-19 2021. Patients' age, gender, comorbidities, hemoglobin, platelet, and white blood cell counts, glucose, urea, creatinine, sodium, potassium, CRP, ferritin, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) Covid-19 test and CT scan findings were all collected. Results: The mean age of the patients was 58 (Range 23-91 years), including 64 men and 38 women. The prevalence of acute kidney injury was 12.7%. There was a significant association between acute kidney injury, CRP and ferritin with the p values of P<0.003 and P<0.004, respectively. For severity of lung involvement with computed tomography finding, 35 (34.3%) had mild, 35 (34.3%) had moderate and 32 (31.4%) had severe lung involvement. There was significant association between the lung involvement, Ferritin and CRP levels with P values of P<0.005 and P<0.007 respectively. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that acute kidney injury is common in covid-19 patients and can increase the morbidity and mortality of these patients. As a result, clinicians in low-resource countries such as Somalia should be more vigilant about kidney injury in patients with severe COVID-19.