The Importance of COVID-19/Influenza Vaccines Co-Administration: An Essential Public Health Tool.

Vaccine co-administration is an important tool with several advantages for public health, among which is the increase of vaccination coverage, as well as economic and logistical benefits. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the immune response to the COVID-19 first booster dose in healthcare workers (HCWs) who chose co-administration and in HCWs who received only COVID-19 vaccination and to investigate personal opinions about the experience of co-administration. We carried out a retrospective analysis involving two groups of HCWs, both vaccinated with the complete primary cycle and the first booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but one of them was also vaccinated, at the same time as the first booster dose, with the influenza vaccine. Active phone calls were also performed, and specific questions about the onset of side effects and general opinions were asked. A good immune response was found in both two groups without any statistically significant difference in the immune response. No severe reactions occurred in either group. A greater part of the sample was completely satisfied, and they would do it again. Our findings are totally in favor of the co-administration, considering the many positive aspects provided by administering, at the same time, more vaccines.

Reactogenicity and Humoral Immune Response after Heterologous Vaxzevria/Comirnaty Vaccination in a Group of Individuals Vaccinated in the AOU Policlinic "G. Martino" (Messina, Italy): A Retrospective Cohort Study.

On 11 June 2021, the Italian Ministry of Health authorized the heterologous vaccination schedule. The goals of our retrospective study were to (a) evaluate the undesirable effects after the administration of Vaxzevria and Comirnaty vaccines; (b) evaluate the antibody response after 28 days from the administration of the second dose; and (c) compare the antibody responses after the homologous and heterologous vaccination regimens. The undesirable effects were collected using a survey; IgG Spike was quantified using the electrochemiluminescence method; the comparison between the antibody responses was carried out using the sample of a homologous vaccine schedule previously analyzed. Pain at the injection site is the most common undesirable effect after the administration of both vaccines (62.1% after Vaxzevria vs. 82.75% after Comirnaty); swelling at the injection site is more frequent after the administration of Vaxzevria than after the administration of Comirnaty: (15.52% vs. 5.17%); headache is more frequent in women than in men for both the vaccination types (p < 0.05); 49.09% of the sample reported IgG Spike ≥ 12,500 U/mL; the antibody titer of the heterologous schedule is higher than that of the homologous vaccination. Our study demonstrated that the undesirable effects after the administration of the second dose are less frequent and less severe than after the administration of the first dose, and that the immunogenicity of the heterologous vaccinations is higher than that of the homologous ones.

COVID-19: opinions and behavior of Italian general population during the first epidemic phase.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: On January 9, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that Chinese health authorities had identified a new coronavirus strain never before isolated in humans, the 2019-nCoV later redefined SARS-CoV-2, that still today represent a public health problem. The present survey started on 10 February 2020 with the aim of a) assessing the risk perception in healthcare workers and young students, following the evolution of attitudes, perception and knowledge over time, b) provide useful information to the general population during survey. RESULTS: A study sample consisting of 4116 Italian individuals of both sexes was enrolled. High levels of risk perception, low perception of self-efficacy and low levels of knowledge scores (24.55 ± 5.76 SD) were obtained indicating the need for continuous population monitoring as well as further communication strategies carried out at institution levels. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study could help public health authorities in carrying out informative campaigns for general population and could be an important tool in evaluating public knowledge and misperceptions during the management of the COVID-19. (www.actabiomedica.it).

A Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Study on Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multicentric Italian Survey Insights.

In January 2020, Chinese health authorities identified a novel coronavirus strain never before isolated in humans. It quickly spread across the world, and was eventually declared a pandemic, leading to about 310 million confirmed cases and to 5,497,113 deaths (data as of 11 January 2022). Influenza viruses affect millions of people during cold seasons, with high impacts, in terms of mortality and morbidity. Patients with comorbidities are at a higher risk of acquiring severe problems due to COVID-19 and the flu-infections that could impact their underlying clinical conditions. In the present study, knowledge, attitudes, and opinions of the general population regarding COVID-19 and influenza immunization were evaluated. A multicenter, web-based, cross-sectional study was conducted between 10 February and 12 July 2020, during the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections among the general population in Italy. A sample of 4116 questionnaires was collected at the end of the study period. Overall, 17.5% of respondents stated that it was unlikely that they would accept a future COVID-19 vaccine (n = 720). Reasons behind vaccine refusal/indecision were mainly a lack of trust in the vaccine (41.1%), the fear of side effects (23.4%), or a lack of perception of susceptibility to the disease (17.1%). More than 50% (53.8%; n = 2214) of the sample participants were willing to receive flu vaccinations in the forthcoming vaccination campaign, but only 28.2% of cases had received it at least once in the previous five seasons. A higher knowledge score about SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and at least one flu vaccination during previous influenza seasons were significantly associated with the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza. The continuous study of factors, determining vaccination acceptance and hesitancy, is fundamental in the current context, in regard to improve vaccination confidence and adherence rates against vaccine preventable diseases.

COVID-19 serological evaluation in a cohort of Vaccinated and Seropositive healthcare workers.

INTRODUCTION: Severe Acquired Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection represents an unprecedented public health problem and, at present, vaccination is the only weapon available to combat the infection. The simplest and most immediate method to quantify the response of the subject's immune system to vaccination and / or infection is the serological assessment of the antibody titer. The objective of our study was 1) to evaluate the presence of antibody responses in a sample of healthcare workers subjected to a complete vaccination course as per ministerial provisions (double dose for negatives and single dose for ex-SARS-CoV subjects -2 positive) with Comirnaty vaccine (Pfizer / BioNTech) 2) evaluate the presence of statistically significant associations for sex, age and previous positive swab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: the antibody levels of both nucleocapsid antibodies and anti-Sars-CoV2 Spike antibodies of the study subjects were examined with the electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA) method developed by Roche®. The cut-off value, as suggested by the manufacturer, for anti-nucleocapsid antibodies was 1 COI, while the Ig Spike value was 0.8 I / mL. The study sample was stratified by age (≤45 years, 46-55, ≥56 years old), previous positive molecular swab, gender and IgG S1 / S2 values ​​at the completed vaccination course (≤200, ≥200 AU / mL ). Statistical analyzes were carried out with the R software. RESULTS: almost all of the sample (89.45%) showed IgG Spike values> 200 AU / mL with statistically significant associations in relation to sex (greater in females, p≤0.05), to previous swab positivity in the presence of a vaccine dose (n = 44; p <0.001) and at age (with greater antibody response in subjects under 45; p <0.001). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The current study confirms what is reported in the literature. In the light of the results obtained, it could be interesting to promote studies that evaluate the antibody titers trend over time a) in women of childbearing age and postmenopausal age b) in particular categories of subjects with chronic degenerative diseases to assess the actual need for doses booster, it being understood that the immune system response is guaranteed by both cellular and humoral immunity and that the antibody titer does not faithfully reflect the protection obtained.